Cheap Hooded Nib Pen That Takes International Long Cartridges?

[DerangedGoose]

I have pretty much given up on all Jinhao pens. I realize some people have gotten winners, but the reality is that their QC is so shoddy, and feed mechanism so poorly designed, that its a total crapshoot. I have bought and returned a 250, 450, and 750. I returned a V1 599, and am now going through an 8 pack of V2 599 I bought on amazon prime, methodically checking each one for usability. My criteria is pretty simple:

1) It needs to start immediately

2) It needs to be able to sit uncapped for half an hour (preferably an hour)

I sit in a lot of long meetings where I need to write something down sporadically but immediately. I cant be kickstarting and scribbling to get ink out. My Pilot Metropolitan and Pilot Plumix both can sit uncapped for about an hour just fine. The problem is that I need 4-5 such pens for my office, briefcase, car, planner, and such. I work in a place where pens are borrowed and move around; I do not want to spend $40+ on a fleet of Metros, and the Plumix is unsuitable because it has no clip and the cap is screw on.

I do, however, have two cheap chinese pens that satisfy this criteria very well: a HERO 007 and a HERO 9296. The hooded nib design seems to be the key in these cheap pens. The problem with the 007 is that it is bladder fill only, and the 9296 does not fit long international cartridges (I assume it fits short ones, but I dont have any on hand). I dont want to use a converter/bladder fill because of the number of pens and mobile nature of my work. Therefore, my main question is this:

-What is a cheap ($5 and under) hooded pen I can purchase that will accept long international cartridges?

That being said, I realize that both my Pilot pens are open nibs and dont dry out nearly as quickly; so I concede that ink must be a factor as well. If someone can recommend a good, economical, wet ink that comes in long international cartridges (I could probably settle for short ones), I would take a look at that too. Thank you for your input!

[AndyKeir]

The only hooded nib pens which immediately come to mind are the Jinhao 126 and 599. I'm sure there are more.

The 599 comes in various versions however so you would need to be sure you're getting the hooded nib one.

As for inks? ... I believe Waterman cartridges are standard international and Waterman ink is very well behaved.

[Pentode]

I was about to post the same thing about Waterman cartridges: available in short or long, not too pricey and works well in just about any pen - especially their blue.

[bonsaiboy]

I've got a hooded Jihano 599 from ebay and it seems to meet your requirements. It isn't prone to drying, even when left weeks unused, and starts everytime.

 

The nib appears to be a fine, but my copy seems to have a wet feed and results in a medium-ish line.

[DerangedGoose]

The only hooded nib pens which immediately come to mind are the Jinhao 126 and 599. I'm sure there are more.

The 599 comes in various versions however so you would need to be sure you're getting the hooded nib one.

As for inks? ... I believe Waterman cartridges are standard international and Waterman ink is very well behaved.

 

Thank you for your recommendations! I have both Jinhao models incoming, along with a Baoer 801. I also ordered some waterman carts; perhaps this is what my open nib pens need.

 

I've got a hooded Jihano 599 from ebay and it seems to meet your requirements. It isn't prone to drying, even when left weeks unused, and starts everytime.

 

The nib appears to be a fine, but my copy seems to have a wet feed and results in a medium-ish line.

 

Very good to hear! My Hero 9296 has turned me on to very fine points. I am looking forward to the new 599.

[magnus919]

Friends don't let friends buy pens with glued-on nib hoods.

[AndyKeir]

Friends don't let friends buy pens with glued-on nib hoods.

 

Glued-on? ... at a couple of dollars each for the cheap, Chinese hooded-nib pens, it wouldn't worry me if the hoods were molecularly bonded!

[magnus919]

I blogged about this problem very recently... what happens is you might order 10 pens with hooded nibs, 3 of them work, 2 of them can be repaired with the hood on... and the other 5 are destined for the garbage because the nib problem requires removal of the hood for repair.

[AndyKeir]

I blogged about this problem very recently... what happens is you might order 10 pens with hooded nibs, 3 of them work, 2 of them can be repaired with the hood on... and the other 5 are destined for the garbage because the nib problem requires removal of the hood for repair.

 

I don't doubt your word but I am genuinely curious as to why some folk seem to have a lot of problems with the cheaper pens when others don't. Perhaps I'm just lucky but I haven't had a dud one yet. I've had 100% success compared to your 30%.

 

OK, not hooded pens but I would have bought and given away at least twenty Jinhao X450s over the past few months. I inked and tested each one and every one has performed perfectly as received. I have multiple Jinhao X450s, X750s, 159s, 126s, 886s, 599s and a similar assortment from the likes of Baoer and Wing Sung. All have worked out of the box and all are used on a regular basis.

 

I include a couple of generic blue ink cartridges and a sheet of instructions and information with each pen ... which includes an instruction to let me know if any problems are experienced so I can fix it or swap the pen. I've never had a pen returned. The opposite in fact ... messages telling me how much they like the pen and how they use it every day.

 

If I ever do get a faulty pen I'll just toss it in the drawer as spare parts. So far the drawer just contains new pens waiting to be inked and given away.

 

[magnus919]

 

I don't doubt your word but I am genuinely curious as to why some folk seem to have a lot of problems with the cheaper pens when others don't. Perhaps I'm just lucky but I haven't had a dud one yet. I've had 100% success compared to your 30%.

 

OK, not hooded pens but I would have bought and given away at least twenty Jinhao X450s over the past few months. I inked and tested each one and every one has performed perfectly as received. I have multiple Jinhao X450s, X750s, 159s, 126s, 886s, 599s and a similar assortment from the likes of Baoer and Wing Sung. All have worked out of the box and all are used on a regular basis.

 

I think your impression of my results has warped because you greatly expanded the scope of my report. I talked only of pens that came with permanently attached hooded nibs. That's the specific class of pen with a high failure rate and a low maintainability/repairability.

 

You can't go adding X450's, X750's, other pens with naked nibs as if they were ever part of the conversation because they are irrelevant to the conversation.

Edited February 6, 2016 by magnus919

[AndyKeir]

 

I think your impression of my results has warped because you greatly expanded the scope of my report. I talked only of pens that came with permanently attached hooded nibs.

 

I was curious about why some folk seem to experience a high failure rate (such as the >30% you mention) with inexpensive pens (hooded nib or not) while others don't. The pens I mentioned included Jinhao 126s and 599s which are hooded nib types. My mention of the various Chinese pen models was simply to illustrate the point that not everyone shares your poor experience.

I do have some Chinese, hooded-nib pens although probably not really enough to be a representative sample. I haven't had any issues with any of them and if I did their non-repairability wouldn't be a factor given that they cost less than many disposable ball-points ... and I can't imagine anyone feeling the need to complain about the non-repairability of their $1 biro!

A $100 non-repairable pen? ... yes, I'd be peeved. A $10 non-repairable pen? ... I might be slightly irritated. A $1 non-repairable pen? ... who cares? ... just toss it in the bin and move on.

Edited February 6, 2016 by AndyKeir

[pcravis]

I HAVE 2 HERO -031- WHITE AND BLUE

/ WORK GOOD ONE CARTRIDGE NEXT CARTRIDGE DONT FLOW

/ SOAP WASHED CLEANED , ALCOHOL AND NEVER WORK AGAIN !!

5 DOLLAR LOST

Edited February 8, 2016 by pcravis

[ThePenBox]

I have a HERO 7019 hooded fountain pen that I have used for the last two weeks. It has a fine nib and it amazes me how well it writes every time I pull the cap off and use it.

 

Lynn

[magnus919]

 

and I can't imagine anyone feeling the need to complain about the non-repairability of their $1 biro!

A $100 non-repairable pen? ... yes, I'd be peeved. A $10 non-repairable pen? ... I might be slightly irritated. A $1 non-repairable pen? ... who cares? ... just toss it in the bin and move on.

 

The basis for complaint is that it never worked to begin with. Even for $1, it should work (even if it only works badly). If it's not going to work, it should at least be repairable. If a $1 Jinhao X450 doesn't work, I don't complain because I can usually get it working very nicely within 15-20 minutes. It could all be avoided with the hooded pens by either omitting the hood or allowing it to snap or screw into place instead of gluing it in.

[DerangedGoose]

 

The basis for complaint is that it never worked to begin with. Even for $1, it should work (even if it only works badly). If it's not going to work, it should at least be repairable. If a $1 Jinhao X450 doesn't work, I don't complain because I can usually get it working very nicely within 15-20 minutes. It could all be avoided with the hooded pens by either omitting the hood or allowing it to snap or screw into place instead of gluing it in.

 

The fact is that the naked Jinhaos have not been any more reliable than hooded nibs for me. I am still fiddling with the V2 Jinhao 599 to get it to stay wet after being uncapped. If I can buy a set of 8 pens for $10 with a 50% success rate, I will be happy.

[DerangedGoose]

Happy to report that I am not crazy, and (in the absence of a competently designed and matched feeb/nib), a hooded nib makes a big difference.

 

I just received a Baoer 801 and the newest Jinhao 599 with the hooded nib (I believe it is V3 or V4) and BOTH of them easily surpass half an hour uncapped, even with a ceiling fan turned on. Both pens were roughly $3 shipped via ebay. They both take long international cartridges (I used a long waterman in one pen and a long jinhao cart in another, both worked perfectly).

 

An added bonus is the fine to extra fine point that you get. So you dont have to put up with a thick line after tuning nibs/tines to get wetter flow (as you would get on other Jinhaos and such).

 

I highly recommend both of these pens.

Edited February 23, 2016 by DerangedGoose

[k3eax]

I've been using a hooded version Lion King that was purchase for $.32/free shipping on auction. It accepts the so-called international cartridges, writes acceptably, and can be left uncapped for longer periods when compared to pens with non-hooded nibs. And by the way, I purchased, at less than a dollar each, several more that arrived a few days ago and were put to the "test", all performed equally well

Edited February 23, 2016 by k3eax