Chinese Pens Show And Tell.

[MrDickens]

The listing did state that it was a Jinhao 675 Richila, and shows pics with a Jinhao nib.

The seller has asked for photos, and to be honest, I can't believe I've actually gone to the bother of sending them to him. He says he will sort it it, but I'm a bit as I have received a pen that works, appears well put together and cost next to nothing, however, I do want the Jinhao variant, and If he sends me one, I'll do the Huashilai as another caption competition prize.

It does genuinely appear to be a decent pen, which writes very nicely.

 

Knockoff of a knockoff

I don't think that's the case wiccaman.

There were quite a few companies who produced this pen, Bookworm, Yiren, Jinhao, Huashilai, and others, but the Jinhao is believed to be the best of them.

The Yiren, and Huashilai efforts were deemed to be the poorer of the bunch.

 

It's not an ink I'm particularly fond of Helen, but I do use it occasionally, it shows well on the Oxford paper though.

I used it in a broad italic before and it was too greeny for me...I like BLUE

Thanks Helen, she is a wee gem, and an irreplaceable (gulp) best friend for my son.

 

Your right Bob

I should be ashamed, she doesn't deserve that.

I've had/been around dogs all of my life, and Hannah has the best nature and temperament I've ever come across in a dog, she is a genuine hairy angel.

 

I suppose I'd better balance the books after showing the world her Sunday morning photo.

 

This is the wee face that stole our hearts.

 

And this is the same same wee face, that roasts our hearts on a regular basis, and you can see why.

 

Ian

 

Oh well, whether mine is a 'genuine' 675 or not, a not, still a nice looking pen that writes well if memory serves - not filled it in a while.

 

(I had to quote including the dog photos because she is such a gorgeous dog - I have succumbed to cats and all the tribulations they bring!)

[Ian the Jock]

Wiccaman, that's why I feel bad about complaining.

Although it isn't a Jinhao, it's still a really nice pen, and it writes beautifully.

To be honest, I probably should just be happy that I got a nice pen for a couple of £, but as a "lauder" of Chinese pens it wouldn't be right just to let it go, as then I'd be accepting that buying Chinese pens is a lottery, and all of the naysayers, and told you so-ers would be right, when the reality is that this is a genuine 1 off among many, many Chinese pen purchases.

 

And we can't have that, can we.

 

On the dog, yeah, she's pretty special, and she loves cats too, although, I don't think she could eat a full one.. Boom,boom.

 

The auld yins are the best... OK, maybe not.

 

Ian

[Mech-for-i]

Ian, what a lovely, the dog ...

[Mech-for-i]

Sometime its fun to find interesting pen from a brand that one simply do not expect, say this very Chuanren vintage early 90's ( model name unknown ) , definitely one of their early pens , one can tell simply by the name cause the brand , while had not change their name, had change the English spelling to Chren very soon after the brand launched. The brand is not well known because at the very first start it was branded to target only the school / teen / student market, to this day which it still do

 

Chuanren vintage early 90s by Mech for i, on Flickr

 

Student pens are usually not of the highest quality nor the most durable, this one however is the total opposite. I suppose since its one of their earliest they had they must have taken the design from the big names as this is essentially the same pen as Wing Sung 261 / 831, Hero 278 and Wenfu 163. While the others all adopt an aluminium barrel with fancy finishing ( say satin gold or mirror finish chromed ), the Chuanren feature a solid brushed steel barrel and cap ( with inlaid brass thread for the barrel ) When all the others use C/C fill ; the Chuanren feature the good old build in aerometric.

 

Chuanren vs 616 small by Mech for i, on Flickr

 

The pen is certainly build as a pocket pen and of such petite size ; at 103mm unposted, 121mm posted, and 115mm capped with a girth ( widest at the barrel / section junction ) just under 10mm, its certainly not for those with a big hand ; as the photo shown the pen come in 3 colors, the cap is interesting in that while it use the old slip on leaf spring together with an inner cap it was still a snap on mating with that metal ring at the section nib end and a very positive snap it is. The nib is as expected a firm hard but its more a FM instead of F; and upon that while it might not look like so the feed is still basically no.5 ( 5mm diameter ) but the nib is pretty small with a rather pointed prominent tipping

[MrDickens]

Wiccaman, that's why I feel bad about complaining.

Although it isn't a Jinhao, it's still a really nice pen, and it writes beautifully.

To be honest, I probably should just be happy that I got a nice pen for a couple of £, but as a "lauder" of Chinese pens it wouldn't be right just to let it go, as then I'd be accepting that buying Chinese pens is a lottery, and all of the naysayers, and told you so-ers would be right, when the reality is that this is a genuine 1 off among many, many Chinese pen purchases.

 

And we can't have that, can we.

 

On the dog, yeah, she's pretty special, and she loves cats too, although, I don't think she could eat a full one.. Boom,boom.

 

The auld yins are the best... OK, maybe not.

 

Ian

 

Regarding the pen, I'm with you on that, Ian.

 

 

I'm tempted to get another dog after enjoying (!*@!) the company of a Jack Russell for his 16 years but not too sure how the cats would take to a canine interloper!

 

And yes, the old ones are the best ones!

[Ian the Jock]

Sometime its fun to find interesting pen from a brand that one simply do not expect, say this very Chuanren vintage early 90's ( model name unknown ) , definitely one of their early pens , one can tell simply by the name cause the brand , while had not change their name, had change the English spelling to Chren very soon after the brand launched. The brand is not well known because at the very first start it was branded to target only the school / teen / student market, to this day which it still do

 

Chuanren vintage early 90s by Mech for i, on Flickr

 

Student pens are usually not of the highest quality nor the most durable, this one however is the total opposite. I suppose since its one of their earliest they had they must have taken the design from the big names as this is essentially the same pen as Wing Sung 261 / 831, Hero 278 and Wenfu 163. While the others all adopt an aluminium barrel with fancy finishing ( say satin gold or mirror finish chromed ), the Chuanren feature a solid brushed steel barrel and cap ( with inlaid brass thread for the barrel ) When all the others use C/C fill ; the Chuanren feature the good old build in aerometric.

 

Chuanren vs 616 small by Mech for i, on Flickr

 

The pen is certainly build as a pocket pen and of such petite size ; at 103mm unposted, 121mm posted, and 115mm capped with a girth ( widest at the barrel / section junction ) just under 10mm, its certainly not for those with a big hand ; as the photo shown the pen come in 3 colors, the cap is interesting in that while it use the old slip on leaf spring together with an inner cap it was still a snap on mating with that metal ring at the section nib end and a very positive snap it is. The nib is as expected a firm hard but its more a FM instead of F; and upon that while it might not look like so the feed is still basically no.5 ( 5mm diameter ) but the nib is pretty small with a rather pointed prominent tipping

 

Mech-for-i

That is so true about unexpected "gem" pens

While the Chuanren, as you say would probably be too small for me, it's a cracking looking wee pen, especially the silver and red, and well made too.

I was exactly the same when I ordered my first Huahong.

I had no idea what I was getting with regards quality, reliability, looks or anything, and when it arrived I was knocked out by how good it was, and it opened the door to many more excellent Huahong pens, including The Belters.

 

Ian

[Ian the Jock]

 

Regarding the pen, I'm with you on that, Ian.

 

 

I'm tempted to get another dog after enjoying (!*@!) the company of a Jack Russell for his 16 years but not too sure how the cats would take to a canine interloper!

 

And yes, the old ones are the best ones!

 

I would imagine the cats wouldn't take too kindly.

We had a Rough collie who was another angel, and she lived to 17.

We swore that we wouldn't get another dog as losing her was devastating, especially for the kids (she was older than them), and we lasted 6 years before we gave in and got Hannah.

During the 6 years we ended up with fish tanks all over the place as a substitute, yet we still ended up with a dog anyway............ and fish tanks all over the place.

 

Ian

[AmandaW]

 

I'm tempted to get another dog after enjoying (!*@!) the company of a Jack Russell for his 16 years but not too sure how the cats would take to a canine interloper!

 

And yes, the old ones are the best ones!

 

I lost two canine companions to old age a few years ago. They went within a couple of months of each other. It broke my heart and I said I couldn't go through that again.

 

Then I saw an advert for a shelter dog... and realised I had it the wrong way round, my loss made room for another dog that needed a home. (Yeah, our elderly cats retreated to the tops of the furniture for a few weeks but they're fine now.)

 

How about a photo instead of a thousand words? Meet Tristan, a 3yo cattle dog, sitting in the back of my car about 5 minutes after leaving the shelter...

 

[MrDickens]

 

I lost two canine companions to old age a few years ago. They went within a couple of months of each other. It broke my heart and I said I couldn't go through that again.

 

Then I saw an advert for a shelter dog... and realised I had it the wrong way round, my loss made room for another dog that needed a home. (Yeah, our elderly cats retreated to the tops of the furniture for a few weeks but they're fine now.)

 

How about a photo instead of a thousand words? Meet Tristan, a 3yo cattle dog, sitting in the back of my car about 5 minutes after leaving the shelter...

 

tristan.jpg

 

I'm getting swayed! That is one happy chap!

[MontPelikan]

Hello,

 

a short video review of the Baoer 388 here:

 

 

Thank you for watching and sharing!

 

MontPelikan

[7j_]

hi ian,

 

i cant decide which to buy between hero 7022, picasso 903 or 917. which pen you prefer?

is that pen only available with medium nib?

sorry for bad english.

thanks.

[richila]

hi ian,

 

i cant decide which to buy between hero 7022, picasso 903 or 917. which pen you prefer?

is that pen only available with medium nib?

sorry for bad english.

thanks.

I'm not Ian, but I love my Picasso 917.

[Ian the Jock]

hi ian,

 

i cant decide which to buy between hero 7022, picasso 903 or 917. which pen you prefer?

is that pen only available with medium nib?

sorry for bad english.

thanks.

No need to apologise 7j_

Your English is as good as mine.

 

All three pens are excellent, and any of them would be an excellent choice.

 

The Hero has a glassy smooth nib and is a beautiful writer. It has a sculpted section which makes it extremely comfortable to use. My only gripe is the Printed branding, which kinda spoils the pens aesthetic.

The 903 is a more tapered design and is a very elegant pen, with a beautiful, smooth nib. The section, although metal has a textured surface, making it also a very comfortable pen in use.

The 917 has a semi hooded nib (more of a collar around the back of the nib) and is also very, very smooth. The cap clicks into place when posted, it has a textured section and it just looks gorgeous.

All 3 are medium nibs, however the Hero is slightly the most broad, and the 903 fractionally the most fine, and I believe they only come in medium.

 

As I said, all 3 are excellent, and very good quality, and if I was forced to choose between the 3, I would, like Richila, go for the 917 Feeling of Rome.

Of the 3, I was "knocked out" most by the 917 on arrival, it really was a very pleasant surprise, and I adore it still.

 

It is of course a matter of taste, and yours may well be different from mine, but you won't be disappointed whichever you choose.

 

Please note. If you go for the Hero make sure it is the correct 7022, as there appears to be a cheaper version as well.

 

Here's a couple of pics of all three together, which might help.

 

 

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Ian

[ian1964]

They are great photos Ian. I see what you mean about the Hero but at least it is honest, otherwise one may mistake the pen for a Parker. The pen really reminds me of my Conklin which is a favourite workhorse.

[Ian the Jock]

They are great photos Ian. I see what you mean about the Hero but at least it is honest, otherwise one may mistake the pen for a Parker. The pen really reminds me of my Conklin which is a favourite workhorse.

Ian

The Hero is a direct "homage" to one of the Parkers but I'm not sure which one, maybe the Duofold international.

It is a cracking pen and very robustly made.

Glassy smooth nib too.

I had planned to get the all black version, on which the printing looks a bit better, but as usual, so many other pens got in the way.

 

Ian

[7j_]

No need to apologise 7j_

Your English is as good as mine.

 

All three pens are excellent, and any of them would be an excellent choice.

 

The Hero has a glassy smooth nib and is a beautiful writer. It has a sculpted section which makes it extremely comfortable to use. My only gripe is the Printed branding, which kinda spoils the pens aesthetic.

The 903 is a more tapered design and is a very elegant pen, with a beautiful, smooth nib. The section, although metal has a textured surface, making it also a very comfortable pen in use.

The 917 has a semi hooded nib (more of a collar around the back of the nib) and is also very, very smooth. The cap clicks into place when posted, it has a textured section and it just looks gorgeous.

All 3 are medium nibs, however the Hero is slightly the most broad, and the 903 fractionally the most fine, and I believe they only come in medium.

 

As I said, all 3 are excellent, and very good quality, and if I was forced to choose between the 3, I would, like Richila, go for the 917 Feeling of Rome.

Of the 3, I was "knocked out" most by the 917 on arrival, it really was a very pleasant surprise, and I adore it still.

 

It is of course a matter of taste, and yours may well be different from mine, but you won't be disappointed whichever you choose.

 

Please note. If you go for the Hero make sure it is the correct 7022, as there appears to be a cheaper version as well.

 

Here's a couple of pics of all three together, which might help.

 

 

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Ian

yes ian, i agree with you 917 is a beautiful pen. maybe ill buy 917, thanks for your advice.

 

did you ever using wing sung pen?

 

[Ian the Jock]

yes ian, i agree with you 917 is a beautiful pen. maybe ill buy 917, thanks for your advice.

 

did you ever using wing sung pen?

 

Yes

I have a few, all older 80s-90s pens, which write well enough, but are not even close to the quality of the 3 pens you have been considering.

I can't speak for the "new" Wing Sungs as not being a big demonstrator fan I have not indulged as of yet, but they have had positive reviews by many of the folks on here.

 

Ian

[Mech-for-i]

Since there are people talking about it, I figure I show my PenBBS Type 266 model 308 in the Cedrus acrylic pattern ( sorry for the exposure, need to tone it down so the color and the golden sparkle in the light brown swirl would show )

 

PenBBS Type 266 model 308 Cedrus by Mech for i, on Flickr

[Ian the Jock]

Since there are people talking about it, I figure I show my PenBBS Type 266 model 308 in the Cedrus acrylic pattern ( sorry for the exposure, need to tone it down so the color and the golden sparkle in the light brown swirl would show )

 

PenBBS Type 266 model 308 Cedrus by Mech for i, on Flickr

That's a lovely looking pen Mech

Again, I've never heard of BBS.

It's great that you are bringing these pens to us, as there are very few people (outwith China of course) who have experienced these "other" lesser known Chinese pens, or indeed have even heard of them, so Thank You.

The acrylic on this pen is really very nice, and I'd imagine Helen will be hitting the search button once she sees it.

 

Can you tell us a bit more about it.

 

Ian

Edited September 22, 2017 by Ian the Jock

[Mech-for-i]

PenBBS ( link will take you to their online forum ) start out as an online Forum / BBS among Chinese ( home market ) fountain pen lovers, and grown to be the major gathering places for those in the hobby. About a few years ago, they start working with some in the industry and start marketing their own merchandise. First in the form of paper product specifically made for fountain pen use, and then their own line of boutique inks ( now into 19th season ), then a couple of months ago they finally made their own pen design and have it manufactured and marketed. There's now 3 model, the Type 266, Type 267, and the Type 266 model 308 ( modified from the Type 266 ). All of them had a nib specifically deigned for writing .. well .. of course .. Chinese and its a form of nib with a slight upturn on the tipping ; sort of like Pilot WA

 

Their pens paper product and inks are pretty well known among Chinese fountain pen community and were widely distributed , some store AFAIK , also offer them to oversea customers on TaoBao and Aliexpress, might be even other channel but I had not check around to be sure of which.

 

PenBBS Type 267

 

 

PenBBS Type 266