Leong Feng 695

[icardoth]

Leong Feng 695: Another Parker 51 clone

First Impressions (2/5)

The pen arrived with no box. Just a small transparent bag inside a bubble envelope. Not particularly interesting.

Appearance (3/5)

The Leong Feng 695 is another Parker 51 chinese clone, and it’s very similar indeed. It’s well built, with good materials and excellent finish with no sharp edges. Some people may find it somewhat boring, but if you like the Parker 51 appearance you will like this pen. I bought mine in a greenish-gray color, exactly the same as one Parker 51 Special I own. There was no choice of colors at the time of buying it.

Design/Size/Weight (4/5)

Pen length is 14.30 cm (5” 5/8), a little longer than the original 51. Its weight is 16.40 g, while the 51 is heavier with 21.32 g in the standard version and 18.60 g in the Special. Plastic is good enough, and the stainless steel cap is not as nice as in the 51 but much better than other clones like the Hero 616. The cap is friction fit; the thin clutch ring between section and barrel is useless as the cap clutch is supported by the section itself. The clip is very similar to the Parker, and there is a pattern of 4 lines and a space all around the cap. I never post my pens while writing, and the balance is very good. The Leong Feng 695 is very comfortable to write with, and you can use it for hours with no harm.

Nib (4/5)

The nib is stainless steel, firm and fine, but there is a “before and after” about it. The nib was really ugly out of the bag: Scratchy, dry, toothy... But after some time aligning the tines and smoothing it with Micromesh, now the nib is a real pleasure. Smooth, no skips, excellent flow and it always starts as it should.

Filling System (4/5)

The filling system is aerometric. As with many chinese pens the sac protector is not glued and can be removed if needed. However I was able to fill the pen properly without detaching it.

Cost and Value (4/5)

I’ve paid USD 8.99 for the pen and another USD 13 for shipping with tracking number. While more expensive than other chinese P51 clones, I’ve found the Leong Feng better quality, so I’m very happy with this purchase.

Conclusion (21/30)

Obviously it’s not a Parker 51. But the Leong Feng 693 is by far the best “51” clone I’ve tried. A great pen for daily use.

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/icardoth/Leong%20Feng/PB300001_LeongFeng_zps07773173.jpg

 

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/icardoth/Leong%20Feng/PB300021_LeongFeng_zps1e34e22d.jpg

 

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/icardoth/Leong%20Feng/PB300010_LeongFeng_zpsfdb3f81b.jpg

 

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/icardoth/Leong%20Feng/PB300011_LeongFeng_zps4749bae0.jpg

 

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/icardoth/Leong%20Feng/PB300003_LeongFeng_zps4c41a5ec.jpg

 

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/icardoth/Leong%20Feng/PB300002_LeongFeng_zpseaa8918a.jpg

 

 

 

 

[Drone]

Hah... More shameless '51 apery. But the quality looks pretty good.

 

I found this pen online for $11 plus $13 tracked shipping from Hong Kong, $24 total. Looks like the price went up! $13 shipping from Hong Kong seems quite high if it is via HK Post - even with tracking. Or maybe it goes EMS?

[icardoth]

Yes, the price has raised a little since I've bought it two months ago. $13 shipping is for registered mail with tracking number. EMS is $27.60.

[PatientType]

Thank you for the review. The catagory of "carry-around pens" is often overlooked on FPN with such a focus on high quality and high priced writing instruments. However, I'm not about to stick a $400 fountain pen into my breast pocket to carry while running around town on errands. For that, a pen like the Leong Feng 695 fits the bill. Reliable, attractive, and if the clip gets scratched or if the pen is lost I'm not going to go into mourning.

Edited December 8, 2013 by PatientType

[Seele]

I have a couple of them too, and strip-down inspection reveals that, under the hood (no pun intended) it's very well constructed. In fact the collector fits reasonably snugly inside the section hood, which probably enhances the ability as ink supply buffer. The grey one that I have, like the one shown, had a nib that was not very good but branded "Leong Feng" in Chinese, I swapped it out for a Hero nib; the black one has an unbranded nib. The other markings are different too, the grey one has "Shanghai Leongfeng" in simplified characters and a definite space between them, the black one has even spacing but in traditional characters. I have not been able to find out the identity of the firm who built them.