Fountain Pens Are More Popular Than Ever—and Purists Are Fuming

[markh]

Well - we made the front page of today's (11/3) Wall St. Journal.

Couple of quotes:

 

-Chinese knockoffs are flooding the market, shaking up the community of enthusiasts still devoted to the old-timey instruments.

 

-China has muscled into industries from fine wines to designer handbags to luxury watches. Its pens—which look like the real thing but often sell for just a few bucks apiece—can force consumers to wonder what exactly they’re getting from the entrenched brands

 

Not sure I agree with the complaints, but interesting article in a prominent place.

 

Original article here:  https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/fountain-pens-chinese-replicas-montblanc-7f4d43d0?st=zwkjAG&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

 

A pdf attached if that doesn't work.

 

 

 

 

Fountain Pens Are More Popular Than Ever—and Purists Are Fuming.pdf

[AkitaMom]

Reading this definitely brings up questions.  'Knock offs' of products have been around for a long time.  Learning how to distinguish genuine from an inexpensive copy can be difficult if you don't have an acquaintance with someone who has experience and knowledge.  FPN is a wonderful place to start.

[nm4]

The Chinese value proposition is hard to beat   I own many of the pens and they are nice but clearly not as high quality as their Japanese/Europeam/American inspirations.  
 

The quality differential doesn’t fully explain the incremental cost though.  

 

I think the Chinese pens are great for beginners and hopefully will get people interested in higher quality brands.  That said I am certain the Chinese can (and perhaps already do) build pens of equal quality to anything in the world.

 

N

[jchch1950]

The quality of several Chinese products has increased in recent years. Actually, some brands, old names in the western markets and new ones, make their pens there: their prices have also increased. Some collectors and/or experienced fountain pen users may have a preference, for several reasons, for instruments made in Europe or the USA. But for many other writers, the Chinese or Indian pens are an opportunity to have useful and satisfactory writing instruments at an attainable price.

[Waltz For Zizi]

23 hours ago, markh said:

Not sure I agree with the complaints, but interesting article in a prominent place.

 

I don't mind the pens inspired but with different branding on them, but I have noticed lately a lot of pens from China for cheap, pens like: Parker Sonnet, I.M., Urban, Lamy Safary, Lamy Dialog 3, that I have doubts are the real deal.

I know Sonnet, have a long history, but the others I only noticed for a few years.

[VacNut]

There have always been less expensive fountain pen manufacturers, other than the Big 5. They used to be made in the US and Uk. (I am sure people complained about the quality of Esterbrook in the 1930’s.) Now they are made overseas. The place of manufacture isn’t really important.

[inkstainedruth]

True, but the difference is that even some 3rd tier companies made decent writing instruments.  And I don't count Esterbrook as a 3rd tier brand -- I'd call them a 2nd tier brand because of the huge range of nibs that they made, and that the nib units were easily interchangeable between pens (heck, even some of my 1xxx series nibs, that had folded over tines, are decent writers).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Wahl]

The chinese have been manufacturing pens for many years, some are trash, others are fine writing instruments at a very good price, which is fine.

 

Now, counterfeiting is a crime, which should be persecuted.

[torstar]

On 11/3/2025 at 4:56 PM, AkitaMom said:

Reading this definitely brings up questions.  'Knock offs' of products have been around for a long time.  Learning how to distinguish genuine from an inexpensive copy can be difficult if you don't have an acquaintance with someone who has experience and knowledge.  FPN is a wonderful place to start.

 

nothing ever happened on earth or in history until these people realized it.... sadly they turn to writing to tell the world something known for 100s of years and we say "duh" to...  dozens of times a week nowadays for me

 

  

 

 

 

[VacNut]

3 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

True, but the difference is that even some 3rd tier companies made decent writing instruments.  And I don't count Esterbrook as a 3rd tier brand -- I'd call them a 2nd tier brand because of the huge range of nibs that they made, and that the nib units were easily interchangeable between pens (heck, even some of my 1xxx series nibs, that had folded over tines, are decent writers).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I think Esties were truly sold as $1 pens. The interchangeable nibs were certainly a selling point (I think the “pen” was actual known as a nib holder.). An entry level Vacumatic was 5x the price. 
Vintage Esties have a history of warped barrels or cracked threads because the celluloid is thin.

It is still a worthwhile pen to collect

[Ron Z]

1 hour ago, VacNut said:

Vintage Esties have a history of warped barrels or cracked threads because the celluloid is thin.

 

I don't know that I agree with that.  Esterbrooks are robust pens, well made, durable, with stainless trim VS plated brass, so no plating to wear.  I find much more expensive pens that crack and warp more often than the "lowly" Esterbrook.  They're great pens. The material isn't celluloid, but CAB - Farmboy can tell you what that is.  

 

Price doesn't always mean a good pen, often not good at all. I work on enough moderns that I have a bit of a jaded outlook on the name brands.  On the other hand, I picked up a Moon Man 600 over the weekend.  A gorgeous pen with a very satisfying feel in the hand, and very well made with a nice nib.   The trim plating is good, the finish of the threads very nice, often seen only on really expensive pens.  I did replace the feed, but before you go "AH HA!!" I've had to do that with many Sheffers.  Visconti has such a reputation for stubborn writers that my colleagues and I have what we call "The Visconti" fix to tame stubborn feeds.  Yes, there are some junk Chinese pens, but there are also some very good ones.  

[lamarax]

What really puts me off Chinese pens, is not their QA (mostly); it's their manufacturers' insistence in aping established western (and Japanese) designs... I thought the Chinese mentality economy was long past that. Why don't they dare their own thing?

 

[Edit] As for the "competitive" pricing: as long as they employ low wage labor (euphemism for slavery) to undercut the market, I won't be "game".

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, lamarax said:

I thought the Chinese mentality economy was long past that. Why don't they dare their own thing?

 

‘They’ do that as well, to a degree; but it's undeniably more profitable to manufacture and sell something that capitalises on what other (overseas or domestic) businesses have already invested to make recognisable in the market. There's no argument for a Chinese company to just one and not the other, especially if the proponents of “[offering] their own thing” are coming from a place of personal values and morals, not objective (or heartless) “what's good for business and shareholders”.

 

This isn't a matter of, “if I had all the resources and capabilities of a major Chinese brand, from my ivory tower I'd (only) do this with all that (instead),” because you're not the owner, chairman, or even the CEO on the company's payroll. Putting profits first, and making the competition suffer next, if what responsible/conscientious officers of an for-profit business enterprise (as opposed to some idea of community others with no financial stake themselves fancy).

 

Frankly, I haven't seen any… complainants or proponents of Chinese pen companies only doing “their own thing” preach it in the vein of, “This is how you kill off Parker and LAMY, or make them largely irrelevant in the market, and dominate the international commercial landscape in the industry.” There is little argument, either intrinsically or being put forth by (relatively) vocal members, for (Chinese or other) companies not to eat competitors' lunches, corner the consumer bases' discretionary spending, and drive others out of the business.

[unfortunatebrunette]

It's obviously an imperfect article but I do appreciate any kind of resistance to chinese pens. I've always found the relative comfort people have with FP knockoffs to be monumentally bizzare. Call me a purist I guess.

 

That fountain pens attract those with consumerist personalities is a thing I believe accounts for the majority of this comfort, as it's them that enables such overconsumption more than any other. Any time a person in the FP subreddit posts some 30+ pen haul titled one month into the hobby guys!!!! how'd I do??? it's always a collection of chinese macroplastics destined for some hoarding-related housefire. The strangest part is when you see defenders of such pens turn it into a finance or class thing, as if the skill of budgeting were some esoteric secret gatekept by the illuminati.

[lamarax]

2 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

‘They’ do that as well, to a degree; but it's undeniably more profitable to manufacture and sell something that capitalises on what other (overseas or domestic) businesses have already invested to make recognisable in the market. There's no argument for a Chinese company to just one and not the other, especially if the proponents of “[offering] their own thing” are coming from a place of personal values and morals, not objective (or heartless) “what's good for business and shareholders”.

 

This isn't a matter of, “if I had all the resources and capabilities of a major Chinese brand, from my ivory tower I'd (only) do this with all that (instead),” because you're not the owner, chairman, or even the CEO on the company's payroll. Putting profits first, and making the competition suffer next, if what responsible/conscientious officers of an for-profit business enterprise (as opposed to some idea of community others with no financial stake themselves fancy).

 

Frankly, I haven't seen any… complainants or proponents of Chinese pen companies only doing “their own thing” preach it in the vein of, “This is how you kill off Parker and LAMY, or make them largely irrelevant in the market, and dominate the international commercial landscape in the industry.” There is little argument, either intrinsically or being put forth by (relatively) vocal members, for (Chinese or other) companies not to eat competitors' lunches, corner the consumer bases' discretionary spending, and drive others out of the business.

 

Uh, isn't (People's Republic of) China supposed to be "building socialism"? What's that all about "margins, profits and shareholders"? I must have missed episodes (...not) 🤭

[VacNut]

5 hours ago, Ron Z said:

 

I don't know that I agree with that.  Esterbrooks are robust pens, well made, durable, with stainless trim VS plated brass, so no plating to wear.  I find much more expensive pens that crack and warp more often than the "lowly" Esterbrook.  They're great pens. The material isn't celluloid, but CAB - Farmboy can tell you what that is.  

 

Price doesn't always mean a good pen, often not good at all. I work on enough moderns that I have a bit of a jaded outlook on the name brands.  On the other hand, I picked up a Moon Man 600 over the weekend.  A gorgeous pen with a very satisfying feel in the hand, and very well made with a nice nib.   The trim plating is good, the finish of the threads very nice, often seen only on really expensive pens.  I did replace the feed, but before you go "AH HA!!" I've had to do that with many Sheffers.  Visconti has such a reputation for stubborn writers that my colleagues and I have what we call "The Visconti" fix to tame stubborn feeds.  Yes, there are some junk Chinese pens, but there are also some very good ones.  

I agree that price does not match durability or quality, particularly with modern pens.

You are absolutely correct that they are not celluloid. The early injection molded plastics are susceptible to heat and warpage. The pens were intended to hold the nib. It does what it was meant to do at a good price.

 

I find wear on rolled gold trim to be the result of zealous buffing rather than from use. The gold is thicker in the rolling process, than plating. Gold plating is not a durable process, particularly on modern pens.

[Waltz For Zizi]

7 hours ago, Ron Z said:

 

I don't know that I agree with that.  Esterbrooks are robust pens, well made, durable, with stainless trim VS plated brass, so no plating to wear.  I find much more expensive pens that crack and warp more often than the "lowly" Esterbrook.  They're great pens. The material isn't celluloid, but CAB - Farmboy can tell you what that is.  

 

Price doesn't always mean a good pen, often not good at all. I work on enough moderns that I have a bit of a jaded outlook on the name brands.  On the other hand, I picked up a Moon Man 600 over the weekend.  A gorgeous pen with a very satisfying feel in the hand, and very well made with a nice nib.   The trim plating is good, the finish of the threads very nice, often seen only on really expensive pens.  I did replace the feed, but before you go "AH HA!!" I've had to do that with many Sheffers.  Visconti has such a reputation for stubborn writers that my colleagues and I have what we call "The Visconti" fix to tame stubborn feeds.  Yes, there are some junk Chinese pens, but there are also some very good ones.  

What about Wearever fountain pens? Were they on the same tier as Esterbrook?

I have one from a flea market, the body of the pen is very bad, the cap screws with difficulty, probably warped, the metal trim shows spots of rust, but the sack is good, and it has a gold nib. Nowdays you get steel nibs for pens that cost cose to 200$, back then even the cheapies had gold nibs it seems.

[joebloggs13]

That's not good. Does anyone have any examples of knockoffs that are coming in? The article mentions Mont Blanc...any other big names?

[Gloucesterman]

10 hours ago, Waltz For Zizi said:

Nowdays you get steel nibs for pens that cost cose to 200$, back then even the cheapies had gold nibs it seems.

Back then gold was $35.00/ounce. Today, it's just short of $4,000/ounce.

That might explain why today's pens usually have steel nibs.

And, in many cases the steel nibs write as well, and sometimes better than, gold nibs.

[inkstainedruth]

The really sad part is that I've heard that in places like pawn shops, the 14K nibs are often harvested for their value on the gold market.  When the pens (with the nibs) would likely be more valuable overall -- if the nibs had been left intact in the pens.

My first pen with a 14K nib was a Parker 45 I found in a little antiques shop on the eastern edge of Corry, PA.  I think I paid around $11 US for it.  I just can't bring myself to believe that the tiny nib on a 45 might be more valuable (just for the gold content) than I paid for the pen overall....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth