Jinhao #1200 - Red and Black

[tisfortorrey]

This is my first ever FP review, so please go easy on me!

 

First Impressions - I bought this pen as a gift for my former host father in Japan whom I'll be seeing this summer. It was a great value, at only $15.99 plus $10 shipping. A note about the shipping: wow, that was FAST! I ordered yesterday at around 2 pm, I think, and the pen got here today at 3:15. Todd Nussbaum, you have earned my future business! The hand-written note was also a nice touch. The pen comes in a leather gift box with instructions on how to fill it with the included piston converter.

 

 

Appearance and Finish / Design, Size, Weight - The pen is made of a nice shiny black lacquer and has red star-type accents on it, hence "Red and Black." It's medium-heavy, although nothing an adult male or someone who likes heftier pens couldn't comfortably write with for a while. The lacquer is prone to fingerprints, but that's probably not anything different from other lacquer pens. The pen has a snap-on cap with a gorgeous gold dragon clip with ruby-red rhinestone eyes. It seemed difficult to post the pen and would probably be too heavy that way anyway.

 

 

 

Nib Design & Performance - The nib is one of the most beautiful parts of this pen. It's 18K gold-plated with a lovely design of a dragon head on it. Seems to be a Western Medium, which may actually be too wide for my host-father and his delicate kanji-writing, but I figure it's more about the thought anyway. I only dipped the nib, but it wrote smoothly using Aurora Black ink on Moleskine paper with minimal pressure. I'm no expert, but the nib seems to be a bit italic, although maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part :roflmho:

 

 

 

The Filling System - I haven't filled this pen, although as I previously mentioned it uses a removable piston converter that seemed to be of adequate capacity.

 

Cost/Value - I mean, you can't beat the price on this pen. Awesome value.

 

Overall Conclusion - This pen will make a great gift for my purposes, and would be an excellent everyday pen for many, I'm sure. What really tips the scales in favor of this pen, IMO, is the price combined with the 18K plated nib. It's a great looking, professional-looking pen that would be a great buy for anyone. I would definitely consider buying Jinhao pens in the future, especially from Todd!

Edited June 25, 2008 by tisfortorrey

[Sallent]

Beautiful pen, thanks for the review

[Martius]

Cool. I like that pattern on the nib!

[richardandtracy]

This is a very nice version of the pen I reviewed here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=65339

 

I wonder how many variants Jinhao are going to produce from the same basic pen? The section and nib do seem to be surprisingly good for the price. The rest of the pen is pure aesthetics, and this one looks very nice.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

Edited for tripe writing error.

Edited June 25, 2008 by richardandtracy

[Beechwood]

Chinese pens offer fantastic value with workmanship and materials not far behind the pest. even the packaging looks good. If you buy direct from China then you can get this type of pen cheaper still.

 

Not entirely convinced on the design of the clip but then you cant have everything!

[dodong]

Chinese pens offer fantastic value with workmanship and materials not far behind the pest. even the packaging looks good. If you buy direct from China then you can get this type of pen cheaper still.

 

Not entirely convinced on the design of the clip but then you cant have everything!

 

Living in the Philippines and buying Chinese pens from the US or even Singapore seems very roundabout. How do you buy direct from China such as Hero etc? Are there well known dealers in China mainland or do you go through HongKong? Any suggestions would be welcomed. I have written some of the factories directly but haven't received any replies. I live in Cebu and the only source of pens I have found in 3 years are a few Parkers, Cross and Montblanc at the National Book Store chain which seems to have the only supply of writing and art materials in the country.

[richardandtracy]

...Living in the Philippines and buying Chinese pens from the US or even Singapore seems very roundabout. How do you buy direct from China such as Hero etc? Are there well known dealers in China mainland or do you go through HongKong? Any suggestions would be welcomed. ...

I've had dealings with 'gotoschool888' on e-bay. Based in HK. Prices are good compared to the US dealers. I've heard good things about 'comeon1788' too, but not used that seller yet.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

[AtomicLeo]

Cost/Value - I mean, you can't beat the price on this pen. Awesome value.

 

Overall Conclusion - This pen will make a great gift for my purposes, and would be an excellent everyday pen for many, I'm sure. What really tips the scales in favor of this pen, IMO, is the price combined with the 18K plated nib. It's a great looking, professional-looking pen that would be a great buy for anyone. I would definitely consider buying Jinhao pens in the future, especially from Todd!

 

I bought this same pen from Todd a few weeks ago. I agree that for the price it is a beautiful pen, however the cap would not snap on. I also order the electric red 450. After using the 450 the past few weeks, the cap on this pen is not as tight as I would like. Todd refunded my money on the red-black and I kept the 450, but I won't purchase another Jinhao because of these cap problems.

 

[oneill]

...Living in the Philippines and buying Chinese pens from the US or even Singapore seems very roundabout. How do you buy direct from China such as Hero etc? Are there well known dealers in China mainland or do you go through HongKong? Any suggestions would be welcomed. ...

I've had dealings with 'gotoschool888' on e-bay. Based in HK. Prices are good compared to the US dealers. I've heard good things about 'comeon1788' too, but not used that seller yet.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

I now have some 27 Jinhao pens which I am very happy with, I bought all of them on the gotoschool888 website on ebay, They are the cheapest and best people to deal with for Chinese pens < Bryan

 

[liapuyat]

Living in the Philippines and buying Chinese pens from the US or even Singapore seems very roundabout. How do you buy direct from China such as Hero etc? Are there well known dealers in China mainland or do you go through HongKong? Any suggestions would be welcomed. I have written some of the factories directly but haven't received any replies. I live in Cebu and the only source of pens I have found in 3 years are a few Parkers, Cross and Montblanc at the National Book Store chain which seems to have the only supply of writing and art materials in the country.

 

Dodong, I live in Pasig City and get my Chinese pens cheaper online than if I bought them at a Chinese stall in Greenhills. The only way I am going to get them at lower cost would be in Greenhills (San Juan) or Divisoria. But getting them online means you can choose exactly what model you want without the hassle of parking and trying to haggle without really knowing how to speak Amoy dialect.

 

On eBay I have tried gotoschool888 and goldquills, they are ok and ship faster than I thought they would. No affiliation with either one. Check out the "Buy Now" prices first, then try to bid according to what is acceptable to you (always with cost of shipping in mind). Cebu has an international airport and Philpost or Fedex or any of our courier services should have no difficulty in getting your order to you. Tip when bidding: Try to get each pen for UNDER PhP500-600 (total amount in your head MUST include shipping), because that is the price you will encounter in Greenhills (and the quality of some pens in the stalls aren't as nice as what you get online). And always bid for at least two pens to make the shipping to Cebu worth it.