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Dear FPN Community, I am at the near-end of my fountain pen journey and I have great fountain pens that I am already happy with. However, I've been increasingly intrigued by the offerings from Chinese fountain pen manufacturers, and I know they are changing, improving (or devolving!) constantly. I see the odd Chinese fountain pen on Amazon sometimes but I hesitate to buy it despite it being so inexpensive because of inconsistent reviews and supposedly poor quality control. I'm reaching out to our knowledgeable community to gather insights, experiences, and recommendations regarding Chinese fountain pens. Here are a few points I'm curious about: State of Chinese Fountain Pens: What is the current state of Chinese fountain pens in terms of quality, design, and innovation? Are there any standout brands or models worth exploring? Acquisition in North America: While online platforms like eBay and Alibaba are common, I'm interested in exploring conventional channels for purchasing Chinese fountain pens in North America. Have any of you had success in acquiring these pens through brick-and-mortar stores, pen shows, or specialty retailers? Are there any trusted vendors you would recommend? Personal Experiences: If you've used Chinese fountain pens, I'd love to hear about your personal experiences. What do you appreciate about them? Any particular models that have impressed you? Tips and Recommendations: For those who have delved into the world of Chinese fountain pens, do you have any tips or recommendations for someone looking to start their collection? Any pitfalls to avoid? Please feel free to share your thoughts, insights, and recommendations. I'm eager to learn from your expertise and explore the diverse world of Chinese fountain pens! Warm regards, 2ouvenir.

This was a pen I was prepared to like. At $12, it's a bargain. Its small size, however, keeps it from becoming a personal favorite. But for some folks, this new Delike wood fountain pen can be a real winner. I love the wood. After my positive experience with the Moonman M1 wood and brass pen, I’ve tipped over the edge in my appreciation for wood as a pen material. The wood is dark, subtly-figured, smooth, warm and perfectly finished. In short, wonderful. I picked the darker wood (黑檀) because the section is black plastic and so fits visually with the body of the pen. At a casual glance (or in lower light) it looks like the section might be wood. The metal threads in the section add quality. The converter fits snugly, works well and come apart easily for cleaning. The use of a Delike (Dlike?) screw-in nib unit is also a plus. I like the idea of being able to swap in the bent fude/art nib that came with the Moonman M1. The cap, however, is a bit thicker-walled than I expected. The step-up from the section to the barrel is correspondingly pronounced and sharp-edged. The threads on the body are smooth and appropriately course. The cap comes off in just under 1.5 turns. A plastic insert inside the cap should help keep the nib from drying out. Visually, the cap outweighs the barrel more than I really like. But I find the rounded ends of the cap and barrel just about perfect. There’s zero branding on the pen (save the nib) so it’s attractively clean. Compared to other pens, the Delike Wood is small, just 12.5cm capped and 11.3cm uncapped. It’s also light, at 12.7 grams uncapped and 20.1g with the cap on. Left to Right: Lingmo Lorelei, Jinhao 992, Delike Wood Sadly, for me this pen is just too small to be comfortable. The pen doesn’t post well and becomes ungainly when you try. Plus, wood-on-wood doesn't sound like a good idea. That said, the pen writes well. I got it with an EF nib and smoothed it a bit on a micromesh pad for good measure. The nib and feed perform flawlessly, laying down a consistent correct amount of ink for a fine line. The combo is not wet, but it never skipped. Loaded with Noodler’s Zhivago, the pen wrote very nicely in a Spanish MiquelRius 90g extra opaque paper notebook. The size makes the pen tiring to use for longer writing sessions. It’s a small pen. And for that reason, I’ll probably look for a friend to give the pen to. Someone who will appreciate the wood. The pen is ¥76, or about $12, on Taobao. I hope that Delike will rethink this pen and make a larger version 2.0. More pictures and comments here.

I first came across this pen about 6 months ago, when I saw it for sale on an Australian-based website where I’d been buying a few pens (www.justwrite.com.au). An attractive looking pen, and comparatively inexpensive (AU$13.95) – so I bought one for my son for Christmas. It’s been more or less constantly in use ever since – and still seems to be more or less permanently on special at the Just Write store. Kevin, the proprietor of JustWrite, recently sent me a number of pens from his product range, free in return for an impartial review – so while I familiarise myself with a few of the models I’ve not used before, I thought I’d start with this one. The scores I’ve given below are purely subjective, and take into account the fact that this is not a high-end pen. If I like a pen, I tend to score it highly – and this is one of those pens, as you’ll see below. ______________________________________________________________________ 1. Appearance & Design (9/10) – A sleek, understated mid-sized pen with gunmetal finish I can’t really think of anything I don’t like about the look of this pen. The pen body and cap are made of metal, with some kind of (anodised) gunmetal finish. The cap (which click-seals onto the pen) has a dull matte finish; the body likewise, though it’s scored with vertical and horizontal lines that have a shinier finish. The clip, band and end of the pen are likewise gunmetal grey-brown, but shiny – making for an attractive, understated appearance. A plastic inner cap helps prevent the ink from drying out in the nib. The grip section is made of black plastic, and is comfortable to hold. The ‘flashiest’ thing about the pen is the two-tone nib (see below), which I think is quite attractive-looking, and not at all out of place – though if it weren’t for the nib, you could almost get away with calling this a ‘stealth’ (or ‘semi-stealth’?) pen. http://i.imgur.com/qovC366.jpg 2. Construction & Quality (9/10) – Surprisingly sturdy for a pen in this price range The pen seems pretty sturdy, and has held up to six months of use (though not too much abuse!) at the hands of my 11-year-old son. The finish, likewise, shows no signs of discolouring or chipping. The overall shape reminds me a little of the Parker Jotter that used to be my one and only fountain pen – but the build quality of this Chinese made pen seems somewhat superior. 3. Weight & Dimensions (9/10) – A comfortably weighted mid-sized pen Measuring 137mm capped, and 117mm uncapped, I’d call this a medium-sized pen. It’s possible to post the cap on the end of the barrel, but not securely – and I’d be worried about damaging the plastic inner cap, though admittedly it appears to be made of stronger plastic than the Jinhao x450. The grip section is 10mm at its widest, tapering down to 9mm; the ‘step up’ to the barrel (11mm) is graded, and I find the pen comfortable to hold either on the step or just below it. Weighing in at 30.5g (inked up), this is a substantial pen – but doesn’t feel heavy at all. http://i.imgur.com/1agxtls.jpg 4. Nib & Performance (8/10) - Wet and smooth, but well controlled I’m guessing the nib on this pen is around a #5 in size – as I’ve already mentioned, an attractive two-tone nib, inscribed with the brand name (Wing Sung), some kind of logo and scroll work. More importantly, the pen writes nicely – a fairly standard fine-to-medium line, pleasantly smooth across the page. With downward pressure, the pen is capable of some line variation – which I always think is pretty cool, but there’s no way you’d call this a flex pen, nor does it claim to be. I’m really pleased with how this pen writes – especially for the price. http://i.imgur.com/W1dfT1k.jpg 5. Filling System & Maintenance (8.5/10) – Standard cartridge converter The Wing Sung 3023 comes with a standard international converter – which is fine by me, I like swapping the inks in my pens, so am not overly concerned with massive ink capacity. The Wing Sung converter is of a higher quality, though, than the converters you’ll often find in these cheaper Chinese pens – and seems to work well in the pen. I haven’t tried to verify this, but it looks to me to have a slightly larger capacity than the all-plastic converters I’m more accustomed to. http://i.imgur.com/toQfnqu.jpg 6. Cost & Value (9.5/10) – A good pen for a great price If I didn’t know this pen was made in China, I wouldn’t guess it – this is a well-made, attractive-looking pen that writes well. For the price, I don’t think you can ask anything more than that! http://i.imgur.com/meuRHGf.jpg 7. Conclusion (Final score [sUM/6]: 8.8333/10) This is a really nice pen, that I’m more than happy to recommend. For the price, I had no qualms giving it to my 11-year-old son and taking the risk that he might lose it –it’s a classy-looking pen, and a real pleasure to write with.