Those Awkward Middle Years, or Adventures in Budget Pen Buying

After you have purchased your first fountain pen, and assuming you like it (why the hell wouldn’t you?!), there are usually two ways to go: you either make the next logical progression; buying a similar or slightly higher valued pen (perhaps your other starter pen contender), or you buy a load of cheaper pens to see what you like.

Okay, there’s a actually a third route: just being content with the pen you have bought and enjoying it.  But, let’s not talk about people with restraint and control, I am envious of them. If you’re reading this, I imagine you are, or will be soon…

I went the second route and embarked on an ill advised budget spending spree, probably spending more collectively on 10 plus pens I have since mostly discarded, than I would have done if I had bought 3 or 4 ‘decent’, albeit slightly more expensive, pens. Here are my thoughts…

The one that got away?

One of my first post Safari purchases was a Kaweco Sport, in black again, obviously.  For whatever reason, the Kaweco and I didn’t get on.

Modelled on a classic Kaweco design from 1930s Germany, this diminutive pocket pen is lightweight and discreet when capped.  The design ethos was said to be, “small in the pocket, large in the hand”. This certainly proves to be the case. Capped this pen is just 10.5cm, however, thanks to the frankly, ridiculously large cap, when posted this pen measures a respectable 13cm. Made from plastic, this pocket sized pen weighs just 11g. It also accepts a suitably small piston converter.

So what was it about the Kaweco and I? Well, the nib was truly awful. I have subsequently discovered that this is a complaint of not a few Kaweco pens. Being relatively new to the hobby, I didn’t feel confident enough to adjust the nib myself and I didn’t feel it would be economical to send away to be rectified. Plus, I didn’t like it that much.

I may revisit Kaweco in the future.

A word on pen collecting

Before I continue with the rest of my purchase history tale, I wanted to say a little about the general philosophy of fountain pen collecting. By this, I mean my own thoughts on it.

To some people, fountain pens are bought as collector’s pieces, objets d’art purchased primarily for their aesthetic and material values rather than for their intrinsic writing ability. Owners of such pens might not even ink them. To other people, fountain pens are utilitarian tools, made to be used to put ink on paper.

To others still, fountain pens are a mix of both beauty and utility. I would suggest that most people fall into this category. I certainly do.

The difficulty lies in assessing beauty and utility. Both are, I would argue, essentially subjective. Factor in cost and the issue becomes even more confusing. A quick and easy example would be with clear, demonstrator pens (pens which are transparent allowing one to see their insides).

A Sailor 1911 Large Fountain Pen Demonstrator with Gold Trim currently costs £240 from Cult Pens in the UK. A Jinhao 992 can be bought for less than $2 on eBay.

Now, dear reader, before you think I am going insane, I am not, in any way, arguing that a Jinhao 992 is a better pen than a Sailor 1911 Large. Far from it. All I am saying is that prima facie both these fountain pens are clear demonstrators with converters. Obviously, the Sailor has a 21k gold nib and the Jinhao has a stainless steel nib.  You’d assume that the Sailor used higher quality materials for the body and finishes, and possessed a better build quality, too.

To the utilitarian collectors, the Jinhao may be just as attractive a pen, and an overall better proposition, than the Sailor. And, as many a Visconti owner will tell you, high price doesn’t always equate to high (writing) quality.

I have owned ‘cheap’ Chinese steel nibbed pens that have been more pleasurable to hold, look at, and write with than more expensive ‘premium’ Western gold nibbed pens. That is not to say that there have not been a few mistakes along the way…

False economies

As you will probably have guessed, it wasn’t all plain sailing, dear reader. From 8 or so Chinese ‘cheapies’ bought during this difficult, experimental phase, I have only retained one in my collection: a brushed stainless steel Jinhao x750.

I’ll list the pens I picked up in this period, and the reasons I ultimately let them go.

Jinhao 992 – I actually picked up a few of these, but not one of them had a decent nib that wrote, straight out of the box. The build quality was poor, the threading was bad… basically what you would expect from a pen costing less than $2.

Jinhao 500 – heavy, really heavy. Like most pens of this ilk, it is lacquered brass. Verged on unwieldy when posted. The marbling was so-so, but with the ‘gold’ trim it looked a little too gaudy for my tastes. The supplied medium nib wrote reasonably well, but it did suffer from a little bit of a baby’s bottom.

Jinhao x450 – as above, without the nib issues. The marbling was a little too garish for me, but that was my fault, not the pen’s. I chose it. The supplied medium nib was lovely, but the triangular section was a bit odd and I wasn’t really using it. It seemed extraneous owning this pen and the x750.

Wing Sung 659 – a clone of modelled on the Pilot 78g. I found the supplied EF and F nibs both to be scratchy and dry. The threading was awful and the supplied converter was a weird fit, that didn’t really instill me with confidence that it wouldn’t leak.

Wing Sung 3008 – a cheap piston Filler that was compatible with Lamy nibs. What was there not to like? Well, it just felt cheap and poorly built. The piston often stuck and it didn’t feel very sturdy. Then again, it was a cheap pen.

Kaigelu 382 – there was nothing wrong with this pen, in fact, the nib wrote really nicely. The classic blue colour was muted and it was most definitely ‘office friendly’. Sadly, however, there was nothing special about it, either. After a few years of light use, the paint on the section started to chip away. One drop from a small height also chipped the paint on the cap, too.

Key takeaway

I think I got my money’s worth from all of those pens, but I do regret buying them. Given the chance to do it again, I’d save my money for something more decent. I think I spent the best part of €50 / £45 / $60 on these cheap pens. Money that could have been better spent elsewhere.

The Jinhao x750 is a big, weighty pen with a smart, brushed steel finish. The nib is a juicy medium, edging to broad, and it lays down a nice thick line of ink. For the $4 I paid for it, it was an absolute bargain.

Never again

Search the internet for Noodler’s pens and you won’t find a consensus. Opinions seems to range from, “It’s and amazing pen for the price” to “It was awful and wouldn’t write”, usually via, “It’s a tinkering pen.” The vast majority of feedback seems lie with the latter two statements, or variations thereof. Personally, I feel that people who claim this Noodler’s pens are “tinkering pens”, with the implied statement that imperfections are to be expected are apologists. Not that my title left you in any doubt as to my feelings on Noodler’s pens.

I like the ethos of a piston filling, vegetal resin pen with an ebonite feed and a ‘flex’ nib. And although I don’t agree with the Nathan Tardif’s political outlook, or his obnoxious way of using his brand to advance those views, that isn’t where my issues with Noodler’s lie. Their pens, like their inks, are ambitious but poorly executed. Quality control and consistency are sorely lacking, as the range of feedback on Noodler’s pens surely demonstrates. I think that for the price point, better pens (and some inks for that matter) can be had. Besides which, the pen stunk. Quite literally. It was a shame, because the pen looked gorgeous.

Final thoughts

While price doesn’t automatically equate to quality, sometimes it is worth spending more to get more. From over 10 pens bought, I only have 1 left. And 1 undecided maybe. Some of the pens that I currently own and enjoy using cost less than some of the pens I ‘passed on’. Furthermore, some of the pens I love using the most were models I eschewed in favour of buying some of the cheaper models listed above.

Make of that what you will.