Chinese Pens Show And Tell.

[Ian the Jock]

 

Ian,

 

As per Chinese habit they ignore the official name in Latin altogther, and rendered the Chinese name in pinyin romanization instead; so "Wolff" became "Huafu", much like "Golden Star" became "Jinxing", etc. A search using "Huafu" should bring you to an eBay seller offering them.

Yip, found it.

A very nice looking pen.

So does the Huafu have a flex nib like the Hero 572 then?

 

Ian

[Seele]

Yip, found it.

A very nice looking pen.

So does the Huafu have a flex nib like the Hero 572 then?

 

Ian

 

Ian,

 

Mine does give a fair bit of flex; I do not have the 572 so I cannot say for sure, but the nibs on both look the same in the pictures. and also the same as that on the copper-clad 395. Worth mentioning is that some years ago a bit of excitement was brought about the report of a flex nib on the 395, but some also reported that their examples were not equipped as such. There are several possibilities, and a key one would be the different ideas of what a flex nib is held by different people! But if a certain amount of line variation is desired rather than anything approaching a vintage pen, the Wolff 186 would be worth auditioning, and its very existence is fascinating enough anyway.

[Tefolim]

I found something on baidu baike(baidu's encyclopaedia), it says that Hero's Jiangyin subcompany was Wingsung's barrier and cap supplier before it became a member of Hero.

https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/张友光/6832213

[Ian the Jock]

 

Ian,

 

Mine does give a fair bit of flex; I do not have the 572 so I cannot say for sure, but the nibs on both look the same in the pictures. and also the same as that on the copper-clad 395. Worth mentioning is that some years ago a bit of excitement was brought about the report of a flex nib on the 395, but some also reported that their examples were not equipped as such. There are several possibilities, and a key one would be the different ideas of what a flex nib is held by different people! But if a certain amount of line variation is desired rather than anything approaching a vintage pen, the Wolff 186 would be worth auditioning, and its very existence is fascinating enough anyway.

Brilliant.

I didn't mean exactly like the 572, just that it offered a bit of flex, which it does.

 

ON THE LIST.

 

Ian

[Aquaria]

I'll probably be contributing to this once my finals are over for college. I had quite a few Chinese pens to start with, but I also got a big pen haul of even more of them recently. I did some prelim comparison work on a few of them, like notes for some general impressions of each pen, and a writing sample. What's next, of course, would be the pictures.

 

I also have an ink review to do that I've put off long enough.

 

 

But all of that will have to wait a little longer.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Aquaria

[truthpil]

I'll probably be contributing to this once my finals are over for college. I had quite a few Chinese pens to start with, but I also got a big pen haul of even more of them recently. I did some prelim comparison work on a few of them, like notes for some general impressions of each pen, and a writing sample. What's next, of course, would be the pictures.

 

I also have an ink review to do that I've put off long enough.

 

 

But all of that will have to wait a little longer.

Looking forward to your reviews! Best wishes for your exams!!

I'm in the same situation, but for me it's giving and grading exams.

Edited December 2, 2017 by TruthPil

[Ian the Jock]

I'll probably be contributing to this once my finals are over for college. I had quite a few Chinese pens to start with, but I also got a big pen haul of even more of them recently. I did some prelim comparison work on a few of them, like notes for some general impressions of each pen, and a writing sample. What's next, of course, would be the pictures.

 

I also have an ink review to do that I've put off long enough.

 

 

But all of that will have to wait a little longer.

 

Welcome aboard Aquaria.

We look forward to hearing, and seeing, all about your Chinese pens.

Once your finals are out of the way of course.

 

Enjoy them in the meantime.

 

Ian

[Ian the Jock]

 

Ian,

 

Mine does give a fair bit of flex; I do not have the 572 so I cannot say for sure, but the nibs on both look the same in the pictures. and also the same as that on the copper-clad 395. Worth mentioning is that some years ago a bit of excitement was brought about the report of a flex nib on the 395, but some also reported that their examples were not equipped as such. There are several possibilities, and a key one would be the different ideas of what a flex nib is held by different people! But if a certain amount of line variation is desired rather than anything approaching a vintage pen, the Wolff 186 would be worth auditioning, and its very existence is fascinating enough anyway.

 

There's one winging its' way to me now, as we speak.

So much for holding off on pens for a while.

I did get it for a good price though (as if $13.99 isn't a good price anyway) therefore I can excuse myself.

I'm quite excited about this pen, as it's a bit different from the norm, and as you say Seele, it's very existence is fascinating, so I just had to have one.

 

Ian

[Seele]

 

There's one winging its' way to me now, as we speak.

So much for holding off on pens for a while.

I did get it for a good price though (as if $13.99 isn't a good price anyway) therefore I can excuse myself.

I'm quite excited about this pen, as it's a bit different from the norm, and as you say Seele, it's very existence is fascinating, so I just had to have one.

 

Ian

 

Ian,

 

Be prepared to do a little bit of work: on my example at least there are mould parting lines down the length of the section that can be felt. I scraped them off with a blade, and then buffed up with a nail buffing stick; all of five minutes' worth of work but it certainly helped a lot. I also found a Hero standard slide-type converter and that I consider as a worthy improvement as well.

[Ian the Jock]

No Worries, a quick tidy up is wholly acceptable, and I don't mind the squeezy type converter, it adds a bit of character to the pen I think.

I like to try and keep my pens as the manufacturer intended, so no buying pens with the intention of swapping out nibs etc.

If they work as they are, they stay as they are.

 

Thanks to yourself, and Mech for pointing me in the direction of this worthy pen.

 

Ian

[Mech-for-i]

some from last month's haul , always wanting the Hero H703, the shop I usually shop around inform me that the old slim version are to be phased out in favor of the new ( 2017 release ) larger version so I put in my order for one in Sation Champagne Diamond Grid; and got one of the newer larger variant Hero OEM(ed) for Selmy, named 自如 ( meaning freely ), which had the Rose Gold Guilloche, and side shown Selmy's Demo Piston ( an OEM variant of the Lanbitu 3059 / WIng Sung 3008 )

 

 

and I really like the way Selmy do their packaging .. ( note the cardboard box at the back ) ....

 

Edited December 4, 2017 by Mech-for-i

[Mech-for-i]

And two I finally managed to had time to clean up and put back together this last weekend, for you Ian

 

Gui-Guan 10, its heavy, its metal, and its got a Krugal B nib

 

GLM ( Guanleming ) 927 Mirror Chrome , its got the smaller version of the triumph nib

[Mech-for-i]

Browsing around today, and found PenBBS updating some Model 309 Piston Filler with photos

 

Pre Production sample tray

 

Size comparison, Model 309 vs Model 308

 

Nib and section

[Ian the Jock]

And two I finally managed to had time to clean up and put back together this last weekend, for you Ian

 

Gui-Guan 10, its heavy, its metal, and its got a Krugal B nib

 

GLM ( Guanleming ) 927 Mirror Chrome , its got the smaller version of the triumph nib

 

You'll need to stop this. That black one is right up my street (but then you knew it would be)

 

Browsing around today, and found PenBBS updating some Model 309 Piston Filler with photos

 

Pre Production sample tray

 

Size comparison, Model 309 vs Model 308

 

Nib and section

 

Not really my cup of tea, but nice all the same.

The Penbbs 323 in red, now that's a completely different matter altogether, what a lovely looking pen, and a beautiful shape.

 

 

Ian

Edited December 6, 2017 by Ian the Jock

[chrisrap52]

I have a 308 in Red & a 323 in Sky Blue, both great. Very well made, section o ring, great acrylics & wonderful nib. The 309's look phenomenal. The piston fill is a proven design; 3008, 618, 698, 3059, etc... Now creative colors & a great PENBBS nib. Can't play wait to get one or more.

[chrisrap52]

One of the challenges in acquiring Chinese pens is the quickly changing availability. Huahong is only now sold on eBay by a UK seller who sells a few Chinese pens at a high price. Currently no Jinhao 217's. Kaigelu makes excellent high quality pens but costs more than most. Babies on my logo. I am amazed how some reviewers are so tolerant of the deficiencies of high end pens (Visconti that don't write) but very critical of some minor flaws in a great writing Chinese pen. Pens are to be writing instruments first. Then pieces of art.

[AmandaW]

Browsing around today, and found PenBBS updating some Model 309 Piston Filler with photos

 

Thankyou for bringing news. What I am waiting to know is 'when can we order one?' The colours in those 309 are really beautiful - so different to anything else being made.

[Seele]

One of the challenges in acquiring Chinese pens is the quickly changing availability. Huahong is only now sold on eBay by a UK seller who sells a few Chinese pens at a high price. Currently no Jinhao 217's. Kaigelu makes excellent high quality pens but costs more than most. Babies on my logo. I am amazed how some reviewers are so tolerant of the deficiencies of high end pens (Visconti that don't write) but very critical of some minor flaws in a great writing Chinese pen. Pens are to be writing instruments first. Then pieces of art.

 

Chrisrap,

 

That's the "Ferrari Lemon" scenario: if someone gets a brand new Ferrari and becomes the envy among his friends, he would never want to admit that it spends four days every week at the repairers...

[truthpil]

Out of the nearly 100 pens I own, ranging in price from 50 cents to 500 dollars, my red acrylic Lingmo Lorelei and green acrylic Penbbs 308 are among the most beautiful and well designed. That being said, I believe the likelihood of getting a Chinese lemon is more likely than that of getting a European lemon. This is due to the fact that China is still a developing country and improved quality control isn't worth the sacrifice in productivity. Take, for example, the two aforementioned pens. The Lorelei came with an unusable nib while the 308 has a structural flaw that causes the converter to sit at an angle rather than straight with the barrel. The nib is also going to need opening up so I can write without pressure. Nevertheless, these pens are so beautiful and feel so perfect for my hand that I have no qualms about putting a little effort into tuning them. Both pens are more enjoyable to write with than either of my Montblancs!

[Mech-for-i]

 

Chrisrap,

 

That's the "Ferrari Lemon" scenario: if someone gets a brand new Ferrari and becomes the envy among his friends, he would never want to admit that it spends four days every week at the repairers...

 

remind me of my late uncle ( actually my dads pal , no relationship ) who used to take me around in his Lotus Seven ( and one without the windscreen, only the aero screen ) ; god know how many hours I helped him on his pet in the garage and how many trouble he get me into when he's driving ( can you tell an old Macau Grand Prix driver to just drive defensively ) .. but sure enough it turn heads every where it goes .. still warm my heart and put a smile when I think about it.

 

And indeed Chrisrap do put it bluntly .. there is no real sane reason why you would apply a different standard to a certain group of pens just because its made in China, or made in France or made by someone specific but that's what's happening , and especially so by many with the online media. A lot of that comes with ignorance and failure to research and properly prepared their media content, another is prejudice, both ways. And of course this Ferrari Lemon syndrome, and on top most of them had to show that they had the latest and greatest, and dearest of toy to show .. its likely the same when many motoring media content bragging about how this latest super car is so and so and forget that almost all these so call super cars are in most cases the least efficient among all. So brute force like muscle cars with 8L engine is great when Daihasu can squeeze way more torque and HP from their dinky 700C.C. and actually able to propel their cars beyond 100MPH is not something they need to talk about and why because its pedestrian and its not for the show.