Norman,

Thank you for this. I expected to see the ubiquitous "Black Forest" model pens and similar offerings, and these were new to me. Not anything I would be interested in, as the Baroque trimwork is over the top and not something I spend larger - or small! - sums of money on.

While many are apt to jump on a bandwagon of slamming inexpensive Chinese pens, the fact of the matter is that the quality and functionality of pens in the last few years is simply remarkable. For anyone who has spent time using, restoring, *knowing* fountain pens of the last 100 years, you have to be deeply biased to not acknowledge how well done some of the latest pens are, including nibs that write very well. The one element I can't speak to is the combination of possible subsidies and low wages, but the price/performance ratio is as good as most anything being made now.

I've come to favor a couple of models of the Asvine pen as hosts for various other nibs. Some are direct transplants into the nib housing (screw-in, similar to Jowo), some might need a bit of modification. At the moment, I have three pens that are in constant use for correspondence, all in the P20 model. I chose these because I would have one inked up in my case, reach for it a couple of weeks later and it wrote immediately! A sub-$25 piston filler that seals great, has an ink window, and is made in an array of reasonably attractive acrylics. The current set has a Sheaffer Lifetime (nib) from the early 20s, a later Sheaffer Lifetime with the 2-tone masking, and one pen that I made a project: into the nib collar I placed an Osprey Ultraflex nib along with their ebonite feed (I needed to file a bit of a flat area to work). This last piece was a challenge for my pen club: so many of the new/younger members want to try flex, but they end up buying crappy modern Conklin/etc pens with their deplorable "flex" nibs. This setup is easily into the semi/moderate flex area of a great old vintage flex nib, yet they can have the experience for around a $50 investment. To have some of my favorite old nibs and their writing qualities in an easy-to-clean, piston-filler with decent ink capacity is a very nice thing.

These will never, ever replace my current vintage collection, nor stop me from still finding pens of the past I love to write with. However, it is part of the world now, and with great brands like Sheaffer and Parker in declination - maybe to come back, who knows? - it is important to know what is out there, and for the new enthusiasts, especially students, I enjoy guiding them to pens that are made well, work well, and don't break their modest budgets.

Add in the larger Jinhao and Moonman pens, sporting #8 nibs that write exceedingly well, and there is a lot to choose from. I'm not a fanboi, I don't have tons of these pens, but I have sample enough, and kept a few, so that I am aware of the market and can advise new users. If their first experiences with fountain pens are positive and they didn't have to spend a lot, they'll me more apt to be looking for better, maybe vintage, pens as their interest progresses.

Sorry for the length, you just got me thinking! If there is any interest I can show photos of the recent pens with vintage nibs.

Regards,
Jon