Someone gave me an AmazonBasics fountain pen. It's... Ok.

It feels like a standard Chinese fountain pen. Which usually means you get a good price and materials you wouldn't expect (the body is metal) but the QA is pretty lacking. This one's nib was misaligned with the feeder, and if I give it a shake, it rattles a bit. A lot of chinese pens (such as the Jinhaos) also often fall apart after time because a lot is held together with glue, but I can't know with this until that time.

It writes fine though. The grip isn't ideal, but I actually like a lot of the chinese nibs. My only complaint is again usually the QA. I usually have to spend some time tuning. This one came alright though.

My main complaint is the cartridge. Supposedly this thing takes an international short, but the given cartridges are actually somewhat different in shape (narrower and longer than my Diamine cartridges). It was a pain to seat but I got it to take the Daimine. I worry about how it'll sit though.

Partially because this pen comes with a seater cartridge. That's when they give you a free (sometimes full, sometimes not) cartridge tucked in the barrel. But I only encounter this when they expect you to keep that cartridge there, because the fit isn't so great and they want to keep something pressed against the cart.

It was a gift and these things sell for ~$10 so I won't complain too much. I think a Platinum Prefounte is a better pen for the same price, even if its plastic and those are definitely proprietary fits. This pen is going in my list of "Pens I'll take with me out of the house, because I won't cry if it gets lost"

#fountainpens

@NullNowhere I have felt the urge to buy it for the sake of curiosity. I appreciate the honest review

Someone gave me an AmazonBasics fountain pen. It's... Ok.

It feels like a standard Chinese fountain pen. Which usually means you get a good price and materials you wouldn't expect (the body is metal) but the QA is pretty lacking. This one's nib was misaligned with the feeder, and if I give it a shake, it rattles a bit. A lot of chinese pens (such as the Jinhaos) also often fall apart after time because a lot is held together with glue, but I can't know with this until that time.

It writes fine though. The grip isn't ideal, but I actually like a lot of the chinese nibs. My only complaint is again usually the QA. I usually have to spend some time tuning. This one came alright though.

My main complaint is the cartridge. Supposedly this thing takes an international short, but the given cartridges are actually somewhat different in shape (narrower and longer than my Diamine cartridges). It was a pain to seat but I got it to take the Daimine. I worry about how it'll sit though.

Partially because this pen comes with a seater cartridge. That's when they give you a free (sometimes full, sometimes not) cartridge tucked in the barrel. But I only encounter this when they expect you to keep that cartridge there, because the fit isn't so great and they want to keep something pressed against the cart.

It was a gift and these things sell for ~$10 so I won't complain too much. I think a Platinum Prefounte is a better pen for the same price, even if its plastic and those are definitely proprietary fits. This pen is going in my list of "Pens I'll take with me out of the house, because I won't cry if it gets lost"

#fountainpens

@NullNowhere Chinese pens actually take the Chinese standard 2.6mm which is slightly wider than international 2.4mm. Most of the time it works fine with international, but you do need to use more pressure to get the cartridge in, this is normal.

@paradoxmo@penfount.social I guess I never noticed - one thing I like about Chinese pens is that a lot of them come with converters so I never have to deal with the cartridges.

That said, said i said stands; the lip of the cartridges here are narrower and taller, at least compared to the Diamine I have.

@NullNowhere right, the physical dimensions are all over the place, but fundamentally the inner bore is wider for Chinese pens, so you’re fitting a 2.6mm diameter post into a 2.4mm diameter hole in an international cartridge