Chinese Pens Show And Tell.

[Bluey]

Ughh... I keep coming across more Chinese pens that are hitting the market and the quality keeps improving.

 

Has anyone tried either of these and have any thoughts about them?

 

"Live in you" MiTu (acrylic with Schmidt #5 nib unit):

That top one looks really nice. Is it possible to replace the Schmidt nib with a Chinese nib? I can't seem to find it on ebay.

Edited January 18, 2018 by Bluey

[truthpil]

That top one looks really nice. Is it possible to replace the Schmidt nib with a Chinese nib? I can't seem to find it on ebay.

 

The section is threaded to take a complete Schmidt nib unit (nib, feed, and sleeve), but I've read that you can pull out the nib and put just about any #5 sized nib in it (including a lot of Chinese nibs, like those from some Jinhao models), which is what is drawing me to this pen. One blogger dropped a F-C (JoWo) #5 in it and it worked well.

Edited January 18, 2018 by TruthPil

[Bluey]

 

The section is threaded to take a complete Schmidt nib unit (nib, feed, and sleeve), but I've read that you can pull out the nib and put just about any #5 sized nib in it (including a lot of Chinese nibs, like those from some Jinhao models), which is what is drawing me to this pen. One blogger dropped a F-C (JoWo) #5 in it and it worked well.

Thanks.

If it's a size 5 then I could probably replace the Schmidt with a Jinhao porcelain(I forget the model number). Does the pen have a model number?

Edited January 18, 2018 by Bluey

[richardandtracy]

That MiTu looks really nice. Same material as the Kaigelu 319/323 cap and the Conid FPN Bulk Filler.

 

Where did you get it?

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Mech-for-i]

....

Has anyone tried either of these and have any thoughts about them?

 

"Live in you" MiTu (acrylic with Schmidt #5 nib unit):

 

Delike Aspirin (JoWo feed with NOS Chinese nib):

 

Babeli:

 

 

Well have one of these MiTu, just different color / pattern, pretty nicely done, the acrylic work, price could be better ( a bit on the expensive side I think ) is just a normal no.5, any typical current Chinese No.26 nib fits , hey even many vintage no.26 fits ; the Aspirin is not a bad choice if you are after that kind of styling, similar cost can get you some very decent NOS pens of that same vintage ( 90's ) though; its a personal preference thing. I might end up ordering one myself too. As for the Babeli, well its just the Delike New Moon part with fashioned wooden barrel / cap, again if you are after that style / material it's certainly not a bad choice, just not my cup of tea.

 

 

 

I forgot to ask a very important question... with the MM80 take the nib and feed unit of the Parker 45?

That would be a big plus!

Ok that I'll had to go back and check .. back to you when I am done experimenting

[OCArt]

That MiTu looks really nice. Same material as the Kaigelu 319/323 cap and the Conid FPN Bulk Filler.

 

Where did you get it?

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

eBay seller art-pen-book-dy has this pen in a different color listed as "Lily Ocean Blue" fountain pen for $57.90 I have not used this vendor so this is not a recommendation.

 

(This pen may be an example of "be careful what you wish for" as many of us have long hoped for more unique and perhaps better made Chinese pens at a slighter higher price point. This is certainly a higher price point!)

[truthpil]

Thanks.

If it's a size 5 then I could probably replace the Schmidt with a Jinhao porcelain(I forget the model number). Does the pen have a model number?

 

It's just called the "MiTu fountain pen" and is made by a small company 里莜 that goes by "Live in you" in English.

 

That MiTu looks really nice. Same material as the Kaigelu 319/323 cap and the Conid FPN Bulk Filler.

 

Where did you get it?

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

I didn't get it yet, but was looking for some feedback before committing. I would get it from the maker itself via their Taobao store:

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.23.6431191euHmnFP&id=553174627442&ns=1&abbucket=11#detail

 

For me in country it would cost about US$32, which is a little steep for a Chinese steel-nibbed pen, but not so bad if the quality is approaching that of the pens it resembles (such as Edison pens). I found a really nice review of it in English here:

 

https://frankunderwater.com/2017/11/09/liy-mitu/

 

 

Well have one of these MiTu, just different color / pattern, pretty nicely done, the acrylic work, price could be better ( a bit on the expensive side I think ) is just a normal no.5, any typical current Chinese No.26 nib fits , hey even many vintage no.26 fits ; the Aspirin is not a bad choice if you are after that kind of styling, similar cost can get you some very decent NOS pens of that same vintage ( 90's ) though; its a personal preference thing. I might end up ordering one myself too. As for the Babeli, well its just the Delike New Moon part with fashioned wooden barrel / cap, again if you are after that style / material it's certainly not a bad choice, just not my cup of tea.

 

 

Ok that I'll had to go back and check .. back to you when I am done experimenting

 

Thanks for answering my questions! I agree with you about the price, considering Penbbs and LingMo are making some beautiful acrylic pens for much, much less. I guess the selling point here is the German Schmidt nib assembly.

 

You're right about the Aspirin, I'm kind of torn between that and a 90s vintage Wing Sung with 14k nib which can be had for around US$20. Which reminds me....any thoughts on the Wing Sung 400?

Edited January 18, 2018 by TruthPil

[Bluey]

 

It's just called the "MiTu fountain pen" and is made by a small company 里莜 that goes by "Live in you" in English.

Thanks

 

I guess the selling point here is the German Schmidt nib assembly.

 

 

For me that's most definitely not a selling point. I would much rather have the pen without the nib so that I can put a decent nib in there such as a Jinhao or a Pilot.

Edited January 19, 2018 by Bluey

[truthpil]

For me that's most definitely not a selling point. I would much rather have the pen without the nib so that I can put a decent nib in there such as a Jinhao or a Pilot.

 

This would definitely take either the nib from a Jinhao 165/500 or the slightly thicker nib on the Jinhao 991/992/599. Both are #5 but just different thicknesses.

Heck, if I get this pen I'll probably put a vintage nib in it.

[Bluey]

Ah that's the one I was thinking of but couldn't remember earlier - the Jinhao 165. Cheers.

No vintage pens in my collection though.

[truthpil]

The 165 is a nice pen, I really enjoy it!

 

The only thing that's holding be back from getting the MiTu is the narrow section. With light acrylic or ebonite pens, I'd prefer more girth.

Edited January 19, 2018 by TruthPil

[DasKaltblut]

I didn't get it yet, but was looking for some feedback before committing. I would get it from the maker itself via their Taobao store:

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.23.6431191euHmnFP&id=553174627442&ns=1&abbucket=11#detail

 

For me in country it would cost about US$32, which is a little steep for a Chinese steel-nibbed pen, but not so bad if the quality is approaching that of the pens it resembles (such as Edison pens). I found a really nice review of it in English here:

 

https://frankunderwater.com/2017/11/09/liy-mitu/

 

Some of the other color options are uh, interesting...especially the moldy pink !!!

[truthpil]

Some of the other color options are uh, interesting...especially the moldy pink !!!

 

Hahaha yeah. The splotchy pink one reminded me of vomit after eating too much candy.

 

If I do get one of these, I'll probably wait for the release of the fiery orangish one.

[Mech-for-i]

 

I forgot to ask a very important question... with the MM80 take the nib and feed unit of the Parker 45?

That would be a big plus!

 

So what I had on hand this evening, I had my P45, Hero 800 and the MM80 setup and had their nib / feed / hood assembly screwed off. OK they all look the same, my caliper show them having the same dimension, so I try swapping them around, the Hero go into all 3 without fanfare; the MM80 go into the Hero without any issue but fit a bit tight into the P45, still fits, probably material difference and my P45 pretty old too. The P45 unit go into the Hero 800 alright and it did go into the MM80 without much effort, in fact first account I thought it was loose, but a few twist and wiggling its telling me its sitting in thee alright. My conclusion, they are compatible, if anything its down to sample variation, material difference / manufacturing / assembly tolerance and age. Though I am not sure if that apply to all Hero 800 and P45 .. did they had variation in this area.

 

Now for te vintage Wing Sung 400, well if you can take its Parker 75 type nib its not a bad choice. Several finishing , even the plain steel look nice and understated. Mind that, vintage Wing Sung Gold nib is not as soft as one might expect. Call it slightly springy and slightly cushioned ; its what I would term the feel. But for its price I am not going to complain and no reason to either. There are other ( both steel and gold ) vintage models taking the same type of nib, notably Wing Sung's own 500, Hero's 50 and 200 and others.

[richardandtracy]

Thanks for the links TruthPil.

 

Once China made luxury items the rest of the world wanted. Maybe we're seeing the first tentative signs of that happening again.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

[truthpil]

 

So what I had on hand this evening, I had my P45, Hero 800 and the MM80 setup and had their nib / feed / hood assembly screwed off. OK they all look the same, my caliper show them having the same dimension, so I try swapping them around, the Hero go into all 3 without fanfare; the MM80 go into the Hero without any issue but fit a bit tight into the P45, still fits, probably material difference and my P45 pretty old too. The P45 unit go into the Hero 800 alright and it did go into the MM80 without much effort, in fact first account I thought it was loose, but a few twist and wiggling its telling me its sitting in thee alright. My conclusion, they are compatible, if anything its down to sample variation, material difference / manufacturing / assembly tolerance and age. Though I am not sure if that apply to all Hero 800 and P45 .. did they had variation in this area.

 

Now for te vintage Wing Sung 400, well if you can take its Parker 75 type nib its not a bad choice. Several finishing , even the plain steel look nice and understated. Mind that, vintage Wing Sung Gold nib is not as soft as one might expect. Call it slightly springy and slightly cushioned ; its what I would term the feel. But for its price I am not going to complain and no reason to either. There are other ( both steel and gold ) vintage models taking the same type of nib, notably Wing Sung's own 500, Hero's 50 and 200 and others.

 

Thanks, Mech, for answering all my questions! Perhaps one of these should be in my future as well, seeing as a I have an orphan P45 nib that needs a pen. I like the retro colors and interesting cap designs on the MM80 as well.

 

What are your thoughts on the Wing Sung 301? I noticed that the 300, 400, etc. have a P75-style nib, but the 301 has that Sheaffer Triumph style which I have yet to experience. Not only that, but on Taobao there is a 14k broad-nibbed version of the 301 available that looks interesting and is very decently priced. Broad nibs are quite a rarity here since they are pretty much useless for writing Chinese characters most of the time. The combination in China of a broad nib that is also 14k fascinates me.

 

Thanks for the links TruthPil.

 

Once China made luxury items the rest of the world wanted. Maybe we're seeing the first tentative signs of that happening again.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

Thanks, Richard. I've also enjoyed learned a lot from your past reviews of Chinese pens (you've actually saved me a lot of money by pointing out the baddies).

 

I wholeheartedly agree, right now in China there is an emerging Yuppie market that has never existed in the country before...many of whom are fond of fine writing instruments. I'm even noticing it among college kids....the other day I was surprised to find out that one of my freshmen has a collection of Lamy Safari LEs. We had a bonding moment when I plopped my identical version of one of her pens on the desk in class haha. It's a great time to live in China!

[Mech-for-i]

The Wing Sung 300 should not have a P75 type nib, cause its using a Triumph type nib aka 301 style ( different size ) ; generally Wing Sung gold Triumph type nib equipped models are well received in its days and generally regarded as good writers but likely a bit over hyped simply because of its somewhat non traditional nib and of course plenty had o do with Wing Sung's vintage metal finishing ( the barrel and cap ). If Broad is what you are looking for , well they are broad alright but in general broad nib grind on Wing Sung are not really well received ( back then ) because Wing Sung seems to do a more or less Krugal grind instead of a true typical B or mini sub style grind ( which Golden Star like to do with their B ), where Hero like to do a more or less vertical stub / Architect style grind. Also vintage Chinese Broad is not quite as Broad as typical most would think, they tend to be more Japanese type Broad

Edited January 21, 2018 by Mech-for-i

[truthpil]

Interesting, it sounds like a Golden Star B would be a great pen worth hunting for. What's the model number for those? Is the Chinese 金星?

[Mech-for-i]

Yes, that's the brand, no particular model I had here,

[oneill]

I thought it would be good to have a thread where we can show our Chinese pens to anyone who wants to look at them, a kind of combined "show us what pens you're using" and "what pen are you using today" but for Chinese pens.

I've read people talking about a certain pen, only to rake about and not be able to find any pics of it.

So.

There is no criteria other than that your pen should be Chinese.

You only need post what you want... a pic, the pens name, or if you want to explain how/why/where you got it, or if there is a story attached, it is entirely up to yourself.

It doesn't need to be your favourite, just whatever you want to stick on and tell people about at that particular time, for whatever reason.

If you want to do a picture review of a pen you've just bought, fine, do a review.

It might let other fans of Chinese pens see yours and think "ooh I'd like one of those", as I know that raking around on this forum is how I happened upon many of the pens I have.

I've amassed quite a number of Chinese pens in the past 9 months, therefore I have many to show, and I'm pretty sure many others are the same.

 

So go on

SHOW US YER CHINESE PENS.

 

I'll start.

Today, for no particular reason, I'm going to show....

 

A Hero 3013 in Red, with Chinese text and a golden gragon embossed on it.

 

 

Cheers

Ian

 

I thought it would be good to have a thread where we can show our Chinese pens to anyone who wants to look at them, a kind of combined "show us what pens you're using" and "what pen are you using today" but for Chinese pens.

I've read people talking about a certain pen, only to rake about and not be able to find any pics of it.

So.

There is no criteria other than that your pen should be Chinese.

You only need post what you want... a pic, the pens name, or if you want to explain how/why/where you got it, or if there is a story attached, it is entirely up to yourself.

It doesn't need to be your favourite, just whatever you want to stick on and tell people about at that particular time, for whatever reason.

If you want to do a picture review of a pen you've just bought, fine, do a review.

It might let other fans of Chinese pens see yours and think "ooh I'd like one of those", as I know that raking around on this forum is how I happened upon many of the pens I have.

I've amassed quite a number of Chinese pens in the past 9 months, therefore I have many to show, and I'm pretty sure many others are the same.

 

So go on

SHOW US YER CHINESE PENS.

 

I'll start.

Today, for no particular reason, I'm going to show....

 

A Hero 3013 in Red, with Chinese text and a golden gragon embossed on it.

 

 

Cheers

Ian

Can I with sadness inform FPNrs of the passing of this great friend of mine Ian the Jock, may he Rest in Peace. His wife whose name I have no knowledge of at this time Today took the trouble to contact me and advise of his death , we have been true PenPals for quite some time we have shared our knowledge of Chinese Pens for a long time,I have many Jinhaos which he fancied and I had promised him that when I get around to selling he would be given first choice,the reason that I have so many Jinhaos and Baoer pens is that I used to edit their webpages for them many years ago, he was a great member by often sharing his pen photos and his writings with us, I will miss him and his many shots that he had knowing that I would not take any offence at,I was deeply moved that His wife would take so much time and effort in informing me of his passing , she did know of our affecrion for each other on these fabulous pages.Trust Me, Oneill