Are Cheap, 'nice Looking' Pens Any Good?

[wastelanded]

I have a deep affection for the Pilot 78G, especially with the B nib that is more like a cursive italic. Best ten buck pen in the world. Even the plastic feels quality compared to many other cheap pens.

[hbdk]

The Lamy might not be the prettiest of things, but it is a damn good writer.

I second the 78G, light and classic. Baoer 388 is a nice pen and usually well behaved - but mind you, cheap Chinese pens can be a hit and miss. On the other hand, this might be what you are looking for:

 

http://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d184.html

[Chris]

 

Kaigelu 316 maybe?

+1

 

Looks the part and writes well too.

[sandy101]

The Jinhao x450 I bought a couple of years ago works well enough. The nib is quite broad and it oozes ink onto the page, like a supertanker dashed upon the rocks expelling oil. However, with my inks that shade well, it works really well. I get a bit of nib creep with cartridges - so it's best used with bottled ink.

[Christi0469]

The only way to tell if you will like a Jinhao is to go ahead and buy one. It may be a gamble (the QC is hardly robust and the customer support non-existant unless you purchase from a reputable pen dealer) but the stakes are very low. You need to know 2 things about Jinhaos- they are quite heavy and the nibs are nails. On the plus side the nibs tend to be smooth. If you are okay with these traits go for it.

 

There are 2 Chinese brands I prefer to Jinhao- Picasso and Keigelu. They are still heavy pens with nail nibs but the fit and finish is a bit better.

 

I forgot to add-Asian nibs are finer than western ones (if you want a western fine buy a medium, etc.)

Edited August 11, 2014 by Christi0469

[Art]

I have a few "cheap" pens and find them just terrific to write with. JinHao599 - I've got a nice yellow and a red and they write smoothly and seldom have any skip type problems. When I do, I think it's more a paper problem than the pens. Also have a Hero Office 65. This is a heavy pen and I love it. It has quickly become one of my favorites.

[Yehenara]

Jinhaos are usually remarkably good for their price, but they're quite uncomfortable to write with in the long run, at least in my opinion.

[terim]

+1 for the Pilot 78G

 

I can't believe how fun it is to write with the broad (which is like a medium cursive italic) and double broads.

 

Dukes are the best for under $20 .... Very heavy and sturdy with good nibs.

 

Teri

[georges zaslavsky]

My cheapest were the waterman forum and the waterman laureat, they are so well made that they still outrank many today watermans

[Moose22]

I forgot to add-Asian nibs are finer than western ones (if you want a western fine buy a medium, etc.)

 

 

JAPANESE nibs are finer than western. You can't say that about anything else in Asia. The Baoer and Jinhao pens I have (and I have many) are more western sized. TWSBI are western sized. Indian pens tend to be IPG or Schmidt nibs and western sized...

 

 

As I said, I have a small stack of Chinese pens. A Vintage Hero copy of a Parker works well. Newer hero pens not so much, so I don't recommend them.

 

The Baoer 388s (copy of a Sonnet) are hit and miss, but you can buy them 5 for $20 shipped and at least 3 will work well with a good cleaning and aligning the nib tines. They're attractive and modestly flashy, but still classic lines, with a 2 tone nib. If I didn't have significantly nice pens I'd probably use one of these, personally.

 

The Jinhaos can be made to work, but tend to be heavy pens. Your third link is an X450 and I have one here. I also have a 250 and an X750. They're beefy pens and the section on x250 feels a little odd, but the X450 is more conventional. Doesn't look as good in person as on the Amazon, and the cap parts are not as durable as the weight would lead you to believe. But I got them for $6 on the flea bay, so if you like heavy pens...

 

I also used to have one of those skywalkers -- the Montblanc ripoff. I liked that pen a lot. Someone dropped it and I never have gotten around to fixing it, but it was a good $8 pen.

[EFP]

+1 for the Pilot 78G

 

I can't believe how fun it is to write with the broad (which is like a medium cursive italic) and double broads.

 

Dukes are the best for under $20 .... Very heavy and sturdy with good nibs.

 

Teri

After lots of research I decided a Pilot 78G BB is going to be my next purchase ~ I am "watching" one of your pens on ebay and am so excited to go for it. I was really leaning toward a low-end Lamy but I can't get past the design. Not my cup of tea.

Edited August 12, 2014 by EFP

[Black Spot]

 

 

That one gets a big fat "meh" in my book too. It has that sleek, modern look. I don't want sleek and modern.

 

I bet the 'feel' is great. But the look is far too modern / sleek / clean for me. Same with the pilot Metro and most of the other ones suggested. Way too bland and sterile.

it's not quite what I'm looking for.

 

Funny but that is exactly what I am looking for in a pen. sleek modern and it has to feel good Writing .

I have a fair number of well used Lamy's. Like them allot. Don't pay any attention Lamy you are a simple, reliable, robust pen.

you are beautiful.

If you ever find yourself with a sleek modern pen you don't want I'll find it a good home.

[Christi0469]

JAPANESE nibs are finer than western. You can't say that about anything else in Asia. The Baoer and Jinhao pens I have (and I have many) are more western sized. TWSBI are western sized. Indian pens tend to be IPG or Schmidt nibs and western sized...

Sorry, mea culpa. My most used pens are Japanese (Pilot to be precise). I own several Chinese pens but I don't use them very often as I prefer springier nibs. I need to put them in play so I can recall them better. IIRC Wing Sung and Hero nibs run smaller than Western, but I don't like any of the pens I bought of those brands.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't have any Jinhao pens, but I do have a couple of Guanlemings, and a Wing Sung 237. For being a $5 US pen, the Guanleming Accountant is a nice little pen -- the metal (aluminum? steel?) body makes it more substantial feeling than the price would warrant. I don't know the price of the Wing Sung offhand (I got it when FPN member Uncle Red was giving some away at my first or second pen club meeting because he likes broader nibs) but I think it's also about a $5 pen. It's a nice writer and very attractive -- red marbled barrel and gold-tone cap and trim.

Mind you, both that and the Accountant are F/EF nibs, so you'd have to decide if that's your cup of tea. The Accountant is a hooded nib pen, and the 237 has a Triumph-style nib (like on some Sheaffers) so that's also something you'd have to decide whether or not you like one of those looks. Both of them are squeeze fillers (i.e., the "not-really-an-Aerometric" fill system). Plus, I'm not sure if they're still readily available, which is kind of a shame.

I keep looking at the 78Gs, because of the price, but then get sucked into vintage pens again. And yeah, +1 to what Sasha said about Parker 45s. I would happily buy another one, if I could find another gold-nibbed one in a size other than medium -- and the pen still had the squeeze-fill cartridge -- in a decent color (i.e., NOT bright orange or that hideous olive, and not another black one) for a reasonable price (my 45 is my only sumgai pen -- found in the wild for $10 in a small antiques mall in NW PA a couple of summers ago in a box of mostly junkers).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Amyj]

I think I was very lucky to buy a bunch of chinese pens in person, I wouldn't buy any without inspecting them first, even though none of mine had any problems. Of all the pens I now have, the baoer 701 might fit your wishes, although I can't vouch for the nib, since I have a fude nib on mine. But if it's anything near the same as the Baoer 801, 4/4 of mine were perfectly smooth. Also might fit what you're looking for. They're both stiff but smooth nibs, decent balance, but back heavy when posted. Fit standard international cartridges and mine all came with convertors.

 

The 701 has black features with a gold/shiny brass looking clip and the majority of the barrel is gold with lines scored in it to make squares. The 801 is slim, silver colour, with I believe some black and gold trim.

 

I also really like the Hero 331 and Telex 18. The Hero is an older model pen still being produced, and copying the Parker 51 design. Aerometric filling system, pretty smooth, hooded nib, golden cap with a green, red or black body. Used by all Vietnamese elementary school students since at least the 1970's. In my experience, green is the smoothest. The Telex 18 is a vintage piston filler with a gold & silver coloured cap and for me, a black body. Looks sleek, beautiful and new, but not too modern, if that makes any sense. It has an ink window (well small, clear slits surrounding the barrel above the grip section), and a very smooth nib, although it doesn't flex much, if any. Both are very well balanced in my tiny hand and a larger hand that tried the pen as well.

[KBeezie]

In terms of cheap pens that 'look nice', most of the ones I've owned has been the Chinese ones (namely Jinhao/Baoer and Wingsung), though in the end I've come to prefer something like either of my Pilot Metropolitan (Black Crocodile or Bronze Lizard), as they simply put seem to function better for me and rarely have issues (and I've had *lots* of Chinese pens, multiples of certain models like the Jinhao X750, 159, 599s).

 

Also with my #6 sized Jinhaos, I tend to swap the nibs out (for a Goulet or my spare Monteverde) instead of using the stock Jinhao nib.

 

Pilot Metropolitan $15

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/pmetro/uncapped.jpg

 

Jinhao 159 ($13 [or less] + $15 for Goulet M nib)

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/jinhao159/marble_full.jpg

 

Jinhao X750 ($9 or less + $15 Goulet EF Nib)

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/x750_ef.jpg

 

Baoer 507 "8 Horse" ~ $17 or so for a 3 pack. (Didn't really care for this one, dried out too easily and wrote too broad, pretty though).
http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/baoer_507_8horse.jpg

 

Wingsung 233 (Around $6, they're not bad, rigid nibs, but don't care for the squeeze only filler).

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/wingsung233/1.jpg

 

Jinhao 250 ($10 or less, not too bad, smaller #5 type nib, grip is kind of annoying though)

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/jinhao_250/uncapped.jpg

 

If you don't mind plastic, the Pilot 78G, around $10-11, pretty reliable, just as smooth as the metropolitan, but has a screw on cap.

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/78G/pair.jpg

 

Waterman Laureat (~90s), can find them on ebay between $20 to $50, They look kind of nice, just a bit thin for my taste, they seem to be pretty well spoken of.

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/waterman_laureat_blue/full.jpg

 

Also since we're going by the Al-Star as a indicator as 'cheap', the Faber Castell BASIC doesn't look bad (though my carbon fiber one had a bad batch of barrels, which resulted in the section becoming cracked, and since then I been kind of paranoid to use my replacement leather one). They're around $45. Pictured both the Carbon Fiber and Leather version. Bout the smoothest western fine nib I ever used though.

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/fabercastell_basic/uncapped.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/fc_basic_leather/uncapped.jpg

 

And if you're willing to spend up to 80-100, why not a nice Restored Sheaffer Craftsman, Touchdown, or Snorkel?

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/sheaffer_trio/uncapped.jpg

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/touchdown_wd/tdwd_final_1280.jpg

[ac12]

As you can see, LOTS of choices for cheap/inexpensive and nice looking "good" pens.

 

But as they say "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."

I kinda like how the Lamy Safari/Al Star looks.

 

One of the best but tricky ways is to get vintage pen. That way you get a GOOD pen at a lower price. The only thing is buying used has its risks. You may get a good one, but you may also get a problem child. A safe way is to get a restored vintage pen from a known/reliable source.

 

I have several somewhat inexpensive (less than $50) and good performing pens (in no order than when it came into my mind). Some are significantly less than $50, more like less than $20.

New: Baoer 388, Baoer 801, Pilot 78G, Pilot Metro, Lamy joy, Lamy Safari,

Used: Parker 88, Parker Classic, Parker 45, Parker 51 special, Sheaffer touchdown, Parker 21 Super, Wearever Skyline,

Edited August 14, 2014 by ac12

[CraigR]

One of my best and most enjoyable writers is an old, very butt ugly, Eversharp. I found it in an antique store several years ago and was able to take it home for $5. It is scratched and dinged no end. There are teeth marks that are not mine. It took a lot of cleaning and tweaking of the nib but it is the best pen for consistent note taking.

 

Craig

[ac12]

 

 

One of my best and most enjoyable writers is an old, very butt ugly, Eversharp. I found it in an antique store several years ago and was able to take it home for $5. It is scratched and dinged no end. There are teeth marks that are not mine. It took a lot of cleaning and tweaking of the nib but it is the best pen for consistent note taking.

 

Craig

 

he he

I too have a GREAT writer. A beat up Skyline.

It was an estate sale find, that was in BAD shape; missing the clip, cap partially shrunk, and I had to scrounge up a replacement feed.

And it write GREAT. A wet smooth writer

My head keeps asking, how can a pen that looks so bad, write so well?

[rwilsonedn]

You might browse Teri's Web site at Peyton Street Pens. She not only has good modern Chinese pens, but also very affordable hand-made Indian pens, and wonderful new-old-stock and restored vintage pens. You might find a look you really want in your price range. My experience with Peyton Street is that if they ship a pen to you, it's going to write wonderfully.

ron