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

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    Default Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    'Nuff said in the posting's heading?

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

    My guess is lack of interest.

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

    Post about them if you want.

    I don't post about them as I have zero interest and nothing to say about Chinese pens but if you dig them and have something to discuss go for it.

    It is really that simple.

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

    Quote Originally Posted by k3eax View Post
    'Nuff said in the posting's heading?
    *shrugs*.

    I have a lot of them, and today's rotation includes two Hero 616s, a Jinhao x750 fude, and another fude (I'm ink-testing). There is almost always at least one inked 616.

    For a while, especially during the heyday of isellpens, I specialized in cheap Chinese pens, but branched out into Sailors, MBs and both Pilot and Platinum's lower-end offerings, when I came to realize big, heavy, metal-bodied pens were not for me.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


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

    Because it makes FPG feel less like reddit.
    "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick;
    and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

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

    There are postings about Chinese pens all of the time it seems. I always find them interesting.

    If anyone knows what the trends for fountain pens are in Taiwan right now, I think that would be fascinating. In the US, we know about the pens someone chooses to import, or certain models of Jinhao or Hero that glut eBay. I go to Jinhao's site sometimes to see what's new, but since I don't read Chinese I really have no idea what is going on.

    I don't regard these as lesser pens on the whole. Some particular models have consistent pathologies, but I find they are often exaggerated.

    The fascination with brass bodies and a lack of nib options is what holds me back from adding more to my hoard. I find the brass pens a bit too heavy for my taste.

    What are the true gems of the Chinese pen world? I'd like to see more large, interesting pens like the Wing Sung 590, gold tipped pens like the Hero 100, 1000. Some of the Kaigelu (Shanghai by way of Australia) have interesting acrylic.

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

    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Szanto View Post
    Because it makes FPG feel less like reddit.
    There are posts about Chinese pens on FPG. However, as Jon mentions, Reddit is filled with them. Reddit has a substantial amount of first time to fountain pen users who post about their purchases, and Chinese pens and other inexpensive pens make up the majority of these posts.

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

    I can't speak for anyone else. For myself, I don't do a lot of posting about anything. However, since you asked about "inexpensive Chinese pens..."

    First, I have a hard time accepting that you can manufacture and ship a pen to the U.S. for $3 or so without abusing people. I can accept that designs can be copied once they no longer have legal protection; that saves a lot of cost. It has an unsavory feel to it, but it's legal. But there is still labor involved, and I believe anyone's labor should be compensated fairly. As T-Bone Burnett says we still practice slavery, only now it's global. He suggests that each of us in the U.S. have two or three slaves around the world that enable us to buy things at such prices. I would rather not participate in that to the extent I can avoid it. I'm much happier paying $30 for a Lamy Safari knowing the people who produced it were paid a reasonable wage.

    Second, as I've said for many years, I simply don't like cheap crap. Producing junk is a disservice to the human spirit. I decided to try one cheap Chinese pen; I bought a Jinhao 159 for around $12 I think. It tends to mimic the Mont Blanc 149 and to some extent the Sailor KOP. I do not mind if something fails on the form side, and this one surely does, but to fail on the function side is unacceptable. The pen rarely writes without trouble -- hard starts, skipping, running dry after not so long. The converter is loose in fit, hard to twist and somewhat bent. What I'd like to do is put it in the trash, but I have a hard time wasting even a bad pen. My plan is to take it to a pen show and offer it to anyone who might want it. The fountain pen world has many kind people who might take in a wayward pen.

    Finally, the cheap crap makers don't offer anything I can't get for the same or a little more money. I've got a bucket full of Platinum Preppy pens I use for all sorts of reasons and in all sorts of ways. Around $4 each, they write well, and I never have problems letting them sit for a month between uses. Even Pilot has the little Petit 1, which looks like a toy, but it's one of my favorite pens. When posted, it's a great size, the grip section is a good size and comfortable, and the nibs are always Pilot perfect. Their only drawback is a proprietary cartridge, but for a good, perfectly functional fountain pen at $3.80, I don't care. Pilot is now selling the Kakuno in the U.S. market for around $12. It's cheap plastic and looks childish, but it's a perfectly serviceable and comfortable pen -- and the only one that smiles back at me! Sailor now sells in the U.S. their HighAce Neo in the 15-20 dollar range. Not to my liking because of the slender grip section, they are nevertheless very functional pens and good writers.

    As Forrest Gump said, that's all I have to say about that.

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

    I don't have a lot to say/write about my super cheap Chinese pens. Most of them work with no problems or issues. A couple I've had to "fix" in some way, but then they are fine. For the crazy cheap price I can put up with that.

    Re: the crazy cheap price; it is my understanding that overseas small parcel shipping is subsidized and the costs of some of the raw materials used to make the pens is also artificially low. Otherwise the prices make no sense; even with free labor they would be impossible. The costs of the subsidies are eventually borne by the Chinese people, and I have no idea of how that cost is distributed.

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

    Personally, I think it's largely because they're sort of unremarkable, except for their price point. These are pens that push the envelope in the price/performance arena rather than in design or function, and while that's great for increasing the user base and providing some daily drivers, it's unusual to fall in love with such things, in the same way it's hard to fall in love with practical cars. We post about the things we have passion for, that we think are "special," and I don't know anyone passionate about beige Honda Accords. Posting about cheap Chinese pens when you're not excited about them isn't an act of enthusiasm but of journalism.

    I feel largely the same about Indian pens, with which I've had a very mixed experience.
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Gawd brilliant Bill, this is just too prissy! It is written with a vehemence that suggests you place accuracy and honesty second to persuasion.
    Last edited by k3eax; October 2nd, 2016 at 01:07 PM.

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

    Well said. Thanks.

    Quote Originally Posted by k3eax View Post
    Gawd brilliant Bill, this is just too prissy! It is written with a vehemence that suggests you place accuracy and honesty second to persuasion.

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

    First off I want make it clear I don't have a problem with Chinese pens. I have several pens that fit under a similar price category. I think a lot of these pens (because of the price and ubiquitousness) lack the chase involved that other pens do. New pens that people seem to value the most are the pens they have had on there short list for ages, ones they have hunted high and low for, pens they've saved up for, for weeks on end. It's almost too easy when the pen is e.g. sub £10

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

    Maybe the perception that people look down on Chinese pens has a quelling effect.
    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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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    For what it's worth, I posted when I bought my Duke Bamboo and my Hero when I got them several years ago. Both great pens, and that was unusual among the dozen or so I've owned. Usually they are too heavy for my hand or the convertors fall apart the first week.

    I gave the Hero away and then missed it so much I bought it again. I consider the Duke to be a "true gem" in Chinese pens, since gybral asked. The rest, except for the Duke were given away.
    Last edited by VertOlive; October 2nd, 2016 at 07:11 PM.
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    I was very much a Parker girl. I have Frontier, Vector and Reflex. The latter models were bought for less than the price of a Hero 616, in a discount shop. I used them with my first Diamine orders (after being just a Quink girl too). However, out of curiosity hearing about Jinhao in letters, I ordered a couple and haven't looked back. OK, the ones I bought were cold on a winter's morning, and heavy, but they feel a lot nicer than at my student/college aimed Reflex. They also wrote better. Some of the converters are not perfect either, but nor or the ones I've got for my Parkers. As can be seen in my pen photos thread, I did get a bit carried away. I carry my letter writing supplies with me most days, and the case I have for the pens is now rather heavy!

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

    I have had two. One I gave to a friend and the other sits uninked.

    Nothing bad to say about my experience with them - nothing out of the ordinary either.

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

    I quite enjoy the lottery of Chinese pens.
    I actually have a Jinhao x450 which writes superb.

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

    I don't like to talk about them because they don't seem to be eager to talk about themselves either.

    Where are the facebook/instagram pages for JinHao, Baoer, Kaigelu, or even Hero, the oldest of them all?
    Can customers can ask questions, comment, etc.? And get a response? Like TWSBI (which ironically is technically also a Chinese pen manufacturer).

    That gives out the illusion that all they care about is to get our money, $3 at a time. I wish these Chinese pen manufacturers show more pride in their own products rather than just be content owning the cheapest-of-the-cheapest market segment.

    To be fair, The Duke Bamboo and a few others are exceptions that elicit some desire in me to own one based on something other than "because it's cheap" and at least it seems like Duke brand seems to show some pride on their tradition and legacy, y'know, stuff that we expect from a quality fountain pen manufacturer.

    And just in the remotest chance that they have people reading pen forums, for goodness sake, don't put brass barrels or innards in *every* pen, guys, there are a million exotic natural material types in China that you can creatively experiment, incorporate, and fashion to make awesome fountain pens with. How about a super thin jade outer shell with ebonite reinforcement? How about a porcelain pen that is not heavy? How about digging up and re-learning ancient Chinese lacquering techniques even before the Japanese made them popular? Or do something with bamboo that just blew our minds. Silk? Paper? Gourd skin? Sea shell? Copper? Terracota?

    Do these and we'll talk, and you can have our money, $300 at a time
    Last edited by penwash; November 1st, 2016 at 11:10 AM.
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    Default Re: Why so very few postings about inexpensive Chinese pens?

    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post
    I don't like to talk about them because they don't seem to be eager to talk about themselves either.
    That's a good point. I don't use facebook or instagram but a regular customer-facing website in English would be welcome, and some kind of forum activity (which I guess I mostly just see from the Brian Grays and Shawn Newtons of the world).

    The brass thing does get tiresome.

    There are some pens that do some kind of cloisonne, though I haven't bought any so I don't know if it is real enamel or just silkscreen stuff.

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