Kaigelu Pens: any good?

[matteob]

I have seen these Parker Duofold lookalikes (hesitate to use the word knockoff lol) and see they are quite a bit more expensive than most Chinese pens. I have had good experiences with Jinhaos as daily hacks but I would like to know if these are worth the extra cash? What is the workmanship like and how do the pens write?

Thanks :)

[dimitris]

I have three Kaigelu 316 pens and for me, they are very much worth it. Heavy pens, well made and much smoother and wetter than most Chinese pens.

If you ignore the fact that they are indeed Chinese, they are very well made.

[ambimom]

Like all Chinese pens, it is hit or miss whether you get a good one but they're cheap enough to keep trying until you do.

[dimitris]

Well all three I got were of the same quality and that was much higher than the usual Hero or Jinhao.

[dr.grace]

I bought one a few years ago, but found it was much too topheavy to be held comfortably.

[DPWilkens]

I've just ordered a 316 in Amber. I think there are Chinese pens and then there are Chinese pens. Even many of the cheaper ones can be made into fairly good writers with some adjustment. After following a lot of the FPN discussions on the 316 it seems like a really nice pen--maybe made for the higher end of the domestic pen market there. I am interested to compare it to my Conklin Duragraph, which is also made in China. They seem to share a lot of design characteristics. I'm also eager to see if I can swap in a better nib, perhaps a Bock. I refuse to look down on Chinese manufacturers when I suspect a lot of Western brands (particularly Parker, Waterman, and other former American brands) make their less expensive pens there.

[matteob]

Yes I am with you there. You can't really blame the Chinese. Most work to the specs given to them by companies in the west: quality and precision (like Apple for instance) or cheap tat. I would not say the Chinese are slovenly by nature: far from it. I will give one a go.

[amk]

Kaigelu aren't bad at all, but like a previous poster I find them rather heavy and they do need tweaking. If you covet a modern Duofold and haven't the money for it, a Kaigelu is quite reasonable value.

[KrazyIvan]

I've owned three and they are good enough to give as gifts. The Duofold style is heavy. Someone here was making replacement acrylic finials to make them lighter but I forgot who it was.

[erpe]

I have 3 of them, they are quite good pens but 2 needed to reset the nib. Just rip it out, allign with the feed properly and put it back in. After that, perfect pens. Heavy indeed but quite wel balanced so it doesn't really bother me.
One note, they come with screw in converters. The cheap slide in converters don't sit well.

[matteob]

Thanks I may give one a look but the heaviness/ unbalanced comments put me off a bit.

[EricTheRed]

I own the charcoal version and really like it. It is a rather heavy pen so I do not post it. The end cap and nib design are beautiful and it wrote wet and smooth immediately out of the box. I liked it so much that I recently ordered the tiger eye colored version. For around 20 bucks (US currency) its a tremendous deal and a fun pen to keep at your desk.

[scrivelry]

I have one with the replacement end and it is very nice. Certainly worth the price, and so was the replacement part.

[Scrawler]

I have 3 Kaigelu pens. My 316 is the white marble one. I like all 3 of these pens. The nibs are typically stiff Chinese nibs which work well and I have never felt motivated to change them. The masking is a bit off on all of them but they are nonetheless attractive. The 316 is a little unbalanced and it is a good thing it does not post well. These would benefit by replacing the brass finial with a plastic one. Despite the fact that I paid full price for mine, I still think it is good value for money.

[k3eax]

I' regret having purchased the 316. It is so very unbalanced that I intend not to use it unless I can obtain the lighter weight acrylic replacement finial available from Tracey, at what cost I do not know.

[LittleSkink]

Only had three Chinese pens, 1 Kaigelu and 2 Jinhao but I think there is some luck involved. Then again my modern Western pens have had issues, the Sheaffer Intensity I have has never been great

Of the three the Kaigelu was my first Chinese purchase (based on lots of other positive views) but has been the least ok, it was never a wet writer from new but has a habit of occasional dry patches after half a page or so. Pulled it apart and scrubbed the feed etc but no change. Swapped to a better converter too. Shame as it is / was nice to use