Chinese Pens Show And Tell.

[Ian the Jock]

I am a habitual "poster" myself, and both the 500 and the 7022 post well.

I'm not sure if its allowed, or you'd maybe need to post in the pif forum, but I'm sure if you offered up your Duke as a swap, there would be someone with something they'd swap for it.

 

Anyway, I'm sure that you'll be pleased with your pens when they arrive.

 

Enjoy

 

Ian

[garyc]

 

As I’ve said….Not exactly a cheap Chinese pen, as Chinese pens go, but still seriously inexpensive for what you are getting, and at £20 ($30) including shipping, it’s an absolute bargain.

 

CHEERS

Ian.

Is the pound to dollar actually better now in Scotland after Brexit or something? I make that that £23 at the Google exchange rate, so did the extra 3£ come out of this week's pocket money or did Hannah have to forego the doggie treats this week?

 

Anyway, thanks for the wonderful pictures and review. I have K316s, the Crocodile 806 (Maple red) so I just had to buy one of these (btw, I don't know why it is, but I can never find jewelrymathematics' stuff using eBay searching and i had to resort to Google). I ordered it with the box, it is offered without box for a few dollars less

 

Cheers,

Gary

[Ian the Jock]

Is the pound to dollar actually better now in Scotland after Brexit or something? I make that that £23 at the Google exchange rate, so did the extra 3£ come out of this week's pocket money or did Hannah have to forego the doggie treats this week?

 

Anyway, thanks for the wonderful pictures and review. I have K316s, the Crocodile 806 (Maple red) so I just had to buy one of these (btw, I don't know why it is, but I can never find jewelrymathematics' stuff using eBay searching and i had to resort to Google). I ordered it with the box, it is offered without box for a few dollars less

 

Cheers,

Gary

Hi Gary

You get it no problem if you go through ebay China, rather than ebay UK.

Hahaha After bartering it worked out at about £21 on the day I bought it, but you can get it for under £20 without the box, after haggling.

The Brexit caper has shafted all of us overseas buyers, as, all of a sudden, the English pound is worth about as much as something that's not worth very much.

Going for the box was a good shout, as its' cool as a whole package.

 

Ian

 

p.s. Hannah's on a diet, so nae treats.

The vet said in true Arabian knights style "She's the (clap hands) size of a flumper", so broccoli, sweet potato, and cauliflower for wee J-lo from here on in.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Ian the Jock

[Bluey]

 

The Brexit caper has shafted all of us overseas buyers, as, all of a sudden, the English pound is worth about as much as something that's not worth very much.

 

Oh boy don't I know it. I've noticed that many Japanese pens that I had set my sights on have gone up about 30-40 quid .

Because of that, I've decided to take a breather and focus on my existing collection with a view to getting to know them better and finding out which pens I like most, and then prune the collection slightly.

I still buy the occasional Chinese pen for a couple of quid though, but major buys have been put on hold indefinitely.

 

 

Hannah's on a diet, so nae treats.

 

Oh dear I don't think she's going to like that cauliflower diet . I'm sure there are some low calorie treats that she may enjoy.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Bluey

[ian1964]

On the flip side (and great for your economy) I have bought a lot more stuff from the UK. Especially from Diamine, Mr Pen and Beaufort Pens.

[FrankH]

Another day, another Duke.

 

This one is one of my gold nibbed pens: a Duke 370 with an 8K nib. A couple of years ago, when I was in China, I bought three of these as gifts. When they arrived I tested them to make sure I wasn't going to be giving something that didn't work and I liked the feel of them and the way they wrote so I bought another for myself. It cost just under 300 Yuan Renminbi, a little over £30 at the time.

 

It sits nicely in the hand, posted or unposted and writes a smooth medium line. I'm using Hero black ink although each pen was delivered with its own 80ml bottle of Duke "High Grade Write Ink". The bottle itself is a work of art when set against the Quink bottles I had come to regard as the norm.

 

http://www.cappuccino.org.uk/images/duke370/DSCF0430.png

 

At 51g it's a substantial pen but it's beautifully balanced and sits nicely in the hand whether posted or unposted.

 

http://www.cappuccino.org.uk/images/duke370/DSCF0419.png

 

The cap screws into place to cap the pen and is a secure friction fit when posted. The clip is adorned with four Chinese characters which Google Translate can't make head nor tail of, Bing Translate renders as "Passed the test" and a Chinese person told me means "Success in Exam".

The cap finial shows the Duke logo.

 

http://www.cappuccino.org.uk/images/duke370/DSCF0422.png

 

http://www.cappuccino.org.uk/images/duke370/DSCF0423.png

 

The nib is 8K gold, imprinted with the Duke logo, "1853" and "8K 333"

 

http://www.cappuccino.org.uk/images/duke370/DSCF0426.png

Edited September 21, 2016 by FrankH

[garyc]

On the flip side (and great for your economy) I have bought a lot more stuff from the UK. Especially from Diamine, Mr Pen and Beaufort Pens.

Keep at it! That's what's keeping us afloat in these times.

 

All 3 are excellent companies and the latter is based in Scotland to boot, the country of my birth and with which I hold in deep affection (mainly 'cos of the malt whisky, but that's another subject altogether, he says as he enjoys another sip of Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or). :-)

[garyc]

 

 

Going for the box was a good shout, as its' cool as a whole package.

 

That's what I thought, looked cool in your picture and definitely better than those generic blue boxes you get (if you are lucky, else just a cellophane wrapper).

 

But don't do as I did and forget to specify the colour in a message with the order. I realised too late and enquired - mine had been sent as a green, so of course I had to order another in red. I quite like green inks, Prince Charles notwithstanding (although apprently his use of green ink in in the 'black spider letters' is possibly something of an urban myth - see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/10434214/Prince-Charles-a-passion-for-politics.html )

 

In a separate question, it is ok to keep your pens in your sporran? I just ordered my first full Prince Charlie (no relation to the present incumbent, not quite so Bonnie) kilt outfit from Philip King in Aberdeen (previously I have rented) and a leakage (of ink) into £180 worth of furry covered leather is not worth contemplating.

 

Gary

[garyc]

Another day, another Duke.

 

This one is one of my gold nibbed pens: a Duke 370 with an 8K nib. A couple of years ago, when I was in China, I bought three of these as gifts. When they arrived I tested them to make sure I wasn't going to be giving something that didn't work and I liked the feel of them and the way they wrote so I bought another for myself. It cost just under 300 Yuan Renminbi, a little over £30 at the time.

Just out of interest, where exactly in China was this (in case I ever get the chance to visit again - went to Shanghai once in Jan 97, all I can remember are the shop assistants in a big department store in Nanjing Xi-lu dressed in heavy warm overcoats on account of there being no heating in the shops). Ronald McDonald was already there in plastic form outside the 'restaurant' and they had those lovely ladies frantically waving little flags at the traffic to allow you to cross the road.

 

I'm rambling now ( Lord I was born a ramblin' man, Brothers and Sisters, Allman Brothers ). This is what the amber Nectar d'Or does to you of course.

 

Cheers,

Gary

Edited September 21, 2016 by garyc

[FrankH]

Just out of interest, where exactly in China was this (in case I ever get the chance to visit again - went to Shanghai once in Jan 97, all I can remember are the shop assistants in a big department store in Nanjing Xi-lu dressed in heavy warm overcoats on account of there being no heating in the shops). Ronald McDonald was already there in plastic form outside the 'restaurant' and they had those lovely ladies frantically waving little flags at the traffic to allow you to cross the road...

I bought it on the internet, I used jd.com and amazon.cn. I bookmarked all the pens I fancied and I've just had a look. The JD link shows the pen but no price, which I guess means it's not available any more and the Amazon link shows 500 Yuan Renminbi; it was just over 300 at the end of 2014. Some of the pens I bookmarked are still about the same price though so maybe the Duke 370 price rise is the exception. Or maybe it's cheaper from other sellers.

 

I used Bing translator to find my way around the sites, it was long-winded but I had lots of time and I was assisted by a Chinese person to do the ordering and to make sure that what I thought I was ordering was what I actually wanted.

 

 

EDIT: That price on Amazon must be an aberration. I've just had a look on jd.com and searching for "Duke 370" brings up three sellers, from 245 to 309 RMB. One seems to have all four variations of the clip adornment (the Chinese characters embossed on the clip). Searching for "Duke 8k" brings up several 8K nibbed Duke pens, variations of the search also work: "Hero 10k", Picasso 12k" etc.

Edited September 22, 2016 by FrankH

[garyc]

Thanks Frank, been away for the weekend, but can see the ones on jd.com at those prices. I'll investigate.

 

(Edit) Noted that the English version en.jd.com aliases to joybuy.com . A search on that doesn't offer any Duke pens, just Dukes of Hazzard cars. News stories indicate jd is ramping up to compete with alibaba. Walmart are investing in them. Could we ever see these pens in Asda (Extra Special range of course)?

 

Just have to find out what the drill is with jd , buyer experience etc. I've only ever used eBay for Chinese stuff (and via Amazon.co.uk where the seller is often direct from HK/CN).

Edited September 28, 2016 by garyc

[richila]

Baoer 801 by Richila, on Flickr

Doing my part for Fountain Pen world domination, only fountain pens are available for students who forget their pens. These are the 2 newest additions to the "Borrow Box". Unlike ballpoints, my fountain pens get returned. I love the fact that the nibs are fine enough to work perfectly on copy paper and notebook paper.

Edited September 28, 2016 by richila

[Ian the Jock]

I had my eye on this pen for a wee while, and finally ordered one.

I've always been a bit dubious about buying pens from makers that I haven't tried previously, probably due to the 1 Boxue pen that was guff and the "sceptics" who warn about Chinese pens.

I should just go by my own experience, as 1 duff pen out of approx 70 should tell me all I need to know.

My foray into the world of Hua Hong pens should have left me with no fears.

 

Anyway

 

Here it is, my first Yiren pen, and a fine pen it is too.

I've been hammering it non stop for a few days now, and it has passed all tests with flying colours.

Weighing in at 50g (as expected with a pen containing so much metal) it is not a pen for the lighter pen lovers, but it suits me right down to the ground.

Maybe not everyones' cup of Assam, but I give it a big thumbs up.

 

 

 

Although it has a fine nib, I'd say it's more of a fine medium, in western terms, and it writes very well.

 

Cheers

Ian

Edited September 28, 2016 by Ian the Jock

[ian1964]

Ian, it's nice to see a pen by a new manufacturer.

A question about the other 70 you have in relation to my meagre few. How do you find them as everyday work pens? I ask because I find mine (almost to a pen) don't like continually being capped and put into my top pocket. I work in an ED (A&E) and am continually needing to stop and start writing. and have found the pens become hard if not impossible to re start after a few hours. My solution has been to change the feed unit and nib in my favourite pens. But, of course this increases the cost of each pen significantly being that a (for example) Bock feed and nib cost about 10 Pounds Sterling each. I know the total cost is still very low but it has slowed down purchase volume.

 

Anyway, you thoughts. Cheers.

[oneill]

OBITUARY MAX WALKER. Australian Cricketer and JINHAO LOVER!
It is with a heavy heart that I mention the passing of this great Australian Cricketer, Master of Ceremonies.
great Author, fabulous personality who died a couple of days ago he had been battling with Cancer for some two
years or more.I first became aware of his love for Fountain pens when watching a segment of the ABC collectors
show he was talking about the pen he used to write most of his novels with it is a Mont Blanc Boheme but what
impressed me was his obvious love for the Jinhao Gold 1200 pictured somewhere on this page he had bought it for
from memory $2.00 AUD and just used it almost every day.At that Time I used to Edit the entries on the internet
for Jinhao, I was impressed by the fact that he had done this segment for Free so I wrote and informed them of
this and they sent me two of their best pens to present to him on their behalf which I did, he sent me an
autographed Photo about his pens along with one of his books,Caps,Hats & Helmets, all autographed in his
distinctive handwriting, I shall treasure those gifts for all time. Trust Me, oneill RIP aka Bryan Atkinson. Adelaide South Australia

Edited September 28, 2016 by oneill

[s60m23]

These are the fountain pens I use in the office on a rotated basis - they are all great and in my opinion exceptional value for money!

 

 

Marc

[oneill]

These are the fountain pens I use in the office on a rotated basis - they are all great and in my opinion exceptional value for money!

 

DSC_0171 red.JPG

 

Marc

Hi Marc; glad to see that we have another discerning Pen Person who has joined the ranks of Jinhao owners and I am really delighted to see that you have an Abalone in your collection a very wise choice, I had the pleasure of Naming that one when it first came out, it is sometimes called the Mother of Pearl. I have three of them. oneill

[s60m23]

Hi oneill,

yes, the Mother or Pearl is really one of my favourites. The problem with the Jinhao pens is that they are so relatively cheap that one is tempted to keep buying more!! I keep thinking about buying the other Mother of Pearl version with the "long" windows......I can see why you have three!

Marc

[Ian the Jock]

That's what I thought, looked cool in your picture and definitely better than those generic blue boxes you get (if you are lucky, else just a cellophane wrapper).

 

In a separate question, it is ok to keep your pens in your sporran? I just ordered my first full Prince Charlie (no relation to the present incumbent, not quite so Bonnie) kilt outfit from Philip King in Aberdeen (previously I have rented) and a leakage (of ink) into £180 worth of furry covered leather is not worth contemplating.

 

Gary

Gary, you can of course carry your pen in your Badger Handbag if you wish, but best to get a pen sheath or some such.

I personally have mine in a soft leather pouch that I got from mylocaltime in Cyprus, but I carry mine in my sock.....opposite leg from the dirk leg of course

 

Ian, it's nice to see a pen by a new manufacturer.

A question about the other 70 you have in relation to my meagre few. How do you find them as everyday work pens? I ask because I find mine (almost to a pen) don't like continually being capped and put into my top pocket. I work in an ED (A&E) and am continually needing to stop and start writing. and have found the pens become hard if not impossible to re start after a few hours. My solution has been to change the feed unit and nib in my favourite pens. But, of course this increases the cost of each pen significantly being that a (for example) Bock feed and nib cost about 10 Pounds Sterling each. I know the total cost is still very low but it has slowed down purchase volume.

 

Anyway, you thoughts. Cheers.

Ian

Very rarely do my pens ever leave the house, and I've not come across the issue you have, but then I'm not running around in a busy A&E.

Some have been known not to start right away after lying for a few weeks, but generally start with a quick lick, which I'm sure probably isn't the best of ideas for someone working in A&E.

Occasionally, if one is proving a hard starter, I'll give the converter a wee half twist and that sets it up for a good while.

 

Maybe before you set off in the morning, give the converter a wee turn just to get the feed fully primed, and help reduce the drying out.

 

Ian

 

OBITUARY MAX WALKER. Australian Cricketer and JINHAO LOVER!

It is with a heavy heart that I mention the passing of this great Australian Cricketer, Master of Ceremonies.

great Author, fabulous personality who died a couple of days ago he had been battling with Cancer for some two

years or more.I first became aware of his love for Fountain pens when watching a segment of the ABC collectors

show he was talking about the pen he used to write most of his novels with it is a Mont Blanc Boheme but what

impressed me was his obvious love for the Jinhao Gold 1200 pictured somewhere on this page he had bought it for

from memory $2.00 AUD and just used it almost every day.At that Time I used to Edit the entries on the internet

for Jinhao, I was impressed by the fact that he had done this segment for Free so I wrote and informed them of

this and they sent me two of their best pens to present to him on their behalf which I did, he sent me an

autographed Photo about his pens along with one of his books,Caps,Hats & Helmets, all autographed in his

distinctive handwriting, I shall treasure those gifts for all time. Trust Me, oneill RIP aka Bryan Atkinson. Adelaide South Australia

Sad news O'niell.

Another great (and fountain pen user) leaving too soon.

I'm sure you'll savour your memories of him.

 

These are the fountain pens I use in the office on a rotated basis - they are all great and in my opinion exceptional value for money!

 

DSC_0171 red.JPG

 

Marc

Good stuff marc

That very Jinhao x450 "carven wine" was the first fountain pen I ever used.

It arrived along with a Baoer 3035 but was first of the 2 to be inked, and I've never looked back.

 

I love the way that the gargantuan Wing Sung 590 is too big for the photo.

I call mine my "Elmer Fudd" pen as it's cartoonishly huge, purely for the sake of it...which is fun.....although it does write well.....and it holds the ink equivalent of a small Loch, so not much wrong there.......unless of course you use it posted, in which case, you'd be running the risk of taking your own eye out.

 

 

Ian

Edited October 4, 2016 by Ian the Jock

[richila]

Baoer 68 by Richila, on Flickr

I put a Nemosine size 5 1.1mm stub in the black and gold. I'm going to try my first grind on the red and gold.