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Thread: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

  1. #121
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by Scrawler View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by TSherbs View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrawler View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    That seems to be the common snag. They all seem unnecessarily heavy to me. On the other hand I don't really mind heavy pens.
    The fact of weight has been an issue for me for a long time and more so now that I have limited hand function due to medical treatments. The brass body pens weighting more than 40g become tiresome very quickly and the reason I appreciate some of the more expensive European types is that the materials are much less weighty.
    Seems to me that you would like some of the beautiful inexpensive acrylic Chinese pens, too, then. I love them and own several, partly because they are light in weight.
    I would love some recommendations. I am looking for an absolute maximum of 20g.
    Wow, that is super-light. I would write Doug Rathburn and ask him. I wrote and asked him a generic Chinese pen question, and he was very helpful to me. Do you know his youtube channel, Inkquiring MInds?

    My "light" beautiful pens are the Jinhao 100s and the Hongdian N1. But I am not sure of their actual weights. Pen BBS makes some all-acrylic beautiful pens that must also be quite light. I don't own any of those, but Doug Rathburn (or Inkquiring Minds) does, and so does Aaron of Aaron's Pen Videos. Both these guys are huge Penbbs fans and have posted many reviews of the models.

    I am not sure if the 20g limit means that the pen cannot have any brass inside it. If brass is precluded, then you will have to look at all-plastic only. But I don't know.
    Last edited by TSherbs; January 17th, 2022 at 04:44 PM.

  2. #122
    Senior Member Sailor Kenshin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ugly Old Guy View Post
    I just bought a set of four Jinhao X450's off Amazon for $19.95 plus tax and shipping. I wanted something classic/traditional, not gawdy, that wouldn't look out of place being carried and used by an old thing like Mr, or be out of place in a business setting or at church.
    When they arrived in today's mail call, I inked them up with Jinhao black, blue, purple, and green ink cartridges.
    Like the fountain pens I had back in the dark pre-Internet days of the 1970's and 1980's, I didn't clean the nibs/feeds before inking. All four write great. I have zero complaints.
    I'm retired, on a low monthly fixed income. I can afford the Jinhao pens. I am thinking of getting some more, in fact.
    I ordered one of their Ebony wood 51A's today, and may order a 51 with Rosewood and Mahogany sometime this year, and maybe three or four of the ceramic pens; The Ship and the Dragon pens, and possibly the Bamboo and Lotus set. I also plan on getting some of the Fine and FUDE nibs.

    I'd love to be able to get a lever fill Pelikian (spelling?) and some Schafer No Nonsense Calligraphy pens like I had back then, but a new lever fill from a "good" European or Japanese company costs more than I have after paying rent. The Pelikian I had back then cost under $20. I don't remember what model it was. I remember it had a brown plastic body and cap. The only place I see the No Nonsense is on eBay. I don't do eBay or PayPal -- period.

    From what I read in this thread, I guess I should keep quiet when I get a new pen, since I can't afford "better" or vintage pens. Posting an inexpensive Chinese manufactured pen insults and offends too many people.
    The 450s are pretty good writers. Not all Chinese pens fall apart, either. I still have some Hero 616s and others that are probably considered 'vintage.'
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

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  4. #123
    Senior Member Scrawler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by TSherbs View Post

    Do you know his youtube channel, Inkquiring MInds?

    I am not sure if the 20g limit means that the pen cannot have any brass inside it. If brass is precluded, then you will have to look at all-plastic only. But I don't know.
    I don't know it but will look.

    This full size pen weighs 19g.

    edison2.jpg

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  6. #124
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    I have watched a couple of Inkquiring MInds. I see that things have changed a little on the Chinese pen front since I last looked. Some of the new acrylics are very pretty. I have just ordered a Wing Sung which claims to weigh 21 grams. I will see how that works out.

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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Z View Post
    You have spent more on cheap pens that will fall apart in months - and they will, because I had a bunch and they're all in the trash a long time ago - than you would have on an amazing pen already.
    Well, no. Certainly not always, and frequently (and with some brands) usually, no.

    I have some of the Wing Sung 3003 pens that look like a Pilot Prera loaded and handy to use for about 3 years now. They're solid pens, well made, and unlike the clear Prera I have, haven't cracked. the nibs are better from the get go than the Pilot nibs. The Wing Sung 699, which is like the Pilot 823 in appearance and function, and have had them loaded for over a year. They write well, and I haven't had any problems with them. The 823 pens seem to have a problem with cracking along the seam at one end or the other.

    Jinhao pens don't seem to be of the same quality, and the celluloid Balance pen was a disaster. The plastic shrank and distorted after a few years. But that's no worse than I've seen with some Visconti and Omas pens that have come through for repair... at under $50 VS....
    I never tried Wing Sung, I only actually ever had Jinhaos of the Chinese cheapies. Probably 5-6 of them? They all fell apart on me within 6-12 months. The feed started falling out, clip fell off the cap, glue tore, etc...

  9. #126
    Senior Member Ron Z's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    I won't buy Jinhaos. I had one that was a copy of a Lamy Safari. I had to build up the section threads to keep it from shifting as I wrote with it.

    Visit Main Street Pens
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    Senior Member Robalone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Z View Post
    I won't buy Jinhaos. I had one that was a copy of a Lamy Safari. I had to build up the section threads to keep it from shifting as I wrote with it.
    I've got a couple of Yiren pseudo safaris...and one had cracked barrel thread which had to be araldited ..but the others are still kicking on ..one wonders if they all come out of the same factory !

    Jin hao seem to make some quite good models and some very cheesy and badly made stuff. My jinhao safari has a 1.1 Lamy italic/stub and honestly, I can't tell the difference between it and my real safaris.

    However....'luck of the draw' doesn't seem much of a business model.

  11. #128
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Z View Post
    I won't buy Jinhaos. I had one that was a copy of a Lamy Safari. I had to build up the section threads to keep it from shifting as I wrote with it.
    Ah okay, then we're on the same page. I was really surprised at first. But I have to be honest I never ordered a Chinese pen after my experience with Jinhao again. Maybe I should, but from other brands. Then again, I have enough pens as it is already anyway...

  12. #129
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by Robalone View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Z View Post
    I won't buy Jinhaos. I had one that was a copy of a Lamy Safari. I had to build up the section threads to keep it from shifting as I wrote with it.
    I've got a couple of Yiren pseudo safaris...and one had cracked barrel thread which had to be araldited ..but the others are still kicking on ..one wonders if they all come out of the same factory !

    Jin hao seem to make some quite good models and some very cheesy and badly made stuff. My jinhao safari has a 1.1 Lamy italic/stub and honestly, I can't tell the difference between it and my real safaris.

    However....'luck of the draw' doesn't seem much of a business model.
    With the nibs on my most current Safaris, that might be their business model now.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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  14. #130
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    I'm rather new to the hobby. And I am fortunate to have a couple very nice pens. A Pelikan, a Sheaffer. And I bought a Platinum 3776 recently.

    After reading generally positive comments about Jinhao pens, I purchased an X450 and and X750.

    Pretty much a mistake. Though they write ok, they're both waaay too heavy and lacking in feel. That they're both medium nibs (not my favorite) doesn't endear me
    The construction quality of my other pens really makes the Jinhaos feel "cheap." As they should. They are cheap pens.

    I'll clean them this weekend and put they in the back of a drawer where they'll likely stay for quite some time

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    Senior Member Scrawler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    I have just started to look at what China is producing these days. They have really upped their industrial processes in the past few years and seem to be able to copy just about anything and make a reasonable writing instrument. It is a far cry from my first involvement with Chinese industry back in 1989. While visiting for business I picked up something they were proposing for international sale. It was the Jaguar pen. I can not politely express how execrable this item was.

    jaguar1a.jpg

    It is massively overweight and unbalanced, being made of a thin walled brass tube and huge brass plugs to screw the finial and section into. The gold wash wore off in days and the plugs became looser and looser with each fill. It was unusable in 3 months and has remained with me only as a souvenir of a very exciting and interesting time over there. I should toss it in the bin, it can never be made into a worthwhile tool. The strange thing is that at that time everyone used fountain pens. All our work was done with them Every student and bureaucrat had to be furnished with them. They had great domestic production of ordinary everyday type pens, but the stuff they were making for export had to be flashy and initially they did it wrong.

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  17. #132
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by LarryinIowa View Post
    I'm rather new to the hobby. And I am fortunate to have a couple very nice pens. A Pelikan, a Sheaffer. And I bought a Platinum 3776 recently.

    After reading generally positive comments about Jinhao pens, I purchased an X450 and and X750.

    Pretty much a mistake. Though they write ok, they're both waaay too heavy and lacking in feel. That they're both medium nibs (not my favorite) doesn't endear me
    The construction quality of my other pens really makes the Jinhaos feel "cheap." As they should. They are cheap pens.

    I'll clean them this weekend and put they in the back of a drawer where they'll likely stay for quite some time
    Hey, at least you're only out the cost of breakfast ....it really is a bit of a 'lark' buying these pens..Personally, I modify and mess around with them, they take a Zebra dip nib and can turn out some impressive calligraphy.

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  19. #133
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by LarryinIowa View Post
    I'm rather new to the hobby. And I am fortunate to have a couple very nice pens. A Pelikan, a Sheaffer. And I bought a Platinum 3776 recently.

    After reading generally positive comments about Jinhao pens, I purchased an X450 and and X750.

    Pretty much a mistake. Though they write ok, they're both waaay too heavy and lacking in feel. That they're both medium nibs (not my favorite) doesn't endear me
    The construction quality of my other pens really makes the Jinhaos feel "cheap." As they should. They are cheap pens.

    I'll clean them this weekend and put they in the back of a drawer where they'll likely stay for quite some time
    Well, they ARE metal.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

  20. #134
    Senior Member Cyril's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Chinese pens are metal and they are not heavy for the budget but heavy in some hands.
    But sometimes heavy pens gives some characters to some styles of writing.
    Some plastic light pens drives differently on papers and they are different than of heavy pens writing. Posting or non posting habits will be the out comes of those light/ heavy pens.

    Example, is Pilot Parallel pens. They are very light and can't post any of the series. Some people add a weight to the barrel or there are complete pen body for the Parallel Pens.

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