Pirre Paul Chinese Pen

[vans4444]

This Pirre Paul fountain pens were bought from eBay in a lot of three pens (each a different colour) for less than £8.00 delivered. It is not a bad pen so I thought I would do a very brief review

 

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww3/vans4444/Pens/pirrepauls1.jpg

 

Some months ago I was looking for some very cheap fountain pens for my young daughter to use in school. I was working on the assumption she would loose her pens and therefore I wanted a few very cheap pens. I did my daughter a major injustice; she looks after her pens and uses a Lamy Safari and Kaweco Sport. However, she has lent two of the Pirre Paul pens to class friends and like her they like them.

 

It is well constructed, and has stood up to a few months school use without any ill effects.

 

The body and cap are made from sturdy translucent plastic with no flex when pressed. At the base of the barrel is a metal lug which allows the cap to be firmly posted. I assume the lug is actually plastic covered with a thin layer of metal. The cap has a strong metal clip

 

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww3/vans4444/Pens/pirrepauls2.jpg

 

The section is metal but a little short for me but OK for my daughter.

 

On his site FPN member His Nibs notes R Pirre Paul was Established in 1993 as a pen brand of Eastrong Co. Ltd and they are made in Taiwan. Overall the pen feels sturdy and does not look as cheap as the pen really is. Many Chinese pens are heavy and blingy but this one is neither.

 

The best part of the pen is the steel medium nib. Most of the nibs in the Chinese pens that I have are nails but his one does have a little flex. It is also very smooth. The ink flow is just right, neither too wet nor too dry. It does not skip.

 

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww3/vans4444/Pens/pirrepauls3.jpg

 

Length capped 135mm, posted 158mm, width 11mm. Therefore it is a very similar size to the Preppy except the Preppy is 1mm or 2mm wider. Posted it is comfortable to use for extended periods but a little thin for me. My daughter uses it unposted.

 

It takes international cartridges

 

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww3/vans4444/Pens/pirrepauls4.jpg

 

Conclusion

 

These cost about £2.50 each delivered and for that I was not expecting much. However, it has stood up to hard school use. It has not leaked. It starts first time even after being left a few days, is sturdy and looks OK. My daughter thinks the pen looks very good. I mentioned the Preppy because the Pirre Paul costs about the same as the Preppy. I think the advantage the Pirre Paul has over the Preppy is it takes international cartridges and is not covered with printed labels. I also think the nib is as good. The Preppy is slightly wider with a longer section and I find that slightly more comfortable.

 

I have only seen Pirre Paul pens sold by one eBay seller based in Hong Kong and he has a range of styles, but all of them cheap.

 

So do I recommend the pen? If you are looking for a very cheap pen I think you can do worse than the Pirre Paul. I think it also makes a good school pen.

Edited December 1, 2010 by vans4444

[eli]

Thanks for sharing. I've got a 'watch item' on ebay for these but have wanted to know if they were worth the bother before I tried them out and it sounds like they are.

 

Eli

[His Nibs]

My customers have been very happy with the R. Pirre Paul's pens -- both this model and the wooden ones.

 

A nice pen review!

[vans4444]

My customers have been very happy with the R. Pirre Paul's pens -- both this model and the wooden ones.

 

A nice pen review!

 

 

Thanks, from your website I have added that the pens were made in Taiwan.

[rockydoggy]

Thanks for the review. I'd been thinking of getting a set of these pens to give away as gifts, but I'd not come across any first-hand comments about them. This helps a lot.

 

(PS. A vendor on Ebay who's selling these pens indicates that they're made in Shanghai.)

Edited December 1, 2010 by rockydoggy

[nebbermind]

do also consider the wooden version of the Pirre Paul FP. For a couple of $ more, u get nib, marked Iridium Pt Germany, which I find even better than the ones marked P.P.

 

Check HERE for nib image

[Malcy]

Following your review I have just bought a pack of ten for £12.90 including postage from the same ebay shop (I have used them before). They will be give-aways for my students as prizes for doing well.

[smodak]

do these take parker cartridges? Which ebay shop you guys are buying these from?

[Malcy]

do these take parker cartridges? Which ebay shop you guys are buying these from?

 

If I remember they take standard international size cartridges. I got them from Pokydady or currysingsing on ebay. They are in fact the same seller but were very reliable and threw in gifts usually of extra pens.

[vans4444]

do these take parker cartridges? Which ebay shop you guys are buying these from?

 

If I remember they take standard international size cartridges. I got them from Pokydady or currysingsing on ebay. They are in fact the same seller but were very reliable and threw in gifts usually of extra pens.

 

 

Yes they take international standard cartridges. I bought 3 from currysingsing for my daughter who used one for a longtime and gave the rest to her friends.

Edited October 17, 2011 by vans4444

[Joly]

I bought this set with 5 differend colors and 5 Pirre Paul's "Artist" fountain pens and i love them!

What's neat is that if you look under the nib the plastic is transparent so you see if the ink flows or not.

[rockydoggy]

I ended up buying three of these pens and they've turned out alright--the nibs are a bit scratchy but the flow is ok and they start promptly after sitting around. Overall, cheap, reliable pens that have the look and feel of the Parker Vector but they take standard, international-size carts. Interestingly enough, the pens I received came with carts that are in length halfway between the small and the long ones that I'm used to. I don't have one handy but I've never encountered this sort of medium-size standard international cart before. Did anyone else receive these types of carts? Does anyone know where I can get more of this size?

[Pemako]

Thanks for the review. Judging from picture number 3 the tines are slightly out of alignment. You may want to gently pull the left one up and push the right one down. Have a look, using a loupe, at the bottom of the nib. It should be obvious whether the tines are aligned or not. Enjoy.

[bob_hayden]

Re the intermediate size cartridges -- I have these from Jinhao and Hero. They seem to be a regular size in China. I got mine recently on eBay. Usually the vendor's state the length in inches. The ink seems to be OK and the cartridges are very cheap.

[basterma]

I have two unbranded pens from them and they are both quite well made. The model here is awfully similar to the Parker Vector and it does lead one to wonder if the parent company is an OEM for Parker...

[vans4444]

These pens somehow managed to survive nearly two years of primary school use my my daughter that included lending them to friends. We still have them, but they are no longer used.

[bob_hayden]

I later did a lot more testing of the intermediate-length cartridges from Jinhao, Gullor, and Hero. The details are here (Multiple reviews interspersed with other reviews and comments):

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/314342-cheap-ink-cartridges/page-2

 

The short version is that they all have significant disadvantages and that in most cases you can find cheaper options that perform better. The added length does not necessarily mean more capacity as they are slimmer than short internationals and have a big plug in the closed end that takes up space that could be filled with ink.