My Jinhao X450 Experience

[Darkbulb]

After having read so much, often very positive, about the Jinhao fountain pens I decided that I had to at least try one. Considering the fact that these pens often sell for under $5 it was a gamble the size of a fru fru drink at Starbucks.

I spent $2.91 on mine and shipping was free from China to California so the cost was closer to a cup of drip coffee.

It took 13 days and it arrived safely in a well padded envelope.

(How do they do this for three bucks shipped? Do I even want to know?)

Taking it out of the padded envelope the very first impression I had was 'wow, this thing is substantial'! It had a very nice, rather heavy weight to it and it felt like a high quality pen just holding it in my hand. Well impressed at this point.

http://i66.tinypic.com/10gzfhl.jpg

Posted, with the cap on, it lies very comfortably in the hand and feels, as far as my novice self can tell, very well balanced.

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It came with a rather attractive looking medium duo-tone nib.

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Opening up the pen reveals a converter ready to be filled up.

Really? Not even a new Lamy Safari comes with a free converter

Still, well impressed.

http://i67.tinypic.com/x3e739.jpg

Filling it up with the converter was just like using a Sheaffer converter where you twist the piston down, shove the tip into the ink..and twist the piston up et voila - it's full of ink.

There was really only one test left..how does it write?

Me, I have found that I prefer XF/F nibs and these Jinhao pens seems to be impossible to find with anything finer than a medium. So apart from fearing that it wouldn't write at all - to that the nib simply would be too wide for me - there was a full spectrum of hesitation as I put pen to paper.

With the risk of sounding like I'm being paid by Jinhao (not sure how much they could pay me really though as their pens are $3...) - all I can say is:

"If you haven't had a chance to try one out - do it. Get one tonight"

http://i64.tinypic.com/33mq5j7.jpg

[Ian the Jock]

Ahhh! Now you have been snared Darkbulb.

The 450 was my 1st fountain pen, and it opened the door to the huge world of Chinese fountain pens.

There are many, many excellent value for money pens from China, and once you've dipped your toe.....

 

Ian

[Darkbulb]

Ahhh! Now you have been snared Darkbulb.

The 450 was my 1st fountain pen, and it opened the door to the huge world of Chinese fountain pens.

There are many, many excellent value for money pens from China, and once you've dipped your toe.....

 

Ian

Lol yeah I really like it!

I'm using it right now....

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160507/8d8906d05e8e8a4e17f2d44edd46f61f.jpg

[johnsi02]

The problem with Chinese pens is you can end up with far more very decent pens than you can possibly use, and do so for less than the price of one nice European/US/Japanese pen.

It's very unfortunate.

JS

[garyc]

The problem with Chinese pens is you can end up with far more very decent pens than you can possibly use, and do so for less than the price of one nice European/US/Japanese pen.

It's very unfortunate.

JS

The only thing I disagree about this statement is the use of the word 'can'. I think 'will' is closer to the truth. Unfortunate, but also inevitable. ;-)

[Dickkooty2]

I got two more x450s for under a buck shipped!! I have two dedicated to special inks: Bay State Blue and Apache Sunset. I am not an ink guy, but curiosity compels.

 

And now I have two to give away. Sure, they are heavy but they look great and lay down a nice line on almost anything.

 

And I write big.

[Darkbulb]

I got two more x450s for under a buck shipped!! I have two dedicated to special inks: Bay State Blue and Apache Sunset. I am not an ink guy, but curiosity compels.

 

And now I have two to give away. Sure, they are heavy but they look great and lay down a nice line on almost anything.

 

And I write big.

 

I had a Parker 51, Sheaffer No Nonsense and the Jinaho x450 with me today...ended up using only the Jinhao.

Extremely comfortable to hold and a very smooth nib!

[Ian the Jock]

But NAY! How can this be? A cheap Chinese $2 pen out-doing the big boys.

(Cue inane witchy type cackle)

 

Well I did warn you.

 

Ian

[J_MM]

I got a few at $0.99 a while back. A good price for just the nib!

[Sasha Royale]

The black ones are common and a bit cheaper. You got a blue one ? It's beautiful !

You will never understand, if you think only in terms of capitalism, cost vs. price, and profit.

Despite the various names of all the companies, that are operated and managed by "businessmen", you are, ultimately dealing with the government of the Peoples Republic Of China. Profit is not stressed as much as accumulation of foreign currency.

[Ink Stained Wretch]

.... I spent $2.91 on mine and shipping was free from China to California so the cost was closer to a cup of drip coffee.

....

http://i66.tinypic.com/10gzfhl.jpg

With the risk of sounding like I'm being paid by Jinhao (not sure how much they could pay me really though as their pens are $3...) - all I can say is:

"If you haven't had a chance to try one out - do it. Get one tonight"

 

 

With all of the inexpensive fountain pens there is a significant luck factor involved. You got a good one right out of the padded envelope. You had good luck this time. With the fountain pens specifically from the so-called People's Republic of China you have the prospect of an especially dicey experience.

 

What I tend to do is to buy more than one of the inexpensive fountain pens. That way if/when one, or more of them, is a total dud I still have something for my money. I've had to work on any number of the inexpensive fountain pens from Jinhao and other vendors in order to get them to write or write decently. This can bring the usable pen rate up from what is is upon delivery.

 

I personally find the contoured section of the Jinhao X450 annoying. After I got one running it wrote all right, however.

 

All of the above can contribute to the fun to be had with these inexpensive fountain pens. You have the thrill of the hunt; that's followed by the anticipation of getting a new fountain pen in the mail, and the frequently variable delivery time, the uncertainty of actually getting the item, and then there's the thrill of seeing if and how the pen writes. If the pen writes badly, or not at all, then there's the adventure of trying to figure out why and figuring out how to fix it, and then you have the test of the repairs you've made. This latter part may be repeated on a single fountain pen a number of times. All of the above is also a form of gambling. So you have that too. Yeah, there are non-stop thrills and adventures to be had with the inexpensive fountain pens like the Jinhaos.

[Trom]

 

With all of the inexpensive fountain pens there is a significant luck factor involved. You got a good one right out of the padded envelope. You had good luck this time. With the fountain pens specifically from the so-called People's Republic of China you have the prospect of an especially dicey experience.

 

 

 

It is utter nonsense. I ordered a few X750 and 159 pens and they all write very well after flushing the pen with some ammoniac and soap. Using micro mesh finished the smooth job. I do this also to improve expensive fountain pens, so nothing new.

 

Jinhao make good fountain pens, especially the 159, 450, 500, 601, 650, 750, 950 and 5000. Worth the little money.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Trom

[Ian the Jock]

I tend to agree.

I have never had any issues with any Chinese pens, Jinhao or otherwise.

 

Maybe I've just been very, very lucky.

 

Ian

[kmeredith923]

I tend to agree.

I have never had any issues with any Chinese pens, Jinhao or otherwise.

Maybe I've just been very, very lucky.

Ian

I have at least 20 pens from China all under $4... never had a problem yet, other than finding out I hate EF nibs.. like writing with a scratchy nail.

 

But I love my Jinhao, Baoer, Duke and Fuguilongs

[Darkbulb]

Went a little bit Chinese-pen-crazy this sunny afternoon;

1) Ordered a Hero 861 w/ Fine nib ($1.80 w/ free shipping);

http://i65.tinypic.com/33kq6ph.jpg

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2) Bought an 8-pack of Jinhao 599s ($14 w/ free shipping)

Comes with eight converters as well.

Thinking 3-4 of them will be given away.

http://i65.tinypic.com/w7ho6.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/4r5owl.jpg

[Ink Stained Wretch]

It is utter nonsense.

 

LOL! Nonsense? Nonsense that there is a significant luck factor involved with all of the inexpensive fountain pens? If you wrote that with a straight face I don't see how you can have been reading the postings of others on FPN who have been having the variable experiences inherent with fountain pens that are very inexpensive and over which not a lot of quality control is exercised in their manufacture. There are many postings about this unavoidable fact.

 

 

I ordered a few X750 and 159 pens and they all write very well after flushing the pen with some ammoniac and soap. Using micro mesh finished the smooth job. I do this also to improve expensive fountain pens, so nothing new.

 

You're contradicting yourself. If it's nonsense that there's luck involved with the inexpensive pens then you wouldn't need to be doing so much to them in order to get them writing the way you want.

 

And if you're having to do as much with your expensive fountain pens then there's something wrong in that area too.

 

 

Jinhao make good fountain pens, especially the 159, 450, 500, 601, 650, 750, 950 and 5000. Worth the little money.

 

I agree that they are often enough worth the little money.

 

I tend to agree.

I have never had any issues with any Chinese pens, Jinhao or otherwise.

 

Maybe I've just been very, very lucky.

 

Ian

 

Never? Yep, you have been lucky.

 

I have at least 20 pens from China all under $4... never had a problem yet, other than finding out I hate EF nibs.. like writing with a scratchy nail.

 

But I love my Jinhao, Baoer, Duke and Fuguilongs

 

You too have been lucky.

 

Any under $4 fountain pen is going to be an exercise in luck. The QC exercised in the factories of the so-called People's Republic of China is kind of well known to be minimal, at best.

 

[Ink Stained Wretch]

Went a little bit Chinese-pen-crazy this sunny afternoon;

2) Bought an 8-pack of Jinhao 599s ($14 w/ free shipping)

Comes with eight converters as well.

Thinking 3-4 of them will be given away.

http://i65.tinypic.com/w7ho6.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/4r5owl.jpg

 

 

The other day I plunked for a pair of Jinhao 599 transparent black fountain pens, 89¢ each! Plus "free shipping."

 

I simply could not resist 89¢ fountain pens that have some possibility of working .

 

I hope we both end up enjoying our new Jinhao 599s.

[Darkbulb]

 

The other day I plunked for a pair of Jinhao 599 transparent black fountain pens, 89¢ each! Plus "free shipping."

 

I simply could not resist 89¢ fountain pens that have some possibility of working .

 

I hope we both end up enjoying our new Jinhao 599s.

I really liked them.

See here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/308877-the-jinhao-599/

Edited May 28, 2016 by Darkbulb

[Trom]

It's fun to find out that such cheap Fpens write so good.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Trom

[pjo]

My own experience with several of these X450 pens, as well as other Jinhao models, has been great.

 

I don't think happy users of these pens are " lucky" as I think that will be the norm. Rather I think that you would have to be very "unlucky" to have a bad experience , (but undoubably this does happen).

 

As far as reviews, I discount reviews from people who apear not to have owned or used the pen they are reviewing or commenting on. I do the same on Amazon where there is always some reviewers who clearly haven't read the book they are reviewing, so I just ignore their reviews.

 

Overall, I highly recommend Jinhao pens as being really good value for the money they cost. The performance of the pens and nibs is generally extremely good. They are strong and well made, and the quality is better than one could expect for the cost.