Kaigelu 316 From Seller Hq.market, Aka You Gain More! Warning

[Manalto]

I received my Kaigelu 316 from Hong Kong earlier this week (seller: hq.market, AKA You Gain More!) It's a reasonably faithful knock-off of the Duofold, visually at least. A handsome pen (mine is the white with black veining), it's improperly balanced toward the back end, but not a deal-breaker. I inked it up with Diamine Sapphire and it wrote beautifully.

 

I decided to take my lovely new counterfeit to work with me, and on my way out the door, clipped it to my pock... UH-OH. With this gentle action, the clip, retainer ring and cap came off the pen. No biggie, I'll just screw the top back on, right? I've read here many times that Chinese pens have issues with quality control, so I just assumed someone didn't tighten it down properly. Nope. The threads refuse to catch, even when tested without the clip or retainer ring in place. It's defective.

 

eBay has a process whereby you can resolve an issue like this one. Communicating with the seller (hq.market, AKA You Gain More!) that the pen is defective has resulted in the kind of runaround those who hide behind a language difference love to employ. "The pen is not smashed" they replied after receiving a photo of the loose clip assembly. (The only way I could think of to photograph threads that don't engage; see below) Of course, each message exchange with seller hq.market, AKA You Gain More must go through a 24 hour cycle, presumably because of the time difference. I've heard that other Chinese sellers are really good at reimbursing or replacing; that has not been my experience with seller hq.market, AKA You Gain More! (Maybe they're referring to my blood pressure reading?)

 

Caveat emptor.

 

James

 

Edited March 12, 2015 by Manalto

[Mr. Pink]

Considering what those things are worth, I'd use some crazy glue, be done with it, and consider it a lesson learned.

[Maurizio]

You post should be named "Beware of seller [name of the seller]" so others here don't get ripped off like you unfortunately did.

[Manalto]

Thanks. Someone changed the headline already.

 

Now I lost the *%^#@! retaining ring - just tore apart the room and it's nowhere to be found - so now even the Crazy Glue option is out.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Manalto

[Biber]

  On 3/12/2015 at 12:16 PM, Charles Rice said:

Considering what those things are worth, I'd use some crazy glue, be done with it, and consider it a lesson learned.

 

Really the only solution. Bad design execution to begin with - seriously, what do you expect when you have metal threads against plastic threads!

[Mr. Pink]

  On 3/12/2015 at 1:51 PM, Manalto said:

Thanks. Someone changed the headline already.

 

Now I lost the *%^#@! retaining ring - just tore apart the room and it's nowhere to be found - so now even the Crazy Glue option is out.

 

I assume that you are married because that's the kind of thing my wife hides all the time.

[Cordovian]

It's a counterfeit. They're cheap because of the lack of engineering, QC and top quality materials. Like Charles said, consider it a lesson learned and move on to bigger and better things. Not worth stressing over.

[Mr. Pink]

Just curious - I tried to find the seller, but could not.

[rochester21]

  On 3/12/2015 at 2:15 PM, Cordovian said:

It's a counterfeit. They're cheap because of the lack of engineering, QC and top quality materials. Like Charles said, consider it a lesson learned and move on to bigger and better things. Not worth stressing over.

 

A counterfeit Kaigelu? Nobody blames the german pen makers for stealing american designs, but i guess the chinese are easy targets.

And it`s not about the engineering here. You need (expensive)quality machinery and good QC in order to make every pen perfect. And Kaigelu pens are not exactly expensive, compared with similar designs from better known companies.

 

So far, i don`t know of any company that makes perfect pens all the time. Maybe you can name one?

Edited March 12, 2015 by rochester21

[Manalto]

  On 3/12/2015 at 1:57 PM, Biber said:

 

seriously, what do you expect when you have metal threads against plastic threads!

 

I expect the plastic threads to be stripped, not the metal!

  On 3/12/2015 at 2:00 PM, Charles Rice said:

 

I assume that you are married because that's the kind of thing my wife hides all the time.

 

I'm constantly being sabotaged.

 

  On 3/12/2015 at 2:15 PM, Cordovian said:

It's a counterfeit. They're cheap because of the lack of engineering, QC and top quality materials. Like Charles said, consider it a lesson learned and move on to bigger and better things. Not worth stressing over.

 

I'm getting a nice burgundy PFM IV this afternoon. Bigger, and better.

 

  On 3/12/2015 at 2:22 PM, Charles Rice said:

Just curious - I tried to find the seller, but could not.

 

http://www.ebay.com/usr/hq.market?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

[Manalto]

  On 3/12/2015 at 2:34 PM, rochester21 said:

 

 

So far, i don`t know of any company that makes perfect pens all the time. Maybe you can name one?

 

The complaint here isn't so much the defective merchandise, it's the company's refusal to take responsibility for it.

 

And there's really no better time to defend the inferior business practices of a company than when someone has just been screwed by them. (That was sarcasm, in case you missed it.)

Edited March 12, 2015 by Manalto

[Cordovian]

  On 3/12/2015 at 2:34 PM, rochester21 said:

 

A counterfeit Kaigelu? Nobody blames the german pen makers for stealing american designs, but i guess the chinese are easy targets.

And it`s not about the engineering here. You need (expensive)quality machinery and good QC in order to make every pen perfect. And Kaigelu pens are not exactly expensive, compared with similar designs from better known companies.

 

So far, i don`t know of any company that makes perfect pens all the time. Maybe you can name one?

It was a knock off of a Duofold he bought.

 

Machinery is only as good as it's instructions. That's where engineering comes into play.

[bbycrts]

There's a difference between a counterfeit and a knock-off.

 

A counterfeit is a fraud - an item made to look like a more expensive item from another company, including the other company's logos and trademarks.

 

A knock-off is an item that is made to look like another company's product - but identifies the actual identity of the manufacturer. It does not try to hide its identity, though you may have to look twice to realize the difference.

 

It is a subtle but important difference. One is flat-out illegal. The other may or may not be a trademark issue - but if so it's a civil, not criminal issue. Heck, I had someone at school ask me if my Rosetta Coronado Mosaic was a MontBlanc. I don't see much similarity, but to that person I was using a knockoff, but certainly not a counterfeit.

[Ambien]

  On 3/12/2015 at 6:06 PM, bbycrts said:

I don't see much similarity, but to that person I was using a knockoff, but certainly not a counterfeit.

 

True, instead to be 100% correct maybe we should call it a homage to the Parker? I mean, it's worked for watches I don't see why not for pens too.

 

Although, I admit most sellers would rather ship out a replacement to save time and effort in the process.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Csrae

[Cordovian]

Very true bbycrts. So homage it is.

[wastelanded]

Which came first, the knockoff or the homage?

 

Let's ask Sailor, if that's allowed.

[Ambien]

The deeper question is if it's a homage of a homage does it make it less illegal?

[linearM]

I purchased my Kaigelu 316 from isellpens about 4 years ago. It is a company based in Arizona and I've been a satisfied customer. Their 316's go for about $20.00. I have quite a few pens and have really enjoyed the 316 and have absolutely no complaints, perhaps you just got a lemon. I usually stay away from eBay.

 

Reading the pen reviews here on FPN regarding the 316 there were a few complaints but most owners had very positive things to say about the pen. None mentioned problems with the retaining ring and clip, mostly it was the weight and balance.

Edited March 13, 2015 by linearM

[Manalto]

  On 3/13/2015 at 4:34 AM, linearM said:

I purchased my Kaigelu 316 from isellpens about 4 years ago. It is a company based in Arizona and I've been a satisfied customer. Their 316's go for about $20.00. I have quite a few pens and have really enjoyed the 316 and have absolutely no complaints, perhaps you just got a lemon. I usually stay away from eBay.

 

Reading the pen reviews here on FPN regarding the 316 there were a few complaints but most owners had very positive things to say about the pen. None mentioned problems with the retaining ring and clip, mostly it was the weight and balance.

 

Yes, "perhaps" - or maybe I just imagined it because nobody else has mentioned the same problem. Thanks for your lovely story and for missing my point entirely. See below.

 

  On 3/12/2015 at 2:41 PM, Manalto said:

 

The complaint here isn't so much the defective merchandise, it's the company's refusal to take responsibility for it.

 

 

Edited March 13, 2015 by Manalto

[OcalaFlGuy]

I would shellac the endcap in before I'd use the superglue.

 

Almost every time you think SG is the thing to fix your pen with, you're wrong.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl