Kaigelu 316a

Overview

The Kaigelu 316a is the updated successor to Garry's Kaigelu 316, sharing the same Duofold-style silhouette, the same standard #6-size steel nib, and the same kangaroo-and-joey branding, but with one defining change: the colour of the material runs all the way through the pen, including the section and end finials, rather than having black plastic finials and section like the original 316. Garry owns at least one in a bright green pattern. His feelings on it are genuinely mixed depending on context -- he loves the writing experience and consistent colour-matching in his monthly Pens In Use rotations, but a converter reliability issue surfaced during a dedicated showdown against the Jinhao 100, which left him saying at the time that he did not intend to buy another.

Design & Appearance

Shape: Identical Duofold-style silhouette to the 316 -- same width nearly the whole way down with a step down near the bottom.
Colourway owned: A bright green, slightly translucent pattern -- he repeatedly says he likes seeing the converter through the body, and describes catching nice chatoyancy in the material in good light.
The headline design change vs the 316: the body colour runs all the way through, including the section and the end finials, which were black on the original 316. Garry consistently prefers this -- he calls the 316a 'definitely an upgrade' for cohesive looks.
Cap: A thicker gold ring than the Jinhao 100's equivalent, with a medallion that has what looks like a plastic cover over the kangaroo-and-joey logo. The clip has a different shape to the 316's and he finds it harder to get hold of than, for example, the ball-ended clip on the Jinhao 100.
Posting: Posts very poorly -- it only perches on the very tip of the end finial and needs to be pushed on firmly to stay in place at all; like the 316, he does not use it posted.
Pen Looks: No single numeric 'Looks' score exists for the 316a alone, but it is repeatedly praised on appearance specifically -- 'I really do like the colouring,' 'a good example of a reasonably priced Chinese pen, very pretty looking.' In the dedicated 316 vs 316a showdown, Garry rated it 8/10 for looks (vs 7/10 for the 316).

The Nib

Material: Steel.
Size: Standard #6 -- Garry confirms it looks identical to the nib on his 316, just with a slightly different overall section shape.
Grade: Medium on his copy.
Decoration: Two-tone, with a kangaroo logo that Garry describes in one review as appearing to sit on some mountains, plus a gold-coloured decorative border he likes.
Feel -- a genuinely split opinion across reviews:
- In several Pens In Use rotations and comparison videos, he is very positive: 'I love writing with this pen,' a 'very, very generous medium line more like a broad line to me,' a 'beautiful nib to write with,' and he repeatedly notes that Kaigelu nibs in general (including the 316a) are 'always quite generous.'
- In the dedicated Comparison of my Duofold Style Fountain Pens video, he describes the writing feel quite differently -- 'like Writing On Ice,' 'slippery as if it's got a mind of its own,' with not enough feedback for his taste, though still 'pleasant' overall.
- In the Fountain Pen Tournament Heat 3, he again praises the tactile, slightly audible 'whisper' feedback he gets from it.
Section width criticism: in at least one Pens In Use review he specifically says he wishes the section was 'a little bit wider.'
Wetness/line width: Consistently described as a generous, sometimes broad-leaning medium line.

Filling Mechanism

Cartridge/converter. In the dedicated showdown against the Jinhao 100, Garry flagged a specific reliability concern: the supplied converter did not seem to sit securely in the pen, and came loose more than once during testing when the pen was shaken -- something he says he was keeping an eye on, and which he suspects might be fixed by trying a different (non-Kaigelu) converter, though he had not tested that at the time.

Measurements

Measurement	Value
Total length (capped)	13.7 cm
Length unposted	12.6 cm
Length posted	17.7 cm
Body width	1.26-1.3 cm
Cap width	1.5 cm
Section width	1.0-1.1 cm
Full pen weight	26-27 g
Body weight alone	17 g
Cap weight	11 g

(Measurements are drawn from two separate reviews -- a dedicated showdown against the Jinhao 100, and a direct comparison against the 316 -- with very minor variation between them, which Garry attributes to measuring with a ruler rather than calipers.)

Writing Experience

Ink Flow: Mostly very positive -- 'nice Broadline, generous writer, not had any issues with this regardless of ink,' and 'I often reach for' it. However, the Jinhao 100 showdown specifically documented inconsistent flow on Tomoe River paper with one particular ink (starting pale, going dark, then fading again), which Garry had not seen in his prior use of the pen and tied back to the loose-converter issue above.
Comfort: Rated as comfortable for long writing sessions, similar in size and weight to the Jinhao 100, with no real complaints beyond the section-width nitpick noted above.
Build quality: Generally solid, but the converter-seating issue is a genuine, repeatable concern raised specifically in the Jinhao 100 showdown.

Inks Used (as referenced across reviews and photo logs)

Ink	Context / Notes
Kobe No 60 Foreign Museum Mint	Jinhao 100 showdown and the start of the October 2023 Pens In Use rotation; a green sample ink he had owned for around two years
Robert Oster Light Green	Used after the Kobe sample ran out partway through the October 2023 rotation; also a separate photo-log entry
Pilot Iroshizuku (specific shade not fully captured in transcript)	Comparison of some Green Fountain Pens
Diamine Merry and Bright	November 2024 Pens In Use rotation

Comparisons and Rankings

vs Jinhao 100 (dedicated showdown, white Jinhao 100 vs green 316a, same ink: Kobe No 60 Foreign Museum Mint)

A close, near-identical-spec showdown -- Garry deliberately used the same ink in both pens to isolate pen performance. He preferred the look of the 316a's colour-matched green material over the Jinhao's white (which has its own staining issue), but the 316a's converter repeatedly came loose during testing and showed inconsistent ink flow on Tomoe River paper, while the Jinhao performed consistently throughout. He is candid that he does not intend to buy more 316a pens, while continuing to add Jinhao 100s to his collection. No final numeric score was given in this video.

vs Kaigelu 316 -- introduced in the 316a First Impressions video

A quick side-by-side while unboxing the 316a for the first time. The main differences noted: the 316a's end finials and section match the body colour (vs black on the 316), and it is otherwise identical in nib and section shape. Garry calls the 316a 'definitely an upgrade' on looks, while still saying he likes the original 316 regardless.

vs Kaigelu 316 -- dedicated showdown ('How different are they?', Robert Oster Light Green vs Robert Oster Vine Leaf)

The more detailed of the two 316-vs-316a comparisons. Same nib, same filling system as the 316 ('no difference' in the nib itself). Garry rated the 316a slightly higher on looks (8/10 vs 7/10) but the 316 scored higher for value for money (9/10 vs 8/10), given the larger price increase he'd seen on the 316a at the time. Writing experience and ink flow were scored identically for both (8/10 each).
Kaigelu 316a = 8/10 total (tied with the 316's 8/10)

As part of 'Comparison of my Duofold Style Fountain Pens' (vs Jinhao 100, Moonman M600s, HongDian 960, Conklin Duragraph)

A five-pen lineup of Duofold-inspired pens. The 316a is noted as the only one of the mainland-Chinese pens in this lineup (alongside the Jinhao and Moonman) to have the body colour running all the way through, including the section -- unlike its own 'sister pen' the 316, which still has black ends. When asked to pick a favourite among the mainland Chinese options in this video, Garry chose the Jinhao 100, not the 316a.

Fountain Pen Tournament - Heat 3 (vs Majohn M1000 and HongDian N7, audience-decided)

Garry praised the 316a's wetness and tactile feedback, and specifically how light it feels disappearing in the hand compared to the heavier Majohn M1000. No personal score was given -- left to a community vote.

Comparison of some Green Fountain Pens (vs Moonman M800, Ranga Model 5, Platypus Model 10, Sailor ProGear Slim)

Introduced as the first pen in the lineup; praised for its bright, vibrant green colour and chatoyancy, and for being 'really, really wet,' with a line that runs slightly wider than a typical medium.

Comparison of some Medium Nibbed Fountain Pens (vs Wing Sung 699, Pilot Prera, Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Leonardo Momento Zero Grande)

Held up as 'a good example of a reasonably priced Chinese pen' with a 'gorgeous colour going all the way through.' Later in the same video, summarised again as a 'nice Broadline, generous writer' that Garry says he 'often reaches for.'

Monthly Pens In Use rankings

October 2023 wrap-up: ranked position 2 of that month's pens (the Moonman M800 took position 1).
October 2023 Half Time Report: singled out specifically -- 'a pen I have re-inked, I love writing with this pen.'
November 2024 'TOP Pens In Use Secrets': ranked position 4 in one tally that month.

Build Quality

Mixed. No structural or material issues were reported, and most monthly-use reviews describe it as a dependable, frequently re-inked pen. However, the dedicated showdown against the Jinhao 100 raised a specific, repeatable converter-seating problem -- the converter coming loose when the pen was shaken -- which Garry treated as a genuine quality concern rather than a one-off.

Value for Money

Generally positive in most reviews (he reaches for it often and praises its writing), but the Jinhao 100 showdown is a clear exception: Garry says outright he is 'not overly impressed' by the value once the converter issue and the price increase over the 316 are factored in, and that he does not intend to buy more. In the dedicated 316-vs-316a showdown he rated it 8/10 for value, one point behind the 316's 9/10, specifically because of the larger price jump he'd seen on the 316a.

Key Recurring Themes

Colour runs all the way through -- the single biggest design improvement Garry highlights over the original 316, which had black sections and finials.
A genuinely split nib opinion -- praised as generous and tactile in most monthly-use videos and comparison roundups, but described as overly smooth and 'like writing on ice' in at least one dedicated comparison video.
A specific converter reliability concern -- raised clearly in the Jinhao 100 showdown (coming loose, inconsistent flow), and the main reason Garry gave for being hesitant to buy more.
Close sibling of the 316 -- same nib, same filling system, same overall shape; the two are repeatedly shown and discussed side by side.
Section a touch narrow -- a specific, repeated nitpick in at least one monthly review.
Frequently re-inked and reached for in his monthly Pens In Use rotations, despite the reservations raised in the dedicated showdown.

Source Files

#summary