Pens from China - Jinhao

Jinhao also sells ink, and pretty good ink as well.

I have 3 Jinhao pens, and I paid no more than $10 for any one of them. Can we actually get a decent fountain pen for a low price like this. I am just starting to do some testing, so stay tuned.

X159

The X159 comes with a converter! The MB 149 is a piston filler, so the copy breaks down there. The MB advertising calls the plastic they use to make it "precious resin". This always makes me laugh and choke on whatever I am drinking. The price of a X159 right now on Amazon is $13, I think I paid $10 for mine. This makes a ridiculous comparison to the $1270 price for the MB. That's right. Over $1000 dollars. 100 times what I paid. I am all but certain it does not write 100 times better.

I just cleaned my X159 and filled it with Pilot iroshizuku shin-kai ink. Mine has an EF nib, which is a good choice for my taste. I writes nicely -- even perfectly if I do say so. The cap screws on, which might be a lot better than the X750 as far as drying out.

X750

Let's be honest. These pens are pretty bad with the Jinhao nib they come with. They write, but you had better like a broad line and a lot of ink flow. I find them decent when you replace the nib (see below). Apart from that, I bought them as cheap pens to help me learn nib grinding. Other Jinhao models offer F and even EF nibs, and can be quite good.

I have two of these so far.. I like them because they have some metal in the construction. I presume they will be durable, and I like the weight. They are a classic cigar shaped pen, and are not a clone of some well known pen like other offerings from Jinhao. The cap snaps in place rather than screwing on. This could be a weakness if the pen dries out, but I have had no problem over a few days and certainly not overnight.

The X750 uses a standard #6 nib (as does the x450). Because it is a standard #6, you can replace the nib with a Jowo nib, such as the Jowo #6 that is sold by Goulet pens.

I did in fact buy an F Goulet nib and installed it on one of my X750. I would have probably been happier with an EF, but the F writes really well. The Goulet F nib writes like a Japanese M nib. I am used to Japanese F nibs, so a Jowo EF might be just right.

The other pen with the stock (M, but not labeled) Jinhao nib is not at all to my liking. It is very wide and very wet. It is a disaster on cheap paper. However, I have an EF Goulet Jowo nib on the way and we will see how that works out.

You could also buy a package of Jinhao nibs and then try them all to find the best of the bunch. I have not done this, and won't.

• Goulet Pen - nib swapping

The Jinhao 82

This is another $9 pen (on Amazon) that is a clear clone of the Sailor Pro Gear Slim. I am holding back on getting one because I find the Pro Gear Slim a bit small for my taste.

The Jinhao X450