Bought myself a new pen last week: a Hongdian N7 with the long blade nib.
My first long blade, plus it's a piston filler, and I like the Peacock finish. Gaudy? Yeah, a bit. But c'mon. I collect Lady Sheaffers. Gaudy is kinda my thing.
The long blade nib is similar to an architect grind. Whereas a stub nib is wider horizontally, a long blade or architect is wider vertically. Either way you get a bit of line variation when you write. This guy is quite smooth and pleasant for a budget brand.
The pen itself is fat and heavy compared to my usual. But it's well balanced. I appreciate the ink window and the decent capacity. And the visual details are delightful.
The collector in me loves that the model name is on the cap. No ambiguity here!
No one gets to talk down about "Made in China" around me. You can complain about companies outsourcing, or slashing QC, or paying low wages for long hours, but you cannot blame China for poor craftsmanship. Plenty of quality pen makers in China, and I'm pleased to own their work.
