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First Fountain Pen: Jinhao Vs Lamy


overlander

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I have had 9 or 10 Jinhaos. The one I bought from tyler Dahl that he ground to an arabic nib is the only one without flow issues. They all write smooth and wet until the collector emties and then quit. I have to turn the converter to get them going again. Most annoying.Cannot recommend them at any price. All of my Heroes have been fine.

 

:P Can use different converters, but I've not had that problem in particular with either the X450, X750, 611, etc. (and the 611 came with a converter that had a little metal spring in it, so it does agitate the ink). If I'm writing with them it'll keep going until there's no ink at all, only times I've ever had to force some ink was if I didn't write with one for about a week and I had it sitting upright that whole time.

 

Question though, when you got them, did you clean them all with some warm diluted dish soap and such before using them for the first time?

Edited by KBeezie
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Only some Jinhao are Brass (usually the big ones), there are plenty of plastic/PVC ones like the 599, etc.

 

 

My fault for not specifying. The OP mentioned two Jinhao models, both painted brass. Lamy also makes pens from Makrolon, Stainless steel and other materials. Safari's are made of PVC. My comment answered his specific question.

 

Paul

"Nothing is impossible, even the word says 'I'm Possible!'" Audrey Hepburn

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Based on your awesome recommendations, I think I am going to go with the Lamy Vista. For school notes, would you recommend an EF of F nib?

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Based on your awesome recommendations, I think I am going to go with the Lamy Vista. For school notes, would you recommend an EF of F nib?

 

How fine a line do you like? (though personally if you're not really able to dictate what kind of paper you use, I'd say EF is 'safer' in terms of bleed/feather). Also since Lamy is based on western sizes, their EF is going to be about the same as say a Japanese Fine (Pilot, Platinum, Sailor etc)

 

Here's a quick write sample I did for another thread on some Mead 5-star 3-subject notebook, since it's likely the kind of paper you might use as a student. Front and Back so you can see bleed.

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/5star_apr16_2014_front.jpg

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/5star_apr16_2014_back.jpg

 

Goulet Nibs are western sized (Jowo made), so you can kind of judge by the EF above up there, Montverde and Faber-Castell are pretty much Fine for Western Size. How wet the ink or nib is will of course cause some variation on absorbent paper (hence the EF being safer).

Edited by KBeezie
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As far as nib size goes, it really depends on your personal taste.

For jotting down notes I prefer a F but thats my personal opinion.

One way to make a decision is to write with both in the normal handwriting you would use to take notes and look at the loop on your lower case 'e'.

If there is no space, or too much space within the loop, you either have to up- or down-size your nib accordingly.

 

Lamy nibs are inexpensive and easily interchangeable, however, please note that their EF ones can be a little scratchy...

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This might help in terms of comparison, course when you get down to EF/F visually not a huge difference, and like PlasticFantastic said they can feel scratchier (which is true of a lot of fine or extra fine nibs, especially on the inexpensive side).

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/v/vspfiles/photos/LMY-LZ50BK-EF-3.jpg

 

sometimes lubricated ink (noodler's black eel for example) can help.

Edited by KBeezie
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KBeezie, that sample of 5star paper is genius. Thank you for making/posting that. It's very hard to determine others ideas on bleed and feather, so you made an example that shows it better than 10 responses could. I knew I liked you for some reason.

 

Paul

"Nothing is impossible, even the word says 'I'm Possible!'" Audrey Hepburn

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KBeezie, that sample of 5star paper is genius. Thank you for making/posting that. It's very hard to determine others ideas on bleed and feather, so you made an example that shows it better than 10 responses could. I knew I liked you for some reason.

 

Paul

 

Yea I originally wrote it up for another thread asking bout a 'student pen', and being a student you don't have the luxury often to just use whatever paper you want, just what you have.

 

For example, the more expensive Mead paper, labeled "Cambridge Limited" which is like 9$ for a black journal of 80 sheets, has a soft texture page, but when I say it really *sucks* for fountain pens, people don't seem to quite understand just how bad I mean until I provide scans. It's annoying because that's the kind of journal that's sometimes given or "gifted" to me, but isn't really that useful to me.

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/reviews/paper/cambridge_front.jpg

http://static.karlblessing.com/reviews/paper/cambridge_back.jpg

 

So... Cambridge Limited for $9, or a Mead 5-star for about $2... I think you know which I'll go with :D

Edited by KBeezie
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Wow, those are *exactly* the two sets of paper I have around - the Mead 5-star, and the Cambridge. I have seen similar results, and am always surprised by it.

 

Shame, too, because otherwise the Cambridge are nicer to work on - stiffer back, available in a grid, etc. The size of the 5-star is good, though, at least the smaller one I have.

--

Lou Erickson - Handwritten Blog Posts

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I know you've done your research and have narrowed it down to two modern pens, but have you also thought of an reliable, rugged, and user-repairable pen like the Parker 45? For less than the price of either pen, you can get a great vintage pen that you can take apart in less than 30 seconds for cleaning and replace nearly every part in seconds. Nib changes are easy to try different sizes, and you can easily have two of these pens (restored) for one Lamy.

 

I don't want to make your decision harder, so with your two recommendations, I'd recommend the Lamy.

 

Buzz

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Admittedly I didn't read all of the replies, but I'll throw in my experience as these were my first two pens.

 

I acquired a Safari first and loved it and shortly after found out about Jinhao and decided it would be a fun, cheap way to add variety. I got a x450, now I wish I had known about the 159. Aside from not liking the small ink capacity for any nib M and above, I love my Lamy. It is a well polished design, having no real problems that I can see (if you like the grip anyway, as I do). I'm just not a huge fan of converter ink capacity in general (I never use carts, though I guess the option is nice when traveling). I've switched to using only XF or F in it to stretch out its ink use, and this fits well as my primary general use/carry pen where a smaller nib is useful anyway. This brings up the cheap/easy nib swaps of the lower end Lamys which is a huge plus.

 

The Jinhao x450 I received is okay QC wise I think. Aside from just feeling like a subpar design (well, it is cheap!) I have one primary problem with it - the inner cap sucks. I have heard so many stories of it breaking easily, and then the cap won't function properly. Mine, and most it would seem, is extremely tight. While slightly annoying, the real issue is that no matter what I do I always get a bit of ink on the lower end of the section because of the force involved in snapping in place. As for the stock Jinhao nib, it is smooth but has a sort of resistance that I find mysterious. The best way I know to describe it is that it takes more effort to move across the page. The Jinhao 159 with the screw on cap would be a much better choice I think.

 

I have a Goulet M in my Ahab and I love this combo. The Goulet M is a nice nib, but it would be wasted on a Jinhao I think - pay a bit more and get a better pen if you are looking for something to rely on. This brings up price - putting a Goulet nib in a Jinhao places it in the price range of very superior pens.

 

The choice is exceedingly clear in my mind - get the Vista.

Edited by Kilroy
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I am very happy with my 159 --, I have several-- it is one of the most reliable pens I use -- I also have Lamys ( Safari, Al star ) -- but only as a funky curiosity i find it hard to take them seriously

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My Lamy Safaris have all proved to be reliable workhorses. I've never tried a Jinhao.

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Got a Jinhao x750 Starry Sky/Shimmering Sands/Sparkly black one from HisNibs a while ago, which greatly added to the price but he's an awesome dude and I'm glad to have given him my money. He QCs and tweaks the pens as needed. It's not the kind of pen I use daily, but I was really pleased with what I got - its sparkly iridescence always makes me happy!!

 

But a Lamy Safari is a staple of pen users. I recommend a textured one. Grays are textured and can be found super cheap in European online pen stores. They're light, can sometimes be cheap, nibs are easy to get, and you should get one for the sake of getting one. And their clips are awesome.

The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory - Chinese proverb

Dioxazine Letter Tracker

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The clip is a good and very practical point. Even if you don't like the looks of the Vista/safari clip it works very well. My Jinhao is stiff as a nail.

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