I'm so glad to see Pen News back again Aaron! You're my go-to guy for what is up and coming. Regarding the Penbbs 500, I just received my "Galaxy" 500 the other day and posted my review. I think Penbbs is the most innovative and exciting pen makers out there. Within a month they have introduced three new models and two new filling systems with the 491 (which I have in Cordeirite) , the 500 with the spring piston and the 492 (which I have on the way - how long from China who knows these days) with the innovative new/old magnetic filling system. I finally received my Moonman M8 and it was instantly loved and possessed by my wife - but a beautiful looking and writing pen (my review goes up tomorrow). As to the Moonman M800, I had one in my basket and before I was able to click purchase, esybuy raised the price $10US so out of the basket it went. I think this is like the Moonman M600 that came with a Schmidt nib at a higher price point and then they released it as the M600S with the Moonman nib. I will wait for the M800S no matter how much I lust after one of these lovely pens. I like Moonman, WingSung and Hero when they pay homage to designs no longer in production (like the Moonman 80 of the Parker 45). But this adoption of the Leonardo design makes me think Moonman is getting lazy in the design department - unlike Penbbs. My $0.02 worth. :) Keep 'em coming Aaron! Great video.
Very balanced review & commentary. I have a Moonman M800 in Amber, video review may be published today. I do not own but have used a Momento as with that pen, I do not enjoy the section shape of the M800. The Bock nib is great, better than normal F ones I have used. Build is first-rate, resin is a great Amber exactly like PenBBS. I also agree the Moonman #6 is a great nib, the T1 & M8 write wonderfully. Why add $10 to the price with a Bock nib. Moonman put a Schmidt on the M600, which was not great. The M600 check model is also more expensive. I ordered a 492 didn't ship before New Year now the virus has further delayed it. Thanks for your deep dive into these interesting pens from across the Pacific.
The PenBBS 492 has the magnet in the top end of the cap and not the center band. Also there should be a bottle included with each 492.... Also welcome back! It's refreshing to see you do FP news again
*I* get frustrated when people misattribute design elements to companies or designers, or promote silly marketing ploys like 'precious resin' or 'Italian resins/craftsmanship.' Western and European pen makers copied each other all the time back in the day, and this is nothing new, though admittedly Moonman does seem to be 'taking the piss.' They could have skirted controversy with a few easy changes (like getting rid of those cones). I like that there are manufacturers who challenge the premise of unaccountably expensive pens, and offer something comparable for less. I'm not against expensive pens, but there has to be more to them than slick marketing and oversized packaging.
I always enjoy your videos. Thanks! I would also recommend that you try a TWSBI Go. The section of the Go is made of a thicker, softer plastic than the other TWSBI models. It would be impossible to crack the section without destroying the rest of the pen. They definitely aren't elegant, but in terms of utility, they are real performers.
I have 2 Leonardo Momento Zero's . After purchasing them i seen the Moonman 800 and i was a bit taken back by the similarities not in a bad way... but my curiosity will get the better of me and i am going to buy the 800. I have a coulple Moonman pens and i think they are great values for the money.
I agree with your reflection about Moonman pens and some design Fountain pens... I bought a Pelikan M200 but I ended up getting it back because It was really expensive in comparison from what I was receiving and compared to other brands, including Chinese pens, could offer me. About original or knock off, I think is like in the watch industry: if a watch looks like a Rolex but it has not Rolex on the dial neither pretends to be a Rolex and has some slight differences on, then is not a knock off but an homage. There are hundreds of models of pens from even Pilot, Sailor, Platinum and Jinhao that takes inspiration on vintage Parker, Shaeffer and Montblanc models, should I considered them knock off pens: No, they are homage of the original models because they take the same design cues but with their own spin to the models they take inspiration of... Nice video.
Seeing the semiconical finishes of L. Momento Zero I thought of those of Conway Stewart in the 1950's. Everyone "influences" everyone and it seems to me that the lawyers put the limits. About the new M800 I agree with Douglas J. Rathbun that I might wait until Moonman makes the Moonman M800S half price and with a Moonman nib.
Good points! I agree if they drop the price with their proprietary nib that would be great. I am however okay with a bock nib especially with the ability to put a titanium nib unit on the pen.
Instead of palladium, Visconti puts now on its Homo Sapiens a 18kt gold Bock nib. I tried an F and it disappointed me. Too dry and too much fine for my taste. I hope a Bock F steel nib was better. And I agree that the titanium Bock nibs are excellent.
I have a Moonman 800 on the way. Bought it partly out of curiosity in the fit and finish. I got a Wing Sung 699 for the same reason and was very impressed. I like to carry these pens and leave my more expensive pens, the few that I have, at home. But that Moonman 800 may have gone over the line where the Wing Sung 699 just approaches it. I need to hold it for a closer look though.
There are some other oen reviewers like chrisrap52, WaskiSquirrel, and others that are great as well. Chris is one of the reasons why I started my channel and he helped me fall in love with Chinese fountain pens
There is zero chance I would buy a Leonardo, or any other pen over maybe $80. I could spring for a Moonman, maybe on sale. I think the C1 is gorgeous, and would buy it if gorgeosity came into my purchase considerations. How much of an overlap is there between the two markets? The price difference is so great I suspect that the few Moonman purchasers would have bought a Leonardo instead, were the Moonman unavailable. Having lived for a couple of years in China, I can tell you that their thoughts regarding intellectual property are completely foreign to ours in the West. I can't really imagine them changing; they are imbued in the culture. As are their skills and capacity in manufactury. All part of the terribly complicated world we live in. I guess it is possibly the government's job to resolve such conflicts if it can. So I guess Leonardo, an Italian company, could ask (sue) the US government to ban the import of copycat Moonman pens to the US from China. But who decides what's a copycat, and who pays the cost of the litigation and of the ban? And good friggin' luck enforcing a ban when individuals in China can sell pens to us in the US for $2.90 (Wing Sung 765, what a great pen!), shipped, and somehow make a profit. If Leonardo is actually losing money due to Moonman, then I feel for them. What a drag. But nobody feels sorry for Montblanc, for losing money due to the Jin Hao 159 taking sales away from the Montblanc 149 (inconceivable). And what exactly is the difference? What a thorny issue! Also: please don't shoot the messenger!
Very good points! I agree that most consumers buying moonman 800 would have probably never bought a leonardo fountain pen. $50 for a fountain pen is still not cheap and when you are getting north of $100 for some it's not worth the price point.
I don't see Leonardo losing money at all. The thing is if you are looking out to buy a Leonardo pen you won't settle for a Chinese ripoff will you? But someone who doesn't has 200 dollars to drop on a Leonardo pen can still buy a clone of it. How does it hurt Leonardo? The broke fella didnt have the money to buy it anyway.
Remember if you order anything that ships from China will not ship until flights resume due to corona virus. Most likely March. Possibly longer. That moonman 800 also has the roller clip sorta like Montegrappa pens.
Some really nice quality pens at good prices. I bought a Moonman T1 because I wanted to try a bent nib. I like it very much apart from the lack of a clip. Very like a Kaweco I have. I also bought a smaller black metal body Moonman (C1-red rings) also with a bent nib. If they don't work out for me, I can give them away and I haven't blown a lot of money.
Despite owning some of those over priced Italian an German pens ;I had to agree with you regarding many of todays' German and Italian pens being priced way off the scale for what its really worth , they are now luxury fashion items ; no longer just quality pens, which though, they are . The fact is its still not right to be priced so much. Personally I had zero interest in the new Moonman but I can see the logic behind that, which probably outgrow of their experience with the M600 .. whateve the cry , the shouting the fact remain when Moonman puts out the M600 and the M200 they sells, but when they put out equally good original design like the N3 or M5 those do not sell as much despite everybody agreeing that those are very nice design and equally quality pens. That just drive the Mfr to keep on doing what's the obvious .. that is .. just copy ready market design , people buys .. so yeah might be we can criticize the Mfr, but might be we should be more self - reflect on us the hobbyist instead
Very nice review! You missed an interesting release, the caliarts ego3;) The ego 1 and 2 are clear ordinary looking pens but had some fantastic nibs, but the 3 is odd, it doesn't have caliarts' amazing nib, but comes in some incredible colors instead.
I own a Leonardo Momento Zero, as soon as I saw the Moonman 800 I ordered one. Chances are that the Moonman will be a better pen than the Leonardo. As far as I know Leonardo uses a Bock nib too, but hopefully it will be much easier to switch the nib of the Moonman to something more unique like titanium or gold nib. Moreover, the Leonardo suffers from an annoying rattling noise due to its redundant blind cap, I'm not expecting the Moonman to have such issue. Last point, there is a new model from Leonardo (sorry, I currently don't recall the name) which uses very similar semi translucent acrylics as the Moonman. I guess there is something deeper than we know about this Moonman 800.
@@aaronspenvideos4420 I own two standard Leonardos and was actually thinking of purchasing a Grande model. I just received my Moonman 800 and as I compare the two just by looking: the weight is about the same as a standard Leonardo, although the resin on the Moonman seems thicker. They both write very well, no issues at all. I will wait a day or two to see if there are any hard start problems. I have to admit I doubt very much I will be buying a Grande. Just as an aside, if you own a Pilot Custom 823, you should never have a need for another fountain pen.
@@ichirofakename Get the Moonman it's essentially the same as the Leonardo. If you don't like the fine Bock nib (which is excellent) there are way more options of replacement nibs than in the case of the Leonardo. You can use replacement nibs such as steel, titanium, gold 14k and 18k, palladium, gold music and more. If you want to take advantage of the possibility to replace the nib, make sure you get the version with the Bock nib and not the one with the Moonman nib.
I believe the Chinese have done this sort of thing before, and not just in the world of fountain pens. They tend to follow rather than innovate. I have seen Chinese clones of Western design in automobiles, audio equipment, motorcycles, shaving gear, watches. The list is endless. As a consumer, I appreciate the choice. Morally, I feel slightly uncomfortable. Yet the guilt, for me, is only if I purchase the 'knock off' pen. And, yes, I do buy Chinese pens. I admit it. From a personal point of view I have to say fountain pens are not my only interest. I have other passions, other hobbies and they all require $$$$. In addition, like many others, I have a home to keep, bills to pay and a car to run. So, putting on my sensible head, I try not to buy luxury pens. I could if I wanted to, but I am just not committed to this hobby enough to justify it. I enjoy being able to mix with the fountain pen community at a fairly low level. Some of my better quality pens have been vintage pens which can be found at reasonable prices.
I would like to see moonman change aspects of the design, and make it their own. I think it would be great if they took inspiration from other pens without copying them completely.
As far as I know Leonardo Officina Italiana uses Bock nibs too, branded with their logo and grinded in house, but definitely a Bock nib. So I think Bock is somehow in trouble too as it provides both manufacturers with its nibs ?
I doubt Bock would have known what moonman's purpose for the nibs were. Generally a pen manufacturer is purchasing those nibs in bulk and is not required to disclose what they are for. You or I could go and place a large order today for bock nibs if we were planning on producing a fountain pen.
@@aaronspenvideos4420 you have a point! Yes Bock couldn't have known Moonman's intentions. Since the standard price on eBay now is €46 I'm tempted to give M800 a try (besides, Leonardo also has a steel Bock nib, the only difference being the superior quality of the acrylic of the body which doesn't justify the price difference). Since you referred that Moonman is using a Bock housing that screws on the section and I have a variety of Bock nibs (including a titanium one) , it's an easy decision :-)
@@korax67 i don't see how the acrylic will be different. Thickness? Yeah maybe the expensive one is thicker but the material will remain the same. Same feel, same look. The only difference might me quality control.
@@coffee-vz1nr well, the Italian acrylics are supposed to be (and I guess they are) of higher quality (although I'm not a chemist) and consequently more expensive. Yes, I suppose Leonardo Officina demands a higher quality control from its providers - this rises the cost too.
@@korax67 higher QC is definitely possible. But higher quality is impossible because the chemical composition of resin doesn't change at all. If the resin is moulded thicker the Leonardo will feel heavier which in turn will give a feeling of better quality. But in terms of the chemical composition of the resin used it is the same whether it be a 20 dollar or 200 dollar pen.
I dunno I'm not a fan of leonardo I do agree that they are overpriced but if somebody walks up to me holding that pen and recognizes it as a leonardo it means I fooled them into believing I own something I actually don't. I don't feel like it's a good thing to do. If they changed some aspects or it was vintage you can't buy new anymore it mighta got a pass from some people but we have what we do and it's a direct clone not even an imitation like the c2 is. Not to mention the price point . the real thing is 3 times as much as the clone is. In case of c2 and pilot 823 clone we are looking at a ratio of at least 1 to 10 so it really is a different price point but for this pen it's kinda in the same intermediate range
You are correct about the pen confusing someone. I would say if that person asked me I would tell them no it is a moonman and give them the opportunity to look at it and compare of they owned a leonardo. There is always different ways of looking at it and I do agree that this pen is definitely a clone in just about every aspect.
I'm so glad to see Pen News back again Aaron! You're my go-to guy for what is up and coming. Regarding the Penbbs 500, I just received my "Galaxy" 500 the other day and posted my review. I think Penbbs is the most innovative and exciting pen makers out there. Within a month they have introduced three new models and two new filling systems with the 491 (which I have in Cordeirite) , the 500 with the spring piston and the 492 (which I have on the way - how long from China who knows these days) with the innovative new/old magnetic filling system. I finally received my Moonman M8 and it was instantly loved and possessed by my wife - but a beautiful looking and writing pen (my review goes up tomorrow). As to the Moonman M800, I had one in my basket and before I was able to click purchase, esybuy raised the price $10US so out of the basket it went. I think this is like the Moonman M600 that came with a Schmidt nib at a higher price point and then they released it as the M600S with the Moonman nib. I will wait for the M800S no matter how much I lust after one of these lovely pens. I like Moonman, WingSung and Hero when they pay homage to designs no longer in production (like the Moonman 80 of the Parker 45). But this adoption of the Leonardo design makes me think Moonman is getting lazy in the design department - unlike Penbbs. My $0.02 worth. :) Keep 'em coming Aaron! Great video.
Thank you for your support! I have planned on watching your penbbs video this afternoon!
@@aaronspenvideos4420 Thanks, Aaron! :)
Very balanced review & commentary. I have a Moonman M800 in Amber, video review may be published today. I do not own but have used a Momento as with that pen, I do not enjoy the section shape of the M800. The Bock nib is great, better than normal F ones I have used. Build is first-rate, resin is a great Amber exactly like PenBBS. I also agree the Moonman #6 is a great nib, the T1 & M8 write wonderfully. Why add $10 to the price with a Bock nib. Moonman put a Schmidt on the M600, which was not great. The M600 check model is also more expensive. I ordered a 492 didn't ship before New Year now the virus has further delayed it. Thanks for your deep dive into these interesting pens from across the Pacific.
I look forward to your take on the m800!
I'm ok with pen makers drawing inspiration from one another, but I think Moonman crossed the line here. Thanks for the update!
Totally understand your opinion.
The PenBBS 492 has the magnet in the top end of the cap and not the center band. Also there should be a bottle included with each 492.... Also welcome back! It's refreshing to see you do FP news again
Thanks for the follow up info. I rewatched the video and realized I looked at it wrong.🙂
No probs. Will be waiting for this weeks pen news!
*I* get frustrated when people misattribute design elements to companies or designers, or promote silly marketing ploys like 'precious resin' or 'Italian resins/craftsmanship.' Western and European pen makers copied each other all the time back in the day, and this is nothing new, though admittedly Moonman does seem to be 'taking the piss.' They could have skirted controversy with a few easy changes (like getting rid of those cones). I like that there are manufacturers who challenge the premise of unaccountably expensive pens, and offer something comparable for less. I'm not against expensive pens, but there has to be more to them than slick marketing and oversized packaging.
Very solid points especially about the marketing terminology.
Glad to see you back. Enjoyed it. Looking forward to more.
Thank you!
I always enjoy your videos. Thanks!
I would also recommend that you try a TWSBI Go. The section of the Go is made of a thicker, softer plastic than the other TWSBI models. It would be impossible to crack the section without destroying the rest of the pen. They definitely aren't elegant, but in terms of utility, they are real performers.
Nice to know. I thought about getting it as a knock around pen for work.
I have 2 Leonardo Momento Zero's . After purchasing them i seen the Moonman 800 and i was a bit taken back by the similarities not in a bad way... but my curiosity will get the better of me and i am going to buy the 800. I have a coulple Moonman pens and i think they are great values for the money.
I agree with your reflection about Moonman pens and some design Fountain pens... I bought a Pelikan M200 but I ended up getting it back because It was really expensive in comparison from what I was receiving and compared to other brands, including Chinese pens, could offer me. About original or knock off, I think is like in the watch industry: if a watch looks like a Rolex but it has not Rolex on the dial neither pretends to be a Rolex and has some slight differences on, then is not a knock off but an homage. There are hundreds of models of pens from even Pilot, Sailor, Platinum and Jinhao that takes inspiration on vintage Parker, Shaeffer and Montblanc models, should I considered them knock off pens: No, they are homage of the original models because they take the same design cues but with their own spin to the models they take inspiration of... Nice video.
Thank you for the comment and I agree with everything you said
Seeing the semiconical finishes of L. Momento Zero I thought of those of Conway Stewart in the 1950's. Everyone "influences" everyone and it seems to me that the lawyers put the limits. About the new M800 I agree with Douglas J. Rathbun that I might wait until Moonman makes the Moonman M800S half price and with a Moonman nib.
Good points! I agree if they drop the price with their proprietary nib that would be great. I am however okay with a bock nib especially with the ability to put a titanium nib unit on the pen.
Instead of palladium, Visconti puts now on its Homo Sapiens a 18kt gold Bock nib. I tried an F and it disappointed me. Too dry and too much fine for my taste. I hope a Bock F steel nib was better. And I agree that the titanium Bock nibs are excellent.
In the end inexpensive fountain pens get people into using them rather than disposable gel or ballpoints.
Very true
Very beautiful. Thank you!
YW
I have a Moonman 800 on the way. Bought it partly out of curiosity in the fit and finish. I got a Wing Sung 699 for the same reason and was very impressed. I like to carry these pens and leave my more expensive pens, the few that I have, at home. But that Moonman 800 may have gone over the line where the Wing Sung 699 just approaches it. I need to hold it for a closer look though.
Let me know what you think of the 800 once received. It would be interesting to here from someone that has a leonardo for comparison.
Tricky job drawing that line.
Good to see you again, Aaron
Thank you!
Finally a vlogger for the consumer and someone that has a budget. Talking sense over $.
Exactly. On the other hand it can be fun to see millionaire's pens on TH-cam that you would never even see otherwise, let alone buy.
There are some other oen reviewers like chrisrap52, WaskiSquirrel, and others that are great as well. Chris is one of the reasons why I started my channel and he helped me fall in love with Chinese fountain pens
There is zero chance I would buy a Leonardo, or any other pen over maybe $80. I could spring for a Moonman, maybe on sale. I think the C1 is gorgeous, and would buy it if gorgeosity came into my purchase considerations. How much of an overlap is there between the two markets? The price difference is so great I suspect that the few Moonman purchasers would have bought a Leonardo instead, were the Moonman unavailable.
Having lived for a couple of years in China, I can tell you that their thoughts regarding intellectual property are completely foreign to ours in the West. I can't really imagine them changing; they are imbued in the culture. As are their skills and capacity in manufactury. All part of the terribly complicated world we live in.
I guess it is possibly the government's job to resolve such conflicts if it can. So I guess Leonardo, an Italian company, could ask (sue) the US government to ban the import of copycat Moonman pens to the US from China. But who decides what's a copycat, and who pays the cost of the litigation and of the ban? And good friggin' luck enforcing a ban when individuals in China can sell pens to us in the US for $2.90 (Wing Sung 765, what a great pen!), shipped, and somehow make a profit.
If Leonardo is actually losing money due to Moonman, then I feel for them. What a drag. But nobody feels sorry for Montblanc, for losing money due to the Jin Hao 159 taking sales away from the Montblanc 149 (inconceivable). And what exactly is the difference?
What a thorny issue! Also: please don't shoot the messenger!
Very good points! I agree that most consumers buying moonman 800 would have probably never bought a leonardo fountain pen. $50 for a fountain pen is still not cheap and when you are getting north of $100 for some it's not worth the price point.
I don't see Leonardo losing money at all. The thing is if you are looking out to buy a Leonardo pen you won't settle for a Chinese ripoff will you?
But someone who doesn't has 200 dollars to drop on a Leonardo pen can still buy a clone of it. How does it hurt Leonardo? The broke fella didnt have the money to buy it anyway.
Remember if you order anything that ships from China will not ship until flights resume due to corona virus. Most likely March. Possibly longer.
That moonman 800 also has the roller clip sorta like Montegrappa pens.
I know that I will probably be waiting for my penbbs pen for a long period of time. It just helps build up the excitement I guess
I buy copies all the time. But I don't think I'll buy this one--too expensive for a copy!
I totally understand
Some really nice quality pens at good prices. I bought a Moonman T1 because I wanted to try a bent nib. I like it very much apart from the lack of a clip. Very like a Kaweco I have. I also bought a smaller black metal body Moonman (C1-red rings) also with a bent nib. If they don't work out for me, I can give them away and I haven't blown a lot of money.
I may try the T1 at some point especially since it is a piston filler.
AliExpress has the m8 for 31 dollars, free shipping.
No longer .... sold out on eBay too ...
It is a popular pen. I am glad I got mine when I did.
Despite owning some of those over priced Italian an German pens ;I had to agree with you regarding many of todays' German and Italian pens being priced way off the scale for what its really worth , they are now luxury fashion items ; no longer just quality pens, which though, they are . The fact is its still not right to be priced so much. Personally I had zero interest in the new Moonman but I can see the logic behind that, which probably outgrow of their experience with the M600 .. whateve the cry , the shouting the fact remain when Moonman puts out the M600 and the M200 they sells, but when they put out equally good original design like the N3 or M5 those do not sell as much despite everybody agreeing that those are very nice design and equally quality pens. That just drive the Mfr to keep on doing what's the obvious .. that is .. just copy ready market design , people buys .. so yeah might be we can criticize the Mfr, but might be we should be more self - reflect on us the hobbyist instead
Good points!
Very nice review! You missed an interesting release, the caliarts ego3;) The ego 1 and 2 are clear ordinary looking pens but had some fantastic nibs, but the 3 is odd, it doesn't have caliarts' amazing nib, but comes in some incredible colors instead.
I saw that after my video. I will definitely put it on the next one along with the tramol fountain pen. Thanks for the info!
I own a Leonardo Momento Zero, as soon as I saw the Moonman 800 I ordered one. Chances are that the Moonman will be a better pen than the Leonardo. As far as I know Leonardo uses a Bock nib too, but hopefully it will be much easier to switch the nib of the Moonman to something more unique like titanium or gold nib.
Moreover, the Leonardo suffers from an annoying rattling noise due to its redundant blind cap, I'm not expecting the Moonman to have such issue.
Last point, there is a new model from Leonardo (sorry, I currently don't recall the name) which uses very similar semi translucent acrylics as the Moonman. I guess there is something deeper than we know about this Moonman 800.
Nice to here from someone that owned a leonardo. Let us know what you think about the moonman.
A counterfeit that is BETTER than the original? That opens up a whole new can of buying-decision worms...
@@aaronspenvideos4420 I own two standard Leonardos and was actually thinking of purchasing a Grande model. I just received my Moonman 800 and as I compare the two just by looking: the weight is about the same as a standard Leonardo, although the resin on the Moonman seems thicker. They both write very well, no issues at all. I will wait a day or two to see if there are any hard start problems. I have to admit I doubt very much I will be buying a Grande. Just as an aside, if you own a Pilot Custom 823, you should never have a need for another fountain pen.
I absolutely love my 823! It has been inked up everyday since I got it. It would be hard for me to choose one pen, but that might be the one!
@@ichirofakename Get the Moonman it's essentially the same as the Leonardo. If you don't like the fine Bock nib (which is excellent) there are way more options of replacement nibs than in the case of the Leonardo. You can use replacement nibs such as steel, titanium, gold 14k and 18k, palladium, gold music and more.
If you want to take advantage of the possibility to replace the nib, make sure you get the version with the Bock nib and not the one with the Moonman nib.
I believe the Chinese have done this sort of thing before, and not just in the world of fountain pens. They tend to follow rather than innovate. I have seen Chinese clones of Western design in automobiles, audio equipment, motorcycles, shaving gear, watches. The list is endless. As a consumer, I appreciate the choice. Morally, I feel slightly uncomfortable. Yet the guilt, for me, is only if I purchase the 'knock off' pen. And, yes, I do buy Chinese pens. I admit it. From a personal point of view I have to say fountain pens are not my only interest. I have other passions, other hobbies and they all require $$$$. In addition, like many others, I have a home to keep, bills to pay and a car to run. So, putting on my sensible head, I try not to buy luxury pens. I could if I wanted to, but I am just not committed to this hobby enough to justify it. I enjoy being able to mix with the fountain pen community at a fairly low level. Some of my better quality pens have been vintage pens which can be found at reasonable prices.
Thank you for the honest comment! I think a lot of us fit in this category as consumers.
I would like to see moonman change aspects of the design, and make it their own. I think it would be great if they took inspiration from other pens without copying them completely.
They have proven that they can make some pretty attractive pens
The only problem with Moonman for me is the lacke of EF nib
As far as I know Leonardo Officina Italiana uses Bock nibs too, branded with their logo and grinded in house, but definitely a Bock nib.
So I think Bock is somehow in trouble too as it provides both manufacturers with its nibs ?
I doubt Bock would have known what moonman's purpose for the nibs were. Generally a pen manufacturer is purchasing those nibs in bulk and is not required to disclose what they are for. You or I could go and place a large order today for bock nibs if we were planning on producing a fountain pen.
@@aaronspenvideos4420 you have a point! Yes Bock couldn't have known Moonman's intentions.
Since the standard price on eBay now is €46 I'm tempted to give M800 a try (besides, Leonardo also has a steel Bock nib, the only difference being the superior quality of the acrylic of the body which doesn't justify the price difference). Since you referred that Moonman is using a Bock housing that screws on the section and I have a variety of Bock nibs (including a titanium one) , it's an easy decision :-)
@@korax67 i don't see how the acrylic will be different. Thickness? Yeah maybe the expensive one is thicker but the material will remain the same. Same feel, same look. The only difference might me quality control.
@@coffee-vz1nr well, the Italian acrylics are supposed to be (and I guess they are) of higher quality (although I'm not a chemist) and consequently more expensive. Yes, I suppose Leonardo Officina demands a higher quality control from its providers - this rises the cost too.
@@korax67 higher QC is definitely possible. But higher quality is impossible because the chemical composition of resin doesn't change at all.
If the resin is moulded thicker the Leonardo will feel heavier which in turn will give a feeling of better quality. But in terms of the chemical composition of the resin used it is the same whether it be a 20 dollar or 200 dollar pen.
chrisrap52 has a video up on youtube about the PENBBS 492.
Correct! Douglas Rathbun has one up as well. Mine is supposed to be delivered on Thursday and I cannot wait to receive it!
I have a moonman m2 and I love it have a wancai on the way sometime lol
Both great pens!
Isn’t it 02-02-2020 ?
It is 10:22pm where I live so still 2-1 for me.
no
I dunno I'm not a fan of leonardo I do agree that they are overpriced but if somebody walks up to me holding that pen and recognizes it as a leonardo it means I fooled them into believing I own something I actually don't. I don't feel like it's a good thing to do. If they changed some aspects or it was vintage you can't buy new anymore it mighta got a pass from some people but we have what we do and it's a direct clone not even an imitation like the c2 is. Not to mention the price point . the real thing is 3 times as much as the clone is. In case of c2 and pilot 823 clone we are looking at a ratio of at least 1 to 10 so it really is a different price point but for this pen it's kinda in the same intermediate range
You are correct about the pen confusing someone. I would say if that person asked me I would tell them no it is a moonman and give them the opportunity to look at it and compare of they owned a leonardo. There is always different ways of looking at it and I do agree that this pen is definitely a clone in just about every aspect.