I appreciate your reviews and the way you speak from a position of realism. You are a collector, someone who cares about pens. I also feel and share your disappointment with so many offerings. You are paying attention to your own mixed feelings…very positive! Thank you, for what you do!
Interesting discussion of the 'journey', and what drives it. I have my differences from you on some FP issues, but you've certainly been a big influence on my development and choices in the hobby over the last 2-3 years. I appreciate the effort you make, and the honesty you display.
Thanks for your videos and your honest perspectives. You have pointed out some interesting trends. I also appreciate your advocacy on behalf of animals. I too am very disturbed by the treatment of dogs in China -- it's horrifying. Regarding the future of your channel, I hope you will focus on whatever hobbies bring you enjoyment, and then share whatever you feel moved to share. As I contemplate a new year, I'm also thinking about getting back to using my pens more for creative pursuits; that's why I fell in love with fountain pens in the first place. Happy new year and happy pen time, Rob!
Happy new year to you and thank you for your support, in particular the fact that you noticed and mentioned the Chinese mistreatment of dogs, that means a lot to me.
Regarding the chinese pens disappearing, they still have plenty of stock over in the chinese market (Taobao). It is the chinese resellers (who have stores in Aliexpress, ebay, esty) that no longer sell them over the international market. In fact, the handler for penbbs pens have a taobao shop but have seperate models selling on the chinese market and to the international (international being more expensive ofc). They are even still making/selling the delike shepherd wooden fountain pen (hexagon wooden) delike smurf and even rarely heard pen models as of now. Not denying the production issues, granted there's like a 5% drop in consumer puchase in china in 2022. And the lockdowns certainly prevented many more from being made. Though, we've seen plenty of new pens this year, jinhao 80, jinhao 82, jinhao 159, majohn c4, majohn p136, penbbs touchdown filler, majohn ti 500 to name a few.
This is a very relevant video. Along with the difficulties you've described so well, AliExpress has cost me more money in 2022 through lost or faulty pens. On one occasion, two pens, each over £30, were missing from the packet. They reimbursed me for one but refused to do so for the other, even though they were supposed to be parcelled together. On another order, a Majohn A1 arrived with a solid piece of plastic instead of an ink channel. There was no way it could work. After a year, I am still fighting to get a resolution despite sending photographic and video evidence. Along with the increases in costs, I won't be buying from them again. Your in depth conversation was most welcome. Thanks Rob.
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had really bad experiences of AliExpress. I’m drafting out a video which revolves around this topic which may help (or may put you off buying from websites like AliExpress altogether!) May 2023 bring you much better pen buying experiences.
I get you about Chinese pens. I've only bought one in about a year.😁 Good to see you getting into the second hand pen market. There's a LOT of lovely vintage pens out there. Getting into this, you might even end up doing your own restoration. It's generally not that difficult. Average sac filler takes about 5 minutes not counting letting the shellac dry. And most are sac fillers. 😉 The Parker Aerometric system is bulletproof, though cleaning is a pain in the a**e. You really just need to clean them and start writing. Sheaffer after the lever fillers is more difficult. There's a reason restorers of their vac filler pens are regarded as gods. They're fiddly and brittle. Touchdown is easy enough to restore, and the Snorkel is possibly the most complex system made, but really just a Touchdown at heart. And most English pens are lever filler (I love my 1940s Conway Stewart.) Other than the occasional bit of sealant on the section, you can restore everything from Platignum to the Red Dwarf (not the TV programme 😁) stylograph Winston Churchill preferred. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year, and plenty of new discoveries on your fountain pen journey!
@@FountainPenJourney A big piece of advice is the most common tools for restoration are cheaper not from a fountain pen source. "Section pliers"? An identical tool at half price is spark plug boot pliers, for example. The fountain pen restoration supplies places are like the $5 Jinhao pens sold by Goulet for $12.50. They need to turn a profit on something bought at an auto parts shop and resold. Set of dental picks. Hobby long tweezers. Pair of scissors or single edge razor blades like for a scraper. The lot shouldn't run over $20. Get a selection of sacs if you're not near a place it's only a few days to get them. A number 16 is VERY common. 15 for Sheaffer's, 17 for others, a tapered 16 for a pen I love, the Wahl-Eversharp Skyline from around WWII. Smallest I have used is a number 10 in a Salz Brothers Peter Pan. Then there's necked and a special one used by Waterman's. (Many earlier Duofold era Parker pens used a 21 -23 necked.) I prefer latex ink sacs if that's what was original. Maybe silicone/PVC if you're lucky and celluloid didn't discolor, or for a 51 Aerometric. Not positive their location, but I think Pendragons are in the UK and also have size charts for replacement sacs. (Means you don't have to pull out calipers, measure in inches and do the 64th inch conversion to figure out what size you need.😉) Might get lucky as well. Though there's a chance of failure, 70+ year old Esterbrook pens can still have a perfectly working sac, as well as some others on occasion. I am not afraid to still use those. 😁 Parker "Pli-glas" sacs are PVC and almost indestructible. However, if not a 51, they're usually latex as well (45, 21, etc.) "They fail in about a decade." Well, converters fail as well, and again I have 70+ year old pens still on the original sac. And modern (at least from the United States) are made from the original latex recipe on the original machinery to original tolerances. And the green ones from Pendragons seem the same. I can go for hours. 😁
Happy new year Rob! Thank you for your videos! The only impulse pen purchase I made was Jinhao X159. I did that because of #8 nib. And it is a great writer! I am not a fan of PenBBS pens. I had 2 and both had serious problems. But generally, I had good luck with Chinese manufacturers. Asvine pens (the one with metal overlay like Laban Skeleton) are great writers! But for these holidays I got myself Leonardo MSG 2.0 on big sale and quality is way better than Chinese pens. It does not matter what pens you have as long as you enjoy using them.
Hi Rob, thanks for your honest reviews and commentary on the pens you review. I look forward to watching your reviews. I agree with you regarding PenBBS. I have never had any luck with them and found their nibs are inconsistent and too dry for my taste. Have a great new year!
Hi Rob. Thanks for your thoughts on this "Five year mission, to boldly go.." -oops, sorry, that was something else! Wow, what a journey you've been on so far! I think I've been with you since the beginning. I agree with your views on Chinese fountain pens. Whilst some are getting better the prices are increasing alarmingly as well. I hesitate to buy Chinese now whereas previously I would buy on impulse. I tend to buy from Western brands all the more nowadays in the hope of getting a better quality product. I can see how time-consuming all this RU-vid video stuff can be and I can understand your reluctance to let it dominate all of your free time. I think do it if you enjoy it but not if it becomes a chore. Happy New Year to you and your family. All the best for 2023.
Thank you David, you stand out to me as one of my first subscribers and I appreciate all of your comments. Happy new year to you and your family and here’s to a great 2023!
Interesting video. Thanks for this video and all of your hard work. I've never bought a Chinese pen - on principle, as I do not want support these companies financially. Here is an idea for you; have you ever considered buying some of the European "school" pens? Examples include pens from Bic (X pen), Pelikan (Happy pen, Twist, Griffix, Pelikano etc), Schneider (Base, Ceod etc), Stabilo (Easy, Easy Buddy etc), Online, Herlitz or Faber Castell. I use school pens a lot, and they are all "cheap" - think less than a Safari - and all write well. You can buy these online, but they are unknown to many people outside Europe. You may enjoy them. In any event, happy new year and thanks for everything.
Happy new year to you too and thank you for your support. I have reviewed a few school type pens. Some of those you mentioned aren’t readily available, though given how much I enjoy my cheap Faber Castell and Schneider fountain pens I may well explore this avenue in 2023, so thank you for your suggestion 👍
@@FountainPenJourney For a UK based buyer, like you, Cult Pens and Pen Company carry a few of these brands. Is Bic sold in the UK shops? I cannot find a source for Online pens in the UK. Are people in the UK allowed to still buy from Europe via E-Bay post Brexit, or is the tax too much? Anyway, good luck and good wishes.
I like your reviews and talks so please don´t quit on me ! :) I here you about prizes there has been many chinese pens I´v been curious of but they are going for 40-50 €. Instead of buying two of those you can have a midrange pen from Europe or elsewhere. I recently bought A Staedtler Initium Resina for 26€ and a Staedtler Tri plus for 16€ on Amazon. There is also a lot of well prized pens from German brand Online.(simpler pens I guess haven´t tried any) .The Tri plus I really did like such a nice writer.....
First time I've watched you, and I wonder if this was a good one to start with! I'd love to hear you talk about a pen you like. This episode sounded a little defensive...more like 'life journey'? And that's fine. I'm at 5 mins to go and you're having a look at some pens. Maybe I've jumped the gun? Good luck in all you do anyway. I, too, have been a bit underwhelmed by penbbs...I have the vac one but, yes, thin and dry. I love my Lamy 2000 though. I'll drop in again soon to hear you talk about some more non-Chinese brands. I do have a love of Sailor nibs for what it's worth...
I find what Kaweco has done is a shocking restraint of trade, and quite unfair. I do not use the chinese pens for other political reasons. I agree pen cleaning is a pain. Nasty comments are an unfortunate issue. Please do not put any stock in the bastards.
Well, it's not just the animals. You can look at how they treat their people and the environment. Just to give a few examples, the xinjiang "re-education" camps, the threat to invade Taiwan, destruction of Hong Kong's democracy, totally lack of free speech, the corruption all the way down the power ladder, horrible food safty standard (poison milk formula, gutter oil, additives etc.), emissions. I can respect it if channels don't want to talk about politics but since you mentioned it, I'll chime in as well. I still own a moon man A1 tho so I'm not claiming any moral high grounds but just saying.
