The Kaigelu 316A: Beautiful, Smooth, & Under $20. + Winner Announced!

[@Matto5433]

These Chinese pens never seize to amaze me, the price, quality and their charm is simply unmatched by other brands

[@thewetpen]

It's really amazing what they can do at such a low price, too! These acrylics are wonderful, and the nibs are such great writers... though of course it's clear that they cut some corners with the two-tone finishes 🙂

[@petaks01]

Cheaper pens with good nibs are always interesting as I try to gift them to my friends that show interest in my pens.

[@thewetpen]

I do the same thing; if I can get a good pen at a good price, I'll just hold onto it until I find friends or relatives that want to try them out.

[@enzodef]

Please do both. Rare & expensive and good affordable ones. I really like your videos.

[@chrisrap52]

Enjoyable. I have a few 316s with different nibs. All good writers and look fabulous.

[@thewetpen]

Thanks Chris :-) This is actually a bit of a problem that I have... when I find something that I like, I stick with variations of it instead of trying new things :-)

[@KendallW]

I really appreciate you covering budget friendly pens. I actually ordered a few Kaigelu long blade nibs a while back to see if I like that architect experience.

[@thewetpen]

For a while, I was just using those long knife grinds every day... probably for almost a year. Absolutely loved them, and had a few in nib units that I'd switch in to my favorite pens. I eventually went back to standard broad nibs, but still think that the Kaigelus are great.

[@richardharker2775]

Fascinating. I've recently taken up writing and sketching with ink. I'm trying to keep to basics only but looking at more and more the rule is getting stretched and desires are overtaking needs. The "only live once" mantra keeps flashing up in my psyche. What you show here are highly desirable and very affordable. One part of me is thanking you and the other is saying I shouldn't have watched. In reality I'm glad I did. Very well presented.

[@thewetpen]

This is something that I deal with constantly! I've never considered myself a fountain pen collector, and "collecting" is not really my interest in pens, but you'd never know it by looking at my drawers and shelves, and I do get a tremendous amount of joy from using a nice pen, so new ones keep showing up. But I try to keep the prices reasonable.

[@drnimish333]

This is a really beautiful pen. Colour is gorgeous. I didn’t know about this kaigelu pens. Thanks for making this video. Keep up the good work 👍 See you soon in next video.

[@thewetpen]

I agree! Beautiful pens, especially at this price, shipped across the world.

[@timscott5397]

I ordered a Kaigelu after watching this and it came today. I love it! Great size and weight and that nib is juicy! I use my fountain pens for drawing and I'll be keeping my Kaigelu inked up for filling in black shadows. Awesome videos, great work all around!

[@thewetpen]

Thanks! Glad it worked out for you !

[@bleighhh]

hi, got one, lovely. the fine nib really seems a medium and it is butter smooth. The converter though, it is so small it last nothings! and it is also true the the pen drinks a lot, is very wet

[@miheervaidya]

All right, 2 weeks passed by and my Kaigelu pen has arrive. Thank you for the recommendation, absolutely chuffed with the purchase. I got medium nib, which I find broad personally, but the pen writes beautifully with inverted nib. I inked it with 4:2:1 noodler's shah's rose:noodler's yellow:water and having fall party going.

[@thewetpen]

I'm glad to hear that the pen arrived safely and is working well for you. Yes, their M nibs definitely write broad, which is why I like them so much :-)

[@deanandreoli1975]

That's a great one! I have a collection of those beauties. The 316a rules!

[@thewetpen]

Agreed 🙂

[@asexualatheist3504]

Wow, look at the shading of the ink with the Kaigelu. Thanks for the intro to this brand. I am fond of wet pens.

[@thewetpen]

My pleasure!

[@paulmchugh1430]

I have just ordered a 316. It is supposed to be an updated version. Beautiful resin. Price is still very reasonable.

[@thewetpen]

Ah! Hope you enjoy it. Some of the more recent ones that I've ordered have felt a little lighter than the older ones... but still perfectly fine... and it's really the nibs that make these wonderful pens 🙂

[@AndrewWertheimer]

Happy to hear about pens that are under the radar and are good deals. Happy it doesn’t seem to be a blatant copy of another firm’s design. Agree that there are done cool special nibs.

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

Outstanding review. I've added this pen to my wish list. You have a new subscriber.

[@thewetpen]

Thanks Teresa :-) Welcome to the channel 🙂

[@oldladywcamera]

Always interested in the inexpensive ones. Thanks.

[@sillyuchiha]

Great video and very helpful! I'm still new to FPs and have been really curious about Kaigelu now that I've got familiar with some Jinhao models. It's great to see some in motion and hear what you like about them.

[@llchapman1234]

Nore videos on inexpensive pens, please ❤

[@paulmchugh1430]

It is certainly one of the best inexpensive pens available. I prefer it over the Jinhao 100. In looking at dozens of reviews, I may be in the minority.

[@thewetpen]

The Jinhao 100 is a really excellent pen, too... and I might prefer the size of the Jinhao slightly, but the difference maker is the nib. The Kaigelu nibs are better than a lot of German nibs that I have, whereas the Jinhao are just... OK. Not bad, but nothing special, either.

[@paulmchugh1430]

@@thewetpen I just bought a Hong Dian D1. It has a soft steel nib. Never seen anything like it from China. Maybe you should consider this pen.

[@thewetpen]

@@paulmchugh1430 Oooh, that does sound worth a try.

[@karma13612]

Thanks for this review! Time to go SHOPPING!!! 🖋😀❤️🙋🏼‍♀️ I love the orange one-the website calls it “brown”. Hopefully that’s correct. 🙂

[@thewetpen]

I'm pretty sure that the "brown" is the same as my orange one, though I ordered mine from a different seller a year or two ago. Good luck!

[@ilikepens]

The Chinese pens have really started hitting above their weight class in the last couple of years! I have many that I love.

[@thewetpen]

Agreed... there are some nice ones from Moonman, WingSung, Hongdian... and of course Jinhao is doing cool things with nibs.

[@remyvegamedia]

Interesting. I've actually not heard of this brand or model. I'm looking at the Asvine P20 right now. I found the TWSBI Eco to be a disappointment. It cracked a month in. I don't foresee myself spending more than $50 on a pen right now but also don't want a huge collection so I'm narrowing it down in the $30 range. I'll definitely have to look further into this one!

[@roxiesossa3210]

Hey Matthew! Great review as usual! 😊 I'm not familiar with these pens except through your channel. This time of year, I gravitate towards orange but I don't really have any nice orange pens so I'll check that one out. Love that you can get pretty pens without breaking the bank and not feel terrible if something happens to it. They make nice gifts should you want to be a "pen-pusher".😂

[@thewetpen]

Thanks Roxie :-) I'm not really a pen collector, but I do like to have pens to match my inks... especially when I'm doing ink reviews and taking pictures, so I try a lot of different inexpensive pens for that reason. I should probably have a dozen or two of those popular Jinhao 82s, but I haven't really gotten on board with them yet.

[@roxiesossa3210]

@@thewetpen Yeah those Jinhao 82s haven't really knocked my socks off. I don't know why...🤷🏻‍♀️ but I am going to check out the Kaigelu 316A out.

[@Sharmaji-tm4qn]

Beautiful collection of Kaigelu pens. Great video once again.

[@thewetpen]

Thank you so much 😃

[@stargazer1359]

Great video. Have all variations of this lovely writer.

[@philnaunton7181]

Nice review of LOTSA fountain pens. I like your imaging quality. Well done.

[@malcolmroach2348]

The colour of a pen is of little consequence to me. I t must be comfortable and this one is. I prefer a stub nib and find that Conklin & Monteverde nib units fit very well in this pen. Also, it compares very favourabely with a Conklin Toledo and costs much less.

[@crappiestteam]

This pen does look nice. I prefer inexpensive pens because I perceive I will be less bummed out when they break or get lost. It is not true. A good nib regardless makes pens enjoyable for me. I would like to see more inexpensive pens evaluated. I am a fan of Kanwrite's mostly because the nibs are typically great. Have you tried their Emperor pen yet? It feels like a Noodler's Ahab but metal. The thready for the converter and the special cartridge do work on it too. There is not many reviews of it. I also adore the Click Aristocrat but it's well enough reviewed. It's a solid unexciting work horse.

[@johnpetrucellijr.8167]

Thanks for the jowo tip. I am able to swap my Coklin flex nib unit into the Kaigelu. What a writing experience. Although the Conklin nib unit cost more than the Kaigelu it just fun to experiment with a Kaigelu flex pen.

[@thewetpen]

Yes, that does sound cool! Actually, you might want to try an ultra-flex nib from Fountain Pen Revolution, too. They're really nice and flexy.

[@johnpetrucellijr.8167]

Also, nib units from the moon man (Majohn) T1 & T5 fit the Conklin & Kaigelu. Unbelievable! Thanks Again ! @@thewetpen

[@wookiesteven]

Matthew great video. Now I have to purchase a Kaigelu! BTW, you had asked about whether you should do a review on the upcoming Diamine Inkvent 2023 Advent Calendar. Yes! I would like to see you do reviews on that. Your reviews on the 2022 calendar are what drew me to your channel. So please, proceed!

[@thewetpen]

Thanks! I'm expecting my Inkvent Calendar in the mail today 🙂

[@wookiesteven]

Since I am on a roll here, something else that would be cool is if you could review some Birmingham inks. You use them and tell how great they are, but you don't have any reviews! 🙂

[@thewetpen]

@@wookiesteven I think that this sorta counts as a review kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5XJoHmGhqyZiac , but I see what you mean. I have at least a hundred bottles of their inks, and I could definitely do some reviews. Unfortunately, I think that they just changed their ink vehicle formula again, so I'm not sure how accurate my reviews will be.

[@wookiesteven]

@@thewetpen Yes, I _have_ seen that one. Sigh. Did a quick search and nothing popped up. That'll learn me. Would really like you to review some of their sheening inks though.

[@TheJigglypuffGuy]

Nice pen but I will take jinhao 9019 over this !

[@thewetpen]

I have a couple of 9019s and I don't find any advantage in the large nib, and the pens are fairly boring otherwise. Maybe it's just the fact that I don't like large grip sections :-) Anyway, I'm glad that you've found something that You like!

[@Kirin600Series]

Ciertamente los nib kaigelu escriben suave como mantequilla, tuve que comprar algunos para reemplazar lo de los jinhao que raspaban al escribir, lo que no sabía es que también vendian plumas estilograficas kaigelu 😂, tendré que comprar alguna para ver que tan bonito son esos colores en mis manos.

[@thewetpen]

The nibs are what really shine, but the pens are not too bad either :-) Some colors are better made than others, oddly enough... the light colored ones feel a little thinner and more "cheap". The swirly blue and the orange ones are great.

[@TheJigglypuffGuy]

Is Leonardo steel nib any different from standard #6 jowo nibs ?

[@thewetpen]

Nope... they use standard JoWo nibs. If they polish or tune them any differently, it's not obvious.

[@ann-ingridhelik3056]

Hi, great video, although I’m a bit peeved with you 😉! I went and bought 3 kaigelus! I already had one sooo, humm no will power! 🤷‍♀In Canadian $ they’re in the 30$ range so please don’t show me any kaigelus! ☺

[@thewetpen]

You have my sincere apologies :-) Hope you found some good pen colors!

[@claytonmarch484]

Another great video. I've been looking for another orange pen and that one might fit the bill. Also, I loved watching the random name spinner work it magic.

[@thewetpen]

It's a great pen :-) Incidentally, the orange Jinhao 100 that I showed towards the end of the video has also been re-fitted with a Kaigelu nib

[@karidru5272]

Ohhhhh SOLD. I hate jowo nibs and love the pens they come in.

[@thewetpen]

I've generally had good luck with JoWo broad nibs, but otherwise they're hit and miss. These Kaigelus are a lot of fun, though!

[@karidru5272]

@@thewetpen The nibs come tomorrow and I will see how they do in my lovely Conlkin with an absolutely pants medium nib. It's a matte black rainbow, so the silver will look very different than the black it came with, but writing better is preferable to looking standard I think.

[@bleighhh]

hi, does this take international short cartridges or the kaweco ones? does it arrive with a converter included?

[@thewetpen]

See 5:20, but it does come with a converter, and the converter is the Chinese standard size... the same size that you'll find in Jinhao pens and many others. Unfortunately, that means that it will not work with Kaweco or other international standard cartridges, though the benefit is that Chinese converters are much less expensive.

[@bleighhh]

okay thanks and sorry for the noob questions I am trying to figure this things out. I am getting into this thanks to you mostly. I have only a classic sport now @@thewetpen

[@thewetpen]

@@bleighhh Feel free to ask as many questions as you like 🙂 Happy writing!

[@bleighhh]

@@thewetpen hi again, would jinhao cartridges work? I think I cannot order ink from china

[@thewetpen]

@@bleighhh Yes, Jinhao cartridges would fit, but in a converter like this, you can use any type of ink that you'd like... the ink brands are not pen specific. So, you could use Parker ink with the included converter, or Kaweco for that matter.

[@LisePlansandJournals]

I got my first one two weeks ago, inked it up, and it skips like crazy. I am frustrated because I paid $27 for mine on aliexpress and odds are couldve gotten a kaweco that actually writes, for less. this Kaigelu in my hands writes worse than my $7 Jinhao 82s. To the bin it goes, sadly.

[@thewetpen]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that! Was it also a medium nib? I haven't had that issue with these Kaigelu nibs, but I have had it with PenBBS nibs, which usually arrive with the tines too tight, so the ink doesn't flow very well. If your tines are too tight, you could try the standard PenBBS fix, which is to make 3 to 5 hard strokes (an inch or two long) with the nib on paper... so hard that it flexes the tines out visibly. I do this with all PenBBS nibs, and it makes a world of difference. I'm sure that you'd already tried washing the nib and feed with soap... sometimes grease will cause inconsistent flow, too. Anyway... good luck. I hope that you don't really have to chuck it.

[@TheJigglypuffGuy]

What is your opinion on click aristocrat ?

[@thewetpen]

It's a decent pen for the price... $3 or $4... but the nibs are generally average, and the build quality feels a little lightweight and cheap. So, not my favorite. I'm a fan of the Kanwrite Desire, though, and also the Click Falcons.

[@TheJigglypuffGuy]

@@thewetpen you can swap the click nib with ranga nib ( that’s what I did )

[@mechswrd]

I saw click aristocrat there. Do you have any plans to review that pen? I is one the most popular and affordable pen in India. Great video btw!! It was funny how you bought the same (but different finishes) pen again and again.

[@thewetpen]

I have several Click Aristocrats, and I did get them with the intention of reviewing them here, along with a couple of other Click pens. The problem is that I don't really like them very much, and it's hard for me to get motivated to make a video about a pen that I don't love. Still, I'll probably get to it eventually!

[@mechswrd]

@@thewetpen Thank you for your response and your opinion on those pens. I understand if you don't make any review on it. There are acrylic and ebonite versions too if you ever change your mind. And also there are Click Century Acrylic fpens those are similar looking to these 316A.

[@nishantnande1101]

Beautiful ink bottles where to find them ? I Wanna purchase

[@thewetpen]

They all came from different places. The blue Sailor bottle at the beginning of the video is an ink that is only sold at "Kingdom Note" in Tokyo. The orange-red is one that I bought in Kyoto, but it's a TAG Stationery Ink called "Fushimi's Flaming Red" and it's available through many pen shops in the USA and elsewhere. The Provence Lavender is purchased directly from Birmingham Pen Company in the Pittsburgh area, via their website. The Sailor Manyo Haha is also widely available at pen shops around the world. The Dominant Industry "Horseshoe Bend" is available only at Pen Chalet via their website (the Sailor and Kyoto TAG inks are, too), but other Dominant Industry inks can be found at major pen shops. Good luck!

[@nishantnande1101]

@@thewetpen thanks for the information ❤️😊

[@kevinu.k.7042]

Surely not acrylic at that price? More likely a pressure moulded plastic mix. You said gold rather a lot. Did you mean gold coloured? There is a difference. The silver was Chrome BTW. For all of that it seems to be superb value and they look great. Your video was so well produced. It was a pleasure to watch this - Thank you.

[@radiofreealbemuth]

How would you compare the kaigelu nibs to jowo nibs?

[@thewetpen]

Very similar in size. The Kaigelu "medium" nibs are very similar in size to JoWo broad nibs, and I find the Kaigelu nibs to be a bit smoother than typical JoWo (here I'm thinking of plain JoWo branded nibs, or nibs like those from Goulet Pens that don't have any extra work), although many manufacturers seem to add their own finishing touches to JoWo nibs, so they're often as good or better than the Kaigelu. I think they're excellent, in general.

[@radiofreealbemuth]

@thewetpen ah, I see, thank you so much for the detailed comparison. I love your videos 🤗

[@thewetpen]

@@radiofreealbemuth My pleasure :-)

[@MathewTitus]

Kaigelu means Kangaroo.

[@thewetpen]

I understand the name, I just don't understand why a Chinese pen company, specifically, chose an animal that is iconically Australian. Of course, the answer is that they can choose whatever animal they want, and it's none of my business 😀

[@spiderwrangler4457]

How does the 316A vary from the 316?

[@thewetpen]

I believe that the 316 has a double cap band that just has smooth rings instead of the engraved one that we see here, and the 316b has an arrow clip. There's also a 316 mini.

[@senior_ranger]

You're worse than I am!! If one pen is good, a dozen is even better.

[@thewetpen]

@@senior_ranger Ha! So true 😄

[@poppyglow]

I have never heard of this pen, but I am going to buy one. My favorite inexpensive pen is Camlin Trinity. I have all the colors and never had a bad experience. I have been out of the loop about all the new pens coming out, because I have been spending thousands, yes a couple/three thousand so far on Noodler's pens and ink. Since only a few pen companies support Nathan I am also limited, but Ali Express should be fine lol. I have never bought anything from them, so do you have any other suggestions? I really enjoy your channel and will use your link. BTW, I used to live in Washington - Steilacoom -prison guard at McNeil, Port Orchard, Rainier, and Auburn. Pretty state but the rain and the politics were becoming too much. Thank you and have a great day!

[@thewetpen]

Ahh, I have a Camlin trinity, but I don't think that I've ever actually inked it up. I'll have to give it a try. Yes, the rain here does get pretty old, but I enjoy it sometimes, too...