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  1. As you can see, we have some colorful Jinhao Shark pens here. Amaze your friends! Terrify your enemies! One lucky FPN'er will get all of them. Four fude, one fine point. All come with converters, and they write very well for such a ferocious, yet comical-looking instrument. CONUS only, and sadly eliminating anyone who has 'won' from me before. As usual, the Eeny-Meeny Inator will be used to select the winner. Thanks for looking.
  2. Images are from internet.It shows that Jinhao is producing a 14K nib.The size is smaller than standard duofold
  3. Penspotting

    Jinhao

    From the album: Penimations

    © penspotting


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  4. Penspotting

    Jinhao

    From the album: Penimations

    © penspotting


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  5. A Special Edition Jinhao "Lord Venkateshwara" pen from House of Jinhao; Jinhao Model-601 A full Brass metal Pen with Gold Accents. The Figurine of "Lord Venkateshwara", is etched on the barrel and an antique finish is given. The cap has the "Vaishnavism" Symbols of "Conch", "Sudarshan Chakra" and the "Tilak" etched. The top crown has a black jewel on which the Sun representing Lord "Surya Narayana", is embossed. First preview... will review in detail in due course The Jinhao Special Edition Pen The Figurines-1 The Figurines-2​ Pen in the Box The Special Box
  6. I use a Waterman Apostrophe rollerball with a Schneider Topball 850 eurosize refill. Sites like AliExpress offer quite a lot of refills that are sold as Jinhao, Baoer or Hero refills for what seems to be very low prices (even with shipping from China). Is it possible to use these refills in eurosize rollerball of a Waterman rollerball? Are refills from Jinhao, Hero or Baoer (in general) good value compared to eurosize refills from Schneider or Schmidt? What are your opinions about these Chinese refills?
  7. Guess what, we have Wing Sung 613, Hero just got us 616 plus, and Jinhao obviously not wanting to be left behind I guess .... we have da da da .... Jinhao 51A ( courtesy of my window shopping around for summer hiking supply, somehow end up showing me this ... ) .. look like there is 3 solid color version ( black, burgundy and blue ), 5 Demo version and 2 wooden barrel ( with metal section / converter coupling ) finishes.
  8. From the album: Hanging in the balance

    I must admit I'm uncertain whether the Delike Submarine pen pictured has an acrylic barrel or a celluloid barrel. The item listing said celluloid, but I cannot detect any camphor smell.

    © A Smug Dill


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  9. Gutbucketeer

    Jinhoa X450 Barrel Endcap Removal?

    I have a white Jinhao x450 that was all scratched up and looked like sh**t. So I decided to remove all of the white enamel and make it a brushed steel pen. I can screw off the cap phineal and clip no problem. However, I can't seem to get the end cap of the barrel to move at all. Is it also a screw on, or is it press fit or glued? The other option is to just try to tape the band off while grinding the paint off. JAB
  10. Does anybody know which cartridges fit in the jinhao 126? The included converter is very small and I prefer to use long international cartridges. Pelikan long cartridges do fit, but they break because the mouth is too small.
  11. Symphing12

    Broken Jinhao Feed

    So I have this Jinhao X750 with a broken feed. It is broken right at the feed post, where the converter attaches. I want to replace it but I don't know how to get the post out. I know this may seem silly for a $10 pen, but I really like it and want to fix it with a new feed (probably an FPR feed). Any tips? Thank you!
  12. While cleaning this pen I think I accidentally removed the nib-holder unit (marked in arrow) from the section. Although the nib holder unit has a screw, it was not screwed inside to the section. But, rather pasted to the inside of the section. When I try to insert the nib holder unit, it remains loose. What can I do in this situation? Is this damage irreversible? https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/imgs/fpn_1597461428__j886_1.jpeg https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/uploads/imgs/fpn_1597461497__j886_2.jpeg
  13. queerspaceman

    First Nib Replacement!

    So, I finally attempted a nib replacement- a Zebra G nib in a Jinhao x450. I think it worked pretty darn well!
  14. While stumbling upon Aliexpress, found this Jinhao model: Jinhao 75 ++ The pens look quite like Parker Sonnet / Baoer 388. I LOVE my Baoer 388, but never liked the golden colors on the barrel and nib.I tried to remove them with metal polish, nib got succeeded but I couldn't succeed on barrel and cap. And I LOVE the black / chrome color, and the checkered pattern is quite interesting. I wanted to buy this pen, however, it's a bit pricey ($7ish in Aliexpress each, comparing to Baoer 388, which is $2ish), and I couldn't find any decent reviews. This is the only review I could find, but it's in Chinese, and can't understand a word. So I wanted to ask to you guys, have you guys bought this pen? If so, how do you feel about this pen?
  15. Hi, I hope someone can help me, because I don't know what I'm doing. I caught the fountain pen bug about three years ago and bought several pens -- inexpensive ones to start with. When they developed problems, I tried giving them a thorough cleaning, and I still had problems with them and gave up. My pens have been stored unused ever since. Something recently sparked an interest again and I decided to give it another try. I flushed and cleaned a Pilot Metropolitan, a Lamy Safari, and two Jinhaos: an X450 and X750. The Pilot and Lamy are writing beautifully now, but I can't get either of the Jinhaos to write at all. I put a "new" cartridge in one and a converter in the other one. (The cartridge is three years old; do they dry up if they've been in the box untouched?) I need to be educated, please. What can I do to get them working again? I liked them as well as the more expensive pens way back then, and I would like to be able to use them again. Thanks!
  16. I laughed today because I got some extra converters in the mail and they came in a jinhao box and I open up the box and get some baoer branded converters. I have ordered from this seller on aliexpress before and got a slightly different converter last time. I was wondering if anyone had any input on which chinese pen brand has the best converters. Should I stick to only using jinhao converters in jinhao pens, etc? The Jinhao converters hold the most ink but have no agitator (in pic related I added a small ball bearing to act as one) The baoer converter has an agitator (spring in one, small bead in another) but doesn't hold much ink and in some jinhao pens it doesn't fit as well in my experience. Funny enough one has no branding whatsoever, the baoer converter that has branding has the best twist action of the lot, the jinhao the worst. I've also bought baoer pens with unbranded jinhao style converters so it seems it is luck of the draw with what type you get.
  17. I am amazed by the n number of inexpensive pens without the compromise on quality front from major of the Chinese pen manufacturers especially Hero and Jinhao.... There are other expensive Chinese pen also there with the likes of duke, kaigelu.... Recently i got hold of lot of Jinhao pens which I will be reviewing in future days to come one by one. Today I am reviewing "Jinhao 886" what looks like an big bullet... Design & Built : The pen looks and is built like a bullet. Its construction quality is amazing. Not very heavy not that light also. Just apt for its size. Yes, this is a small size pen which looks very cute. Comes in variety of colors like neon green, blue, gold, black, and red. These are the only colors that i have seen up till now. The pen looks very cute and beautiful. I have recently developed craze for small pens. Acquiring Kaweco Lilliput, Kaweco Ice Sport and Pilot Petit 1 recently. And yes i believe this pen stands out there as among the best. Also I am trying to get one small pen customized but that for the later. The pen barrel and cap are metal which are painted in various finishes. The cap itself is small and gets easily posted at back. The cap easily comes out in 2 turns. AND yes one more thing just like Jinhao 159, this pen has threaded section and cap easily snugs in to the pen after 2 turns. The built quality is impeccable for such lowly priced pen. The clip of the pen is sturdy and tight with choir logo at the top of clip, visible in pic above. There is silver colored center-band which is in tapered profile towards the barrel. The Section is made of black colored plastic which seems to be of good quality unlike the foul smelling Walitys. For further review and more images and handwriting samples would request you to please visit my blog LINK
  18. linkoiram

    Diamine Earl Grey Too Light?

    I have diamine earl grey inked up in a jinhao 51a with the unhooded nib as well as a moonman m2 knockoff "hyl" pen, both fine nibs. After some worn on the 51a nib it writes somewhat wetter than it did initially, but I still find the ink to be too light almost to the point of skipping. On hp 24 lb laser paper it is fine, but on rhodia 80gsm dotpad paper the line is dry and looks scratchy and too light. I tried changing converters and cleaning the jinhao but after the hyl had similar problems I think I've found the particular combination of nib size, paper, and possibly pen that doesn't show up well with this ink. Is this just something I have to accept, although I don't really want to because I really like this ink and those pens. Maybe something is to be learned here about light inks, less absorbent paper, and fine nibs.
  19. While I do not write too many reviews, posting this here, since I thought this is an interesting pen and there are very few reviews online, unlike the more common Jinhao models like the x450/750/159/992 etc. General notes: This is one of the variants of the Jinhao 650. As far as I can tell, there is another in a red wood variant. This pen cost me the equivalent of $15. Not the cheapest Jinhao or indeed, Chinese pen out there, but still lower than most offerings of ‘upper end’ Chinese brands like penBBS, Moonman, Kaigelu, Lorelei etc., so firmly ‘mid range’ as Chinese offerings go. The pen in this review, therefore, will be judged according to the standards expected of this price range. The entire pen appears to be constructed of brass. The cap has a black laquer paint with gold-color plated clip and ring; the barrel is the same black laquer paint with the signature feature of this pen – the mother of pearl and abalone strips cut in small rectangular stripes(longer side arranged along the length of the pen) and arranged neatly in rows – 3 down and 6 around – 18 in total. The section appears to be plastic coating on a brass base. As regards the hardware – the clip is a sword and shield design, with the shield carrying the jinhao logo of a horse drawn chariot. The shield part of the logo is chrome while the rest of the clip (basically the sword part) is gold-color plated. The pen is a cartridge converter and comes with a aged-brass accented converted. the clip-ring is visible. There are other gold-finsihed rings at various places in the pen - namely - bottom of cap; joint between the thicker middle portion of the barrel and the thinner tail-end, and at the top of the section. the cap is a push-to-lock/ pull to open variety. It has a standard #6 two tone jinhao nib with 18KGP printed and the jinhao chariot motif. The nib was advertised as a 0.7mm line (which I’d say is on the broad side of medium or a Japanese broad). However, I find it to be provide a thinner line – about 0.5mm Now, on to the qualitative review and some comparisons. Build quality : 3.75/5: For $15, you get a really well built tank of a pen. Nothing rattles and everything feels solid. The execution is almost at par with plus $100 except for a couple of minor points: 1) The gold plating, while otherwise very well executed, appears to scuff easily. I already have some scuff marks around the bottom of the clip despite handling the pen very gently till date. It appears that the underlying chrome/brass will eventually show through in places sometime in the future 2) The ring at the bottom the barrel rotates freely and is not fixed to the barrel. I do not know if this is by design or just my piece, but I don’t think this should be the case. (The top finial is the same gold finish as the clip and bands. It looks pink in this picture, probably because of the uneven lighting) Dimensions and Ergonomics 3.5/5: the pen is bloody heavy. Like really. Heavy. It is 65gms (2.2 oz) with cap on, and 36 gms (1.2 oz) without the cap. It is not overly lengthy though – at about 142mm with capped, 124mm uncapped, and 170mm posted. It posts securely but not deeply. The disappointing thing about the posting is that the cap does not travel all the way to the ring at the bottom of the barrel where there is a step up to the middle part of the barrel (see pic below). If the ring on the cap ended up flush with this step up point, I think it would have both looked neater and been a more comfortable length. As it is, I wouldn’t recommend posting as it backweights the pen too much. Having said that, I do not find the weight overly uncomfortable (when un-posted). I like bigger (though not necessarily very heavy) pens, and while this is certainly the heaviest pen I own, it is surprisingly usable. This is mainly because the weight is mostly in the middle of the barrel (when un-posted) and this makes the pen very well balanced with the webbing between the thumb-forefinger taking the weight naturally. Here is the pen next to the decidedly mid-sized Moonman M600s which also has the same general shape and price range (plus black finials and section). The length of the two are almost similar (with the 650 edging it slightly). But the 650 is appreciably thicker and more than twice as heavy (note that line width of the Jinhao's writing is very close to that of the 'F' nib in the Moonman - more of that later). As you can see from the un-capped pictures - it has a short section with a step down from the barrel. However, I did not experience any discomfort in gripping the pen on this account (note: I do hold the pen quite low down - very close to the nib). It helps that it is a push to lock design and hence there are no threads. the section has a plastic feel and therefore is not very slippery. However, it can get slippery on prolonged use. Appearance – 4.25/5 : it is an attractive design, which is bold but (in my opinion) just short of loud. The gold-accents are done extremely well for a pen of this price range. This is usually what looks cheap in most low end pens, but that is not the case here. The mother of pearl and abalone strips look the real deal – they have great depth and chatoyance and vibrancy of color – held up against the light, they look 3D – the pictures do not come close to doing them justice. It is amazing that this kind of material is being used a on $15 pen. My only nitpick in this category is that that the drop in diameter between the middle of the barrel and the section on one end, and the bottom finial on the other, gives this almost a ‘kit pen’ type of appearance. This is personally off-putting though many won’t care. If the reduction in diameter served a purpose in helping the pen post flush with the bottom ring, it could be forgiven, but that is not the case, as discussed above. Writing performance: 4/5 The standard #6 jinhao nib is a very smooth and wrote smoothly out of the box. The ink flow was not the wettest, but not overly or unusably dry either; just on the dryer side of medium. By this I mean, medium blues like the Lamy blue I used for this review showed up lighter than the really wet pens, but amazingly, the nib kept up very well to fast writing, never skipped; and only rarely had a false start (that too if kept uncapped for a while). If used after a couple of days, the first stroke of the first letter may be a little thinner and then the pen immediately reverts to its normal line. Overall, I would say a really good writing experience out of the box. Jinhao feeds are known to take a bit of time to really be primed, so, as expected, it became slightly wetter (about medium wetness) in a couple of days. It also helped that I ran a razor along the slit of the feed (just once was enough). Now I feel that the nib performs just as I would like. Quite happy really. I was considering using one of the ‘wet Taiwan nibs’ from Bobby at esty; but after a few hours of trying one, I reverted to the Jinhao. I have too many ‘gushers’ already and the line was too fat for my liking, talking of which… As mentioned above, this nib is finer than some of the other Jinhaos I have used, which is pleasant surprise (for me- personally like a medium-fine rather than a medium-broad). The supplied cartridge converter does not have the greatest suction – I struggle to fill the entire tube despite repeated tries, which is a pity since it doesn’t have a great capacity to begin with (I’d say about 0.8 ml). However, it seems to be supplying the feed adequately as the feed has never dried up amidst writing, which has happened in a couple of my Moonmen/penBBSes. A small written sample is below. Notice how the Lamy blue shows up into its 'middle' darkness for most part. Value: 4.5/5 : Are you kidding me – actual abalone and mother of pearl strips in a $15 pen and a build quality this good, makes the pen absolutely worth the money spent. I am deducting half a point since it may be a bit too heavy to be a daily writer for some and hence may find itself in a weird middle space of being too weighty for copious writing, but not a ‘posh’ enough to be a signature pen. However, as an occasional dalliance and a conversation piece (I lost count of how many colleagues asked me how expensive this pen was only to be shocked when I told them), it’s a great bargain.
  20. truthpil

    Jinhao 991 Review

    Hello again to all my FP-friends, Allow me to introduce to you the Jinhao 992’s oddly named and somewhat homely younger sister—the 991. This pen comes in both an EF (0.38) hooded nib and F open nib version. Since the nib, feed, housing, and converter on the F nib version are identical to that of the 992, it goes without saying that the 991 writes just as well and has the same smooth nib and flawless flow. All I had to do was put ink in the converter (I don’t like sticking my pens in bottles), put the converter back in the pen, and within just a few seconds the pen was writing a juicy medium-side-of-fine line. I can’t speak for the EF version because the black hooded nib was just too ugly to look at. Nib options: (Taobao) Color options: (Taobao) Appearance & Design There is no question as to where the design came from: The appearance is my least favorite part about the 991. Who would want to own a fountain pen that looks just like a disposable roller-ball?? The only saving factor is that it’s a demonstrator (and, of course, a fountain pen). The coffee brown tint on this model gives it an extra bit of class over the dull black Uni-ball. Looks aside, the matte finish on the cap and barrel adds a nice tactile feel. The whole pen is notably thinner than the 992 and almost as long as the X750. If you wanted a significantly thinner and lighter alternative to the X750, then you’ll probably enjoy using the 991. The section is long and slender and will be comfortable no matter where you grasp it. The design is utilitarian and comfortable, even if boring and unoriginal. I could easily write with this pen for hours on end with no fatigue. Construction I was at first concerned about the durability of the 991. The plastic is noticeably thinner and has just a tad more “give” to it than that of the 992. The thickness and strength of the plastic reminded me a lot of a Platinum Preppy (see below). In fact, I’d say the 991 is Jinhao’s answer to the Preppy (and a more cost-effective answer at that). Despite these initial concerns, after much squeezing of both barrel and cap on the 991 and a Preppy, the 991 is clearly more durable. If you like Preppies and use them regularly without cracking the cap or barrel, then you’ll love this pen! I’m just slightly more apprehensive with this pen than with the 992 about throwing it in my bag unprotected, but I don’t think you’ll have to wrap tape around the joints to prevent cracking the way I always have to with my Preppies. Jinhao 992 and 991: Jinhao 991 and Platinum Preppy barrels: And now the million yuan question, “Does it come cracked like the 992?” After examining the whole pen with a loupe for quite some time over two days, I can assure you that at least my specimen has NO CRACKS whatsoever. [What might appear to be cracks in the photos below are injection molding seams and a few scratches in the plastic.] I’ll give you an update after a few weeks of use, but I don’t foresee cracking as a problem. The end of the barrel does have a plug in it, but it is quite different than that of the 992. The plug takes up the whole end of the barrel, as is also the case with the finial on the cap. If you’re one of those brave souls who likes to eyedropperize pens, then this pen is worth your consideration. The seal on the barrel plug is airtight. I also filled the barrel with water and shook it vigorously for a while and there were no leaks. My only hesitation about using this as an eyedropper filler is that the pen is very slender and will probably heat up quickly from hand warmth and start burping, as might occur with a Preppy. Also note that, unlike the 992, this pen does not come with an O-ring, so you’ll have to supply your own and probably apply some silicone grease to the threads just to be safe. One nice point is that the threading is much finer than on the Preppy and thus provides a tighter seal. Weight & Dimensions Numbers mean little to me when I’m thinking about what is comfortable in my hand, so here are some comparison shots with other common pens to give you an idea of the physical dimensions of the 991. From left to right: Jinhao 992, Jinhao 991, Platinum Preppy 02, Jinhao X750, Parker 45, Parker 51, Lamy Safari The 991 is a very light pen. It has no heft at all when unposted and feels back-heavy and unbalanced when posted (at least for my small hands). Concluding Remarks Although the 991 lacks much of the appeal of the 992, it also lacks its problems. I’m not fond of the shape and general appearance of this pen, but it’s a pleasure to write with and extremely comfortable to hold (unposted, in my case). This pen was designed to write and write and write effortlessly, although some may be uncomfortable with the slender body and light weight. Nib options are limited to EF and F, but you can easily remove the nib on the open nib model and put in another. TWSBI ECO nibs fit well and perhaps a standard #5 would work as well. I’ll have to get back to you on that once my JoWo #5 architect grind arrives. I recommend the Jinhao 991 over the Platinum Preppy for the following reasons: (1) its nib is just as smooth as an 05 Preppy; (2) its material is sturdier; (3) it comes with its own converter that holds a lot of ink; (4) it comes in several colors with no painted on branding to remove; (5) it’s about half the price of a Preppy, depending on where you live. This pen is a perfect choice for your “fountain penvangelism” efforts and is just nice to have around for trying funky inks you may be afraid to put in nicer pens. This pen is so affordable that, if you can tolerate its underwhelming physique, it’s worth at least owning a couple.
  21. So I had replaced the nib on my Jinhao X750 about a month ago, and I want to switch it again. But no matter how I try, the nib and feed will not come out of the pen. I have soaked it in warm water and that didn't work either. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, FPN!
  22. Metalinker

    Jinhao 992 Review

    I've searched the forum review index and didn't find a review, so I decided to make one. Images: https://imgur.com/a/JDIUWms I ordered this pen from AliExpress for €1, with shipping and after it came and I tried it, I ordered another one for a friend. The pen is too good for it's price, and the only issue I've had is that one of the pens came with a small crack that made it leak when shaken forcefully. The cracked pen has been in my backpack and my pocket, and it didn't leak even a tiny bit when carried around and it hasn't leaked while writing. It's a demonstrator pen, that comes with a rubber ring, so that you could use it as an eyedropper. Although you don't have to use it as an eye dropper, because you can use international standard cartridges or use the international standard converter, which it does come with I've tried using it as an eyedropper too, and it worked without any issues. It doesn't leak from the barrel or anything like that. The nib is pretty stiff, even for a steel non flex nib, but it writes pretty smooth, although not as smooth as a Pilot Metropolitan. I expected it to be a lot toothier for that price, but I was very surprised when I started writing with it. The nib says F on it for fine, but it is a fair bit thicker than a Metro M nib. The nib and feed are inside a plastic barrel (that plastic barrel is the thing that cracked a bit), and that plastic barrel is screwed into the plastic where you hold the pen while writing. The pen posts wonderfully because it's pretty lightweight. I haven't had any problem with the cap falling off while posted, but I don't really shake my pen a lot while writing. The only marking on the pen is the Jinhao etching in the metal part of the cap which can hardly be seen, and the Jinhao block letters on the handle of the ink converter that it comes with. All in all a pretty nice pen, especially for the price, even tho one came with a crack it still wrote nicely and I haven't had a problem with it. I'm still stunned, that it's cheaper to buy this pen that comes with a standard international converter, than to buy a standard international converter from AliExpress. Even if the pen is broken when you get it, you get a converter for €1, and that's very nice.
  23. Hello, I have a Jinhao x450 that I modified to use a zebra g nib. I reshaped the feed so the nib would sit properly and deepened the ink channel and I would say I did both of these things precisely and well. However, that little prong-like bit at the rear end of the feed that's maybe a millimeter or two protrusion from the center, snapped off clean one time while removing the nib. The pen still seems to work fine so far and I'm wondering how critical of a component it is after all. Any ideas? Thank you.
  24. Thy

    Jinhao And Flex?

    Well... Jinhao 159, with a generic Jinhao nib. Okay. That top line is disgusting, but I made my Jinhao nib flex. Yes, it is prone to springing the nib if brought too far, but so far, the modifications on the nib are looking okay. The middle line is it's "average" flex (without any risk). The bottom lines however.... that's a whole different story. Right next to it, I compared the flex to a Canadian Parker Vacumatic. 1 millimeter to 2.5 millimeter flex average. The really crazy ones go up to 3 millimeters.
  25. Several months ago now, as most FPN regulars will know, a ‘new’ pen was released onto the market by the Hero Pen Company – a new pen which, like so many other Heroes in the past, looked somehow familiar… The ‘Hero Summer Colors’ had arrived, and is it just me, or did that sucker look just a little too much like the Lamy Safari? At the time, I’d recently begun buying pens (and ink) from a local Australian distributor (Kevin from www.justwrite.com.au), who among other things stocks a wide range of pens from China. I asked the question – more out of idle curiosity than anything else – had he heard of the Hero Summer Colors? He had… but had heard the build quality wasn’t fantastic, and they weren’t on his radar. However… his suppliers had recently provided him with a stash of Jinhao pens that seemed to owe a debt to the design of the same German ‘progenitor’: would I like to take a look? So, in return for an impartial review , Kevin sent me a Jinhao 599 – in fact, for good measure, he sent me two! And what can I say? From the moment they fell out of the envelope, encased each encased in its own plastic sheath, I was blown away! These are sleek, stylish pens – at least in the black glossy finish; they look good on the desk, feel great in the hand, and write sweetly on the page. It will almost be impossible to review this pen without comparing it to the Lamy Safari – so you’ll see comparison shots littered throughout. But let me say up-front, most of the design changes Jinhao have made in producing this pen are, in my view, design enhancements. If you’re squeamish about using pens that appear to have blatantly copied someone else’s design brief, then this may not be the pen for you – personally, I think it’s different ENOUGH to be forgivable – but you’ll have to judge that for yourself. ______________________________________________________________________ Appearance & Design (8/10) – A sleek, stylish looking pen If you’re a fan of the Lamy Safari’s design, you won’t have any issues with this pen – the overall profile, including the grip section, is very similar. The 599 pens I received came in a black glossy lacquer finish, with ‘Jinhao’ imprinted proudly at the end of the pen barrel/body in a contrasting colour (white) – the company name is also found on the nib, and on the cartridge converter inside. No mistaking who this pen is from – and unlike its German ‘predecessor’, the barrel only threads on to the grip section one way: you can’t hide the printing on the underside of the pen as you write! http://i.imgur.com/k5xcqDW.jpg No ‘ink window’ with this particular version of the 599 – which may bother some users, if you like to know at a glance how much ink capacity you have remaining. The clip is also styled somewhat differently – still a large clip, but to my eyes more aesthetically pleasing. It looks a little less like an oversized paperclip! The design of the grip section is ‘vintage’ Lamy (à la Safari) – the nib, on the other hand, looks more like what you’d find on a Pilot VPen, but more on that later… Only one real negative (if you can call it that): the glossy cap and barrel tend to show fingerprints – if you care about that kind of thing (or if you’re planning to take photos for an FPN review), you’ll need to give it a quick polish every now and then. Construction & Quality (8/10) – A pretty sturdy pen It’s hard to find fault with the construction and quality of this pen – it appears well-made, the grip section and barrel thread together nicely, the metal (brass, I think?) and plastic on the pen all appear durable, the clip is nice and tight without being hard to use… Everything I like about the Safari, this pen will put up its hand and say ‘me too’ – with one or two small exceptions. Because the pen is made of metal, it will probably be more prone to ‘dings’ and dents than the ABS material of the Safari – but that would also be true of the Lamy AL-Star. The rubber O-ring that sits between the grip and body of the Safari – and provides a better air seal between body and cap – has been replaced with a metal ring that comes loose and rattles around every time you unscrewing the body. That’s probably my only real gripe with this pen: the metal ring is needed for the cap to snap on securely, and could be easily lost if care is not taken. http://i.imgur.com/QTMvoUm.jpg Weight & Dimensions (8/10) – A good weight – sits comfortably in the hand The pen sits very comfortably in my hand, and writes well unposted. You can, if you want, write with the cap posted – if you’re self-conscious about the branding on the pen, that’s the only way you’re going to be able to hide it! – but I found that made it a little unwieldy. Capped, the pen is about 138mm long; uncapped it’s closer to 127mm; posted, it extends to 170mm. Tipping the scales at 25g, this is just a little more substantial than the Safari (17g) – heavy enough to know you’re holding it, light enough to be supremely comfortable (as long as you like the standard Lamy grip section!). Nib & Performance (7/10) – A very smooth writer, but only one nib size… The nib on this pen is one of the few things Jinhao have not copied directly from Lamy – but I have seen this profile before, on a number of pens. The Pilot VPen (pictured – from Japan); the Hero 358 ‘Schedule Note’ kids’ pen; and the Sellner Marchtrenk plastic fountain pen (from Germany) to name a few. http://i.imgur.com/MIMElD1.jpg http://i.imgur.com/r91pzRv.jpg The nib is made stainless steel (duh!), with no discernible ‘spring’ or line variation. Writing is nonetheless a very pleasant experience –and if your preferences naturally run to finer nibs (as mine do), then this pen will be right up your alley: slightly finer than the Lamy Safari (which writes a little wetter); directly comparable to the Pilot VPen / Varsity and the 0.3mm Platinum Preppy nib. See the writing samples below: http://i.imgur.com/u0sljSJ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Bre4kli.jpg http://i.imgur.com/EuwOBls.jpg Filling System & Maintenance (9/10) – Custom-Designed Cartridge Converter... or Standard International Cartridges! For me, this is one of the real selling points for the 599 over the Lamy Safari: the pen is built for compatibility with standard cartridges, and will therefore take any of the cheap cartridge converters you can buy on the market. However, it comes supplied with a cartridge converter, that looks very similar in design to the Lamy cartridge converter (the Z26) – except for the narrower ‘mouth’, to accommodate a standard international fitting. A Lamy-style pen – without the constraints of a proprietary cartridge / converter system? Now that’s smart thinking on Jinhao’s part. http://i.imgur.com/vU5AJMH.jpg Cost & Value (10/10) – Full marks from me! OK, OK, this is not the best fountain pen available on the market – it would probably not stack up well against a Pelikan M1000, or Montblanc Meisterstück 149, or a Yard-o-Led Viceroy Grand Victorian (not that I’ve ever handled any of those!)… In fact, I’d probably rate it behind the TWSBI Diamond 580 and the Diamond Mini, the highest-end pens currently in my collection… But for AU$11.50 (that’ll be the asking price at www.JustWrite.com.au, when they go up on the website!) I’d buy one of these ahead of a Lamy Safari or AL-Star (unless I wanted a stub nib) – in fact, I could buy at 3-4 of these for the price of a Safari! – and I’d happily give this away as a gift pen to anyone I’m trying to convert to the pen habit. Conclusion (Final score [sUM/6]: 8.16666667) – A really good quality pen, for the price! I guess the scoring system above is somewhat subjective – and certainly takes into account the fact that this is an inexpensive pen. But for the price, and for its ‘place’ in the market, this is a really good value pen. Looks good, a pleasure to write with – I’d have no hesitation recommending the Jinhao 599. Disclaimer: I was provided two free ‘samples’ of the Jinhao 599 by Kevin from www.justwrite.com.au in return for an impartial review.





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