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@@cb7560 I very much like their translucent kids pens called the Junior-they are lovely. In criticizing Pelikan’s other inexpensive student pens I really wasn’t talking about how they write but what they look like. I think they have had trouble creating a pen that actually looks good at this price level. The Pura pen is more expensive and although it’s not bad looking it cannot compare in elegance with Lamy pens like the Studio pens. I also prefer a bit how the Lamy steel nib writes, particularly in broad. But Pelikan is a great pen company and I think the Pina Colada is nice for the price!

It is nice to be able to remove the nib to clean a piston pen but many expensive piston pens don't let you do this is easily--I am thinking in particular of the Montblanc 149.

@@drawingwithfountainpens I can never afford a Montblanc. I am more of an X159 kind of guy LOL.

Unfortunately Conklin has a lot of trouble with quality control when it comes to their nibs I am afraid.

Agree completely. Baltimore is nice too.

Indeed! More later!

@@nunyabisniz8047 I suppose the moral is you get what you pay for however many Jinhao branded pens are quite good and I have had quite expensive pens by Western companies perform poorly. If similar experiences repeat themselves my guess is that as time goes by and these early versions get out of the system they will eventually get it right. The fact that you did actually get one that works well in the end suggests just this. It’s like beta software where the first users are like Guinea pigs. I actually don’t have the steel Pilot version. How does it write?

@drawingwithfountainpens it just feels like a stiffer gold capless. If I had to compare it to something, I'd say it feels a tiny bit nicer to write with than a Prera. The working Jinhao 10 nib is only slightly worse. It's smooth enough to write with, but the feel is not as good, if that makes sense. I wouldn't notice the difference writing if I just wrote small notes, but when I had to write longer compositions for work or journaling, I could tell the difference.

Thanks for your comment. I actually took the Majohn pen to the Philly pen show and showed it to a lot of people and many were impressed or at least intrigued by it. The more I use it, the more I like the shape and I get why some people think it is conducive to writing for a long time. I ordered the translucent one but I have not gotten it yet.You were lucky to get that "real" Omas pen. I saw a similar one at the pen show and it was going for more than $1000.00

@@neilpiper9889 I am glad they have.worked well for you. Quality control is often a big issue for new models and it seems from many comments and reviews that this pen has quality issues, however that is often the case with much more expensive pens.

Thanks for the nice comment. I really appreciate it. If you already have three, I would go for the fourth, just to complete the set! In terms of the price it all depends on what you compare it to. The Sheaffer Star Wars pens were quite inexpensive when they first came out, however other so-called collectable pens can be quite expensive such as the MontBlanc Little Prince pens. I imagine Lamy has to pay quite a big licensing fee to produce the pens. The Lamy Pokeman pens are more although you get more with them in the sets (I don't own one, beware of the fakes out there if you see one that is cheap). Forgive my ignorance, but I am confused by what you mean by "LX line as base" since the Lamy Al Star and Lamy LX are so similar. I don't own an LX myself. I gather the clip is spring loaded which is slightly better and the finish is perhaps a bit different. The LX has a different finial from the Al Star, but so do the Potter pens. Of course the Potter pens don't come in round containers either like the LX, but otherwise I could see the Lamy people saying that printing on the pens adds a lot of cost. But do let me know what you have in mind. Surprisingly, I have not gotten around to getting a Lamy LX myself. Is it worth it? Since I too am a Lamy collector, I suppose I should get one, but I always thought they were too similar to the regular AL-Star to justify one.

NB : The sound level is a bit low.

Thanks for letting me know. I never know if I have a problem with a pen if it is a one off issue, but this pen definitely has issues which perhaps is not surprise given how inexpensive it is. I have found that in the end Pilot quality is really worth the money, and if you consider the gold nib, the vanishing point is a pretty good value.

@drawingwithfountainpens agreed

That is a terrific idea because then you are actually using the nib that you enjoy to test the ink. My one issue with testing ink with a dip pen that you are going to use in a fountain pen is that it will always be a bit wetter, at least at first, than a fountain pen.

I am glad that you find them so useful. At least when I was drawing, I really did not find any great difference between the two line widths. It is odd that they don't make an EF, which I think people who draw with them would appreciate.

Its a nice pen, although I wish Charles had gotten the chance to create his original design as well

Unfortunately the "standard" Sheaffer Converter that is designed to work with cartridge pens does not work with the so-called student pen, I am afraid. It is too fat to fit in the barrel. I have heard rumor of somebody creating a converter that works, but have never used one. The way to go is to refill cartridges, which are getting more and more expensive. For me the great mystery is why did suddenly so many people in my 1974 high school class start using these pens. It was an odd fad that did not last very long.

What a great comment and good advice, although I am not bothered by this myself, nor noticed the spinning which is why I did not point it out. Maybe my pens don't have it? I just went to a splendid show at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of the history of Wall Paper. Almost none of the amazing designs had authors. This is a huge problem in the history of the so-called decorative and industrial arts. Very few designers of vintage pens are acknowledged. So thank you for addressing this and for following my channel. On this subject, I am trying to find the name of the designer or designers of Rotring's Core Fountain pen. I emailed Rotring and they were unable to help. If you know, or anyone else knows give a shout out!

I am glad you found this video and that you are are an EA fan! I did not know about Paul Hogarth's work, and immediately looked it up, and found his guide to drawing. He is a marvelous artist! Thank you so much for introducing his work to me. I would love to see some of your own work if you would like to share it with me through my email drawingwithfountainpens@gmail.com. If you are looking for a good sketching pen, I would try out one of the Fountain Pen Revolution pens with an ultra flex nib. It will give you some of the qualities I see in Hogarth's sketches, but not cost a fortune. Pilot pens like the Cutom 743 is a good bet, but more expensive. By the way, in terms of "success," when I was young I never believed artist when they said they made work for themselves, but now that I am old I do believe it. It truly sustains me to draw and paint, and that seems successful to me.

I agree the original Vanishing Point is a great pen, although I personally found the extra-fine that I first got to be a bit too scratchy for my taste and believe it or not it was the first nib I ever got that sings--meaning it makes a slight squeaking sound when it writes. I love the broad and the stub versions though. I just got a vintage Vanishing point that has a faceted body, and it is really lovely. I plan to do a video comparing it with the newer version and with the clones. I don't have an alloyed version of the Pilot Capless, however. From what you write here, your wife likes it? Do the gold versions make a big difference?

@@drawingwithfountainpens oh yes we both thought the allow nib was excellent quality…but my wife is rather a devotee to gold nibs if at all possible, so wound up purchasing a gold one for it. However she doesn’t really like the clip position, so it hadn’t become a go-to pen like the VP did for me. I’d love to see your essay on the vintage model! Though I prefer the subtle restyling of recent times, the 1960’s pen really seemed to fit in with the Seattle, New York and Montreal World’s Fairs of the decade (of which I went to two (!) though only have vague memories of Montreal…I grew up just a few miles from the New York Fair though; and returned to Montreal in 1976 when a good part of Expo 67 still existed as the Man and His World park, so got to kind of relive it as an older kid). Parker was an exhibiter at the 64/65 NYC Fair, but seems to have only done a souvenir variation of a production model, and didn’t come up with any ultra-modern designs. In my own dream-world I like to imagine that the Modernist Pilot Capless and LAMY 2000 pens had actually been designed for the NYC Fair and Montreal’s Expo 67. How neat that would have been for a fan of both pens and the futuristic Fairs!

The nib in my jinhao 10 literally broke while giving it it's maiden voyage. Also off centered.. I've only had 2 jinhao and both nibs sucked tbh.

And after letting the inked J10 sit for a couple days: it wrote right away. So they need to do a bit of Quality Control here.

The Moon Man version seems better made. I actually like the style of the converter better on these clones than Pilot's Con40, however the one on the Jinhao seems a bit cheap and I worry it might break. However, the truth is the pen dries out so quickly, I probably will retire it other than to use it for comparison purposes when the next capless wonder emerges.

​@@drawingwithfountainpens got myself a replacement J10 and it's smooth as butter and centered. It definitely dries out slightly if I leave the nib out for say, half an hour by accident but seems to write straight away if I remember to retract it ahha there's basically no daylight through the gate on mine.

I think that is my general conclusion too, but if people want to try them out and see if they like the concept before they spend a lot of money on the Pilot they may be a good idea. Also if you tend to lose your pens, an inexpensive alternative may be a good way to go.

I don't see why you should buy the original if there's a valid dupe on the market. For the name?

Obviously, I don't agree with you about the Harry Potter series and their quality as fantasy novels or movies, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. George MacDonald, who Maurice Sendak and C.S. Lewis among others loved so much is sort of the father of the genre, and if you don't know his work you should. Thanks for your encouragement of my review. I have touched on pen design in some of my reviews on Lamy pens and Sheaffer, and I have also recently published two articles in the Fountain Pen Journal. I will say more about Rotring designs soon!

@@drawingwithfountainpens oh yes I grew up a sci-fi fan, and somewhat a fantasy one…In my twenties (1980’s-early 90’s) I worked at and then managed the former 59th Street FORBIDDEN PLANET store in Manhattan, which in those days used to stock EVERY sci-fi and fantasy novel IN PRINT). Excepting for my bi-annual readings of the prime Tolkien books, and occasional dabbling into the early Dune’s (or even rarer nowadays Moorcock Elric’s) I must admit that the genre doesn’t spark much interest these past decades (and with the exception of Mignola’s already “old” Hellboy, I only browse comics to see the art). But as stated I did give Rowling a shot, and to say I was nonplussed would be generous (my best friend, whom I met back in my Forbidden Planet days, who was even more into sci-fi/fantasy than I was, had the exact same reaction, though of course when reading age his kids were into them).

@@pauldavidartistclub6723 I grew up in the West Village and remember that store so well, I guess after it moved from 59th street (I never knew it was on 59th Streed)! I actually have a few of the large size Movie Figures (Uma Thurman from Kill Bill for example, and Legolas). I am a huge Star Trek fan, and I strongly prefer the original tv show, but so many younger people think the later shows are better. What can you say? I adored Tolkien when I was young, but not so much now. Still love C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll is one of my favorite authors. Given your criticism of Harry Potter you might prefer Jonathan Strout's Bartameus books which are brilliant and far less sentimental than Harry Potter. One thing I do appreciate about Harry Potter is that it isn't a monarchy with Kings and princes and dukes etc. like so many other fantasy books written for children. Why is that are fantasy writers imagine the future to be medieval aristocracies or pseudo Roman empires?

@@drawingwithfountainpens thank you so much for your reply! OK so you knew the main location on Broadway & 12th Street. I was at what was intended to be the first extended branch of a large chain of stores (as Forbidden Planet had successfully launched throughout the UK), which was on 59th Street close 2nd Ave. But other than that 59th Street spot, which closed during the 1993 comics industry implosion, the three owners’ plans for US expansion never got off the ground. As you might know, the great original Greenwich Village store has moved a couple of times, though always managed to stay on the same block of Broadway. Today they shockingly don’t stock any back issues of comics, nor collectible ones; and the sci-fi/fantasy book section is a shadow of what it was (though that might more reflect today’s readership/marketplace). I still drop in whenever my wife and I visit The Strand bookstore on the same block, but it’s such a different store now that it’s kind of sad. The staff of the past decade or so has no corporate memory of those days, nor any clue about the old employees (from which the punk-ska band THE TOASTERS, a long running, iconic NYC act was born), nor even who the owner had been! That was Mike Luck, one of the three founders of Forbidden Planet, who came to NYC to operate the Stateside stores. Mr Luck got out of the biz at some point in the past, and died a few years ago. I was at the first store’s opening weekend in 1981 (!); based on that unbelievable success, the 59th St store was opened in ‘85…I started my career there in 1987, soon ran the new and back issue comic book dept, and eventually becoming store manager. Though that period of NYC history was wildly dangerous (and I have the scars to prove it), I have so many fond memories of the store, my fellow employees, the brilliant non-mainstream comics of that time, and the city. I was working there when Star Trek Next Gen began, and none of us Star Trek fans at the store had any use for the new series at first. Well that first season gave no reason to be optimistic it was so very awful, but I admit that it grew on me, and I ended up loving it, and later Deep Space and especially Voyager (with a critical mind of course, since so much was pretty bad, but the good/great outweighed the wretched, much as with Babylon 5). But the original show has qualities that were never duplicated by later Trek. Most fans today don’t even know that in those days there was a canyon separating many fans of Star Trek and Star Wars, and sci-fi and fantasy literature, much like the discord that had existed when I was growing up between advocates of Marvel and DC Comics. Regarding monarchies in these genres, that’s an excellent observation, and though I study medieval and early modern English history (as a layman), and love Shakespeare, so see those worlds through the Kings and Queens, believe me I’m an anti-monarchist through and through (and anti-autocracy/dictatorship in all its modern guises). But for sure Tolkien was a true believer, so for him, reestablishing the line kings based upon blood heritage, which broke down a thousand years earlier was peachy keen. I truly love the Tolkien books, but I do see the forest for the trees, and the non-critical enthusiasm from many quarters overlook some gigantic flaws. Tolkien himself was often mistaken, in my opinion, about many things…his denial of meaning and analogy/metaphor in great storytelling (Flaubert and Nabokov claimed not to like “meaning” in literature, but like I don’t rank Rowling with Tolkien, Tolkien is no Nabokov); his silly dismissal of Shakespeare; his acting as if there was no influence on his Ring cycle from Wagner’s; and general philo-Anglo-Saxon attitude in opposition to the French who took over in 1066 (as if the Anglo-Saxons were the earliest peoples on the British isles!). But heck, we all have our favorite things and blind spots, lol!!!

I did this review quite a long time ago and have not used the pen for quite sometime. It is very possible they are making the pens differently. however it is also true that sometimes it is hard to get a friction feed nib to come out of its housing. I have found with other pens, the best thing to do is to soak the section in hot water--not boiling, but hotter than what comes out of the tap. Then make sure you use a piece of rubber non-slip liner around the nib and gently ease it out. It might take a few times in the hot water. That said, you shouldn't have to remove the nib to clean the section. Do you have a rubber bulb that you can use to flush the section out? Another good idea is to get some pen cleaning fluid and soak the whole section and then flush it out. Keep in mind that many kinds of fountain pens are not made for the user to remove the nib and feed and yet you can still clean them by running water through the section. I would watch some videos on cleaning fountain pens. I hope this advice helps!

@@drawingwithfountainpens - Thanks, Johnathan, for the response - it is appreciated! Yes - I have a rubber sheet grip, bulb flush, and some pen flush, and a tea kettle for getting some water hot. I will give your advice a try, and let you know how it goes. Thanks again!

It would be odd ndeed if a 20.00 pen wrote as well as a 600 plus pen with a gold nib. However it does provide a great experience and in fact it writes as well as pens costing hundreds of dollars. I always say the nib is the most important part of the pen but the body is also crucial and I am quite happy to have the chance to try out this shape. Hopefully at some point I will get a great deal on an Omas 360 or maybe the new company with the Omas name will resurrect the pen at a reasonable price.

I got mine on Amazon. I see it on AliExpress, but for much more than the price on Amazon

I agree the Moon man nib writes nicely, but I enjoy it even more with a Jowo nib.

@@user-el7of3cz9g thanks for the nice comment! It was quite awhile ago but it probably was that I just had the Lamy 2000 inked. Also intend to use the Pelikan to write with. The Lamy 2000 can be quite nice for filling in areas almost like a marker.

Everyone tastes when it comes to fountain pens are different which is part of the fun. I think if you like small fountain pens it is a great choice and I really do like the Matisse blue color.

That is so interesting that the nib fits. Did it screw in, or did they swap just the nib and not the feed? The feed and housing of the 150 is the same as the 200 line so for people who want to try this they have a wide choice of pens to experiment with. Its interesting, because the Artpen is not unlike the 1970s Pelikan 120 pens which were outsourced by Pelikan and they also have a somewhat flexy nib. You might enjoy one of these pens.

@@drawingwithfountainpens They swapped just the nib. The more I use it, the more I like it. I will check out the Pelikan 120s.