Jinhao "shimmering Sands" Fountain Pen

[Lorna Reed]

First Impressions - I am quite a fan of Jinao pens and this one is pretty much as I would expect from this brand - a substantial, well built pen.

Appearance and design - A dark blue pen with coloured 'sparkles' somehow embedded in the material with silver-coloured clip and bands.In dull daylight the pen appears quite subdued, but comes alive under electric light when it sparkles with a myriad of different colours. My poor photographs do not do justice to this beautiful pen. I have not had a chance to see it in sunlight yet! The clip seems strong and sturdy.

Weight and size - A fairly heavy metal barrelled pen. The size posted is 6 1/4", 5 1/2" capped, and 5" without cap.

Nib and performance -A silver-coloured nib which is described as an B nib, but seems to me more like a slightly wide medium. It writes smoothly, without any skipping.

Filling system - the usual c/c system. The pen comes with converter but no cartridges.

Cost and value - the pen was an incredible £3.14 plus £5.67 shipping from China. I ordered on 18th January and received the pen today, 29th January.

Conclusion - this pen is incredible value for money.the only disapointment for me is the box. Most Jinhao pens come in substantial wooden boxes, but this one came in a small cardboard box, probably to keep shipping costs down, but at £3.14, who's complaining??

[Skeet]

Nice pen. I have a similar pen, but it's a Bulow. I'm guessing they're one in the same. Did you notice any issues with skipping?

[Lorna Reed]

Nice pen. I have a similar pen, but it's a Bulow. I'm guessing they're one in the same. Did you notice any issues with skipping?

 

No skipping at all. I washed the pen out before use, with slightly soapy tepid water, and rinsed well. It writes very smoothly and consistantly. I have not heard of Bulow - must look it up. thanks.

[orangezorki]

Lovely - and proof that if you have good handwriting, £8.81 is all you ever need. And if you ever hankered for a Raden VP - a double win!

 

David

[rwilsonedn]

Beautiful pen, concise and informative review. Thanks! And Wow! Your writing is wonderful.

ron

[Skeet]

Nice pen. I have a similar pen, but it's a Bulow. I'm guessing they're one in the same. Did you notice any issues with skipping?

 

No skipping at all. I washed the pen out before use, with slightly soapy tepid water, and rinsed well. It writes very smoothly and consistantly. I have not heard of Bulow - must look it up. thanks.

 

http://www.penscout.com/pen-brands/bulow-pens

[AlanE]

I dont know how they make them for the money. I got a few Baoer pens, which were a pretty blatent copy of a parker sonnet. They wrote straight out of the box and they wrote really well.

 

I gave a few away to people to try to lure them to the dark side and they seem to be well pleased with them.

 

Alan

[YouUlulate]

What an interesting looking pen! Jinhao makes the best and most consistently well-writing of the cheap Chinese pens, I find.

Edited February 3, 2011 by HammerHill

[wardog]

Very Nice! I've had my eye on the white version (or a version in white very close to it) and may now pull the trigger on that one.

[shaylenwilliams]

I just got my Jinhao x750 Shimmering Sands in the mail today and WOW! Best $10 I've spent on a pen! Not bad at all considering I paid $0.99 for the actual pen and $8.97 I think for shipping from Hong Kong!

This pen is gorgeous (I love sparkly things), and has a heft and feel of a much more expensive pen. It has a pretty smooth nib, which gives a stellar performance given the cost.

The only thing I am curious about is whether or not it will "start up" reliably. Since today is my first day with it, that remains to be seen. I think this might just become my second favorite pen!