What Chinese Pens Are You Using Today?

[JemC]

All my bottled ink at home is still packed away, so I guess I won't be using my newly received Hero 100 Flighter until I get to work tomorrow.

[richardandtracy]

Still using the Kaigelu 356. I just cannot think of anything to say against the pen. It's very, very rugged and is standing up well against the use I'm putting it to.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Kugelschreiber]

Still using the Kaigelu 356. I just cannot think of anything to say against the pen. It's very, very rugged and is standing up well against the use I'm putting it to.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

 

Other than the bad ball in the converters, it is a very good pen. I doubt it will ever leave my top five for Chinese pens.

[rwilsonedn]

I finally cleaned and inked my Hero 395 from isellpens.

Very nice! The nib is in fact a semi-flex F, and once I became used to it--the feel is quite different from the pen that just came out of rotation, a Venus President--capable of very consistent writing with good line-width variation. Mine runs a bit dry, so you can see a hint of starvation in the broadest lines, which is fine for me. The nib, while it feels firmer than European or US flex nibs, firm enough to write quickly and carelessly with, is actually quite responsive. I had to practice for a while to get my touch light enough for the thinnest hairlines the pen can do (thin, but it's no dip pen). Once I was calibrated, the transition from hairline to broad was very controllable, so you can get graceful line variation even in relatively short strokes. All this is with Camel Royal Blue, by the way. I think a really wet ink would flood the nib and make the snap-back from broad downstrokes much slower.

Other than that, the fit and finish are Hero-solid and rather rustic: matte copper and matte stainless finish rather than anything shiny. Weight is moderate, as is the size. This one is a keeper, and the first Chinese pen that I will use for my journals, where I really value the flex.

ron

[StephY]

I've been really enjoying my Baoer 508. It's a pretty sturdy pen, but not heavy and is well-balanced (I don't post). It didn't write out of the box, but I flossed the nib and hasn't had a lick of problem since. The nib is a nail, but a smooth nail. In fact, every day I grow more fond of the appearance of the pen and the shape of the nib. Not bad at all for $6.

 

The pen:

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn262/TheGryphonRoom/5EE8DC30-B81A-46CE-BC60-CE7AA7EAF992-7341-00000903884F7E02.jpg

 

The nib:

 

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn262/TheGryphonRoom/68F16528-04CF-44C7-BC26-0C7C6F6C7C24-7341-000009038AB0E997.jpg

[Seele]

A rather large purchase from Taobao arrived two days ago and I have been testing and cleaning them; among them is a very simple little confection, a small Zhongzhou 854 which is practically unknown even in China. It's made out of mottled green plastics, unapologetically built down to a price with a pressed steel nib which is probably not tipped. When I received it, it was basically unusable, so I did some delicate tweaking here and there, and now it writes quite agreeably well: I think the price of 30 cents (or thereabout) is not exactly excessive!

[51ISH]

Still using the Kaigelu 356. I just cannot think of anything to say against the pen. It's very, very rugged and is standing up well against the use I'm putting it to.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

 

 

Another pen to add to my list

[51ISH]

My Jinaho 159 arrived this morning

 

That's some monster!!

 

10 Days from Singapore....including a weekend

 

Attach the converter.....quick flush......ink her up ......Diamine Chocolate Brown.....eeerrrr.....hang on....won't fit in the 30ml bottle....

 

No problem....get the syringe and a clean vial.....hang on....that's too small as well

 

Writes straight out of the box....lovely smooth writer....a bit wet but hey...better than scratchy eh?

 

Bit of a handful for me to be honest....looks like practicing my Tripod Grip...

Edited September 15, 2012 by 51ISH

[lemanfan]

For me, the Jinhao X450 is growing on me. Right now loaded with Binder Blurple.

[Seele]

Today and probably for the next week or so, a freshly re-built Yongjiu "Ever" 820 from Shaoyang city, Hunan province, which is yet another Parker homage. I got two of them, both horribly scratchy and with very poor ink flow, but I did my regular re-built procedure and now they're honey-sweet writers, smooth and with a touch of feedback, and lay down luscious wet lines, but not wet enough to flood. I tend not to do nib work, but I still tweaked the nibs to get a balance between optimization for both Chinese and Western writing styles.

 

While the firm was an award winner back then, they could not keep up with the changes brought about by market economy, so it went belly-up. I have a feeling that the two I got were from a batch made late in the company's life, when the staff members had a lot on their minds. Nevertheless, I am glad I finished the jobs they started and made them into how their designers envisaged in the first place, and they are easy to work on too. In fact I might even go as far as saying that I prefer to work on them than the Hero 616, known in some circles as the Quill of the Gods.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Seele

[Sailor Kenshin]

You all have gotten me in such trouble, lol....

 

Four new pens, quick scribbles...

[Kugelschreiber]

You all have gotten me in such trouble, lol....

 

Four new pens, quick scribbles...

 

 

 

What do you think of the 'flex' Hero nib?

[Sailor Kenshin]

It was only somewhat flexy, probably not as flexy as a Noodler's flex pen (I have their smaller, original model), but don't let that stop you. The pen is gorgeous.

[Kugelschreiber]

Thanks. I may get one.

[richardandtracy]

A Huashilai 2210.

This one came last night & is somewhat different in colour from the sale ( http://www.ebay.co.u...N-/370644218262 ). Described as 'Celluloid', but actually has a printed metal barrel.

I shall have to try it properly & do a review. My first impression is that I am not as pleased with it initially as I was with the last Jinhao I bought.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

Edited September 19, 2012 by richardandtracy

[Xeros]

Well today I am using a Hero 329!

[Miketsheehan]

I will never own a Chinese fountain pen as they are mostly low-end copies

[richardandtracy]

What can I do other than say I fundamentally disagree with you?

 

There are cheap copies, but there are some very beautiful pens that are not copies at all, and some that are NOT cheap due to the quality of material, design & workmanship.

May I suggest you look at these:

Two dragons playing: http://www.ebay.co.u...k-/320909974555

Dragon Filigree: http://www.ebay.co.u...w-/310389425688

More filigree: http://www.ebay.co.u...N-/370650292339

High Quality Materials: http://www.ebay.co.u...P-/160831469624

Unique design: http://www.ebay.co.u...n-/150844797284 and http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261078292470

 

Now, I really don't mind if you say you don't like the taste of the pens, but to say they are 'mostly low-end copies' is not really fair - just look a bit further & harder and you can uncover some gems. Is that not the same with US and European pens too?

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

Edited September 19, 2012 by richardandtracy

[Sailor Kenshin]

Inked the granite (ie: shiny!) Nemo Singularity and its cursive italic nib at last! With chesterfield 'teal.'.

 

Love the pen, the ink, ehh. Looks like Skrip Blue Black, and I already had that.

[Frontier]

Hero 616, great little pen.