Daiso Fp, 2017 White Version, M-Nib

[Drone]

This is what I call the "2017 Daiso Fountain Pen". The pen being reviewed here is different from the other (earlier) Daiso pens that have already been reviewd on the FPN as of April 2017.

Daiso is a Japanese "Dollar Store" that has managed to spread successfully beyond mainland Japan.

http://www.daisojapan.com

Daiso sells these pens online. But it is hard to tell for how much. Depending on how you interpret the description on the Daiso page, these pens come in boxes of 20 packs for $0.84 USD each, or boxes of 10 packs for $1.68 each. Here's a link:

http://www.daisojapan.com/c-181-fountain-pens.aspx

I purchased the Daiso fountain pen for 22,500 Rupiah including 10% PPN (tax). That comes to about $1.54 USD before tax (call it a buck-fifty). I bought the pen at the small Daiso store above the Papaya Supermarket on Jalan Melawai No.28, South Jakarta, Indonesia.

The pen came with one international short cartridge filled with what the package says is filled with "Blue-Black" ink. While I have heard of Daiso also offering inexpensive packages of refill cartridges, none were to be found at the store I visited.

The pen in question is identical to the Daiso pen currently sold by Goulet Pens at $10.00 for two pens ($5 USD each). Here's a link to the Goulet Pen Web page so you can see what the pen looks like (the Goulet photos are good). N.B., I am not affiliated with Goulet Pens.

https://www.gouletpens.com/daiso-fountain-pens-set-of-2/p/Daiso-FP2

There is a separate independent review of the same pen here:

http://kiriska.com/blog/2015/05/daiso-brand-fountain-pen/

1. First Impression: 8/10

My single White Daiso fountain pen came in a peg-hole blister-package with one short international sized cartridge. According to the package the pen has a Medium nib and comes with a blue-black ink cartridge. The pen supposedly comes in gray, silver and white. I have only seen it offered in white.

The packaging is Daiso branded and labelled in four languages, Japanese (primarily), English, Spanish, and Portugese. After reading the package, it is apparent the Portugese language included for importation into Brazil by Daiso Brasil. The packaging is good, minimalist, and relatively easy to open. There's not a lot of wasted pastic left over.

The labelling says the pen is Made in China for Daiso.

My first impression with the pen in-hand is that it is rather light. However, the pen doesn't feel or look cheap at first glance. I expected another one of those heavy brass Chinese pens. Nope - not this time.

We're not talking about a precious writing instrument in a fine hand-crafted pen coffin here, it's just a blister pack cheapie. But it is done well, and the price is amazing. So 8/10.

2. Appearance & Design: 8/10

The pen is presentable. It has an even semi-gloss finish that looks like it might be an epoxy paint or maybe even a plastic powder coat. On further examination, the barrel and cap appear to be made of thin aluminum. The barrel and cap are seamless. I can almost guarantee the aluminum parts were made by cold impact-extrusion:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_extrusion

See this video starting at 1 minute and 4 seconds (1:04):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvK6LCwQYpA

All the furniture and the nib are chrome-tone. The clip is securely attached by a crimped cap penetration. The clip is not flexible enough in my opinion. But once clipped in your pocket, it isn't going anywhere. There are three decorative cuts at the top of the clip. Looking at the clip straight on, it has an attractive double tapered shape.

The cap seems to have a plastic cap liner! But unfortunately, the clip penetrates the liner where it penetrates the cap. Therefore, the cap is not air-tight. This is a common mistake by Chinese pen manufacturers. They seem to have no clue that a primary function of a cap liner is to seal the nib when capped. I might have a simple solution for this problem. Read my comments below in the Conclusion section.

There is a threaded chrome-tone metal (likely steel) insert in the open end of the barrel where the section screws in. Just above this on the barrel is a single chrome-tone ring. The ring looks like it is cut into the barrel through the white coating. Regardless, the ring looks well-done. But only time will tell if it holds up with use. On the other end of the barrel there is a substantial chrome-tone metal finial. The finial is rather attractive and the weight seems to help balance the pen.

The black plastic section screws into the barrel. The plastic threads feel mushy when you screw them in, but they do bottom-out securely so the section doesn't move at all when stressed. Where the section meets the nib there is a chrome-tone metal collar. The collar helps to balance the metal finial. There is a small ridge on the collar where the nib meets it. I rather like the small smooth step up at the end of the collar (I know, some people hate that sort of thing).

The cap posts. But this is where I see a problem. The cap doesn't post securely unless you really jam it on. The barrel just doesn't seem to mate well with the cap liner. Also, the cap sometimes doesn't post squarely without some fiddling with it. Again, this seems to be because the barrel and liner are not quite the same shape.

Note however, this problem isn't so bad that it's a deal-killer for me, even though I always write posted. In-fact for $1.50 each, it's a miracle this and the cap not being sealed seem to be the only annoyances I've found so far with this pen!

The cap posting issue may get better over time as the liner deforms to fit the cap. I've got more to say about this in the Conclusion section below.

Again, this isn't a pen to write home about. But it is attractive and feels decent in-hand given the price. A few of points come off because of the way it posts and the fact that the cap isn't air-tight. 7/10

3. Weight and Dimensions: 9/10

Like I said before, this is a light pen., but it is well balanced, even when posted. I do not like heavy fountain pens in the first place - so I'm perfectly OK with this pen in terms of weight. In-fact I'm pleasantly surprised at how light it is given it's made in China.

As for size, this pen is not a big pen, but it isn't small either - it's juuuust right. Unless you are The Incredible Hulk or Ant Man in ant mode, you're probably going to be AOK with the size of this pen.

The pen comes with a short standard international size cartridge. The barrel has enough space to hold one long cartridge or a short cartridge plus a spare short cartridge, and still close properly. A standard international twist-piston converter fits OK too.

I'm gong to be naughty and lift these spec's from the Goulet page. The Daiso pen they sell is identical to mine.

Diameter - Body, 10.7mm (0.42in)
Diameter - Cap (without clip), 10.9mm (0.42in)
Diameter - Cap (with clip), 13.5mm (0.53in)
Diameter - Grip, 7.7mm (0.30in)
Length - Body, 124.5mm (4.90in)
Length - Cap, 53.9mm (2.12in)
Length - Nib, 18.7mm (0.74in)
Length - Overall (Closed), 134.2mm (5.28in)
Length - Overall (Posted), 158.7mm (6.25in)
Weight - Body, 12g (0.42oz)
Weight - Cap, 3g (0.11oz)
Weight - Overall, 15g (0.53oz)

I almost always use a fountain pen so I like light pens that won't cause fatigue. This pen works for me, plus it's well balanced when posted, something you almost never see in a Chinese pen. I think we can thank Daiso for that. 9/10

4. Nib and Performance: 9/10

I inspected the stainless steel nib under magnification upon first uncapping the pen. The tines were aligned, the slit was centered and the tipping appeared normal. The times seemed to be spaced OK. The nib sits securely in the section and the feed is properly positioned and aligned.

I can't seem to read the stylized stamping on the nib, it says something like "BRILLO". There is some nice filigree surroundinig the brand on the nib plus the word "Medium". There's no "IPG" to be found anywhere on this nib. The letters and filigree are stamped, not laser or machine etched. The stamping quality is not the best, but it is presentable to a casual onlooker.

The feed is your average ribbed plastic job. The feed sits securely in the section and came aligned perfectly with the nib. The feed is about 5mm in diameter (#5 size) and the nib protrudes 17.5mm from the section. The nib measures 7.0mm at the widest part of the wings.

The nib and feed are friction-fit and pull out with a little effort. No tools or heat were required. If you use common-sense, you can pull the feed and nib with the cartridge or converter inserted into the section without anything messy happening.

I cleaned the pen with a bulb syringe and some warm soapy water. After a rinse and dry, I inserting the "blue-black" cartridge that came with the pen and primed the feed. I decided to write on generic virgin 80g/sqm office bond paper as this is probably what this type of semi-disposable pen might encounter most-often.

The nib says Medium, but I would put this nib at between a Western Fine and Medium; maybe closer to to a Fine. I consider this nib to be a nail. However if you push it, you can get a little bit of variation. The nib was fairly smooth in its untouched state. A bit of feedback, but it's not at all scratchy. Ink flow was flawless. I had no hard starts or skips, even after leaving the pen sitting uncapped flat on the table for a few minutes. The ink that came with the pen is more blue than blue-black, but it is fairly saturated and flows OK.

After a page or two of writing. I decided to work on the nib. With a bit of smoothing and tweaking under magnification, the nib now has a much broader sweet spot and it is noticeably smoother. That's not to say the nib was bad to begin with though. The nib is perfectly serviceable right out of the package. (Remember, this is a sample size of one!)

I can't find anything wrong with this nib other than the questionable quality of the decorative stamping under close inspection. I hope all the nibs are this good right out of the package. 9/10

5. Filling system: 9/10

This pen takes a standard short international size cartridge/converter. As mentioned previously, it will hold one long cartridge or one short cartridge plus a spare short cartridge. A standard international size twist-piston converter fits OK.

Meh, a C/C filler. But there is plenty of room for a converter or a spare short cartridge. I like C/C fillers. They're easy to clean and maintain. And cartridges take the risk of flying down to zero. 9/10

6. Cost and Value: 10/10

Given what I have found so-far - at $1.50 I think this pen is a steal. That of-course is based on a sample of one. So YMMV.

I'm going to stick my neck out and assume all the pens like this are as good as my example. So at this price it gets a 10/10

7. Conclusion: 8.8/10

It is pretty amazing that there is so little wrong with this pen considering it costs $1.50 USD and the potential for the dumb mistakes you so often see in many dirt-cheap Chinese-made fountain pens. I may go back to Daiso and pick up some more of these. They would make nice hand-outs to new FP users, or maybe even stocking-stuffers.

 

It would not be a stretch to argue that this particular Daiso Fountain Pen is within striking distance of the Pilot Metropolitan - and at one tenth the cost.

There are two minor problems with this pen:

The first is that the cap isn't sealed due to the clip mount penetrating the cap liner. I think this could be cured by injecting some sort of glue into the end of the cap-liner to seal it. But afterwards, there may not be enough room left in the barrel to hold two short cartridges.

The second problem is that the cap doesn't post securely without some effort. This is because the cap liner and the barrel don't seem to mate-up well. This isn't a deal-killer for me given that the pen does actually post and the pen costs so little. Plus, the problem may get better with time as the cap-liner deforms to accommodate the cap. Heck, you might want to try heating the barrel to see if you can make it fit better in the plastic liner. At worst you'll be out $1.50.

53/60 = 8.8/10

Have Fun, David

Edited April 4, 2017 by Drone

[encre]

Sadly no daiso in the UK Looks like a solid cheapie, do you know if it comes in other nib widths? If it runs more towards a western fine when stamped as medium, is it reasonable to assume that its Japanese line widths as opposed to western? If so, if it came in an EF

[rwilsonedn]

Thanks for a splendidly detailed review!

I think Daiso pens, along with the Pilot Varsity and maybe the Petit 1, are the perfect answers to the question that gets asked every few weeks here, "How much to you have to pay to get a good writer?" They are not just serviceable, but often rather pleasant pens for the price of a small cup of coffee or less. It is amazing.

ron

[cleosmama]

Thank you for this review! (From a regular Hello Kitty Preppy Pen User).

[bfoutch]

Thank you for this review. It certainly is supported by my experience with these inexpensive, but not cheap fountain pens. I have had no problem with the nib drying out, even after remaining capped and unused for more than a week. Writes first time, every time. Pretty nice pens, although not always available in the stores (I think guys like us wipe them out every time new stock arrives! ).

 

If you pick one up, be sure to grab a card of cartridges if they have them. 5 cartridges for a $1.50. Also, don't overlook some of the Daiso notebooks. Some are very nice for fountain pen writing.

[Drone]

Sadly no daiso in the UK Looks like a solid cheapie, do you know if it comes in other nib widths? If it runs more towards a western fine when stamped as medium, is it reasonable to assume that its Japanese line widths as opposed to western? If so, if it came in an EF

 

Hi encre,

 

I have never seen nor heard of these pens coming with anything but what Daiso calls a Medium nib. But that's not to say they do not (or may not) exist. After all, Daiso goes to the effort of specifically stating the nib is a Medium on the blister package.

 

Keep in-mind, at such a low price there's nothing stopping you from grinding the nib to whatever size you like In-fact, while you are at Daiso check if they sell cheap nail polishing sticks to use when grinding the nib.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Drone

[Drone]

Thank you for this review. It certainly is supported by my experience with these inexpensive, but not cheap fountain pens. I have had no problem with the nib drying out, even after remaining capped and unused for more than a week. Writes first time, every time. Pretty nice pens, although not always available in the stores (I think guys like us wipe them out every time new stock arrives! ).

 

If you pick one up, be sure to grab a card of cartridges if they have them. 5 cartridges for a $1.50. Also, don't overlook some of the Daiso notebooks. Some are very nice for fountain pen writing.

 

Yes, as I mentioned in the review I have heard of packs of refill cartridges for sale at Daiso, but did not see any at the one store I visited. But there are three other Daiso stores in Jakarta for me to explore - someday.

[Drone]

A correction to my review: Before tossing it out I double-checked the Daiso register receipt for my purchase. I noticed the price paid for the pen was 25,000 Rupiah, not 22,500 Rupiah a stated. So Daiso increased their per-item flat price since the last time I was there. Therefore, the correct price paid in USD at post time for one pen before 10% local sales tax (PPN) is approximately $1.72 instead of $1.54 as previously stated.

[Miaxina]

Does anyone know if these are available in Daiso Japan? I know it sounds silly when Daiso is a Japan company but I've probably gone to every single Daiso within my vicinity last November (my mom loves Daiso) but never saw these.

[bfoutch]

Does anyone know if these are available in Daiso Japan? I know it sounds silly when Daiso is a Japan company but I've probably gone to every single Daiso within my vicinity last November (my mom loves Daiso) but never saw these.

No sure about stores in Japan, but I do know that here in California these pens are not located in the same place as the ballpoint pens. I found them located closer to the brush pens and art supplies. Take a fountain pen with you next time and show a Daiso employee the nib, and then ask if they have that type of pen.

 

Also, there is another style of ink cartridge that I have seen at the local Daiso store. It is longer, comes in packs of three, and has a small steel ball at the end. These do not work on the Daiso fountain pens. I believe they are refills for one of the brush pens.

[sodul]

I just got myself this white pen from one of the local Daiso stores (Great Mall in Milpitas, CA) and I'm quite impressed by the quality for a pen purchased in the US at a brick and mortar store for $1.50. The nib was a little scratchy to the left so I had to pull it out and adjust it for a smoother writing and polished it, but barely. I find the nib to be a little loose and I can't keep it perfectly aligned with the feed. It does not seem to cause a performance issue but it bugs me, especially if doing reverse writing which is very smooth.

 

While I was there I got a glue bound A5 notebook with dotted ivory paper with 64 sheets for $1.50. While the paper is thin, it is holding well to ink without feathering. It is relatively smooth, and while I don't care for the binding since I can't lay it flat I might buy a few more to make A6 notebooks with the paper. The ghosting is not that bad even if I look at it next to a Rhodia pad. The only ink that managed to bleed through, and barely, was from a vintage semi flex nib.

 

I also got a 4 pack of water based 'liquid chalk' pens, also for $1.50, and tried it on the engraving of some of my vintage pens. The result on my Parker Slimfold is quite nice. I had a hard time removing excess white from around the engravings but it was worth it. There are probably better ways to do this but I do like my slimfold even more now.

[fpenluver]

Ive got Daiso demonstrator fp. It is very good for the price. IMHO better than pilot varsity. I will say pretty similar to platinum preppy at fraction of the cost. And yes Daiso sell the refill, usually they put it at the same shelf as the pen.