Wowi Chinese Pen

September 20, 2011

Hi everyone! This is my first review,and in fact, my first post ever! I have been lurking here for almost two years now, and I just recently realised that I had a pen never before reviewed, or at least not to my knowledge. I found this pen at an antique show, and was intrigued at its quality. It appears to be a cheap pen made in China under the Wowi brand name. I can't find it on Ebay any more, but there is a similar model from the same company . I think I will get started on the actual review now that I have introduced myself.

Appearance and Design: It's a very attractive pen; it is lacquer over brass, and so it's really heavy. The lacquer is a light blue and embedded within it is a multitude of tiny sparkles. The pictures really don't show it very well; It shimmers and sparkles when you turn it in the light. It's design is a nice cigar shape, with gold-coloured rings near the top of the cap, the other end, and where the cap joins the barrel. There is one little quibble that I have with it, and that is the clip. It is flat stamped brass, but at the end, there are two little pieces of plastic, giving it the shape of a ball clip. The only problem is that the profile of the clip and the plastic don't match. There is a little gap in between the two pieces of plastic. All in all, it doesn't affect performance, and is just a little unsightly.

Construction and Quality: It's very solid construction, being brass, and all the parts fit together well, except the plastic bits on the clip. There is also a little chipping on the matt black paint of the section. The section is brass, which is painted black. It is a little slippery at times, but not as much I believe a plain metal section would be.

Weight and Dimensions: The pen is really heavy. For me it's on the verge of being too heavy, but I have small hands compared to other men, so if you like heavy pens, or have large hands, the balance will probably be better for you. The pen is 5 inches long, uncapped, and 5.5 capped. My hand tends to tire quickly with it though.

Nib and Performance: I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised! Its a gold plated IPG nib, and it is really smooth! It's a fine nib, and smooth, with just a bit of feedback. It's a dry writer, maybe a 7/10. What I was even more surprised by was that it was springy! With significant pressure one can achieve almost a millimetre of line variation. This was my very first introduction to flex, and I thought it was pretty cool.

Filling System: It's a pretty typical c/c filler. I had a bit of trouble with the barrel being just a little too long, and the cartridge nipple was a little too small for the cartridges it used, so it would fall out while inside the barrel, causing an inky mess. However, I fitted a little lump of paper into the barrel, and now the cartridge fits snugly and doesn't fall out; it uses international long cartridges, and I think a converter would fit into it.

Cost and Value: I got this pen for 9 dollars, and that's a great deal, but on Ebay, a similar model shows up for $6.99. I can't seem to find this particular model on Ebay, but I would expect the other model to be very similar in quality. It seems like this very obscure brand has something going for it. I would definitely buy another if I felt I needed it, and I probably will be buying some for my family.

Conclusion: All in all, I think it was a good buy, and I was pleasantly surprised to find how well it performed. I think it's a wonderful deal at it's price, even if eclipsed by other pens, like the Hero 616, selling at even cheaper prices.

Thanks for reading my first review and post, and please give me any feedback you feel would be helpful.

Edited September 21, 2011 by ProfChallenger

September 21, 2011

A belated welcome from me. I just love accumulating pens in this way, just seeing what turns up and enjoying whatever I find.

September 21, 2011

I have this pen but it is a grey marble color but the clip is unmistakeable as is that section. I use it daily and have it filled with Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue at the moment. Mine has "Jaguar" imprinted on the cap. I purchased it used on eBay. The plating on the nib is worn and the brass is starting to show through the black laquer of the section. It is still a very good daily writter. Here is one hint for you. Mine came with a Waterman converter and it fits very snugly and works perfectly with it. I searched for more info on it but could not come up with anything. Thanks for the extra info!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6114489069_0171ff5459_z.jpg

2011-09-04 19.06.35 by IvanRomero, on Flickr

Edited September 21, 2011 by KrazyIvan

September 21, 2011

On 9/21/2011 at 12:45 AM, KrazyIvan said:
I have this pen but it is a grey marble color but the clip is unmistakeable as is that section. I use it daily and have it filled with Private Reserve DC Supershow Blue at the moment. Mine has "Jaguar" imprinted on the cap. I purchased it used on eBay. The plating on the nib is worn and the brass is starting to show through the black laquer of the section. It is still a very good daily writter. Here is one hint for you. Mine came with a Waterman converter and it fits very snugly and works perfectly with it. I searched for more info on it but could not come up with anything. Thanks for the extra info!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6114489069_0171ff5459_z.jpg
2011-09-04 19.06.35 by IvanRomero, on Flickr

Thanks for the information. I think it's interesting how it is the same pen, but branded a different way. Maybe there's a factory that sells these to distributors who then rebrand them?

-ProfChallenger

September 21, 2011

And thanks for the review. Chinese pens can be fun. Asian sometimes have trouble translating or transliterating into English (and I assume other European languages). The people that named the company known as Cannon were trying to transliterate the name of the Japanese goddess of mercy in to English, her name is better represented as Kwannon (or Quan Yin).