Amazing Low Cost Fountain Pen? Lambitou 3088
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- It's a flat out copy of the Platinum Curidas, but the Lanbitou 3088 fountain pen was a big surprise for such a low cost.
Here's where I bought it on AliExpress - Non Affiliate (I make nothinnnnggggsss)
a.aliexpress.com/_mLd0NhV
Love that you left a link to these. Most reviewers, especially when it comes to pocket knives, won't leave links to knockoff stuff.
Good for4 those other reviewersw. Only idots and fools buy copies out of China.
I just ordered one. Am anxious to see how mine performs. It sounds like a perfect opportunity to check out how the new Private Reserve infinity inks work too. Thanks again for your great review and I very much appreciate your thoroughness in your reviews.
With the wrong ink it's terrible. Was so surprised how much difference an ink made.
I was just at a pen show and tried two vanishing points and was impressed with the craftsmanship. It was totally different to your experience with this pen. Thank you for this excellent review.
The Vanishing point is a well made pen by a great manufacturer. This is a knock off of a cheaper lower quality pen. Can't expect much for $10, compared to a $150 pen
Enjoyed the critique, I have one and lucked out, mine works great and must have lucked out on the ink too. It has been been working great so far. I actually enjoy writing with it and have an extra fine nib. It will be used for notes and shopping lists. I did open up the tines and now writes a lot wetter.
The ink had a drastic impact on dry out. The nib is on par for the price & point size. Am amazed it clicks & works for this price
@@Doodlebud I am using DeAtramentis metrol ink from a sample I wanted to get rid of and seems not to dry with daily use sine i got over 4 days ago
Great review, thanks! My experience with this pen is similar to yours - very impressed with the pen, but the construction quality is a bit lacking. I wasn't willing to put money down on a Curidas, though - and this pen might just have persuaded me to give the real thing a try!
I think I was in an extra happy mood when I did the review LOL. It looks cool, but thats about it 😅. Click action is not so great (but dont expect much for the price though to be honest). The nib does write very well when it does actually write. But the nib dry out is pretty bad. After I stopped using the pen, even with the right ink, got a strange ink crusty has formed, and ink booger? And when it dries out, its a real pain to get it going again. Hope the proper curidas doesnt have these issues. If thats the case, then its a good click pen option for a budget that can't accommodate the more expensive options.
Thank you Doodle! I'm still waiting on mine. I'm disappointed with the delivery time and lack of communication with the company but I'm excited for it.
Customer service it's not a strong suite in the Aliexpress world
lanbitou literally means 'broken pen head' or broken tines I guess for fountain pens. Quite a fitting name lmao
It's SOOOOOOO BAD! 🤣
Love the criticism and honesty. Quality is a big factor when things are replicated cheaper!
I was in a cheery mood when I did the video so actually held back a bit from really ripping this thing to bits! 😅
Thanks for an enjoyable and comic review.
Great review! Would I rather have ten of these than my one Pilot Decimo? Or a hundred? The challenge with making a clickable pen is imo substituting the cap for another vapor tight contraption. If that fails, the pen is a fail.
I would take 1 good pen over 100 shoty pens any day.
I've had Pilot retractable and Lamy Dialog 3 and both pens dry between use. The first pen to be both retractable and ready to write will be interesting. Not the Lambitou, for sure. Another way to see the copywrite issue: the Lambitou plant may well make Platinum's Curidas, I don't know. This happens with knife makers. The back side of the issue is whether we should be paying premium prices for cheaply made stuff where the Chinese are making products for Western boutique brands. Most folks accept the global market model and don't see that national products make a lot of sense.
A nicely made FP with a retractable nib seems like some mythical creature. It can be done, but doing it in a way that appeases FP users, maybe not so much. But personally I like caps anyways.
My Curidas eventually started failing (the opening mechanism started sticking). Tried cleaning it and had issues taking it apart (my fault no doubt). The parts are in a baggy now and I'll never buy another one. Too complicated IMO. I'll stick with the Pilot Vanishing Points, which I love. At $15 I'll pick up one of these (I see lots for under $10). This is the most direct copy I've ever seen of a non-Chinese pen, considering all the mechanical parts of the original.
I'm not surprised to hear the Curidas is having issues. The retractable nib mechanism is not well designed. I imagine the lifespan on this one will be even shorter.
01:04
Lanbitou in chinese is 爛筆頭.
Which means "shitty nib".
Their boss might be a troll.
Damn, thats classic.
Platinum goes WTF. Lambitou says hey we changed the name. 😂
Having paid 100USD for Curidas, I wouldn’t mind paying $15 Canadian for this one !
I guess copy right protection isn’t applicable in one particular country for any product it makes (and sells internationally) !
Are we to see reviews of Pilot VP and Lamy Dialog knockoffs in the coming days ?
Pilot VP and Lamy Dialog are both made with complicated metal parts. I don't think those companies are willing to make that investment so they can make those parts.
Aliexpress already has a copy of the Lamy Dialog 3 in four finishes.
I saw that & didn't even want to bother. It will be so terrible!
I own the copy lang dialog 3. I would not recommend it. The action is stiff and occasionally would not close the trapdoor. The really dialog 3 has a significantly smoother action.
@@GeneralPanDeBer good to hear it's junk. There's just no way for $40-50 you'll get a proper working rotation mechanism. Build quality, material selection, part tolerances, fabrication methods, & even assembly & inspection are all critical. For those steps you need to pay people & have different roles for each person. Something that is just not done by knock off manufacturers. All you end up with is a pen that looks like an expensive pen & sorta sometimes works like it until it inevitably breaks
Not really a fan of the Platinum (at least aesthetically).
As far as a click pen, I have been contemplating a Pilot VP. Ever use one?
I've used one at a meet & it wrote well and seemed alright, but has never been enough for me to get one. Not in love with the design. But some people absolutely love their VP & use it as an EDC. I got this one to see if I like using a click pen to potentially get a VP. But, I do like pen caps. Even though I understand the convenience of it, I prefer a cap so not anticipating getting one anytime soon.
I have a Pilot VP as well as the Namiki VP (old VP when it was producted under the Namiki sub-brand). If you like Japanese nibs and want a click pen, the VP is the standard. Your other options (excluding Platinum) are Monte Blanc (yes, they have one), Lamy Dialog 3 and Hermes Nautilus (uses Pilot components, but modified for a twist openning rather than click button). All of then are more expensive than the VP, two of them much, much more. I'll give you one guess on which two. LOL
@@ycplum7062 I have the LD3 and it's a cool pen, but nib does dry up. Still on the fence with the VP
@@Doodlebud
I had the same problem. For some reason, I find that it dries up slower with a cartridge. I have some thin theories, but never othered to test them out.
thanks for posting ,now that you've had it a few weeks hows it doing? have you found a good ink
LOL... Its garbage! Nib dries out so quick. Some inks are better than others. But even then dry out is still quick and takes a lot to get it going.
@@Doodlebud thanks for the quick reply and the" heads up" at that price i might buy one to goof about with
ok i,ve had mine for a week ,used it at work everyday and its been fine no drying out issues maybe i got lucky or maybe its a cold climate pen ; )
I've had the curidas for over a year. It has been fine. I just got one of these Lanbitous on ebay for 9.99 usd. It's is janky, the ink dries out in the pen quick and the nib cover does not work. It might be good for cheap parts if my curidas breaks
You probably don't even want to use it for parts. Good from a far but FAR from good!
@@Doodlebud As an FYI my Curidas mechanism (using a cartridge) fits inside the body of the Lanbitou(sp) pen. I purchased three of these pens in different colors. You are correct about them not writing properly BUT the parts can be used to change the look of the Curidas. I now have a Curidas that is tan, grey, and the red Demo. I had to just think out of the box as they say.
Even Curidas still has a lot of things to improve.
I tried one *edit because I forgot to mention it last time: REAL PLATINUM CURIDAS* that my friend has (so I’m not trying to defend my own pen) and the quality was pretty good. The clicking motion was smooth with a strong and satisfying “click”, the pen body feels nice and sturdy but I can’t comment on the clip since it was removed.
The nib itself was pretty standard, like all the steel nibbed Platinums IMO but it wrote very well. The only thing that was a little iffy was that when you want to retract the nib smoothly, you had to press the button and release it quickly, if I held my thumb on the button to retract it slower (or more quite) it was a little clunky…
In short.. I never thought I would be interested in a pen like that but having used one, I can say it’s a very nice pen
There seems to be a bunch of variation on the pen. The mechanism has a pretty bad build to it, but again for $15 expections can't be too high. I think I got one of the rare pens that seems to operate not too bad. The nib dry out is terrible with the wrong ink. Not sure how many inks work well to fix this issue. But no matter what is said, if you have a pen that you enjoy that's all that matters.
@@Doodlebud Oops, I was talking about the real Platinum Curidas 😂
Since it is a copy of platinum pen. Is it legal to buy one of those? I just heard that it is illegal to buy counterfeit products.
No idea. Counterfeit would be if they put the Platinum logos on it & tried to sell it as an original. But this is a very blatant copy, and a terribly writing pen too 🤣
I’m surprised a knockoff of the Curidas came out so quickly. The Vanishing Point has been around for decades, and I don’t remember seeing a copy of it. Not that I’ve ever looked for one.
I bought a returned Curidas. I had a hilariously bad time taking it apart and inking it. Part of the problem I think was the ink. It works great now with Heart of Darkness. It’s been inked up for months and it always writes. No drying out here!
I've been so sceptical about that little fish head style drap door for the nib & dry out. This knock off seems very sensitive to ink for dry out as well
I read somewhere that Lanbitou was given permission by Platinum to make these, I believe it was on a fountainpennetwork forum so accept as you will. I use two Curidas at my work for a little bit of paperwork and on my off days will sit unused in their pen case. The only one with a start off writing issue is the fine, but it's only momentarily and could also be my error. I love these pens.
From where l can get this pen
I left a link in the description
Any insider info on when the next goodblue drops? Lol I tried to sign up for the notification list but who knows if that worked.
I know you dont, just messing with you.
I saw on his Instagram there's a new batch coming soon. Follow him as he's pretty active on IG & gives updates
Lol thanks for the info.
I stay far-FAR away from the twitars fasebuks n instacoffee.. I'm mean grams. Not my cup or bag .
But honestly, thanks for letting me know it's soon, I'll keep checking his page
Hi Doodlebud. Well, I've gone and bought one! Not because I think It'll be an amazing pen, more to see how it feels to hold this type of pen. I have never been sure if I would like this sort of grip section with a great big clip in the way! This is one way of finding out at little cost. If it turns out to be a decent writer that will be a bonus. So, thanks for pointing out this pen. I hadn't heard of it before seeing your review.
I'm using this one as a test to determine if I want to eventually get a VP. This is no where near that pen, but will let me know if I like the idea of no cap
Buy the Platinum version and compare them side by side. 😉
Not a huge fan of the overall design to get one. But if I did, I would.
Maybe you get a cheap knockoff of great Chinese knockoff of Curidas?
will they make a vanishing point copy also?
Haven't yet, but if they do, probably will be even worse 🙄
@@Doodlebud but doesn't the vanishing point has less moving parts ? or atleast make their own kind of vanishing dot version . make it a little better .
@@gryphonblaze6073 Pilot does a good job with a simpler mechanism. But those trying to copy it & sell it for $10-15 will create another pen that looks the part, but falls way short on performance.
@@Doodlebud I see , thanks very informative .
@@Doodlebud do you review the hongdian pens ? how bout the H1 model is it any good. if you do ?
I have the clear one and I don't even use it at all it's nice but not my favorite
How to buy this pen in India ?
No idea. I left a link in the description hope that helps. But I have no experience buying pens in countries other than the one I live in.
Great review, the pen not so much. But, its nice to see it dismantled and put back together.
The fit of the parts is terrible so had to do something improve it a bit
have you heard of the LM Focus 3? Its another chinese retractable nib fountain pen clone
Yeah that's the Lamy Dialog 3 clone. Don't even want to try with that one
@@Doodlebud why if i may ask?
UPDATE: After more usage nib dry out is terrible even with other inks. Total P.O.S! 💩💩💩
I bought one, it took a while to get. It was my first purchase from aliexpress. The pen came and the end here the nib comes out fell off as I unwrapped it. Then I tried to put it back together and use it. I can’t get it to click or work at all. Everything doesn’t work. I tried to get a refund, which I am waiting for. I did order another one, just to see if that one will work. Might be crap! I have had other lambitou pens that leaked and broke right away. I will be at the SF Penshow in a few weeks maybe I will go for the real deal, Platinum Curidas.. seems like the chines pen makers just LOVE to Rip off all the best designs..but sometimes do it badly. Hard to resist the cheap price..
Good luck with customer service on Aliexpress, not a strong suit for tje platform. The fact that mine works reasonably well seems like the exception vs the rule
China can make quality products. They make a conscious business decision to save money and capture teh bottom end of the market. A lot of people in China are brand conscious since many have become "nouveau riche", at least relatively speaking. They are brand conscious and if they cannot buy the real thing, they get a knock off. Polo shirts use to have a tiny polo player and horse logo. The new shirts have one that covers one third of the front of the shirt. That is to let their neighbors know that they have money, from across the street.
If all you want cheap, but functional (for a time) knock-offs, they are ok value.
I got it for 8 usd.. compare to Curidas for sale about 85 dollar from Japan.. 1/10...
1/10th the price & 1/10th the quality
So I bought a second 3088, a little better as it didn’t fall apart…
Just give it a week or so lol
I received the Lanbitou about three days ago. I opened it, added ink to it and I reassembled it. It wrote but something cause me to open it again. I think the clicking was not right, and since then I haven't been able to get the upper spring back in place properly. I also think something may be wrong with the lower spring. It will hardly retract and when it does the nibs recedes back in at the slightest touch. As much as I want to own the Curidas, it is not in my budget. The Lanbitou is not a worthwhile alternative... buyer beware. I wish I had seen this before my purchase.
It sure looks like the real deal but is far from it. The $10 is better spent on a different pen, ink, or for that matter a couple McDonalds happy meals
$9 on ebay with shipping
Pretty soon it will be free!
I love how everyone loves to bash the Chinese, yet buy their products every day and would be lost without their cheaper products - imagine how much our products would be without Chinese competition ? I’m glad they produce products it helps our own corporate greed - which BTW is running rampant right now - I’d like to see a lot more Chinese products not less.
Amazing pen... when it writes. I have bought two, paid 9.5 euros each, and, nomally, they do not write. When you get any of them to write, it dries out in 3 minutes. Horrible pens.
Yeah mine was like that too, just terrible. But a different ink improved it significantly. Still not something I will use much
@@Doodlebud And the ink is... :-)
One thing about this company does is honesty with their name, which translates pretty much to "rotten nib". Not that the nibs in particular are bad, but the level of quality and copying, two easily noticed factors that are a part and parcel of a manufacturing philosophy that keep me away from a certain category of pens, among other products.
....
Not that Doodlebud fans would say it, but just in case
*Ducks the incoming angry comments*
Lol, it's a hunk o junk. Was ready to toss it as my first ink choice would drynuo so quick. But the ink change made a huge impact. So it does write now, but that's not exactly a win. A pen should write regardless. The lack of any care for quality knew no bounds
Copying is nothing new to pens. It's not new to Chinese pens. It's something that has happened since the early ones, that copies have been made. After all, there's only so many ways to make a pen. 😉
And there's Lanbitou... Not noted for much, if any quality. They're the ones making the "Lamy made in China" clones. That's nothing like the quality of the Lamy. But, is that REALLY different from what 3rd tier pen companies have done since the beginning? Not defending this, just saying that it's nothing new.
Unless it's directly claiming to be something else... If it works, and not claiming to be another brand (that's even an old thing. Happened to Waterman's), and you like it...
It's a poorly built tribute to what seems like an already mediocre pen.
@@Doodlebud I try to avoid Lanbitou for the reasons I mentioned. Second to Hero for inconsistent quality. Only reason I'd even consider this is the novelty, but it's still just not a design that impresses me. Like a fountain pen that is trying too hard to be a ballpoint.
Under 10 bucks us
Lanbitou stands for what ? No joke, lan(烂}=broken, bi(笔)=pen, tou(头)=head, so bitou=nib, Lanbitou=broken nib. It is a true brand name in China.
Well they are keeping true to the name! 😂
Not for me. Thanks for review.
It looks like the shut down the copycats. No doubt they’ll pop up under another name and another cheap copy soon.
Good, it's a total POS! 💩
I have two Curidas pens, the quality on that is so bad I wouldn't buy one to see what these are like.
Well if the Curidas are bad, they copied it VERY well 😂
@@Doodlebud This is definitely not the case! I tried one that my friend has (so I’m not trying to defend my own pen) and the quality was pretty good. The clicking motion was smooth with a strong and satisfying “click”, the pen body feels nice and sturdy but I can’t comment on the clip since it was removed.
The nib itself was pretty standard, like all the steel nibbed Platinums IMO but it wrote very well. The only thing that was a little iffy was that when you want to retract the nib smoothly, you had to press the button and release it quickly, if I held my thumb on the button to retract it slower (or more quite) it was a little clunky…
In short.. I never thought I would be interested in a pen like that but having used one, I can say it’s a very nice pen
@@Doodlebud I can tell you from personal experience that LANBITOU junk doesn't even come close to the Platinum Curidas.
?????
dried out ink is a deal breaker for me. That means the pen is totally useless. You could give the most expensive montblanc ever but if it dries out in 5mins and I wouldn't use that pen. Thanks for the review. Wish they did the sealing better.
Yeah! Mine dries out in a few minutes... maybe seconds. Shitty pen.
With the wrong ink, mine was the same, useless. But tried a different ink & magically it didn't drying out. Even wrote after being left overnight, was very surprised! But still a hunk-o-junk
@@Doodlebud but I don't know which ink it takes not to dry haha.
I've decided, because of China's shenanigans over Covid-19 and their genocide of the Uigars, that I will never knowingly purchase any pen made in China. It may be impossible to avoid it because of deceptive branding, but I'll do my best. (I recently learned all Cross pens, except for a single model, are made in China. So no more Cross pens for me.)
Yeah I hear ya. There are a bunch of reasons someone can pick to reduce, avoid, eliminate purchases from there. Working conditions for employees, shady practices, supporting regimes (EG DPRK), list goes on & on....
I've never ever had good experience with Chinese fountain pens
I've had a few that are ok, like the Jinhao 51A and some wing sung. The pens that are trying to be or look like an expensive pen are typically junk. I find the focus goes into the looks instead of the build quality, reliability, etc.
@@Doodlebud yep, the looks are amazing, and that's what lured me into purchasing a few (and definitely not my fountain pen collector addiction😋). Someday I'll revive them using different nibs and feeds, they can just be eye candy till then.
If people want cheap pens, they should buy a Biro. This rubbishy pen is a disgrace to real fp's!
They made it look like the Curidas, but didn't give any care how the pen works
@@Doodlebud I am always amazed when those who claim to love fp's buy nasty, cheap knock-offs from China. Can't they understand that it badly affects respectable pen companies?
Well, they've managed to make it just as ugly as the original, so there's that...
A true copy!
Fa schifo
Se la lasci senza scrivere per un’ora secca il pennino e ci vuole venti minuti per farla ripartire.
Soldi buttati via
Si asciuga così velocemente.
Hope google translate worked
@@Doodlebud excuse me for the Italian language, but in that moment I was very very nervous.
I also try to change Ink I try to set the nib but.....nothing to do.
I think the problem is the frontal door. DON'T WORKS.
I need tell you that I appreciate your work and from Italy say HI