In my spreadsheet, I had updated the scores but failed to change the "Y" to an "N" under "Post?" for the 492. Even though the cap on the 492 will attach to the back of the pen, I don't believe this pen successfully posts - just like the 355 in this respect. So the scores are the same, it just looks like the spreadsheet doesn't add up.
I think it is too long and unwieldy and doesn’t post near deep enough to be secure. It actually doesn’t matter that much to me as it feels perfect unposted.
Very good video, especially the disassembly part. I fill cartridge and converters with a syringe others are filled with a pipes when the section unscrews. Personally, I don’t like vacuum fillers, but all the others would be good. Thanks for the chart and efforts in making this video
Thanks, Jeff! I love eyedroppers but I never get through all that ink as I keep shifting pens around and changing my mind regarding inks. So I think my favourite filler has to be the vac-filler. It is so easy to clean and swap inks.
Thanks SOOO MUCH fo all your reviews, the inside jokes, the movie references, the self-referential jokes, the dark humour..... Feel Goosebumps every time I am referred to, by subtitles and your voice, I am so thrilled, honoured, pleased, feel so unworthy...., and thank you so much, a better anti-depressant than any pill I ever took! ^_^ (Since 2014 and I had too to keep a halfway tolerable sanity, due to job, privacy, family health conditions....and yes, PenBBS also kept me alive and happy, too!)
If they take the standard #6 Penbbs nib unit, the rollerball will fit. Whether the ink will flow through the non-cartridge converter pens, is unknown, but I expect it will work.
I must confess that I never considered myself a fountain pen geek but having so enjoyed this review I must do some self examination 🧐 and of course Bob’s your uncle Doug!
I have the updated 355 and even with the metal parts, it is still a bit of a challenge to engage and disengage the rod. I need to use it more. I am thinking the magnetic filler is more of an experiment or a gimmick. Removing to the end seems to be the key for it to work. Pity that there is no instruction. Would you get it again?
Ah, Romper Room memories. Nice comparisons. With the need to remove the "end cap" on the 492 for filling and the issue with getting into ink bottles that aren't nearly full, I wonder if it just wouldn't be easier to use it as an eye dropper pen. Sure, it's not as much fun but having the magnet get stuck so often seems to already take most of the fun away. Still, it is a good looking pen.
I'm starting to think that it would be easier to fill as an eyedropper. Then I can just enjoy the beauty of the pen. Plus, if I pull the magnet/piston I'd get another. 5ml of ink I suspect.
IMO with an eye dropper you trade away "fun" for "less fiddliness". It's beyond me how people can find filling a particular pen fun after maybe the third time.
I love the sealing mechanisms between the feed and the reservoir. I'm torn between the penbbs models and the opus88. Personally, I'd say the opus is more attractive, but I find the penbbs filling mechanisms so fun to use compared with a simple eyedropper
Are ther replaceable med or broad nibs for the 355 and 456? Just the nib. Where could I find one? Is it easy to remove the feeder and nib on these 2? Nice showdown. Thx for vid.
Yes and yes. Penbbs only makes REF, RF, F and RM nibs. No broads. A #6 nib fits well into these pens. Jowo, Bock and Nemosine all fit. The nib and the feed are in a collar that unscrews from the section. They are also friction fit in that collar. Some are really tight but they do come out. Pull the Penbbs nib and put your own #6 in. You can get nibs from nibs.com gouletpens.com and on ebay and etsy. The 456 has better cap clearance than the 355. You'd have to measure the Penbbs nib and then the replacement carefully to ensure there is enough cap clearance on the 355.
Hi, thanks for review, comparing penbbs 456 with penbbs 308 could you explain which nib is smoother and is so great the difference in nibs, thanks a lot I enjoy with yours reports
All of the Penbbs fine mini-fude nibs are uniformly the same. They start out dry but once you make them a bit wetter, they are uniformly excellent - smooth with some character and a little feedback. I love them.
Fun and informative comparison, reinforcing my vast preference for eye droppers. The one PenBBS I have is the 471 (eye dropper). Of these, the only one that appeals a little to me is the 500 (spring piston filler).
I'm back 11 months later to say I had an eye dropper leak on me so now I hate eye droppers. Now I like refilling cartridges, which seems to require the least cleaning, at the cost of waiting around for the ink to get to the nib. I don't mind waiting. The 500 still looks cool, but at exactly double the cost of its competitor, the TWSBI GO, I won't pay for it. Yeah, I know, they aren't comparable, but that won't stop me from comparing them.
When filling a converter with a syringe, I’ll fill it, put it back into the pen, turn the nib down over some tissue while watching the feed and turning the converter knob until I see ink start to show. Then I’ll turn it nib up and pull the converter and run the piston to the back and top it up again with the syringe.
The penbbs 500 is attractive because you can quickly flush water through it by operating the spring piston. Great for changing inks. I almost feel that with the difficultly of filling the 492 you might as well just do a moonman C1.
Have a look at the TWSBI Go if you haven't already. It's like the PenBBS 500 but simplified. But only if you do not genuflect to the great god Capacity.
I just watched this and Boom, you got my name spot on! LOL This was cool and and an interesting comparison. Would you purchase a number of the magnetic fillers if they made it a regular model?
Yay! First attempt! To answer your question, not at that price! I paid $120 Cdn for my 492. I might go as high as $50 but I'd have to see the design/pattern/finish. I'm not sure they will come out with anything but the rose gold and clear.
Hey man ! Good to see you.. another great job.. was that Romper Room?? I've yet to get a BBS yet.. but I love my Moonman c1. Be well blah, blah.. Frank from Boulder, Colorado
I bought the 492 after seeing your first video on it. It’s cute. I agree with your filling problems with it. It makes sense to remove the end due to the vacuum being created, then you probably don’t need to grease it as much. Also the ink well needing to be full is true except you forgot to mention the ink well they gave with it might be shallow enough so they did think that out
I tried it in the special ink well and it is the same issue. However, it is easily solved with an ink miser. I’ve just removed the piston and trying it out with a full eye dropper fill.
This is an excellent experimental spreadsheet Douglas. Clearly the 456 is a outstanding pen. I really enjoy mine too, though the fact that I own many times more PenBBS 308s than any other PenBBS model suggests I'm particularly attracted to the 308. I'd be curious to see how the 308 would rank on your chart.
@@InkquiringMinds Oh, forgot to tell you... Sir Douglas.....You mentioned a mini Fude nib....I thought, sure order one on EBay.....to my surprise it wound up being a #5 mini Fude completely clear Demonstrator from PenBBS.....Small & slim, a good writer. Mian Mian was the name....Oh, well. (cartridge/converter)
Douglas, I am late to the party on this one but would the improved version of the 355 better it's score? If so what would you give it for a revised score/where would it rank? Your answer won't affect any decision making as I already ordered a 355 Purple Cloud (as well as a 471 Galaxy), but just curious. Thanks!
Yes, it definitely betters the score. The mechanism for holding the piston in place on the old version was flawed. There were techniques to get around it but nonetheless, flawed. This new version is virtually fool proof. The only thing that keeps it from besting the 456 is how it posts.
It comes in a lot of different finishes, but here is what is currently available from the official Etsy Penbbs store: www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore?ref=usf_2020§ion_id=27817734
@@InkquiringMinds Douglas, again just viewing some old videos of yours. I have both the Visconti Travelling inkwell/filler and the Peneider inkwell/filler. For the price go for the Peneider, it's great. I got mine from Goulet.
Have you tried to fill a non transparent bulk filler? It's literally impossible as you have no idea if the various actions are having the desired effect. Usual great presentation by the way - Regards- Eric
Hey, Eric. I have not had my hands on an opaque 355 even though I know they exist. Someone, somewhere, commented they had a 355 Galaxy - I think it was a TH-cam video I saw. I commented that they were brave indeed to have such a pen. I would end up making it an eyedropper.
I have a few, opaque Galaxy included. (Because I like the shutoff that the 308/323/491 models maked eyedroppers don't have). The only thing I can see is the level of ink with a flashlight in a room with low light or by day looking out at the sun. Excellent video, by the way.
Oh gawd yes, that was priceless: th-cam.com/video/0Z7gv0Y591E/w-d-xo.html Thank you for the chuckles and excellent overview of the PenBBS popular line-up. Makes me consider the brand once the virus dies down.
I'm glad you enjoyed! Stuff is moving out of China now. I have received two pens yesterday and two more have now arrived in Canada and will be here shortly.
In my spreadsheet, I had updated the scores but failed to change the "Y" to an "N" under "Post?" for the 492. Even though the cap on the 492 will attach to the back of the pen, I don't believe this pen successfully posts - just like the 355 in this respect. So the scores are the same, it just looks like the spreadsheet doesn't add up.
I think it is too long and unwieldy and doesn’t post near deep enough to be secure. It actually doesn’t matter that much to me as it feels perfect unposted.
Thanks for the guitar solo 🎸 ❤😊
Also for the Miss Penny call back! Well, she was Miss Penny in Jacksonville 🤦♀️😆😎
Very good video, especially the disassembly part. I fill cartridge and converters with a syringe others are filled with a pipes when the section unscrews. Personally, I don’t like vacuum fillers, but all the others would be good. Thanks for the chart and efforts in making this video
Great comparison of the various filling systems and thanks for sharing. My favorite filling systems are eye droppers, vac fillers and converters.
Thanks, Jeff! I love eyedroppers but I never get through all that ink as I keep shifting pens around and changing my mind regarding inks. So I think my favourite filler has to be the vac-filler. It is so easy to clean and swap inks.
@@InkquiringMinds Same here. Out of the 3 I mentioned, vac fillers are my favorite also.
Thanks SOOO MUCH fo all your reviews, the inside jokes, the movie references, the self-referential jokes, the dark humour.....
Feel Goosebumps every time I am referred to, by subtitles and your voice, I am so thrilled, honoured, pleased, feel so unworthy...., and thank you so much, a better anti-depressant than any pill I ever took! ^_^ (Since 2014 and I had too to keep a halfway tolerable sanity, due to job, privacy, family health conditions....and yes, PenBBS also kept me alive and happy, too!)
Thanks, The HOINK! Penbbs is a seemingly endless treasure trove of colour and variety of styles.
congratulations for your video.
Very, very, very good.
Brilliant comparison as always! Would the rollerball unit work with all of these non-cartridge converter work with these types of filling systems?
If they take the standard #6 Penbbs nib unit, the rollerball will fit. Whether the ink will flow through the non-cartridge converter pens, is unknown, but I expect it will work.
Awesome guitar playing at the beginning of this video .
Glad you enjoy it!
Great tutorial Doug! Things they can't print on a sheet of instructions.
Thanks, Bruce. I might have to update that video!
I must confess that I never considered myself a fountain pen geek but having so enjoyed this review I must do some self examination 🧐 and of course Bob’s your uncle Doug!
Glad it was helpful! And Bob is my kid's uncle! :)
Doug great videos and channel congrats. saludos desde Mexico.
Saludos, Jose! Thanks so much!
I have the updated 355 and even with the metal parts, it is still a bit of a challenge to engage and disengage the rod. I need to use it more.
I am thinking the magnetic filler is more of an experiment or a gimmick. Removing to the end seems to be the key for it to work. Pity that there is no instruction. Would you get it again?
I agree the 355 can be challenging. The mag filler isn’t practical.
Ah, Romper Room memories. Nice comparisons. With the need to remove the "end cap" on the 492 for filling and the issue with getting into ink bottles that aren't nearly full, I wonder if it just wouldn't be easier to use it as an eye dropper pen. Sure, it's not as much fun but having the magnet get stuck so often seems to already take most of the fun away. Still, it is a good looking pen.
I'm starting to think that it would be easier to fill as an eyedropper. Then I can just enjoy the beauty of the pen. Plus, if I pull the magnet/piston I'd get another. 5ml of ink I suspect.
IMO with an eye dropper you trade away "fun" for "less fiddliness". It's beyond me how people can find filling a particular pen fun after maybe the third time.
Wow! This was comprehensive! Thanks!
Thanks, Nomad! I named one of my pens after you, well, actually after Star Trek... but the same name! The Wing Sung 601a.
I love the sealing mechanisms between the feed and the reservoir. I'm torn between the penbbs models and the opus88. Personally, I'd say the opus is more attractive, but I find the penbbs filling mechanisms so fun to use compared with a simple eyedropper
Hey, Willato! Penbbs has the widest range of finishes I've ever seen. The combinations are seemingly endless.
Are ther replaceable med or broad nibs for the 355 and 456? Just the nib. Where could I find one? Is it easy to remove the feeder and nib on these 2? Nice showdown. Thx for vid.
Yes and yes. Penbbs only makes REF, RF, F and RM nibs. No broads. A #6 nib fits well into these pens. Jowo, Bock and Nemosine all fit. The nib and the feed are in a collar that unscrews from the section. They are also friction fit in that collar. Some are really tight but they do come out. Pull the Penbbs nib and put your own #6 in. You can get nibs from nibs.com gouletpens.com and on ebay and etsy. The 456 has better cap clearance than the 355. You'd have to measure the Penbbs nib and then the replacement carefully to ensure there is enough cap clearance on the 355.
Hi, thanks for review, comparing penbbs 456 with penbbs 308 could you explain which nib is smoother and is so great the difference in nibs, thanks a lot I enjoy with yours reports
All of the Penbbs fine mini-fude nibs are uniformly the same. They start out dry but once you make them a bit wetter, they are uniformly excellent - smooth with some character and a little feedback. I love them.
Fun and informative comparison, reinforcing my vast preference for eye droppers. The one PenBBS I have is the 471 (eye dropper). Of these, the only one that appeals a little to me is the 500 (spring piston filler).
Thank you, Ichiro!
I'm back 11 months later to say I had an eye dropper leak on me so now I hate eye droppers. Now I like refilling cartridges, which seems to require the least cleaning, at the cost of waiting around for the ink to get to the nib. I don't mind waiting. The 500 still looks cool, but at exactly double the cost of its competitor, the TWSBI GO, I won't pay for it. Yeah, I know, they aren't comparable, but that won't stop me from comparing them.
When filling a converter with a syringe, I’ll fill it, put it back into the pen, turn the nib down over some tissue while watching the feed and turning the converter knob until I see ink start to show. Then I’ll turn it nib up and pull the converter and run the piston to the back and top it up again with the syringe.
The penbbs 500 is attractive because you can quickly flush water through it by operating the spring piston. Great for changing inks. I almost feel that with the difficultly of filling the 492 you might as well just do a moonman C1.
I agree! The 500 is now my favourite filling system.
Have a look at the TWSBI Go if you haven't already. It's like the PenBBS 500 but simplified. But only if you do not genuflect to the great god Capacity.
I just watched this and Boom, you got my name spot on! LOL This was cool and and an interesting comparison. Would you purchase a number of the magnetic fillers if they made it a regular model?
Yay! First attempt! To answer your question, not at that price! I paid $120 Cdn for my 492. I might go as high as $50 but I'd have to see the design/pattern/finish. I'm not sure they will come out with anything but the rose gold and clear.
No 494 piston fill?
What about it?
@@InkquiringMinds Wondering how it compares to the others.
I’ve never held one. I’d never buy one. They have a #5 size nib and are injection molded plastic. It is apples and oranges.
Hey man ! Good to see you.. another great job.. was that Romper Room?? I've yet to get a BBS yet.. but I love my Moonman c1. Be well blah, blah..
Frank from Boulder, Colorado
Yes it was Thank you, Frank!
I bought the 492 after seeing your first video on it. It’s cute. I agree with your filling problems with it. It makes sense to remove the end due to the vacuum being created, then you probably don’t need to grease it as much. Also the ink well needing to be full is true except you forgot to mention the ink well they gave with it might be shallow enough so they did think that out
I tried it in the special ink well and it is the same issue. However, it is easily solved with an ink miser. I’ve just removed the piston and trying it out with a full eye dropper fill.
This is an excellent experimental spreadsheet Douglas. Clearly the 456 is a outstanding pen. I really enjoy mine too, though the fact that I own many times more PenBBS 308s than any other PenBBS model suggests I'm particularly attracted to the 308. I'd be curious to see how the 308 would rank on your chart.
I just received a new 308 today (“Infinite” with gold trim) to go with my Amber and Cedar. A review is in the planning! :)
It's a attractive pen. Here's my 308 - 56GF. facebook.com/groups/207321843255119/permalink/266714063982563/
Great video thank
Glad you enjoyed it
Liked the Pink Floyd guitar intro!
Hey fellow Floyd fan! :)
Romper Room.....Gotta love it.
I see Stacy and I see...
@@InkquiringMinds Oh, forgot to tell you... Sir Douglas.....You mentioned a mini Fude nib....I thought, sure order one on EBay.....to my surprise it wound up being a #5 mini Fude completely clear Demonstrator from PenBBS.....Small & slim, a good writer. Mian Mian was the name....Oh, well. (cartridge/converter)
Douglas, I am late to the party on this one but would the improved version of the 355 better it's score? If so what would you give it for a revised score/where would it rank? Your answer won't affect any decision making as I already ordered a 355 Purple Cloud (as well as a 471 Galaxy), but just curious. Thanks!
Yes, it definitely betters the score. The mechanism for holding the piston in place on the old version was flawed. There were techniques to get around it but nonetheless, flawed. This new version is virtually fool proof. The only thing that keeps it from besting the 456 is how it posts.
What other colors does the 500 come in?
It comes in a lot of different finishes, but here is what is currently available from the official Etsy Penbbs store: www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore?ref=usf_2020§ion_id=27817734
I think the mag filler will do well with a travelling inkpot
I think you're right. I'm looking at the Peneider.
@@InkquiringMinds Douglas, again just viewing some old videos of yours. I have both the Visconti Travelling inkwell/filler and the Peneider inkwell/filler. For the price go for the Peneider, it's great. I got mine from Goulet.
@@thm655321 I figured as much! Thanks!
Hummmm you messed up. The mag filler won with a 14. It had two yes and one no.
But you have it a -1 instead of a +1.
Have you tried to fill a non transparent bulk filler? It's literally impossible as you have no idea if the various actions are having the desired effect. Usual great presentation by the way - Regards- Eric
Hey, Eric. I have not had my hands on an opaque 355 even though I know they exist. Someone, somewhere, commented they had a 355 Galaxy - I think it was a TH-cam video I saw. I commented that they were brave indeed to have such a pen. I would end up making it an eyedropper.
I have a few, opaque Galaxy included. (Because I like the shutoff that the 308/323/491 models maked eyedroppers don't have). The only thing I can see is the level of ink with a flashlight in a room with low light or by day looking out at the sun.
Excellent video, by the way.
yay nice video
Thanks Marilyn Darling! 😁
That magnet fill triggered me so badly
In a good way?
@@InkquiringMinds no hahaha. Turned me very far away from getting a magmet filler 😂
Sexy - high maintenance 😂. Sounds about right. 🤦♀️😆
LOL
I think you made a mistake on the 492 Y/N, it is an positive 1, two Y one N, so it clearly is the winner! So you need a new conclusion.
Thanks for pointing this out. But the mistake was that I didn’t change the 492’s “Post” to “N”.
Oh gawd yes, that was priceless: th-cam.com/video/0Z7gv0Y591E/w-d-xo.html Thank you for the chuckles and excellent overview of the PenBBS popular line-up. Makes me consider the brand once the virus dies down.
I'm glad you enjoyed! Stuff is moving out of China now. I have received two pens yesterday and two more have now arrived in Canada and will be here shortly.