Jinhao 159 Short Review

[visvamitra]

What can you expect from 4$ pen?

A lot, it seems.

Jinhao 159 is a huge and heavy pen. It’s not particularly nice and while it pays “homage” to MB149 there’s just no chance of mistaking the two. This model shows up commonly on fountain pen forums and is described as good choice for a fun fountain pen. I agree. The pen comes in variety of colorful finishes and usually performs well out of the box (or rather plastic sleeve). It has a solid feel and almost gargantuan size. This fountain pen can be easily used in self-defence or as a weapon of mass destruction.

After some time of use and /or abuse first positive impression fadeas a little and some issues become apparent. There are some machining marks visible on the clip. Also metal threads on the section meet plastic threads on the cap and it’s usually not the greatest combination. All in all though for the price it’s very well made.

Nib

Jinhao 159 nib is almost as big as shovel and “embellished” with company’s logo. The nib is stainless steel and marked 18 kgp. I doubt it’s gold plated though. The good thing is this nib performs very well. It’s not the best steel nib that I uased but I think it writes smoothly and in a pleasant way. It gives wet line that could be described as solid european medium. I have never experienced any skipping ot hard starts (and during the years I had few of these pens).

Filling system

It’s cc fountain pen. It comes with converter that does it’s work well. I had no issues with it. I haven’t experienced any leaking from it.

Summary

While I’m not really partial to this pen aesthetics I must admit that for the price it’s hard to find better made pen that feels as solid and performs really well. Sure writing for long periods of time with such a big and heavy pen won’t be for everyone but it’s doable.

[Jamerelbe]

I'm a big fan of this big pen - probably even more so than its slimmer 'cousins', the x450 and x750. Sure, it's big and beefy, but it's very comfortable to hold. I've had fewer problems with the plastic inner cap breaking (the 'snap caps' on the other two models seem more prone to this), and they're just consistent writers.

 

I find with *most* of my Jinhao pens (at least those that take #6 nibs) that they tend to write better with a JoWo (Goulet Pens) nib swapped in. My latest acquisition though (an orange 159) came with a very nice Jinhao nib that I haven't bothered to replace.

 

Thanks for a solid, straightforward review - your close-up pictures are pretty impressive!

[Bluey]

Great review, V. I was wondering how long it would be before something along these lines was mentioned: "This fountain pen can be easily used in self-defence or as a weapon of mass destruction." It's obligatory.

The balance on the 159 is surprisingly excellent.

I think Chinese pens are superb writers, but their price because apparent in the parts surrounding the nib. The paint will be quick to flake and some parts here and there will fall off.

Whatever the case, they succeed where many far more expensive pens fail - being a good writer.

Edited April 1, 2017 by Bluey

[visvamitra]

@Bluey - you're right. This line is a must while reviewing this pen

[FrozenLand]

Well, it seems we simultaneously got a similar idea. I bought one in orange. The pen is cheap and looks cheap, but it's a nice writer indeed.

[Miaxina]

Thank you for the review! I was wondering if you can tell me whether the pen is uncomfortable to hold in a not-so-big hand? I'm going to get the deep purple someday! The fact that it can be used as a self defense is even better!

Edited April 2, 2017 by Miaxina

[visvamitra]

Well - I don't think it's particularly ergonomic pen. I use it from time to time mainly with riskier inks. For this king od money you risk little but I wouldn't recommend this pen as every day writing tool. It's too heavy and it doesn't fit my hand as comfortably as,say, (to stay with chinese pens) JInhao x750.

[Bluey]

I find that the balance to be more important than the weight. If it's distributed perfectly then I don't notice the weight.

[dvalliere]

Well - I don't think it's particularly ergonomic pen. I use it from time to time mainly with riskier inks. For this king od money you risk little but I wouldn't recommend this pen as every day writing tool. It's too heavy and it doesn't fit my hand as comfortably as,say, (to stay with chinese pens) JInhao x750.

I really like the weight and fit and size of Jinhao 159. I have large hands and it's a great for me.

[MuddyWaters]

In order, best properties of the pen:

1. ergonomics
2. look (in black with gold trim, I find it really cool)
3. nib (I made mine a bit wetter and that had the consequence of turning the pen into more of a broad point)
4. converter (feels flimsy and poor ink capacity)

I didn't mention weight. To me, it's both an advantage and disadvantage. Reasons for being the former include how nice and meaty it feels in the hand. Like Bluey says, the pen is very well balanced and one can use the pen's weight to put pressure on the paper while the hand guides. Reasons for being the latter are much decreased portability; this cannot serve as a work pen if moving around is part of work.

 

Oh and the price! It is ridiculously good. As far as I know many of the mainstream German and Japanese first-entry pens are uncomfortable, either too thin or small for bigger hands. This is a great deal to feel what it's like to be more generously endowed!

Edited April 3, 2017 by MuddyWaters

[SailorDoc]

Hello, this pen is the first one I have ever purchased. I'm new to the fountain pen addiction, but I'm already hooked. I have had a Montblanc 149, my brother gave me years ago. I also have a Pelican fountain pen, don't know the model. I also have the Orange Jinhao purchased from Goulet Pen Company. they currently have a 2 for 1 on the Jinhao 159 pens. When it arrived today, i took it apart and flushed and cleaned the components. I did a quick check of the nib. The tines were well aligned and actually wrote like a dream. I filled it with Montblanc Tinte Encre Tinta ink. I have since ordered a few off eBay in Ivory, Black and a Marbleized pattern. They should be here early next week....

[DarkAudit]

I'm ordering a 159 from Goulet as soon as payday hits in about an hour or so. The other half of the BOGO special will probably be an X750. Thanks to this place, I know to do a flush with water and a drop of dish soap before loading these up for the first time.

[Fuellerfuehrerschein]

As someone with non-standard ergonomic preferences the Jinhao 159 is not a large or desk pen for me. I regard it more as an affordable “pocket pen”. I solved the modest ink capacity of the OEM converters by using Waterman international long cartridges that fit these pens well. When emptied I use a syringe to clean the cartridges with water and after that refill them with about 1.5 ml bottled ink of my choice. The cartridges also have a small mixing ball inside the tubular reservoir to mechanically promote free movement of the contained ink and ink/air exchange during writing as an additional bonus.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Fuellerfuehrerschein

[oneill]

I'm ordering a 159 from Goulet as soon as payday hits in about an hour or so. The other half of the BOGO special will probably be an X750. Thanks to this place, I know to do a flush with water and a drop of dish soap before loading these up for the first time.

Thank you for mentioning the Flushing procedure one should use with all Jinhaos and Baoers Which I have mentioned on many occasions as a must with these pens because the manufacturer does not spend a lot of time

removing the Manufacturing oil which is left on these pens when being made,Should anyone using this forum come

across any problems with their pens just ask for advice on how to deal with the problem ,it is out there just

ready for you to read and learn. Trust me. oneill

[Beechwood]

Also a big fan of the 159, one is kept inked. Big tough pen that you can take apart and remake when needed.

 

The threads to the barrel have worked loose on my oldest 159, they are a push fit and now improved. The nib worked well immediately, but even better after some years use and smoothing.

 

Some pocking of the cap surface, it polishes out very easily. Not sure why it appears though.

 

This is not a pen that I need to keep pristine, some age related wear is welcome.

 

A friend bought a bunch of broad nibbed 159s, they are worth seeking out.

 

I really dont know how much longer this price including postage can be maintained, a long lasting well made pen for the price of a cup of coffee.

[Titomake]

This pen has been a pleasant surprise for me. Good balance and smooth nib are some of the advantages of my Orange 159. Misaligned cap is the only shortcoming I have.

In the beautiful photographs of yours, I see no misalignment at all. Perhaps mine is a lemon.

 

Thanks you for this nice review.

 

Regards.

[Henricum_Tropen]

I really like the weight and fit and size of Jinhao 159. I have large hands and it's a great for me.

I've had my Jinhao 159 for a week now and must say I'm pleasantly surprised with it. Writes well (nib a bit on the 'hard' side), even upside-down. Quality Control can be improved (machining marks here and there); design/quality of the clip and logo can be improved - but as an "office pen" it works just fine for me.

[Moonshae]

I also use these to test out riskier inks, but if they didn't write well or feel comfortable in the hand, they'd be a waste of money. Fortunately, they are generally smooth writers, and with my big hands, comfortable as well (I never post caps). I also have an X450, but prefer the 159 because of the section; the triangulated section of the X450 doesn't fall where my fingers sit in relation to the nib, so it becomes awkward to hold.

[FordPrefect8]

Thanks for review, I have one on it's way from China as we scribe paid around ~£3 so whatever it turns out to be I'm fine. Just got yesterday x450 and x750 - the former is actually pretty good but the latter is a bit of a flooder and lines are a tad too thick for my taste.

Still, they cost peanuts, can't go wrong

Edited April 26, 2017 by FordPrefect8

[Ian the Jock]

My 750 was a fire hose too when it arrived.

I pulled the nib and feed and re-seated the nib a fraction further forward on the feed, and pushed both together back into the receptacle in the section/housing, thus moving the tip further away from the end of the feed.

This reduced the flood and produced a thinner line as there was no longer a deluge hitting the tip.

 

Give it a try, it worked for me, although I liked it as a firehose anyway, however much of my paper didn't.

 

Ian