That new fish drawing for the video thumbnail is awesome!
@LewisLittle66
8 ай бұрын
I've noticed some brands like Ellington Pens, Scrivener and Wordsworth & Black, all claiming to be UK brands, yet the pens all look basically the same, the websites look the same, they're all in the £30-£100 price range and they all get poor reviews. I'm certain that all three brands operate in exactly the same way as you describe. They're basically charging a markup for the branding and packaging. If you're buying a pen (for yourself) made of stock Chinese parts, you may as well buy a Jinhao for £10. (though I can see the benefit of buying a pen like this, with nice packaging and some sort of warranty, if you're buying it as a gift for someone else). The exact same thing happens in art supplies like pencils and markers, with brands like Arteza. It's referred to in the art scene as "white label" manufacturing. Regardless of the price, branding and packaging, the products themselves are all basically identical.
@HistoricGentleman
8 ай бұрын
Esterbrook, narwhal, etc. etc as you can look at the same factory turning out their own brand asvine for 20-30$ vrs 55$ for the narwhal version or twice that for the twatsbi draco version, or the Armando simoni studio at triple the price….. or when Esterbrook brought out the Camden first generation that was a 300 rupee Indian pen
@Shiruvan
8 ай бұрын
I paid the premium for a Leonardo instead of sampling a Moonman/Majohn copy of Momento Zero, but its thanks to people who kindly let me try in person when I had the chance, as there's no brick and mortar shop in my neck of woods. having bought Jinhaos in full conscience of their copy/knockoff status, I just felt like it defeats the purpose of the fountain pen scrutiny-hobby, or any hobby that requires scrutiny(maybe its all things passionate! the word 'hobby' is to downplay it) and pay the extra when it makes sense(such as actually trying on person and having experienced in pens in similar price to understand why I'd pay more), because the Jowo steel Fenice stamped nib is cosmetically polished beyond some gold nibs, the 3 point screws cap make it almost 1 turn fast uncap, acrylic design that isn't just randomly poured and I can happily see these 'little details that surprised me somebody else, the maker, DO care' in my collection and hand. It writes probably no better than a Jinhao X159, but I care for those other things. Narwhal/Nahvalur seems to actually apply in the middle ground price while also being in the similar business as the mentioned Esterbrook, but that's why I'm not too persuaded on praises of acrylic or 'durable' pens with fancy filling mechanism to sell to me. If I were to respect my passion rule, I could always open up online free market(ebay etc.) and find Japanese gold nib vintages or other vintages steel or gold nib to save on, since they can range from cheaper, same, to slightly more expensive(but higher trim) than modern new offerings could. Edit: yes Nahvalur do have higher ends and more original ones, as argument on that custom specs to their Chinese parts vendor, specially kept behind-brand thing goes like Nautilus, or the Ikkaku urushi, Omas acquisition, which further deviates from the Asvine accusation/assumption, maybe that's the money is used for, so that's point for Nahvalur I guess, but I'm not onto fad-value following any more than seeking towards the more original ones, so it doesn't matter at least for me; I'd still chase on vintage OMAS, Pilot Custom Urushi/845/Nakaya, because the nibs and past original is worth more than safe-and-warranted
@thorhilda
8 ай бұрын
@PenBoyRoy The Nahvalur Schuylkill (60$ USD) is an upgraded version of the Asvine P20 (30$ USD) with a better looking cap ring. And the ASC Studio (195$ USD) is essentially the same pen as the Nahvalur Schuylkill, but with a hefty price tag due to Italian marketing hype. They are the same exact pen, made in the same (kept secret) Chinese factory.
@Shiruvan
8 ай бұрын
I was wondering if the recent OMAS(or Omas?), Nahvalur and ASC kerfuffle had anything beyond the recent stuff, but your comment makes everything more likely than ever.
@thorhilda
8 ай бұрын
@@Shiruvan Search online for this press release : "OCT 09, 2023 OMAS OFFICIAL The Resurrection of OMAS: A Message from Our President Dear Pen Community, My name is Frank Zhang, the newly appointed President of OMAS. Many of you might know me from my previous position as the CEO of Nahvalur/Narwhalpens. I am pleased to announce the revival of the iconic OMAS brand. ..."
@kendallmallon1763
8 ай бұрын
I am glad you confirmed the Phaeton 500 being a Kanwrite. The only difference is the cap has an Esterbrook clip. One thing though with buying it from Esterbrook is that I had the barrel crack on me and I sent an Estie in for repair and tossed in the Phaeton on a whim to see if they would do anything about it and they replaced the pen for free... I could have got more than 2 Kanwrites for the price, but at least they didn't try an fight or argue that it was out of warranty... They just replaced it no questions asked, so I guess that's part of the higher price of reselling a base item.
@paulmchugh1430
8 ай бұрын
You hit the nail on the head with the discussion on different manufacturers use the same factory to make their products. I have both the Jinhao 9056 and the Conklin All American wood pens. As far as design and construction, they are almost identical, save for the clip, grip and nib. I have found out that eyeglass frames are made basically by two companies, one in China and one in Italy. Regardless of whose name is on the frame, it is made by the same company. You pay for the packaging and most importantly the brand name. So why buy a Versace frame when an identical frame from a no-name company is available for 90% less? Going back to pens, I wonder if a Conklin grip can be used in a Jinhao pen? I know that Jowo nibs can be used on a Jinhao or Wing Sung pen and the converse is true. I know Conklin resins are made in Taiwan and Italy. Are these pens also made in these countries or is it just the resin? As far as resins go, there are many that are very similar but not exactly the same from different pen manufacturers. Maybe the resin color and style is copyrighted? As for the wood on the Conklin All American, it is from the US. It is American Walnut. It was assembled outside the US. Did Jinhao "pinch" some of the wood for their own pen? Maybe?? Happy New Year to both of you.
@debbypodgorski4144
8 ай бұрын
Great video! Always interesting topics. Love the honesty on your channel.
@Calcprof
8 ай бұрын
In leather bands for (say) Swiss mechanical watches, there is another category. Small companies (who may be one person), often in Thailand (but not always,) that source leather and buckles, but sew everything together themselves. There are some really interesting watch straps in this category. Not all the same. I don't think there is a pen analogue. "Made in Switzerland" has (on paper) a precise definition. Something like 51% of added value made or assembled in Switzerland. Some companies push this (say -- buying unfinished Chinese movements and finishing and slightly modifying them in Switzerland) , and some are much more rigorous in their interpretation (making all parts of the movement themselves.).
@TheRacerRich
8 ай бұрын
If that bracelet really weighs 70 grams as advertised, I am skeptical of the idea that it is titanium, as the titanium bracelets Sinn uses weigh less than 50 grams.
@CrashandTrash596
8 ай бұрын
Great video! Thanks for another great year! Keep it up and as always I love your pen reviews and more ink reviews would be nice in 2024.
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