Jump to content

Please Advise: Looking For Upscale Alternative To Jinhao 159


MTHALL720

Recommended Posts

I have not had good experiences with my past Jinhaos but love the girth of the 159. Now that I swapped the nib for one from Goulet it works great.

Here are the characteristics I'm looking for (I have arthritis so have specific needs)

1) A full size pen with a pretty wide girth. Something like a full, fat cigar or torpedo shape pen. The 159 is a good example.

2) A fairly wet writer

3) A broad nib or else be capable of being swapped out for a #6 Jowo or similar

4) Something relatively light, a little lighter than the Jinhao 159.

 

I'm looking at Chinese, or perhaps Indian but need to stick to a budget. I have looked for a decent used Monteverde Sequoia or a Conklin All American but haven't seen one with a broad nib for not more than 60.00 used so thought I would have a better chance with Chinese.

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 20
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • MTHALL720

    3

  • MuddyWaters

    3

  • vojtahlad

    2

  • Mech-for-i

    2

Also Jinhao own 9035 ; Fuliwan 017 ( read that thread regarding ); Ranga model 3 ; and while it might not be that girthy you might want to take a look at PenBBS 323 its profile particularly suite a loose light grip with that inverse taper then taper shape but try to see if you can get someone who had one to let you try it ; Moonman C2 would be another option but its a ED all demo

Edited by Mech-for-i
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately there is no pen that has the size and comfort of the Jinhao 159 that is lighter in the cheap Chinese offerings. The Ranga offer some bigger sized pens but their shape is not as good at the 159. I will get the Fuliwne 017 soon and I can let you know.

 

The penbbs 323 is comfortable but it is definitely a thinner pen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Check out the Ranga 8B. I like substantial pens and I have an 8B with a Jowo nib and it's a real pleasure to use.

 

I think the Ranga 9B might be a little larger.

 

Ranga do Group Buys here and that always helps with the budget.

 

Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

You could take a look at the Wing Sung 590, which is extremely large and girthy but still very light. It has one of those built-in aerometric filling systems, though, which is unfortunate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fuliwen 017 - big flashy and relatively light pen with a medium nib which is more broad than medium. I don't like the nib because of hard starting (I consider it the weakest point of this pen - see more) but may be I just had a bad luck. The nib is interchangeable with Jinhao and other #6 nibs. After replacing the nib by a fine nib from Moonman M600s, I am very happy with this pen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Considering the need ( have arthritis so have specific needs ) , one advice I might further add would be try some other ergonomic designed ones, say with oval shape barrel or so ... the 159's girth is comforting but your need is more about a relaxed grip and light weight ... not exactly needing that girth though ( I one had CTS and know it too ) ; The M&G AFM1202 & Winning 607 comes to mind ; recently got the Jinhao 9035, a wooden barrel pen with similar overall styling but more of a straight cigar shape but smaller ( sort of Safari sized ) and the wood is not waxed , oiled or lacquered over and it made for a very comfortable fairly secure grip while retaining just being round all over , you might like to take a look at that.

 

OT .. if you do had a need to try out these and cannot locate them , you can PM me ; might be able to help

Edited by Mech-for-i
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why stuck to Chinese or Indian? You mentioned budget but didn't list a price point

 

Lamy Nexx/ABC isn't too expensive and had good girth and light weight. I like the look but I guess some think it is ugly

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately not Asian, but the Edison Collier is similar in size with a cigar shape, and less than half the weight when writing. Using dimensions from a website that sells the 159 and the Collier, weight of body uncapped are 31g vs 15g respectively, barrel diameter 16mm vs. 14.9mm, “grip” diameter 12 vs. 9.9mm, body length 126mm vs. 128.7mm, length with cap screwed on 149mm vs. 150mm, convertor volume 0.8ml vs. 1.2 ml. The Collier does not post, however, although if the Jinhao’s weight has been an issue for you, I’m guessing you aren’t posting it anyway.

The Collier is available in a wide variety of nibs, and replacement nibs are available. I believe Edison’s nibs enjoy a fine reputation, and they stand behind their nibs. Retail price of the Collier may be above your desired budget, however there are two for sale on the FPN Classifieds at the moment, one for $100, and you might be able to make an offer. You might also post a “Wanted to Buy” post in the Classifieds, and perhaps stimulate a potential seller to part with one (I haven’t seen these listed very often). BTW, I’m not connected to anyone selling either of these pens, either in retail or the Classifieds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Considering the need ( have arthritis so have specific needs ) , one advice I might further add would be try some other ergonomic designed ones, say with oval shape barrel or so ... the 159's girth is comforting but your need is more about a relaxed grip and light weight ... not exactly needing that girth though ( I one had CTS and know it too ) ; The M&G AFM1202 & Winning 607 comes to mind ; recently got the Jinhao 9035, a wooden barrel pen with similar overall styling but more of a straight cigar shape but smaller ( sort of Safari sized ) and the wood is not waxed , oiled or lacquered over and it made for a very comfortable fairly secure grip while retaining just being round all over , you might like to take a look at that.

 

OT .. if you do had a need to try out these and cannot locate them , you can PM me ; might be able to help

That m&g pen looks really nice but I cannot find it on the bay. It reminds me of the wing sung 6359 which I love but that I hate refilling everyday and which falls apart after a month anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The truth is they don't exist, which is one of the biggest glaring misses of the unabashed copy fountain pen world. If penbbs is looking for a new model to make after a few semi useless ones, then a 149 copy that is eye dropperable would be a good choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is the Duke "Charlie Chaplin" model that has some girth and weight, comes in that classic black lacquer and silver colored trim. They seem to be about 2-4 times more expensive than the 159 and photos on FPN show a pretty hefty pen. Check out the pen forums and see what you think. Big pen that looks pretty classy and won't break the bank.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Look at Gama Hawk. A large size pen with a thick section and quite light, being made of ebonite. Mostly you can get it under $ 50. there are options with JoWo or Bock nibs, though the gama nibs can be quite decent. Look at the Matipens website or etsy page (no affiliation) for options.

Edited by TheVintagelife
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...