Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

(Request: If you like the reports below, please press 'This was helpful' button. I am not employed by anyone to write this. But hopefully, your vote will get me at least a free pen from Amazon in the process :-)) __ two year update July 2022__ Next week , I complete two years of being the owner of a Beiluner pen (Steel finish , fine nib). The other Beiluner is a brown Medium. At the two year mark, both pens are showing some wear and tear but they are both working quite well and writing smoothly. The Gold polish is coming off in the nib (after this is only a plated nib) in the steel version. The brown version has a small section where is the paint is peeling. So, what is the verdict? But the Beiluner if you can get it for less than $18 or so. Second, buy the Steel Finish with fine nib. That is the best value for money. Thanks. ______ Very lengthy reports follow . I am going to make it very easy for you all: 1. The Beiluner pen offers a compelling value: Decent pen, decent nib, but the real value is in the ink converter and the six cartridges that come along. 2. Buy the Beiluner, SILVERfinish with a MEDIUM nib. This is a change from our earlier recommendation to buy the painted version and Medium. The reason for the change is that the paint is beginning to chip a bit but the steel version is maintaining its look and shine. 3. If you also have an extra $7 to spare, buy the Amazon Basics fountain pen with a FINE nib: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Refillable-Fountain-Pen-Point/dp/B07SM9CSWT/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=amazon+basics+fountain+pen&qid=1639347607&s=office-products&sr=1-4 **** HERE IS THE SECRET: BOTH THE BEILUNER AND THE AMAZON BASICS FOUNTAIN PEN ARE COMPATIBLE!!!! (YOU HEARD IT FIRST RIGHT HERE! ******* This way, you will get for less than $25 - $27 ( or perhaps even cheaper) the following: 1.Two steel bodied fountain pens with decent nibs (one Amazon Basics (Fine) and one Beiluner steel medium). 2. 9 cartridges that are all 2.4mm bore (three in the Amazon pack and six with the Beiluner) 3. A Schmidt converter that works on both pens (this is included in the Beiluner pack). You cannot go wrong with this combo and you will get enough fountain pens to enjoy for at least 12 months, if not more, without having to buy any ink (depending on the writing load). Obviously, you can always fill the pen using the converter if you have an ink bottle. If you wish to thank me, please press on the 'This was helpful' button! ___________ May 2021 update (Dec and Nov 2020 reports below) I have now have had two Beiluner pens for at least 6 – 9 months – An all steel fine nib pen, and a chocolate colored medium pen . I have also bought a Lamy Safari pen in the same time and can give you some comparison points (Fine nib and new). My verdict: a. Which Beiluner to buy – Choose the non-steel, medium nib, color version (mine is brown) ; Do not choose Fine. The medium nib is larger and is slightly smoother than the fine. The fine nib is actually beginning to lose its gold plating a bit, looking bi-metallic. b. Choice between Lamy and Beiluner – this gets tricky: a. Lamy is a more reliable writer. Does not skip and smoother, slightly more so (Lamy 1 – Beiluner – 0) b. The converter and 6 cartridges come with Beiluner and are also German made (Lamy 0 – Beiluner –1) c. Lamy is all plastic and Beiluner is all metal body (made (Lamy 0 – Beiluner –1) d. The Lamy is a bare pen (and if you are lucky you may find some free cartridges in a package deal). The Beiluner comes in a nice box. (Lamy 0 – Beiluner –1) e. The Lamy converter has a slightly lower capacity (can see this readily and visually awarded no points) Bottomline: Go for the medium, color-version of Beiluner and you won’t go wrong. If you have more money both the Lamy and Beliliuner will nicely complement each other. The 4* rating on Beiluner is maintained! ___________ December 2020 update (with a new Medium Nib version addition) Caution: Long Review follows! I have now added a medium nib Beiluner (Brown color body, gold nib) to my collection. This will enable me to truly compare the older (five month old) steel body fine gold nib variant with the new medium nib brown body version of the same make. My earlier reviews are all further below appended to this update . As you can see from the picture, there appears to be really no difference in the way the Brown (Medium) version writes compared with the five month old steel fine nib version in terms of thickiness of the lines. But this picture does not tell the full story between the two pens: 1. The medium nib is brand new and I expect it to break in a bit more. Because the nib is larger in size (you can see that even from the picture), the nib will flatten more as I use it more. Bottomline: Go for the medium nib if you prefer a thicker stroke, close to a broad nib size in the long run. 2. The Brown color is close to a ‘Hershey Chocolate’ brown. This color may be a bit dull for some. The Blue medium appears a bit more bright in the pictures (it was not on sale the day I bought mine!). 3. The problem of the rotating cap does not exist in the brown medium version. This implies that the steel finish is smooth causing the cap to rotate freely. Bottomline: Go for the color versions if you care about the problem of the rotating cap (it is a harmless nuisance, though) In summary, I like both versions now. The fine nib steel is closer to a medium given the wear of five months of writing. The medium new pen is yet to be fully used although it appears to be less slippery. I expect this pen to go a bit flatter in the writing thickness. As I get no incentive from anyone other than your goodwill through ‘this was helpful’ button, I maintain my four star (****) rating for both the steel body (fine) and the brown body (medium) variants of this pen. Thanks again for your support. ______________ Updated on November 23, 2020: I stand by everything I said in my review below. I appreciate all the 'Yes it was helpful' voters out there. Thanks. I have used this pen (steel finish) for the last three months everyday and have discovered two new things: 1. The teflon tape idea definitely works. It has been three months and the first tape is still there and gives a snug fit. So please try it. 2. The 6 cartridges that came with the pen are 2.4mm caliber. This is not your regular short international cartridge. That one is slighly wider and as a result , you will not get a snug fit. Result: Ink will leak. You must make sure you are buying the 2.4 mm cartridges or not at all. Because the pen comes with a really high quality schmidt converter and that does fit well (after all the entire mechanism is made by Schmidt), you will not go wrong by switching completely to the cartridge and ink. I have used both the Parker Quink ink and Waterman and both work great (it will cost roughly $10 per bottle each). Bottom line: my original review and rating still stays. Just have some additional perspectives to add to it . _______________________________________________________________ My original review from August 2020: This is a really nicely engineered pen but suffers from some major flaws for which we yours truly has some solutions: But first, the good things: 1. Good finishing. Well engineered pen with German nib and ink feeding mechanism 2. Value for money: Really economical pen . Similar pens will cost at least $40 and above 3. Ink retention: The ink does not dry quickly. But the cap is not air tight. So if your ink dries out a bit, you can dip in some water and get it back up to write again. This is a minor problem. 4. Comes with a converter: It has a Schmid mechanism and comes with a converter. This alone typically costs $5 when sold separately. The converter will allow you to use any ink . 5. Six free cartridges: this is a small but nice add on. 6 cartridges alone will cost you at least $4 when sold separately. What is the problem then? 1. The annoying rotating cap: this is more an annoyance than an issue. The cap rotates when the pen is closed and it often makes one doubt if you have closed it tightly or not. Fear not, the cap won't fall off as it does lock but rotates freely. You will get used to this. 2. The neck of the pen can get unscrewed while you are writing. This is because of the rather smooth threads that can easily be turned anti-clockwise while you are writing and you will be end up with just the neck (with nib on it of course) in your hand with the body on the ground. Fear not! Buy a $1 teflon tape (available in the plumbing department of any home repair store) and use a one inch strip to wrap around the inner threads of the pen neck and voila!. No more accidental detaching of the neck and the body (see my photo attached) 3. The loose cartridge attachment: if you use the ink cartridge , due to a small gap between the inner cylinder of the neck and the cartridge thickness, the cartridge may appear to dangle. In fact, it is not a tight fit. To avoid any accidental detachment of the ink cartridge, I would always keep a spare ink cartridge loaded in the pen (it can take two cartridges). This way, the one that is mounted won't drop into the body easily, Further, my teflon tape idea (see 2 above ) will seal the body tightly anyway. Lastly, if you are really concerned, use the converter that came with the pen instead of cartridges. So, should you buy this pen? My answer is easily a yes. You get enough for approx $15 (mine cost even less due to an offer). The pen comes quickly. It is nicely packaged and it looks good. I say go for it. And you can thank me my pressing the 'this was helpful' button. Thanks.