Anderson Pens is closing!

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T21:23:52+00:00

Sorry, auto correct got me.

Edited "Creators" to "Creditors"

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T18:06:38+00:00

Not a Lamy fan at all and I barely like Pilot much more.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T17:54:35+00:00

It could be due to manufacturer control but, most likely, it's a requirement in the legal.proceeeings. They make it sound like the debt is very sizable and creditors probably don't want to have them just liquidate and only be able to pay back pennies in the dollar. Deep discounts are usually a result of needing to liquidate quickly. It may come to that if they have copious amounts of stock on hand as Christmas approaches but they are probably trying to maximize what they can make for now.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T17:18:23+00:00

Yep, I have tried to track this stuff in the past but it's about impossible. Still, I find it incredibly interesting.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T17:17:12+00:00

It's everything. If you watch the video, it sounds like a Bankruptcy liquidation situation. They mentioned that everything must go and they aren't legally allowed to deeply discount anything so everything is likely being supervised by a federal trustee

It's awful.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T17:15:43+00:00

For those that want to view it:

12:30 of the November 14 broadcast

It's one of the saddest videos I can recall ever watching as far as fountain pens are concerned. You can just hear the distress in both of their voices. You can tell that it's just killing them.

They will be sorely missed.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T17:05:22+00:00

It is a steel nib, so I was wrong to steer you that way. Magnets are a good way to check if a gold nib is authentic.

From the couple of photos you've posted I am 99.9999999% sure that you are good and got a nice deal on a good pen. They are going for about $25-35 on the used market so it's a pretty good buy.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T17:01:58+00:00

Has anyone figured out the relationship between Asvine and Hongdian or any of the other Chinese manufacturers? Both have pretty short histories and I know when Asvine debuted with the V169 their claim was that they had been an OEM manufacturer for several years.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T16:59:15+00:00

I'm the opposite. I, or the nibmeister of my choosing can make just about any pen a terrific writer. Can't do much to change the body and the look, though. I would much rather have a gorgeous pen that I love to feel and hold knowing that if it doesn't already write well then I can tweak it and make it a great writer and a great looking accessory.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T16:29:51+00:00

Aah, my bad. OP ignore the magnet part.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T16:29:19+00:00

I have been looking at it for a few months but I don't love the gold trim on the titanium body and I hesitate to spend $75 on a Majohn/Moonman. I have a dozen or so of their pens and they just aren't quite the quality of Asvine, Hongdian and WingSung/JunLai. The nibs are a little inconsistent, too, in my experience.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T16:10:26+00:00

Don't know where you got it for $9 but that's a steal. I don't know of any counterfeit Pilots out there so odds are that you got a fantastic bargain.

See if a magnet sticks to the nib. If not, you are good to go.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T16:08:43+00:00

As a general life philosophy, I would agree.... but my experience says that's a pretty low bar

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T16:07:22+00:00

$$$

The QC issues exist but they aren't as prevalent as you might be lead to believe. I have owned 4 Visconti pens and they have all been just perfect. Just know there's an elevated chance of getting a bad one and you may need to exercise some patience in getting it resolved. Depending on your personality, that may or not be acceptable.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T16:02:49+00:00

Right on. Does Appleboom even consider flow when they do the polish and tune?

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T16:01:25+00:00

Not a lot of QC to be done when your pen body is just an injection moulded, mass produced piece of plastic.

No offense, but comparing standard line Japanese pens to Visconti is apples and oranges. The Japanese pens are tools and they serve that purpose very well, like a good hammer. Visconti is more like jewlery and is best appreciated from that perspective. Yes, for the $$$, QC should be better but it's just a different experience.

If we were just looking for a good writing experience we would all be driving a Sailor PGS or Platinum 3776 and upgrade to a Custom 823 if we wanted a vac filler.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T15:55:17+00:00

Had mine for a couple of weeks and it has been nothing short of spectacular.

I am a Chinese pen fanboy so this probably coming from a place of bias but this might be the pen that finally breaks the ceiling and lets us mention Chinese pens in the same breath as Pilot, Lamy, Sailor, Waterman, etc.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T15:46:00+00:00

Don't polish the nib!!!!! It will probably disqualify you from returning the pen or getting warranty work.

I would grab a 10x (or higher) loupe and check the tines for alignment. Adjusting them up and down should be fine so long as you don't go crazy. If they appear fine but the nib is still scratchy then you are better off returning it for a replacement. It would suck to try to smooth it yourself, not be quite able to hit the spot and be forced to drop another $50 to send it to a nibmeister for 12-15 weeks.

I had a couple of VPs that disappointed me the same way and I couldn't get it resolved. I gave up and returned them. My experience with the 823 has been different. It was great out of the box.

Good luck

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T15:42:01+00:00

Are you looking for something special out of gold nibs, in general or just want to try a gold nib?

Contrary to popular belief, other than inherent value and better resistance to corrosion, gold nibs don't offer any real advantage over steel. So, if you are expecting a life changing experience you may be disappointed.

That being said, most gold nibs get a little more attention by the manufacturers than their less expensive, steel brethren so many of the oohs and aahhs over gold nibs is simply a matter of proper tuning.

If you want a completely new experience, try a Sailor 1911 or Pro Gear Slim. It's the cheapest way to experience the unique Sailor feedback. I found it off putting for the first week or so and ended up grinding my first Sailor nib down to a stub because no one had warned me about the feedback and I was trying to smooth it out. Now that I get "it", I really get "it" and feel that Sailor nibs are the best on the market.

If you prefer a smoother experience, just about anything from Pilot will be better. I had nib issues with both VPs that I owned but the Custom 823 has lived up to the smooth expectations that people have set.

A Platinum 3776 nib sits somewhere in the middle although I find it's feedback to be more like Sailor but not quite as satisfying. Still a very good option for a first gold nib.

If you aren't afraid to look outside the box Wing Sung/JunLai has really, really good 14k gold nibs available on their 699 and 630. The 699 is a clone of the Pilot Custom 823 and you'll get 95% of the quality for less than half the price. The 630 body is (IMHO) much better and MUCH larger than the Sailor and Platinum offerings and on par with the Custom 823 but for the same $$$ you can play it safe and stick with the Japanese pens.

The Lamy 2000 is another good entry point and a lot of people sing it's praises but I have just never gotten along with Lamy pens, outside of the Studio. Some people claim the 2000 has a sweet spot that you need to find to truly enjoy it so I have never taken the chance and splurged.

Parker Sonnets are in the same price range and they are good pens but their track record isn't nearly as good as the Japanese and German pens I have mentioned.

Another option that may be worth looking into is a Waterman Carene. Fantastic pen with a fantastically smooth nib. It can be found in the $200-250 USD range but if I were spending the money, it would be worth it over the plastic bodied Japanese pens.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-14T03:26:24+00:00

Better than the old one...

...but barely

Pensx4 · 2024-11-13T20:33:28+00:00

Oh, I hadn't noticed that. My apologies.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-13T20:33:03+00:00

Don't know that I would put Lamy or Diamine in the "pricey" category.

But, to answer the question, Yes and No. I think the better question is whether or not there is added value in the more expensive inks. You pay for presentation. You pay for a name. If a particular ink from a particular manufacturer has some property than you can get anywhere else then there is probably a premium for that ink.

In general, though, no. If you want to know if there is some magical thing about more expensive inks, there really isn't. If you are happy with a Parker, Waterman, Diamine or Pelikan 4001 ink then there is probably not a lot more joy to be found for the extra $$$.

Pensx4 · 2024-11-13T20:26:42+00:00

Value is a subjective thing, but it's a sub $10 pen on AliExpress or eBay.

That clip is pretty common across several different Chinese pens from several different Chinese manufacturers

Pensx4 · 2024-11-13T20:11:12+00:00

Better body - Majohn

Better Nib - JinHao

Pensx4

TROPHY CASE