Chinese Pens Show And Tell.

[Ian the Jock]

I thought it would be good to have a thread where we can show our Chinese pens to anyone who wants to look at them, a kind of combined "show us what pens you're using" and "what pen are you using today" but for Chinese pens.

I've read people talking about a certain pen, only to rake about and not be able to find any pics of it.

So.

There is no criteria other than that your pen should be Chinese.

You only need post what you want... a pic, the pens name, or if you want to explain how/why/where you got it, or if there is a story attached, it is entirely up to yourself.

It doesn't need to be your favourite, just whatever you want to stick on and tell people about at that particular time, for whatever reason.

If you want to do a picture review of a pen you've just bought, fine, do a review.

It might let other fans of Chinese pens see yours and think "ooh I'd like one of those", as I know that raking around on this forum is how I happened upon many of the pens I have.

I've amassed quite a number of Chinese pens in the past 9 months, therefore I have many to show, and I'm pretty sure many others are the same.

 

So go on

SHOW US YER CHINESE PENS.

 

I'll start.

Today, for no particular reason, I'm going to show....

 

A Hero 3013 in Red, with Chinese text and a golden gragon embossed on it.

 

 

Cheers

Ian

[Ian the Jock]

Here's todays' show and tell choice.

The Kaigelu 368.

 

Not a lot of telling to do.

Great pens that look good and are very robust, and as expected from Kiagelu pens, very smooth writers.

They come in green and brown, as well as the black and maroon that I have and have a medium nib.(you can also get them with a fude nib) and If you like the styling, I'd recommend them highly.

 

Ian

 

 

 

[Ian the Jock]

The subject of todays' "show and tell" is the....

BAOER 508 (polish magic) in blue marble.

 

This pen is another lovely wet writer, which has given me no problems whatsoever.

It's a nicely shaped pen, with a good robust feel to it, and a smooth (which I've come to expect) Baoer medium nib.

To be honest, this pen, is fantastic value for money, and I wouldn't mind a few in different colours.

anyway

Here it is.

 

THE BAOER 508.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ian

 

[Ian the Jock]

Although early in the proceedings, I thought today I'd bring out one of my " Big Guns"

 

The Jinhao 1200 with gold dragon clip

 

Or as its' better known

The Big Silver Dragon

 

 

This is one of my favourite Chinese pens (although I could probably say that about all of them, well most) the main reason for which is that IT HAS A DRAGON ON IT.

This pen is for uber bling days only due to the sunglasses requirement when using it, but it is so OTT that it is brilliant......I just love it.

It's odd though, as to look at the pen you'd think that the barrel was textured, as, it is covered in dragon scales after all, but no! it's smooth, and the feeling of texture is only just there and no more.

It has the B I G Jinhao nib, and mine is a Chinese broad which just flows beautifully.

 

 

Did I mention that the clip is a Dragon? with red eyes no less.

 

 

As you can imagine, it is a fairly hefty pen, which weighs in at 49g, which is to be expected as It is a big silver dragon after all.

I have this pen as my dedicated Baystate Blue pen, just to make it shout out even louder, and when I pick it up to write with it, I can't put it down.

It also comes in Gold colour, which is seriously blingy, and in black, which is a bit more subdued but doesn't have the "scales" which to me kinda defeats the purpose.

This is a big scaley, monstrous, ink breathing dragon, and should look like one.

Visually it obviously won't butter everyones' parsnips, but c'mon...a pen with a red eyed dragon on it, you've gotta have one.

 

 

 

 

CHEERS

IAN

Edited August 20, 2015 by Ian the Jock

[oneill]

Hi Ian: you are going to be amazed at what I am about to tell you, I too am a

lover of Chinese pens especially those made by Jinhao who also make Baoer,if you

troll through these hallowed pages you will see quite a few posts about these very

well made pens which I am responsible for, the reason being that some years ago I

was trying to decipher some of the very badly described chinese pens on E-Bay and I had

bought several from time to time of the Jinhao and Baoer brand I soon became a

lover of this company so I contacted the company and offered to describe their

pens for them for FREE!!!!!! they immediately accepted my offer and I spent about four years in not only describing them but also naming some of them as well.You

might ask so whats amazing about that well I am a Geordie from C.O.Durham now

living in South Austalia since 1960.What I am most impresses me about this

company is the NIBS which I find to be super smooth most of the time.During my

spell with Jinhao I saw a post by the famous Australian Cricketer Max Walker who

is another admirer of Jinhao and once mentioned them in an article on his Fountain Pens which used to be on the ABC Show, I was so pleased to see that I informed

Jinhao who kindly sent me two Fountain pens to present to him, he uses them on a

daily basis along with his Mont Blanc Boheme which he has used to write some 14

novels.He is quite happy to display his $2.pen in his pencase alongside the $500.00 ones.I regard Jinhao as being such a good pen that I give one to every trades

person who works at my house.

[Ian the Jock]

Hi oneill

Great story...being a cricket fan I know of Max Walker, and to think he uses a Jinhao is brilliant.

I have many pens from Jinhao and Baoer, as well as a few other Chinese brands too, and my favourite Chinese pen of all is the Jinhao 217. It's an excellent pen, which is super smooth and totally reliable.

There are many, many, excellent Chinese pens out there which are incredible value for money, especially as most have free shipping from China.

 

Ye canny whack 'em.

 

Ian

[oneill]

Hi Again Ian; as I said Max Walker used to have a segment on the ABC website which sadly has been taken down ,he would talk about his Mont Banc's and how he used

the Boheme retractable Nib pen to write all of his 14 Books but the bit I enjoyed

was when he said he had bought the Jinhao when in Asia I think from memory and

that he just loved to use it on a daily basis and he liked the idea of it being so flashy so he was delighted when I gave him the other two Jinhao pens.

[DrDebG]

I have been enjoying your reviews of Chinese pens. I must admit that I do not own a Chinese pen yet, and would love to have suggestions. I have a wide variety of Waterman, Lamys, Deltas and Auroras. I have been dabbling in Bexleys and Conklins. But, I would like to find one or two smooth, wet Chinese FPs. What do you recommend?

[oneill]

Hi Drpenfection : I am not the one who reviews the chinese pens it is Ian The Jock, but like Ian I am an ardent collector of Jinhao and Baoer pens they are both made by the same company, I cant begin to tell you how much I love these pens especially because of the Nibs,they are just about the smooooothest writers you will ever get, it has been my experience from time to time that one of them might not write continuously the reason is believed to be the so called cheap Convertor which is supplied with the pen.My advice is and will always be to flush out the mineral oil which is used during manufacture by following these simple directions ,use warm water with a tiny drop of dishwashing liquid which has an even smaller drop of Ammonia in it, everyone who has had problems with ink flow has followed these instructions and I don't think they have ever failed.Should you still have the problem then try another brand of convertor.Out of all of the Jinhao pens if you want a classy looking one and one which I originally named look on the bay for the Abalone Pen or it is sometimes called the Mother of Pearl pen it is to die for as far as I am concerned, I have that pen in my collection and it always will be.At the current prices you will be amazed at how much you can get one of these for. Let me know how you go.

[Ian the Jock]

Dr Penfection

There are many, many excellent Chinese pens out there with a huge variety of designs and styles to choose from.

When I first joined FPN I was "warned off" Chinese pens, however, as a stubborn "I'll make up my own mind thank you very much" type of guy, I now have 50+ Chinese pens.

Every one a winner as far as I'm concerned, and I have not had 1 single failure.

Like yourself, I also have Watermans, Deltas, etc but I just can't keep away from my Chinese pens, they are brilliant.

One phrase that pops up regularly when pens are discussed/reviewed is "...for the money"

I've tried to stop saying that myself, as I feel that many of these pens are great as pens regardless of their cost, although, the fact that they are inexpensive is a bonus.

All I can do is offer up some of my own personal favourites for you to have a look at, and of course answer any questions you may have on them.

Everyone has differing tastes and my choice of aesthetics might not suit everyone, but hey, part of the fun is raking around looking at pens anyway, so here are my "recommendations".

 

My favourite of all my Chinese pens is the Jinhao 217, which is a fabulous pen.

It has a super wet medium nib, and seems to be of better build quality than many of the other Jinhaos. I love the styling of the pen, and its' "you can always count on me" reliability. It really is an incredible pen "for the money"

The 217 is closely followed by several others, which are all great writers and a joy to use.

The Kiagelu 316 is a stunner, and a wonderful pen in use, with a wet medium nib. It's a pretty heavy pen when compared to the likes of your watermans, but I just love it, as do many others.

There are few Hero pens which blew me away with their build quality and performance, the First of which is the Hero 7022. What a pen! The build quality of this pen is exceptional.

It writes like a dream and is bomb proof, and anyone who says that Chinese pens are cheap rubbish obviously hasn't picked up one of these...a brilliant pen.

Another Hero that is really worth a look is the Hero 1026. It's another extremely well made robust pen, with a classy appearance. Mine has a wet medium nib and it's a "glider". It literally glides across the paper with no effort. It really is another very good pen and certainly worth a look.

If you like the styling of the Parker Sonnet, then the Baoer 388 is worth a look. I have the red ripple version and it's a lovely pen. Again, a super smooth writer which I have found to be extremely reliable, even after having been abandoned for weeks.

If you are up for a bit of bling, then the Jinhao 1200 could be right up your street.

As you can see in the show and tell above, It is a big scaly ink spewing dragon of a pen and I just couldn't resist it. My plan was to put a posh nib in it to make it a wondrous thing, but I never have...it is so good as it is, I don't want to change it.

The Picasso Swedish Flower King is another of my faves. It's a slimmer pen with gorgeous styling.

When I opened the box I was blown away by its' looks. It really is a gorgeous pen (mine is dark blue with lighter "crackles") and again, I have found mine to be super reliable.

Others from my collection that are worth a look are.

 

Jinhao x500 A very nice, well balanced pen which is a joy to use.

Baoer 051. This is a nice pen, lovely styling, and the bombproof Baoer nib.

Kaigelu 368. Previous show and tell subject, that to be honest, everyone should have.......It's got Roo's on it.

Hero 8018. A surprise gem. Lovely weight, lovely balance, super smooth and although style wise not everyones' cuppa, a cracking pen.

Jinhao x250, x450, x750 are always mentioned in the "good Chinese pen threads" and are very popular. Of the 3, I prefer the x750, it's nice big pen with a gushing Chinese broad nib and a delight to use. The x250 is a slimmer pen but equally pleasant to use.

The x450 has the shaped grip for correct finger placement (a la Lamy safari only more comfortable and better looking) and was my first pen along with a black and chrome Baoer 3035 which has nice styling itself, and a lovely writer.

Personally I get great pleasure from discovering hidden gems from the lower end of the Chinese pen market and I have unearthed some brilliant pens.

Huahong pens are little known but some are of cracking quality. The A29, A73, and the A59 are all unbelievable pens, especially considering what little they cost.

 

I haven't had any of the "horrific, soul destroying, never again" episodes with Chinese pens that some folks appear to have had, and I would heartily recommend any of the above without hesitation.

If you want any greater detail on any of the pens, just give me a shout and I'll be more than happy to oblige.

 

Cheers

Ian

Edited August 27, 2015 by Ian the Jock

[DrDebG]

Hi Drpenfection : I am not the one who reviews the chinese pens it is Ian The Jock, but like Ian I am an ardent collector of Jinhao and Baoer pens they are both made by the same company, I cant begin to tell you how much I love these pens especially because of the Nibs,they are just about the smooooothest writers you will ever get, it has been my experience from time to time that one of them might not write continuously the reason is believed to be the so called cheap Convertor which is supplied with the pen.My advice is and will always be to flush out the mineral oil which is used during manufacture by following these simple directions ,use warm water with a tiny drop of dishwashing liquid which has an even smaller drop of Ammonia in it, everyone who has had problems with ink flow has followed these instructions and I don't think they have ever failed.Should you still have the problem then try another brand of convertor.Out of all of the Jinhao pens if you want a classy looking one and one which I originally named look on the bay for the Abalone Pen or it is sometimes called the Mother of Pearl pen it is to die for as far as I am concerned, I have that pen in my collection and it always will be.At the current prices you will be amazed at how much you can get one of these for. Let me know how you go.

Thank you so much for the recommendations and also for the information about cleaning. I thoroughly clean all of my pens prior to use. I have many of the same issues even with my expensive Deltas. They don't always write perfectly out of the box. But this information is very helpful. Actually, my daughter warned me off Chinese FPs. She lives in Shanghai and has told me how horrible the FPs are, principally because, as she says, "they are all knockoffs" of European brands. But, as I have perused eBay and Amazon, there are some that seem to be very unique, including those that Ian has shown us. I guess I will have to splurge on a couple of Chinese pens.

[DrDebG]

Dr Penfection

There are many, many excellent Chinese pens out there with a huge variety of designs and styles to choose from.

When I first joined FPN I was "warned off" Chinese pens, however, as a stubborn "I'll make up my own mind thank you very much" type of guy, I now have 50+ Chinese pens.

Every one a winner as far as I'm concerned, and I have not had 1 single failure.

Like yourself, I also have Watermans, Deltas, etc but I just can't keep away from my Chinese pens, they are brilliant.

One phrase that pops up regularly when pens are discussed/reviewed is "...for the money"

I've tried to stop saying that myself, as I feel that many of these pens are great as pens regardless of their cost, although, the fact that they are inexpensive is a bonus.

All I can do is offer up some of my own personal favourites for you to have a look at, and of course answer any questions you may have on them.

Everyone has differing tastes and my choice of aesthetics might not suit everyone, but hey, part of the fun is raking around looking at pens anyway, so here are my "recommendations".

 

My favourite of all my Chinese pens is the Jinhao 217, which is a fabulous pen.

It has a super wet medium nib, and seems to be of better build quality than many of the other Jinhaos. I love the styling of the pen, and its' "you can always count on me" reliability. It really is an incredible pen "for the money"

The 217 is closely followed by several others, which are all great writers and a joy to use.

The Kiagelu 316 is a stunner, and a wonderful pen in use, with a wet medium nib. It's a pretty heavy pen when compared to the likes of your watermans, but I just love it, as do many others.

There are few Hero pens which blew me away with their build quality and performance, the First of which is the Hero 7022. What a pen! The build quality of this pen is exceptional.

It writes like a dream and is bomb proof, and anyone who says that Chinese pens are cheap rubbish obviously hasn't picked up one of these...a brilliant pen.

Another Hero that is really worth a look is the Hero 1026. It's another extremely well made robust pen, with a classy appearance. Mine has a wet medium nib and it's a "glider". It literally glides across the paper with no effort. It really is another very good pen and certainly worth a look.

If you like the styling of the Parker Sonnet, then the Baoer 388 is worth a look. I have the red ripple version and it's a lovely pen. Again, a super smooth writer which I have found to be extremely reliable, even after having been abandoned for weeks.

If you are up for a bit of bling, then the Jinhao 1200 could be right up your street.

As you can see in the show and tell above, It is a big scaly ink spewing dragon of a pen and I just couldn't resist it. My plan was to put a posh nib in it to make it a wondrous thing, but I never have...it is so good as it is, I don't want to change it.

The Picasso Swedish Flower King is another of my faves. It's a slimmer pen with gorgeous styling.

When I opened the box I was blown away by its' looks. It really is a gorgeous pen (mine is dark blue with lighter "crackles") and again, I have found mine to be super reliable.

Others from my collection that are worth a look are.

 

Jinhao x500 A very nice, well balanced pen which is a joy to use.

Baoer 051. This is a nice pen, lovely styling, and the bombproof Baoer nib.

Kaigelu 368. Previous show and tell subject, that to be honest, everyone should have.......It's got Roo's on it.

Hero 8018. A surprise gem. Lovely weight, lovely balance, super smooth and although style wise not everyones' cuppa, a cracking pen.

Jinhao x250, x450, x750 are always mentioned in the "good Chinese pen threads" and are very popular. Of the 3, I prefer the x750, it's nice big pen with a gushing Chinese broad nib and a delight to use. The x250 is a slimmer pen but equally pleasant to use.

The x450 has the shaped grip for correct finger placement (a la Lamy safari only more comfortable and better looking) and was my first pen along with a black and chrome Baoer 3035 which has nice styling itself, and a lovely writer.

Personally I get great pleasure from discovering hidden gems from the lower end of the Chinese pen market and I have unearthed some brilliant pens.

Huahong pens are little known but some are of cracking quality. The A29, A73, and the A59 are all unbelievable pens, especially considering what little they cost.

 

I haven't had any of the "horrific, soul destroying, never again" episodes with Chinese pens that some folks appear to have had, and I would heartily recommend any of the above without hesitation.

If you want any greater detail on any of the pens, just give me a shout and I'll be more than happy to oblige.

 

Cheers

Ian

 

 

Ian, thank you for your help. I decided to buy a Jinhao 217 and Baoer 051. I can say that I didn't break the bank by any stretch of the imagination. I will let you know how it works out.

 

Thanks,

 

Deborah

[Ian the Jock]

 

 

Oh! nearly forgot. The ink in the J217 is diamine sapphire blue, and the Baoer is filled with diamine poppy red.

 

Ian

[DrDebG]

 

 

Oh! nearly forgot. The ink in the J217 is diamine sapphire blue, and the Baoer is filled with diamine poppy red.

 

Ian

 

Thank you Ian. I am looking forward to getting the pens and trying them out. I will let you know how they work out.

[brg5658]

Great thread. I'm waiting on a Duke 209 to arrive now. The pictures make the pen look very attractive, so I'm hoping it's a smooth writer -- the price was certainly right at ~$3.40.

 

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb364/brg5658/Pens/duke209_matteblack_zps0yx1r1lh.jpg

 

Any of you here have any recommendations or comments about Duke's? I noticed they didn't make Ian's list of recommendations...this will be my first Duke.

Edited August 30, 2015 by brg5658

[Ian the Jock]

brg5658

There aren't any Dukes on my list as I don't have any, although I have been eyeing up the Taoist priest for quite some time.

The Dukes tend to be a bit more expensive like the Picassos etc. and it looks as though you may have snagged yourself a bargain, it certainly looks a nice pen.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Ian

[brg5658]

brg5658

There aren't any Dukes on my list as I don't have any, although I have been eyeing up the Taoist priest for quite some time.

The Dukes tend to be a bit more expensive like the Picassos etc. and it looks as though you may have snagged yourself a bargain, it certainly looks a nice pen.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Ian

 

I will give a report when it arrives. Thanks again for this thread, I have really enjoyed the lists and the examples posted here. I agree with you about the Taoist -- that one is on my "want list" if I like this cheaper Duke experiment.

 

Cheers, Brandon

[Ian the Jock]

Todays' subject is from a Manufacturer which would appear not to be particularly well known to most.

Huahong.

This pen was listed as an A73 when I bought it, and as I "play" the auction game, it cost a whopping 89p which is around $1.40.

To be honest....It was an absolute steal.

I've seen them listed with all sorts of different code names, so they can be quite difficult to find unless you know what you are looking for.

It has the traditional shape in black and silver, medium weight and has a lovely wet medium nib.

As you can see from the pic, it has a fair bit of tipping on the nib, for anyone who fancies a bit of grinding/shaping practice.

The pen itself is a delight. Well made, and a pleasure to write with.

The nib is a Huahong nib, engraved with their logo and "Huahong" is nicely engraved on the top part of the clip as well as around the cap band.

 

So there we have it.....the Huahong A73 or whatever it happens to be called on that particular day.

Cheers

Ian

 

 

 

 

[AAAndrew]

I'm assuming when the Calligraphy nib says "22K" on the bottom it means 22K plated? I can't imagine a 22K nib, especially on a 382.

 

 

[Ian the Jock]

The calligraphy nib is great Andrew.

I have a Kaigelu with fude nib and I love it.

The variation that can be achieved just by changing the angle of the pen is brilliant.

Some of the Heros are superb, and I've happened upon one or two gems myself.

 

Ian