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

[Manalto]

  On 3/13/2015 at 2:16 PM, OcalaFlGuy said:

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

 

Glad to know I'm not the only one with a high surprise rate with superglue.

 

The re-glue option is off the table unless the missing retainer (?) ring reappears. One moment it was in my hand, and the next it was gone. A pox on those supernatural forces. Good to know about the shellac method though, thank you, Bruce.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Manalto

[linearM]

My response was in part to respond to some of the comments regarding a pen that pays homage to another company's design is necessarily an inferior pen. Your photo and explanation shows a lack of quality control with your pen, without a doubt. Thank you for the warning regarding bad customer service from hq.market, AKA. My mention of isellpens was a suggestion that if you are looking for pens like the Kaigelu in the future you might look at this company, which has had a good reputation for customer service.

 

You might check out this thread: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/262645-im-curious-how-many-of-us-have-kaigelu-316s/. One of the respondents had the same problem as you.

Edited March 13, 2015 by linearM

[Manalto]

Thanks for the recommendation of a reputable dealer. That information is valuable, and something I didn't have the good sense to learn.

[Mr. Pink]

  On 3/13/2015 at 2:16 PM, OcalaFlGuy said:

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

 

Being I've never used Super Glue, You'll have to excuse me. My other suggestion of using Portland Cement is probably just as bad.

[Manalto]

  On 3/13/2015 at 3:11 PM, Charles Rice said:

 

Being I've never used Super Glue, You'll have to excuse me. My other suggestion of using Portland Cement is probably just as bad.

 

It's good for just about everything, but for this application, I'd reach for the duct tape.

[Mr. Pink]

  On 3/13/2015 at 3:51 PM, Manalto said:

 

It's good for just about everything, but for this application, I'd reach for the duct tape.

 

Dang - I SHOULD have thought of that first.

[Jamesbeat]

I'd use epoxy.

 

I had a similar experience recently when I bought a pen that was advertised as having a medium nib, but received a fine.

Actually, being a Chinese pen, I expected the medium nib to be like a western fine, but it was a Chinese fine, so it was more like a western extra fine.

 

I contacted the seller, and from what I could understand from his reply, I think he was trying to spin me some bull***t story about the manufacturer changing their tooling to make better pens or something.

He went on to tell me that if I wanted a refund, I was responsible for return shipping.

 

Ebay does have a bizarre policy under which the buyer is responsible for paying return shipping even if the seller sends the wrong item, but in my experience, most reputable sellers do the right thing if they made a mistake.

 

The pen was $3.50 including shipping, so I didn't bother to pursue the matter any further.

I just reground the nib to make it write a little broader, and now I'm very happy with the pen.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Jamesbeat

[OcalaFlGuy]

Epoxy is forever.

 

Generally one would want to work their way Up the permanence of adhesion ladder, using just as much as necessary.

 

Without just jumping right to the top.

 

Maybe if it were a $2 pen but last I saw those were are least $25 I thought.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Mr. Pink]

  On 3/13/2015 at 4:14 PM, Jamesbeat said:

The pen was $3.50 including shipping, so I didn't bother to pursue the matter any further.

I just reground the nib to make it write a little broader, and now I'm very happy with the pen.

 

For that price, and even more, it seems that a seller half way around the world would have very little incentive to satisfy customers.

[Manalto]

  On 3/13/2015 at 4:29 PM, Charles Rice said:

 

For that price, and even more, it seems that a seller half way around the world would have very little incentive to satisfy customers.

 

Won't bad-mouthing them on FPN have an effect?

 

This pen was $22.58. I tested the waters by buying a few of the real cheapo Chinese pens (<$10), with consistently good results. When I jumped in the deep end, I hit the bottom.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Manalto

[Jamesbeat]

  On 3/13/2015 at 4:18 PM, OcalaFlGuy said:

Epoxy is forever.

 

Generally one would want to work their way Up the permanence of adhesion ladder, using just as much as necessary.

 

Without just jumping right to the top.

 

Maybe if it were a $2 pen but last I saw those were are least $25 I thought.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

In the case of a plastic pen, epoxy probably is forever, but I don't see that as a bad thing when securing a pocket clip.

Depending where you clip the pen, you could lose the whole thing if the pocket clip let go.

 

As an aside, epoxy is very easy to remove from non heat sensitive components by dropping the item in boiling water for a minute or two.

I often use epoxy to temporarily hold metal items for machining etc.

It holds very securely when you want it to, but can be easily separated when you're finished.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Let me be more clear.

 

For Pens, Epoxy is forever.

 

This is most likely Some part of the pen glued with the Epoxy that Can't Survive 60 seconds in boiling water to separate.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Mr. Pink]

  On 3/13/2015 at 4:34 PM, Manalto said:

 

Won't bad-mouthing them on FPN have an effect?

 

 

 

You'd hope so, but I think a lot of people would think that considering the price they paid, it's just not worth the hassle. That, and I'd guess that very few FP users are on the FPN. Heck, I've been using fountain pens since the 1950s (OMG!) and it was not until a little over a year ago that I stumbled on to this site.

 

And memories are short. Next week the chances are that this thread will be buried.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Charles Rice

[katerchen]

Hmm I wonder if those marble ones are a bad batch. I had the exact same experience with mine (same color), but I went for the nuclear option (superglue) right away and it's been holding ever since.

 

That's the 2nd K316 I bought. The other one is the dark gray and it was perfect from the beginning.

 

-k

[Manalto]

That's good to know. Maybe the white material is weaker?

 

What does "hmm" mean?

[Mr. Pink]

  On 3/13/2015 at 5:25 PM, Manalto said:

 

What does "hmm" mean?

 

For those of you that speak a language other than English as your first language, "hmm" is just a pause, much like "huh" or not far removed from the famous Canadian "eh".

[Manalto]

Whenever possible, I prefer to decide on my own when to pause.

[richardandtracy]

Sorry to hear of your dodgy experience with the seller.

 

Can I suggest you consider Jewellerymathematics as a seller ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kaigelu-kangaroo-316-Veined-White-Fountain-Pen-Medium-Nib-Without-Box-/331245872511?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d1fcae57f ). I have rarely seen his prices bettered and at one time he was active on FPN indicating he does have an interest in customer satisfaction.

 

I have a slightly different idea for re-establishing the thread.

You could smear petroleum jelly very thinly on the metal part, then use epoxy around the top of the cap barrel, and screw the metal finial in to it. The epoxy will cure around the thread but not stick as the jelly will act as a mould release. Then, unscrew and fit the clip. Loosing the ring was not a great idea... Could be re-made from brass on a lathe if you have access to one.

 

As for customer service from many Chinese E-bay suppliers - I agree they are occasionally very poor. All you could do is complain through E-Bay.

 

With regard to Claims that the K316 is a 'poorly engineered ripoff of the Duofold, and what do you expect?':

1. I'm a professional mechanical engineer and own both. With my professional hat on, I'd have to say that the K316 is a completely re-engineered version of the pen. No parts are interchangeable between the two. In the cap, the Duofold seems to have a much longer finial, so that it forms an inner cap (in my P&B duofold, this is black, which is why it's possible to identify as part of the finial). This is machined from the cap body in the case of the K316. If anything, the cap of the K316 is stronger against crushing than the Duofold, though it's less secure against this failure. In many ways the Chinese have shown themselves vastly superior to Parker - they have production engineered a Luxury pen so that it becomes a 'Near Luxury' pen at an economy price. Either Parker couldn't or wouldn't do that.
2. The barrel material of the K316 is thicker & stronger than the Duofold.
3. There appear to be no materials in the K316 that are heat damaged. The method of removing the barrel finial is to soften the adhesive by soaking in near boiling water. This corresponds with the use of good quality cast acrylic for the blanks used.
4. The plating of the K316 is the only area where it appears to be of significantly worse quality than the Duofold.
5. As for design ripoffs... Can I ask. Have you ever looked at 1st, 2nd & 3rd tier pens from the 1920's? I presume not, as you'd have seen Parker do it with the best at that time. The copying of ideas for shape and is as old as pen making, and is one of the best methods of ensuring that the overall design quality improves rapidly. To object that it happens now when the Chinese do it, and not moan about it happening in the past by Americans and Europeans strikes me as really unfair.

Regards,

 

Richard.

[rochester21]

Jewellerymathematics is not exactly a perfect seller( i did receive chipped pens and early production units who were imperfect), i prefer buying from jijiang or yespen. In the end though, no seller is perfect.

 

But i completely agree with what richardandtracy said

Edited March 15, 2015 by rochester21

[Manalto]

  On 3/15/2015 at 10:25 AM, richardandtracy said:

Sorry to hear of your dodgy experience with the seller.

Loosing the ring was not a great idea... Could be re-made from brass on a lathe if you have access to one.

 

 

Thanks, Richard, for your suggestions. One thing that I learned from this experience is that, while I think the Kaigelu 316 is an attractive pen and writes well, it's so oddly imbalanced, I don't want another one.

 

The ring was already loose when the pen was shipped to me. I didn't fiddle with it at all. While the lathe idea is a good one, I trust in the permanence of physical things. I will conduct one more exhaustive search in the tiny area where the ring must be - inside envelopes, between papers, etc. or offer it to someone here to do with as they will.

 

I agree with your comments on reproductions/knockoffs/counterfeits of fountain pens, with the exception that the resentment is unfair. China has established a reputation over the years for sloppy, substandard manufacturing practices and blatant pirating of designs. Those manufacturers who produce quality goods are up against their fellow producers of goods, much more so than any racial objections from Westerners.

Edited March 15, 2015 by richardandtracy