More often that not, my desk is my pocket. But everyday desk items doesn't have the same ring.
I too enjoy the 350. Some think it is a knockoff of a Namisu Kickstarter pen. My thought, they are made in same Chinese factory, which offered the pen to each of them. Lingmo makes some of the PENBBS models. As with all PENBBS pens, great design & ergonomics. Writes consistently well. And well made. Great attention to detail. Well above the typical Chinese pen, which have been raising the bar lately.
There is something to be said about it being a knockoff of the Ixion. But I see that Naimsu is no longer selling that model on their website. PenBBS is discounting the pen as well, with just a couple of colors left. Maybe it's not a model they plan to go forward with either?
You're spot-on about the attention to detail. What impresses me most are the cap threads. The plastic insert in the cap makes uncapping the pen about smooth and precise as any pen I have. It looks sturdy as well. Pretty remarkable.
Update. New colors have arrived so it looks like PenBBS plans to keep the 350 going.
On the PenBBS Taobao store, these models are sold only as fountain pens, i.e., without the rollerball tip. The red model also comes in a two-toned nib. The black is listed as new but I don't see any difference from the original black model. It's also available with a dual-tone nib.
Just got a red with two tone nib. It is a updated model. My Chinese source Bobby Pen said it was an updated model. Noticed more of a ridge inside cap to seal against section. Still looking for more changes. It is a great metal pen.
I'm a bit over my excitement for PenBBS F nibs. Once you've written with one and all...
The good news is that a standard No. 6 nib fits wonderfully in the PenBBS 350.
Not all PenBBS pens have enough room in the cap for the larger No. 6. The 469 double-ended eyedropper does not. The 350 is perfect for this nib swap.
The nib is a juicy M and mates perfectly with the PenBBS feed. I love writing with it, especially with the Taiwan Bird Ink, Taiwan Whistling Thrush.
Diamine Imperial Purple had been on my wish-list for a while. This locally (NIN+鋼筆工作) designed ink was a pleasant surprise.
Great review and I must also concur wrt the CH3001. I own a great many pocket knives, mostly chinese made, and the CH3001 exceeds my expectations to a greater extent than almost any other in my collection. It was a fluke that they were initially so cheaply priced. Some say a higher end manufacturer makes/made the CH early version and that would seem to be true. See also the TwoSun knive line with a seemingly infinite variety of designs, though they are too reliant on overbroad blade stock and suffer from frequently poor clips.
@Calm Cornflower Crocodile Thanks. For a good while, I thought the CH 3504 Skull knife would be my favorite. But in the end, smaller is better. The Skull knife now only comes out to share or for some flipping diversion.
I also have a couple of TwoSun knives and, yes, the clip on my TS21 did fail. They sent me a new one that solved the problem. The TS guys were really good about it. The revised clip is machined thinner for reasonable flex.
For a moment there, orange was my color of choice. I think I was coming off a sepia phase, but don't rightly recall.
I got myself some Diamine Autumn Oak and took a flier on J. Herbin Orange Indian.
The Autumn Oak was a great success but I could never get the J. Herbin to work for me. None of the pens I tried would make a go of it. It was my first out-and-out ink failure.
So when I unboxed the PenBBS 350, I did two things. First, I swapped out the fountain pen nib for the rollerball. Then I filled the pen with Orange Indien.
I was being a little perverse. Like many, I write with a fountain pen unless I can't help it. You know the type. (You may be one yourself.) But I was impressed by the moxie PenBBS was showing by including a rollerball with the pen. They were thinking outside the box.
To reward the daring, I gave the pen the hardest ink I have. To my surprise, it worked.
Looking at some old notebooks, it looks a bit brighter.
Conceptually, PenBBS has hit it out of the park. I love the idea of adding a rollerball to the mix. It fits the style of the pen and it writes very well. The line is satisfyingly bold and the rollerball is smooth, agile and consistent.
Ergonomically, however, the rollerball isn't a complete success. The rollerball tip is much shorter than the the fountain pen nib - making the pen just that little bit smaller in the hand. The balance between the girth, length and writing experience is slightly awkward. After writing with the rollerball for a bit, I swapped in the fountain pen nib and felt much better.
In its fountain pen configuration, the PenBBS 350 rocks:
Given that the pen is made of aluminum and goes with a minimalist, industrial design, I put the PenBBS 350 in the workhorse camp. It's durable and functional and could easily serve as a beater pen for everyday use. It works as a full-sized pocket pen.
I like the style of the pen. It feels modern. I'm becoming a bigger fan of the PenBBS brand. It could easily be the best Chinese pen brand today.
At under US$15 on Taobao, it's offers solid value.
I've been trying to figure out the root of my affinity for this pen. It stuck me that it's quite a bit like my current (now actually longtime) favorite folding knife, a CH3001. When I first got the knife I was not all that impressed. It's small and not really a snappy flipper. But over time, it's been the one that's hung out. I like the subdued design, solid construction and bang-on fitness-to-purpose. It's everything I need in a pocket knife.