I love how you take the pens apart I am always curious to see all the parts that can be taken apart and if they are cleanable or need silicone grease or things like that its very helpful. Keep up the good work ! Take care Talk soon
My Hongdian 660 is a very smooth writer. I love wood pens; my favorites are Watermans, Omas, Graf von Faber Castell; the Moonman M800 cap cracked on me and the Jinhao Heritage and Hongdian 660 are reliable, stiff but pleasant pens. Thanks for your reviews!
Lots of great stuff here Chris. I was really intrigued by your ink choice. Like you, I have a bottle of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black tucked away and I never think about it. Thanks to this review and water test, I certainly will now. The pens look great. I have had good experiences with Hongdian. Always look for and enjoy your videos.
I enjoy that many Chinese pens have both brand and model on them. Usually understated, it's close to the same market similar pens fit in the past (nothing like the "brand all visible parts" of the higher end pens of the past. Solidly 3rd tier. 😁) Does a "3rd tier" designation mean they suck? Certainly not! I have both higher end pens and budget pens, and they generally all fit my needs. And, like several of the Chinese pen manufacturers, Hongdian has been doing it right. Listening to the consumer. Constant tweaking and improvement. Looks like this is the same thing. 😁 And why shouldn't a vintage ink work, if it doesn't have "SITB" or funny smells? I have a bottle of Carter's I think is from the 1930s that works as well as the day it was made. WWII era Parker Quink. 1950s Sheaffer's Skrip. Because they were still good, and can be cheaper than some modern inks. (Gotta admit finding the same ink I first got in the early 1980s got me heading down that rabbit hole. 😁) Another enjoyable and informative video, Chris! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this pen!
Another great video! I love to see other people who can appreciate inexpensive pens for what they are... they don't have to cost hundreds to be enjoyable :-)
@@chrisrap52 well, I also ordered the 660. Maybe I will have two good pens. Hongdian has been a company I haven't looked at until recently. Also, I, too like wood pens!
Hi Chris, I always enjoy your reviews. I too like the stealthy look of some pens! Are you coming to the Commonwealth Show this year? I'll be there as it is fairly close to home! Take care and thanks again for the review!
The ball is to break surface tension, when ink sometimes stays away from the nib. I don't find it to works well & makes cleaning the pen more difficult.
I love how you take the pens apart I am always curious to see all the parts that can be taken apart and if they are cleanable or need silicone grease or things like that its very helpful. Keep up the good work ! Take care Talk soon
Thanks for watching! I usually do some disassembly with each pen. Many share design some are unique.
My Hongdian 660 is a very smooth writer. I love wood pens; my favorites are Watermans, Omas, Graf von Faber Castell; the Moonman M800 cap cracked on me and the Jinhao Heritage and Hongdian 660 are reliable, stiff but pleasant pens. Thanks for your reviews!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the ink test.
Lots of great stuff here Chris. I was really intrigued by your ink choice. Like you, I have a bottle of Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black tucked away and I never think about it. Thanks to this review and water test, I certainly will now. The pens look great. I have had good experiences with Hongdian. Always look for and enjoy your videos.
Thanks. Good the hear I'm not the only one with forgotten ink bottles.
I enjoy that many Chinese pens have both brand and model on them. Usually understated, it's close to the same market similar pens fit in the past (nothing like the "brand all visible parts" of the higher end pens of the past. Solidly 3rd tier. 😁)
Does a "3rd tier" designation mean they suck? Certainly not! I have both higher end pens and budget pens, and they generally all fit my needs.
And, like several of the Chinese pen manufacturers, Hongdian has been doing it right. Listening to the consumer. Constant tweaking and improvement. Looks like this is the same thing. 😁
And why shouldn't a vintage ink work, if it doesn't have "SITB" or funny smells? I have a bottle of Carter's I think is from the 1930s that works as well as the day it was made. WWII era Parker Quink. 1950s Sheaffer's Skrip. Because they were still good, and can be cheaper than some modern inks. (Gotta admit finding the same ink I first got in the early 1980s got me heading down that rabbit hole. 😁)
Another enjoyable and informative video, Chris! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this pen!
Thanks for watching & sharing your experiences. I have a few older bottles, some 100 years old. They all work.
I appreciate the stories you tell about the NYC pen scene. I also think you should do voice overs, but you do you. :-)
It's gorgeous pen and writes well. The clip is fragile. Mine was broken just a week of usage.
Sorry to hear.
Looks like a nice pen! Thanks for another great review.
Thanks for watching!
Another great video! I love to see other people who can appreciate inexpensive pens for what they are... they don't have to cost hundreds to be enjoyable :-)
Absolutely!! Thanks for watching.
I should have waited for your review of this pen. I had ordered the 517D. The 660 seems to be the better pen
Thanks for your review.
You'll enjoy the 517D. Feels great in the hand. If nib not what you want, some smoothing will fix.
@@chrisrap52 well, I also ordered the 660. Maybe I will have two good pens. Hongdian has been a company I haven't looked at until recently.
Also, I, too like wood pens!
Otra excelente revisión que hace que me antoje de comprar otra estilográfica. La pondré en la lista. Cordial saludo.
Gracias. Recientemente he adquirido unos bolígrafos muy buenos. Gracias por ver.
@@chrisrap52 estaré pendiente de sus revisiones.
Vi que si compro el jinhao 80.
Estaré atento.
El 80 parece estar bien hecho. El tiempo dirá. Pedí uno con clip plateado y uno rojo.
Beautiful pen! Thanks for the review.
Thanks for watching and enjoying the pen.
Great little pen, thanks.
Hi Chris, I always enjoy your reviews. I too like the stealthy look of some pens! Are you coming to the Commonwealth Show this year? I'll be there as it is fairly close to home! Take care and thanks again for the review!
Thanks. At this time I will not be attending, have a previous commit.
Reminds me a bit of the Waterman Carène (except for the nib).
Not something I saw. Clip is also different.
Maybe you can sell those ink cartridges on the black market.
Great idea. How much should I ask for?
@@chrisrap52 Enough to buy a bottle of ink, including shipping.
Why would you want to take the ball out anyway? It's in there so the ink doesn't clog up. Pilot's CON-40 even has four balls in it.
The ball is to break surface tension, when ink sometimes stays away from the nib. I don't find it to works well & makes cleaning the pen more difficult.