What Chinese Fountain Pens Should I Buy?

[DilpreetSingh]

I wanted to buy some Chinese pens and I can't decide between the following choices. I want smooth nib which can write consistently for quite a long time( as I will take high school notes with it)

 

JINHAO X750

JINHAO 159

JINHAO 886

JINHAO 599

JINHAO 601

JINHAO 992

BAOER 388

 

Suggest which one should I go for.

You can also suggest pens other than the above listed.

 

Thanks.

Edited October 8, 2018 by DilpreetSingh

[Charles Skinner]

The X750 if you have medium size hands, Jinhao 159 if large hands. Consider the Jinhao X450 for really small hands. Can not go wrong with ANY of these great, low cost pens!

 

C. S.

[Aysedasi]

The Baoer 388 is a surprisingly good pen. I have 5 Jinhao 159's but never use them now and swapped the nibs out soon after buying them.

[Aysedasi]

This seems to be a duplicate thread.

[BaronWulfraed]

This seems to be a duplicate thread.

 

That seems to be happening a lot based upon what I've seen in the last week.

 

And here I though I had the bouncy mouse buttons (the back/forward buttons often jump an extra web-page or two).

 

I did see once case where the duplication resulted from a post being moved from one category to another, where the same text already existed as a thread.

[JollyCynic]

The X450 is larger than pictures of it make it seem. The Jinhao 992 has a no.5 nib, and is tiny compared to the others. If you have small hands, go for that one. It also has two advantages for note taking. It's plastic and much lighter than the all-metal X450, X750, and 159, so less fatiguing, and it can be eye-droppered for a huge amount of ink. Due to its small size, I do have to write with it posted (which I prefer not to do) but it's one of my favourite pens.

 

As for the nibs, I'm a cheapskate (obviously) and buy lots of the Jinhao no.6 and no.5 nibs to tune and put into other fountain pens. Most of them are very usable as soon as they're delivered. Some of them are beyond my abilities to tune. But the majority of them are awesome for my (medium-fine to fine nail) tastes.

[alc3261]

 

That seems to be happening a lot based upon what I've seen in the last week.

 

And here I though I had the bouncy mouse buttons (the back/forward buttons often jump an extra web-page or two).

 

I did see once case where the duplication resulted from a post being moved from one category to another, where the same text already existed as a thread.

It occurs when someone presses "Post" twice because the system may be a bit slow. Please just wait a moment and your thread or reply will post.

[DilpreetSingh]

Thanks for replies. And sorry for the duplicate thread.

[DilpreetSingh]

The X450 is larger than pictures of it make it seem. The Jinhao 992 has a no.5 nib, and is tiny compared to the others. If you have small hands, go for that one. It also has two advantages for note taking. It's plastic and much lighter than the all-metal X450, X750, and 159, so less fatiguing, and it can be eye-droppered for a huge amount of ink. Due to its small size, I do have to write with it posted (which I prefer not to do) but it's one of my favourite pens.

 

As for the nibs, I'm a cheapskate (obviously) and buy lots of the Jinhao no.6 and no.5 nibs to tune and put into other fountain pens. Most of them are very usable as soon as they're delivered. Some of them are beyond my abilities to tune. But the majority of them are awesome for my (medium-fine to fine nail) tastes.

Which one do you think is better-JINHAO 599 or JINHAO 992.

As both pens are light which is favourable condition for heavy writing.

How they compare in other aspects?

[mitto]

All Jinhaos are Jinhaos. They write almost the same.

[JollyCynic]

Which one do you think is better-JINHAO 599 or JINHAO 992.

As both pens are light which is favourable condition for heavy writing.

How they compare in other aspects?

 

The Jinhao 599 is a knockoff tribute of the Lamy Safari. I have a Safari, so haven't ever purchased the 599. One advantage of the 599 over the Safari is that it takes international sized cartridges, and comes with its own ink converter. (That's the same for pretty much all Jinhaos.) The Safari's converter must be purchased separately, and is of a proprietary size.

 

The 599 has a different nib to most other Jinhao pens, and I haven't tried it, so I can't comment on how it writes. My Safari is considerably longer than my 992, so more comfortable for me to write with, and only slightly heavier.

 

That said, I hate my Safari's too-smooth nib, and it sits uninked in my drawer while I use my 992 several times a day. If it had the same nib as my 992, I'd prefer to use it due to its length.

[JaAmEater]

Which one do you think is better-JINHAO 599 or JINHAO 992.

As both pens are light which is favourable condition for heavy writing.

How they compare in other aspects?

 

The 599 and 992 [i am in possession of both] have the same #5 nibs, which are smaller in comparison to the #6 nibs in the x750 and other pens. Between the two, however, I prefer the 599. It is convenient for school because it has a snap cap, unlike the 992's screw cap. Besides, the 992 seems to have issues with cracking. [i, myself, use the 599 for schoolwork and am loving it.]

Edited October 8, 2018 by JaAmEater

[two2tone]

I would add the Wing Sung 3008 and 698 to the list. My 698 never drys out and holds a ton of ink. Comparable in quality to my Jinhaos.

My Kaigelu 316 is a step above Jinhao and Wing Sung -- a little pricier and heavier, but a very smooth writer.

 

I have not had good luck with Heros.

[Arkanabar]

The X750 weighs in at about 35g, which I find rather heavy. The X450 is 42g, and the 159 is 50g. I had a Jinhao Bülow 750, and it was a capable writer while it lasted. Be sure you don't use too much force to seat a cartridge or converter -- I pushed the feed, nib, and the sleeve that held them together out of the section that way.

If you like the 599, you'll like the Lamy Safari/ Vista /Al-Star/ Joy/ etc, of which it is a blatant copy faithful homage. I don't like the Safari, and so I was more than happy to lend my 599 to coworkers in the hopes of getting them addicted encouraging them to use fountain pens. Eventually it started leaking ink from the barrel.

The 992 is very prone to cracking, especially the demonstrators, but I found it to be a capable and pleasant writer, and very lightweight. Because it is so prone to cracking, I do NOT recommend an eyedropper conversion.

The 991 is similar to the 992 in price and weight, but styled like a Uni-Ball Micro, and apparently not prone to the cracking issues which plague the 992. If you want a Jinhao that is lightweight, or to convert to eyedropper, I'd suggest the 991.

I have no experience with the 601 or 886.

I used to use a brushed stainless Baoer 388 (chosen because the lacquer Baoer uses on the 388 is reputedly quite ... flaky). It started out horribly dry, but using arm writing and pressure suitable for a Ball Point Barbarian, after about a quarter of a converter's worth of ink, it became quite a nice writer, until it stopped sealing well, most likely due to a damaged inner cap.

[inkeverywhere]

Ì have bought a few different Chinese pens over the years and have to say, in my opinion, the Wing Sung 698 is the one I believe to be of great value.

 

I currently have three in rotation, all three filled with differing Diamine inks, and all three retro fitted with extra fine nibs. The other pens in rotation at present are a Lamy 2000 and Studio, and a Pilot 91, I enjoy using the 698 as much as any of these. They haven't let me down in prolonged service.

 

 

Greg

[Mech-for-i]

late to this discussion but ell my humble suggestion would be - none of the above - OK take this with a grain of salt. I have no idea of the retail channel open to the OP so the shortlist might or might not be of any restriction / importance here. But Jinhao and Baoer though serve quite well as a pen they generally lack character and as such character as regard a Chinese fountain pen goes. There are many other Chinese pen on the market and as a start I always recommend something from Hero in their late current production range. So that exclude any of the vintage and retro models like the 616, 100, 329 etc etc ... ( 616 Plus not excluded, this is a 2018 new model )

 

Pens like the 981-1, 1506, 2061, represent the typicals. If your budget allows it Hero's 10K gold nib range had some nice one too

 

If one would want some youthful one, then the Delike and Moonman brand offers , both Hero and Wing Sung had some vintage styled models updated with modern effective mechanism say the Wing Sung 601 Piston Pump version, or the Hero 616 Plus ; there are other brand and models but sticking with the more main stream one as a start is safe bet

[chrisrap52]

I have reviewed many Chinese pens on YouTube, channel chrisrap52. Without knowing your budget or pen preference; light or heavy, thick or thin, nib XF or B, soft or stiff, difficult to recommend one pen. When you mention lots of ink & taking notes all day, I would expect you'd like a lighter medium sized pen with a fine nib. I find the 992 (under $2 USD) to be a perfect size & weight for writing all day. Nib is F/M, fairly wet & a little soft, bouncy. The later models I have, do not show cracking issues, which were at the barrel end where the plug is, only a problem if you eyedropper. Used as a converter, you might want to keep a bottle of ink to refill pen during the day if needed. At minimum refill each night. The 991 has same nibs & converter just a thinner lighter pen. If you like a hooded nib, you can find that on eBay for 991 & 992. I like the Jinhao hooded nib & could be a great nib for note taking. I find #5 nibs write as well as #6. Just look smaller.

 

The 698, 618, 601 and others are great piston fillers but cost well over $10 USD. You could buy 5 Jihnaos 991/992's and have different colors for various inks if desired. You have many choices, hope this helps refine your decision.

[pajaro]

The one I have that is built like a Parker 51 Vac is leaking ink through the nib area and flooding the cap. I think the vacuum keeping the ink in the pen is kaput. Recent purchase. I say none of them.

[Precise]

The Baoer 388 is a surprisingly good pen. I have 5 Jinhao 159's but never use them now and swapped the nibs out soon after buying them.

What nibs do you put in your 159s?

 

Thank you,

Alan

[Brianm_14]

[quote name="JollyCynic" post="4116192" timestamp="1539007088

That said, I hate my Safari's too-smooth nib, and it sits uninked in my drawer while I use my 992 several times a day. If it had the same nib as my 992, I'd prefer to use it due to its length.

 

Seriously, I love Safaris; they are kind to my arthritic hands, and I must write to make part of my living as I slowly teach less and less in my set-wise retirement from being a college professor. If you want to sell your Safari(s), at a reasonable price, PM me. They'd find a very welconpme home here.

Thanks !

 

Brian