Sonnet Comparisons With Lookalikes

[Motomo]

I have one of the Kaigelus, three of the Baoers and three of the Duke 209's. All three of these models are decent pens that wrote right out of the box.

 

Some observations.....the snap cap on the Duke pen tends to get loose and rotate around freely. Does not come uncapped just spins.

 

The finish on the Baoer quickly lost it shine after having it in a cotton coat pocket one day at work so a bit concerned about the durability...

 

Only issue I have had with the Kaigelu is when I used a cartridge...it consistently came loose in the barrel.

[nickapos]

 

The finish on the Baoer quickly lost it shine after having it in a cotton coat pocket one day at work so a bit concerned about the durability...

 

 

 

Yeah the Baoer plating is too thin so after some consistent use it wears out. On the other hand it is a sturdy pen even though its beauty may be reduced after some time. I would say it is a good knock around pen.

[ToySoldier]

I just received a Kaigelu 356 and am extremely impressed with it. Gosh it writes smooth!

[johnsi02]

I am going to drag this topic back up to make a comment and ask a related question.

I currently have a Baoer 388 that I really like. The only issue I have with it is that the force of capping and uncapping can spray ink around. Recently I got a drop of ink on a $70 book. That's besides various shirts, which thankfully have washed clean. So, I am looking to replace it.

I was looking at just upgrading to a Sonnet, but after reading this comparison considering a K356. Only downside, lack of nib options. It would be really nice to have a fine, or extra fine. That brings me to my question.

Over in the B388 review, someone mentioned (here) they replaced their nib with a Knox K26 nib from xfountainpens. Earlier it was mentioned the K356 also has a friction fit nib and feed, and they seem similar in size. So...would a K26 nib fit this pen? Even better, is there someplace else that sells #5 nibs that aren't gilded that might fit. That way I could get my fine point and it would still match.

Thanks for any help

JS

[rdh]

You can get a number of different #5 nibs made by Jowo (top notch) from Brian Gray of Edison pens. He sells them on this website. Also a nice video on how to do it. The steel nibs are not expensive, but they will cost more than your pen

 

Dave

[johnsi02]

You can get a number of different #5 nibs made by Jowo (top notch) from Brian Gray of Edison pens. He sells them on this website. Also a nice video on how to do it. The steel nibs are not expensive, but they will cost more than your pen

 

Dave

That is a good link, thank you. So the other question remains, will they fit?

JS

[Kugelschreiber]

This may be old news, but I only noticed today that there is now a Jinhao Sonnet lookalike, the 601.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JINHAO-601-FROSTED-BLACK-AND-SILVER-18KGP-MEDIUM-NIB-FOUNTAIN-PEN-ARROW-CLIP-/251299343328?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a829babe0#ht_3005wt_1183

 

[johnsi02]

So I found the answer to my earlier question on nib sizes in another topic. Evidently both the B388 and the K356 will accept a number 5 nib. That enables a person to replace the nib with a large variety of sizes in a variety of quality levels. So, what's the advantage of a Parker?

[richardandtracy]

Err, yes. I agree, What is the advantage of the Parker?

 

In the case of the bottom of the range Stainless Sonnet CT, I cannot see any advantage if you are happy with a medium nib. It all comes to the range of nibs available. If you have a look-alike and you want a broad italic, you cannot get one without buying another nib & grinding it yourself or having it ground for you. That is the limit of Parker's advantage at the moment. Not a very great one, either, especially as Parker currently seem to be destroying the range of nibs they sell and reducing them to F & M only. They must be completely crackers to destroy the only advantage they have over their competition.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[richardandtracy]

This may be old news, but I only noticed today that there is now a Jinhao Sonnet lookalike, the 601.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JINHAO-601-FROSTED-BLACK-AND-SILVER-18KGP-MEDIUM-NIB-FOUNTAIN-PEN-ARROW-CLIP-/251299343328?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a829babe0#ht_3005wt_1183

 

It may be old news, but I'd not heard it. I shall have to try one. Thanks.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[AlejoPlay]

I just made an offer on two Kaigelu 356s on eBay (they're $6 each shipped and and I asked if I could get a deal on 2 for $10). I had a Baoer 388 but that thing just ended up looking ratty--too much gold plating. I have always wanted a Sonnet and I have stayed away from them due to their inconsistent reviews. Hopefully these Kaigelus will be nice.

 

Do these take Waterman long carts?

[Surnia]

minor thing, that might be due to my inexperience with the Sonnets... But are all of these pens Clutch based for cap retention? The duke was my first ever pen and I love the click that cap makes (not to mention it's been my most reliable non-screw cap to date). I have a Wing Sung 233 that is also clutch based, but its a significantly different design to the duke's cap.

 

I see the metal rings on all those pens (save for the duke), and they look like my 233's. I assume they're not nearly as nice as the duke's?

[wanahakalugi]

I'm sorry if this has been offered, but I had a quick question.

I've heard one of the good things about the nice sonnets is that they have very springy nibs. Is this quality also present in any of the Chinese pens (especially the K356)?

[Kugelschreiber]

It may be old news, but I'd not heard it. I shall have to try one. Thanks.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

 

Great. I'm sure you'll give us your thoughts on it after you give it a spin.

[richardandtracy]

Sorry, I have been on holiday for a while.

 

I don't know if they take Waterman Long Carts. I have never tried a Waterman. If the c/c spigot is the same size, then there will be room for a long cart.

 

The pens all use the clutch retention system in the same way as the Sonnet, in that they grip the ring adjacent to the nib.

 

If a Sonnet has a springy nib, then it must be a gold one. I only tried the stainless Sonnet nibs (M & Broad Italic) and the nibs in the review pens have a similar level of stiffness - all being firm.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I am going to drag this topic back up to make a comment and ask a related question.

I currently have a Baoer 388 that I really like. The only issue I have with it is that the force of capping and uncapping can spray ink around. Recently I got a drop of ink on a $70 book. That's besides various shirts, which thankfully have washed clean. So, I am looking to replace it.

I was looking at just upgrading to a Sonnet, but after reading this comparison considering a K356. Only downside, lack of nib options. It would be really nice to have a fine, or extra fine. That brings me to my question.

Over in the B388 review, someone mentioned (here) they replaced their nib with a Knox K26 nib from xfountainpens. Earlier it was mentioned the K356 also has a friction fit nib and feed, and they seem similar in size. So...would a K26 nib fit this pen? Even better, is there someplace else that sells #5 nibs that aren't gilded that might fit. That way I could get my fine point and it would still match.

Thanks for any help

JS

There,s a technique to uncapping. You need to do it in the same hand and just ease the cap off, not use one hand on the cap and the other on the barrel and just yank.

 

Of course, you may already be doing that. If so, disregard and carry on!

[pajaro]

It is nice to be able to change nibs, and I do say that if you like something other than a Medium, then the Sonnet will be the only choice. However, a steel Sonnet nib on its own is at least 3x the general price of a K356, so it could well be worth considering grinding the nibs on these other pens to try doing it yourself.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

Now, with about twenty Sonnets with the gamut of nibs, gold, steel and gold plated steel, regular, obliques and italics,I have a different perspective on the Sonnet. Some Sonnet nibs couldn't be better, some are OK and some always require a jump start dip in a jar of water to get going. There seems to be no consistency in the Sonnet, but I love the pens, because the dark red ones seem like my Montblanc 144Rs in a way. The 144s have no nib issues at all.

 

I have ordered two blue Kaigelu 356s, based on your tests and continuing commentary. I will get rid of the balls in the converters or try Jinhao converters. The 144s have no ball in the MB converters and no flow issues. Obviously, I should have bought a couple of more MB 144s instead of Sonnets.

 

I bought a Terracotta Sonnet with issues, one being a nib with a broken clip ear, so it wouldn't stay on the feed, and it skipped. I took this 18K medium nib, which writes a thin medium, and put it into an Esterbrook collar with an Esterbrook feed. I had to bend the nib, rounding it to fit the feed. I then put this unit into a Nurse's pen, an SJ model in white. In this pen there must be much better contact nib to feed. Now this Sonnet nib in an Esterbrook writes to perfection, no hard starts, writes first time, every time, and with a nice, smooth flow of ink the like of which I don't usually experience in a Sonnet. It's a Sonnet 18K M nib, but I am thinking there is better ink flow due to the larger ink reservoir contact area than the little tail of the feed poking into the converter. Or, maybe there is another reason. I found this interesting.

[richardandtracy]

I think Kaigelu have now fixed the ball corrosion problem (having seen other reports elsewhere), so I doubt if there is a need to change them.

 

It is interesting that I'm not the only one to have Sonnet skipping problems. It is not what you'd expect from one of Parker's higher end models at all.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[pajaro]

Thanks for the info on the Kaigelu converter ball issue. I'll give them a chance.

 

After finding that the skipping Sonnet nib worked perfectly in an Esterbrook pen, installed as Esterbrook nibs were fitted into their collars, I suspect the design of the Parker feed has something to do with the stingy ink flow I have found in many Sonnets. The difference being that in the Esterbrook installation the feed must have more surface area exposed to ink, or just a better feed than the Parker feed. I had no expectation that this Frankenpen would work as perfectly as it does. This is a diversion, but it made me think about the Sonnet feed design. I can't wait to find out how the Kaigelu feed looks.

[whych]

So I found the answer to my earlier question on nib sizes in another topic. Evidently both the B388 and the K356 will accept a number 5 nib. That enables a person to replace the nib with a large variety of sizes in a variety of quality levels. So, what's the advantage of a Parker?

The Parker will last longer and stand up to the knocks and bumps of normal usage without looking old and tired.

Other advantage is the availability of nibs in different thicknesses and finish as well as the option of steel or gold.