What Chinese Pens Are You Using Today?

[mitto]

After buying 20 Chinese pens, at which point did it dawn on you that you didn't like them? Seriously?

Tell you the truth? Was mislead by the praises showered on Jinhao and Kaigelus by some at FPN. For the others I myself am to be blamed. The Heros and the Wingsungs I knew were nothing since my school days.

[rezwrrd]

I have 8 jihao 599 , 5 Jinhao x750 , 1 each Jinhao x250 and x450 , a Jinhao 159 , a Kaigelu 316 , a Lambitao 280 , a Dikawen 867 and a BAOKE flighter. Of all these I only liked the last one. The rest I didn't like at all. And have no intention to ink any of these - at least for now. The converters on the Jinhao really look like trash. The only exception is Jinhao 159. I wouldn't be buying any Chines pens in future. I am not into the Heros and Wingsungs either.

 

Sorry to hear your experience with Chinese pens was less than successful. I'm sure someone around here could help you, erm, get rid of some of those.

[tendollarword]

Got a Duke Uranus U78G a few days ago and have run one converter's worth of ink through it so far.

 

It's an interesting pen, basically a copy of the Pilot 78G only slightly larger and using standard international cartridges.

 

It writes decently, though the nib seems to have a bit of a rough spot that I'll try to smooth out with some DIY nib work. A tiny bit of line variation is possible, but it's fairly stiff.

 

The cap takes five full rotations to get cap off, which seems excessive, and the threads themselves are sharp.

 

But for the five dollars I paid for it, it's okay and I think it'll make for a nice project.

 

I'll probably end up turning it in into a dedicated red ink pen.

Edited February 20, 2015 by tendollarword

[Sailor Kenshin]

Got a Duke Uranus U78G a few days ago and have run one converter's worth of ink through it so far.

 

It's an interesting pen, basically a copy of the Pilot 78G only slightly larger and using standard international cartridges.

 

It writes decently, though the nib seems to have a bit of a rough spot that I'll try to smooth out with some DIY nib work. A tiny bit of line variation is possible, but it's fairly stiff.

 

The cap takes five full rotations to get cap off, which seems excessive, and the threads themselves are sharp.

 

But for the five dollars I paid for it, it's okay and I think it'll make for a nice project.

 

I'll probably end up turning it in into a dedicated red ink pen.

Would love to see picture.

 

Today: Hero 330, Noodler's Bad Green Gator; Hero 616, unknown brown ink.

[tendollarword]

Would love to see picture.

 

Today: Hero 330, Noodler's Bad Green Gator; Hero 616, unknown brown ink.

 

I don't have a camera handy, but it's the same pen as the one in this eBay listing.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Duke-Uranus-U78G-Black-Fountain-Pen-Brand-New-ND04-/271693495051

Edited February 21, 2015 by tendollarword

[mehandiratta]

Your handwriting is wonderful! I'll take a look at the reviews.

Thank you...

[TSherbs]

the 616 jumbo, again and again

[Sailor Kenshin]

I don't have a camera handy, but it's the same pen as the one in this eBay listing.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Duke-Uranus-U78G-Black-Fountain-Pen-Brand-New-ND04-/271693495051

Thanks! Looks pretty cool.

[luvpens]

Hero 68 today.

 

Lovely pens for the price.

Wrote perfectly from the box with no flushing etc.

 

I'm constantly amazed by Chinese pens..

[trdsf]

Got my first Hero yesterday -- a 360 -- and it is, I am sorry to report, an unmitigated disaster. As soon as I touched nib to paper, one of the tines on the feed bent. Close examination shows the metal on that tine is no thicker than heavy aluminium foil; it was going to bend no matter what. If I rotate it out of the way and write on the rest of the nib, it writes well enough that I'd still like to have one -- just one that's not a factory reject or QC escapee.

 

We'll see what the seller does; I've requested either a refund or a replacement, I don't care which. Does anyone know how typical (or atypical) this kind of failure is in a 360?

[WateryFlow]

Got my first Hero yesterday -- a 360 -- and it is, I am sorry to report, an unmitigated disaster. As soon as I touched nib to paper, one of the tines on the feed bent. Close examination shows the metal on that tine is no thicker than heavy aluminium foil; it was going to bend no matter what. If I rotate it out of the way and write on the rest of the nib, it writes well enough that I'd still like to have one -- just one that's not a factory reject or QC escapee.

 

We'll see what the seller does; I've requested either a refund or a replacement, I don't care which. Does anyone know how typical (or atypical) this kind of failure is in a 360?

Any pics? Maybe someone could help if they could see what the problem is

Edited February 22, 2015 by WateryFlow

[trdsf]

Any pics? Maybe someone could help if they could see what the problem is

 

No, but I can probably arrange a picture when I get home from work tonight. It's nothing that can be repaired short of replacing the entire nib section with one that isn't tinfoil-thin on one tine. I had really been looking forward to giving the 360 a try, too.

 

On the plus side, even if the seller refuses to make it right, I'd be out very little money. I haven't heard a lot of complaints about Heros (for that matter, I haven't heard any that immediately come to mind), so I'm inclined, barring similar experiences in the future, to consider this a one-off. Right now I'm more interested in what the seller is going to do to make it right, than in any theoretical (and possibly non-existent) faults in Hero's production facilities.

[trdsf]

Ohyeah. Also got a Jinhao 611 recently, and I'm lovin' it a lot -- it's been a regular passenger in my pocket ever since I got it. Being possessed of very large hands, I don't generally like slim-line pens, but the Jinhao has effortlessly carved out an exception for itself.

 

Right now it's loaded up with Private Reserve Vampire Red... which has caused at least one co-worker look at my handwriting and say, "Wow, that ink really looks like blood." To which I can only cackle evilly.

[MissChief]

Got my first Hero yesterday -- a 360 -- and it is, I am sorry to report, an unmitigated disaster. As soon as I touched nib to paper, one of the tines on the feed bent. Close examination shows the metal on that tine is no thicker than heavy aluminium foil; it was going to bend no matter what. If I rotate it out of the way and write on the rest of the nib, it writes well enough that I'd still like to have one -- just one that's not a factory reject or QC escapee.

 

We'll see what the seller does; I've requested either a refund or a replacement, I don't care which. Does anyone know how typical (or atypical) this kind of failure is in a 360?

 

I have two of the 360s. I only ordered one and it arrived at the end of January. Then, this week, the postman who delivers to my work dropped off another packet with my name on it. It was an exact duplicate of the pen I'd received in January. Both of them write well but a bit on the scratchy side depending on how I hold it/them.

[rezwrrd]

I went overboard modifying the Noodler's flex nib on the Jinhao, so that one's out of service until I pick up a new batch of nibs and a replacement feed. Back to the Guanleming demonstrator! Trying to run out the PR Lake Placid Blue in that so I can try the R&K Königsblau sample I picked up last week.

[Ian the Jock]

Jinhao x450 in carven red today.

 

I'll be honest with you, when I bought it in November along with my Bauor 3035 (my first 2 pens) and they arrived together, I was more impressed visually by the Bauor as the big cigar type shape of the Jinhao wasn't really my taste.

They both write beautifully smooth, and I now must admit that the x450 has really grown on me, and I find myself reaching for it more and more, whereas the Bauor is used less frequently now, although still used regularly.

I chuckled to myself when I recently ordered another x450 in a different colour, as I supposedly didn't really like the pen, yet felt compelled to buy another.

The new one is gloss red, as opposed to the wine colour that I already have, which means that I now need another one in black if I want to mix and match the caps to make 2 black/red pens and satisfy my lust for all things black and red.

 

Ian

[mehandiratta]

I am using this small cute pen by Jinhao named JINHAO 886

My review of the same can be found here LINK

 

 

Edited February 26, 2015 by mehandiratta

[rezwrrd]

Jinhao x450 in carven red today.

 

I'll be honest with you, when I bought it in November along with my Bauor 3035 (my first 2 pens) and they arrived together, I was more impressed visually by the Bauor as the big cigar type shape of the Jinhao wasn't really my taste.

They both write beautifully smooth, and I now must admit that the x450 has really grown on me, and I find myself reaching for it more and more, whereas the Bauor is used less frequently now, although still used regularly.

I chuckled to myself when I recently ordered another x450 in a different colour, as I supposedly didn't really like the pen, yet felt compelled to buy another.

The new one is gloss red, as opposed to the wine colour that I already have, which means that I now need another one in black if I want to mix and match the caps to make 2 black/red pens and satisfy my lust for all things black and red.

 

Ian

 

Ian,

 

I also disliked the x450 at first, finding it big, heavy, and gaudy with the huge nib. (I mostly use hooded nibs and vintage third-tiers with small nibs, so the Jinhao stood out like a sore thumb.) I wrote with it occasionally but couldn't get used to the broad line. Last week I got a Noodler's flex nib and put it on the x450. I thought I'd wrecked it, but it turns out it works better than before. I have the same burgundy color, and I've found it goes very well with Black Swan in Australian Roses.

 

The (fle)x450 and Guanleming demonstrator were my notetaking pens for the day.

[MichaelCopple]

I guess I'll gab about the new starter pen in my collection as a newbie (the other two pens were horrid and broke on me). I have to say I have been extremely impressed with the Hero 68. I have a Hero 9296 coming in next week, and I know I will find other pens that impress me more as I go along. But after using a Manuscript Dodec and a Manuscript Scribe for a year, you will be impressed by anything.

[Ian the Jock]

The Manuscript Master is a good pen.

They have a 1.1 italic nib, are very robust, and can be found for £7-10 on ebay.

It is a completely different animal from their plastic calligraphy pens.

In saying that, I have many Chinese pens that are used more, cost less and look better.

I really enjoy ordering direct from China and waiting to see what I've got.

Great fun, enjoy.

 

Ian