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Hello can anybody give me some information on the Jinhao 599. I know that it is a knock off very similar to The Lamy. But a lot of people think its better than the aforementioned brand. How many colours does it have. And what size nibs?

So my friend from Asturias (Northern Spain) received this pen from eBay and he sent it to me so that I could do a review on it and I have had it for about two weeks now. I have to say that this company is really cheap and really good for their prices. I did have to floss it with my brass shim but thats because I have big handwriting and I like a lot of ink flow. This pen works really well for a newbie and also for a collector in my opinion. Its made to be used and I like that quality. Why have a pen if you are not going to be using it. (I can think of a lot of reasons but eh.) I really recommend this pen Has a medium nib and is really nice -Natan

Hello, There's an orange Jinhao 159 fountain pen for sale on alibaba.com here: http://qiangu.en.alibaba.com/product/522615743-200212693/fat_fountain_pen.html The problem is the minimum purchase is 1000 pieces whereas I only want one piece. (The seller has a supply ability of 300000 pieces each month !!) Would any members here know of alternative methods of purchasing, such as via an indigenous Chinese webportal ?

Hello, I just got a Jinhao 250 pen with what seems to be another manufacturer's nib and feed on it. I sort of expect this sort of thing once in a while from Chinese pens. Apologies for the second photo being out of focus. You can see the nib has a logo on it with script that says MADE IN CHINA. The logo seems to be a kind of rocket? The feed is smooth on the underside and doesn't have any gills, sort of like a Lamy feed. I'm wondering anyone can identify the nib and feed on this pen, either by the logo or by the feed design.

The Lamy Vista knock-off, The Jihnao 599/599C I have heard is an excellent pen, but medium nibs are not suitable for my everyday writing and would like to replace it with a fine. Does this pen take a #6 or #5 nib? Thanks

Hello , Decided today to upload my first pen related video to Youtube ( Please watch in HD). It's a writing sample of the Jinhao X750 pen, am using Pelikan's 4001 Brilliant Green ink. So, what do you think ? (next video will be with audio and in English, although it's not gonna be easy since my native language is Hebrew ) ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyxVVbGtdhg

Hi! This is my first post, and the sole reason I joined this forum. So I recenelty bought a Jinhao 500 fountain pen off of Amazon, foolishly expecting it to come with ink. It didn't. So I'm currently looking for bottled ink to use the converter with, and the only one I can find that's sold in a store near me is this: http://t.staples.com/Parker-Super-Quink-Permanent-Ink-for-Parker-Pens-2-oz-Bottle-Black/product_245589 Now I have no idea whether or not this will work, especially since it says 'For Parker Pens', and I'm not using a Parker pen. So will this break or work with my pen? If it will break it, what ink should I use? Any help would be welcomed, thanks!

My son has some problems with his handwriting. Wonder where he got that from... Anyhow, it is a nice excuse to take a look at the school writing tools he's given here in the Netherlands. So I made a handfull of writing examples with his schoolpen and some others laying around. Ample reason to share the result here. And to beg you all for proper advise. First on the line is my daily writer: Sheaffer Imperial IV TD. It is of sentimental value to me, but apart from that: nothing I have touched comes even close to its performance. Never dry, easy filler, no hassle nibcleaning, smooth, balanced, medium nib, wet but not very wet line. No flex in the nib (but hey - t's been designed to use on carboncopy paper). Second is a 'Hoover de Luxe', read its story elswhere. A compact and light pen, not half as smooth as the Sheaffer, but I like it very much for its look and feel. To me it has an air of being exotic about it. In terms of writing it has a nice flex nib, because of its small size you use it posted, it is a buttonfiller. Third is a Jinhao X450 I recently got. (€4,00 or there about...). Amazing! The nib needed a bit of tinkering, but it is a perfect writer. Like most Chines pens I've seen, the cap is heavy (the whole pen is heavy), the 'click' it closes with is loud and far from effortless. But then again: It has beautifull details, a large and somewhat springy nib, and is a stable, smooth writer. Unbelievable value. More then a bit inspired on Mont Blanc Meisterstück. International cartridge / convertor included. Then the first Bruynzeel. On the plus side: colourfull, affordable (€7,19 in a webshop), rubber grip, ink window. But then... My children keep bringing them home because they leak or clutter. But man - is that scratchy! One needs a lot of pressure to get any line at all. I said: I have to be carefull not to rip up the paper! My son says: Yes, that happens to me occasionally - but the teacher praises me because I am the only one who doesn't demolish the pen in te process! So I cleansed it out, polished the nib with a nail-polisher, and adjusted the nib to make it a bit less dry (the washed out colour on this picture is a result of the cleansing, combined with the fact that it doesn't exept the Jinhao convertor for some reason). Now it actually writes more or less, and you don't have to squeeze the ink out. But it is about as comfortable as writing with a pair of scissors (hey, they have some capillar activity, and a pointy bit as well!). Maybe part of the problem is the nibsize, which is Fine. The nib is extremely rigid. O, I have two of these laying around, and they 'perform' identical. How on earth can you teach children to write with something as bad as this!?!?! The last pen is another Bruynzeel, and another pen received at school. But one generation ago. This one is my wife's, but I had a similar one. This one is even a XF nib, and fine it is as you can see. Of course it needed some TLC - and it received that. It is not a nice writer. Any XF is vulnerable to scratchiness, but this is just bad. There is hardly any tip-matrial to tinker with. I got it in writing state. A very narrow line. I like that. But the feel is appalling. The metal cap sits so losely on the pen you might think it is from another brand. There is no clip. To avoid rolling of there is kind of a ridge on the barrel, perfectly lined out to be a pain in the ehhh... finger while writing. Now for the question: I would like to give my son a proper FP. His writing is cramped and full of pressure, so I look for a pen with an ergonomic, distressing grip, a fluid, smooth writing experience, and of course an international C/C, because of reinking at school. It 'd better be cheap, because first graders eat pens for breakfast, or use them for purposes I'd never dream of. Any suggestions?

Hello, I recently received a Jinhao x450 from China via eBay. This particular pen has a calligraphy nib. The funny thing is that once I took a closer look at the nib, instead of the "MADE IN CHINA" script that was shown on the listing's picture, it reads "GCROWN 22KGP." As far as I can tell the Shanghai G.Crown Fountain Pen Co., which I assume manufactured this nib, makes Duke pens and not Jinhao. Please correct me if I'm wrong. And on Duke pens I've only seen the nib script says "DUKE 22KGP." So I'm wondering whether G. Crown supplies Jinhao with calligraphy nibs or if it's simply that the seller just put a spare calligraphy nib of a random brand on a Jinhao pen. I'm guessing the latter. I know it's trivial, I'm just curious if anyone knows. I've asked the seller this, but I don't know if they understand what I'm asking.

Im thinking of getting a Jinhao 599 with a clear body, but want to have a fine nib in it. Does this pen take a #6 nib?

I’ve been accumulating a fair few Jinhao pens recently – though not yet as many different varieties as I’d like! – and on the whole I’ve been pretty impressed with them. The x450 and x750 were my first purchases, nearly a year ago now, and are still fairly regular in my rotation; likewise the more massive 159. Most recently I added a few Jinhao 599s, which I’ve reviewed previously – a very impressive pen that takes its design cues from the Lamy Safari (and/or the AL Star). This pen I hadn’t seen before – though I’ve managed to find a review on FPN that dates back to 2010, so obviously it’s been around a while! This pen came into my hands courtesy of the JustWrite Pen Company, who provided it free in return for an impartial review. I have no affiliation with JustWrite except as a customer and the recipient of pens for review – and the views expressed below are entirely my own! ______________________________________________________________________ Appearance & Design –Another classically-styled (cylindrical) pen Like its more well-known ‘cousins’, the x450 and x750, the 500 is solidly constructed. The cap and barrel are made of metal (brass?), and coated in black lacquer – though an online search will show it comes in a number of other colours as well (black cap and base, different coloured bodies). JustWrite currently stock a swirled ‘Pearl’ finish and a black-and-white ‘Checkerboard’ option. http://i.imgur.com/8ZfH3WX.jpg The trim on the pen is consistent for all colours, though: a gold-coloured ring at the top, middle and bottom of the pen, a gold-coloured band at the tapered end of the grip section, and a duotone (gold and chrome) nib. The centre band is laser-etched with the brand (Jinhao) and the style (500) of the pen. http://i.imgur.com/7xXJC7M.jpg Much as I like the overall design of the more ubiquitous mid-sized Jinhao pens, I like the fact that this pen is more cylindrical, with flattened top and bottom. I also like the fact that this pen appears designed to be posted – the cap fits comfortably onto the end-section of the barrel, which has a slightly narrower diameter than the main body of the pen. Construction & Quality – A well-made pen I think I kind of covered this above – a solid, substantial pen! The only thing I’m not so keen on is the clip –it’s pretty stiff, and a little challenging to clip into a suit jacket. Then again, that’s true for all of my other mid-sized Jinhao pens, so it didn’t come as a surprise. I will add this, though: I left the pen inked up for a few weeks without use – at the end of which the nib had dried out a little and needed to be dipped in water to restore flow. That’s pretty normal, especially with Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysium – an ink that I’ve noticed tends to dry out more quickly than some other inks! I was heartened to discover, though, that the volume of ink in the cartridge converter had not diminished – which suggests that the cap of the pen (with its plastic inner cap) does a pretty good job of providing an airtight seal. Weight & Dimensions – A mid-sized pen, not light but not uncomfortably heavy The dimensions of this pen would place it in the ‘mid-sized’ category, for me – capped, the pen sits around 138mm; uncapped the rear of the pen sits comfortably on the webbing of my hand, and comes in at around 120mm. It’s a monstrous 165mm capped (or thereabouts) – but surprisingly, though it’s somewhat back-weighted, I don’t find it too uncomfortable to write with it like that. The pen weighs in at 38g, or 25g minus the cap – which is not light, but I don’t find it uncomfortably heavy. Then again, I don’t mind writing for extended sessions with my Jinhao 159, which is a true monster of a pen… The grip section is 11mm at its widest point (where I tend to hold the pen), and tapers down to around 9mm towards the nib. Nib & Performance – Medium nib, consistent flow As with the Classic 717 I reviewed earlier this evening, the Jinhao 500 has a smaller stainless steel nib – a #5 (I think), rather than the more substantial #6 nib sported by its ‘cousins’. That may also help to explain why this nib is more rigid – it provides very little line variation. It looks a little small on the pen, but not wildly disproportionate – and I like the duotone gold-and-chrome finish. http://i.imgur.com/fY4Mrpt.jpg Don't believe the '18KGP' inscription - this is a firm stainless steel nib! That said, the first thing I noticed about this pen was how smoothly it wrote. The line it lay down I’d characterise as a pretty standard Medium – with no skipping and no hard starts. http://i.imgur.com/4qF59L8.jpg Filling System & Maintenance– Standard International Cartridge/Converter Like most pens in Jinhao’s range, the 500 is designed to take standard international cartridges – and comes with a cheap plastic converter supplied. I tend to have multiple pens inked up at a time (with a variety of colours), so I don’t mind the limited ink capacity. No complaints here? http://i.imgur.com/eJDgVnr.jpg Cost & Value/Conclusion – A pretty good pen, for a reasonable price I really like this pen – if I were to buy another, I’d go for a different colour (I have waaaay too many black pens now!), but it looks stylish and writes nicely – and is a comparable price to the better-known x450 and x750 pens. At the price, you really can’t go wrong! Thanks again to Kevin and JustWrite Pens for the generous provision of this and other pens for review.

Hello everyone, I am searching for a new pen to use at school, I am currently using a F Safari since 1month and a half. I had bad experiences with some parkers 45 so I searched and now I am hesitating about some "cheap" combos, especially with indian or chinese pens, as i think some could give an enjoyable writing experience. Here are the combos : Jinhao X450 + Goulet #6 nibJinhao X450 + FPR #6 nib FPR Triveni Jr with #5.5 nib These are around ~20-30$, I especially like the Triveni for his triple-filling system, I write a lot at school and an eyedropper solution can be appreciable, in fact i'm just searching for a great ratio quality/cost combo, so if you know other cool combos that i can think about, other brands etc to look at, I'm in Other : For info my favourite ink used is Noodler's Q'ternity (FD), if there are any problems tell me, Thank you. Edit : Do you know how performs the FPR nibs compared to the Jowo/Goulet ones ? FPR → 10$ (shipping in) Goulet → 21,50 $ (shipping in)

Note: I changed my story a bit in light of new evidence that Noodler's pens aren't made in America like I assumed. You know what they say about assuming... It's no secret that Nathan Tardif, mastermind behind Noodler's pens and inks, is a patriot. In fact, I have an idea that the Henry Repeating Arms Company may have actually stolen Nathan's original idea for a company slogan some years ago; "It will be made in America, or it won't be made at all." His videos often contain heavy political underto... Oh who am I kidding. They're not undertones. He just comes right out and says it. Even his ink names suggest his disdain for the way our country is run. So, you can imagine the disappointment he'd have in me if he knew what I had done to one of his American-made pens designed and inspected here in America. A couple of years ago when I was still new to fountain pens, I found some images or videos of flex writing and said to myself, "I want to write like that!" So... Rather than reading a book or taking a class or practicing, my initial thought was, "Get one of those flexy pens so you can write like that!" Ask me how that worked out with golf clubs, guitars and RC planes. I'll save you the trouble and just say that I'm no Tiger Woods or John Mayer and I sure as heck can't keep a plane in the air. Although quadcopters are my thing... GPS-enabled, can't-crash-me, quadcopters... Glorious little things, they are! That's beside the point though. My point is, I had a flexy Noodler's Konrad. And Ahab. And Creaper. A couple of each, probably. One day, one of my Konrads broke. I think the filling mechanism snapped or something. I don't really remember, but I do remember just throwing the whole thing in the trash and thinking, "To heck with this... I'll just go back to my extra-fine nails and never write flexy again! HUMPH!" Then, I quickly grabbed the broken pen from the trash and removed the nib and feed for salvage. I figured the nib would come in handy if I ever messed up the nib in an Ahab or my other Konrad. Fast forward a couple of years and I have a little parts bin with nibs and feeds and collars. I was digging through said parts bin yesterday to put together a nib, feed and collar for a fellow FPNer and stumbled on that Noodler's nib. I also stumbled on a long-forgotten Jinhao X750 whose nib was a terribly mushy, wet, mess. I did love the shape and weight of the pen though so, naturally, it went into the parts bin with the thought that I might make something of it someday. I looked at the Noodler's nib and then looked at the Jinhao. Back at the nib. Back at the Jinhao. Back at the n... You get the idea. I thought, "Hm... The X750 uses a No. 6 nib and the Noodler's Konrad and Ahab use a No. 6 nib. And I've got these assorted feeds. I wonder..." Yep. I went and fitted Nathan Tardif's American-made steel flexy nib into a Chinese-made Jinhao X750 and did it all with the assistance of some feed that I got from God-knows-where. Oh... And there's an International Converter in there that I salvaged from a Monteverde pen at some point. So, it's a Frankenpen. And... IT'S ALIVE! It works wonderfully! I've never enjoyed a Chinese-made pen OR a Noodler's nib more in all my years of fountain pen writing. Not my Heroes, not my Jinhaos, certainly not my Ahabs... It's like the perfect pen. The feed keeps up. There's no tinkering or adjusting. It just bloody works! So... without further ado, feast your eyes on the Noohao! or Jindlers (although that's awfully close to Schindler which carries a completely different kind of anti-American connotation, but is one of the greatest films ever made; I digress). Either way... Here's the little matte black abomination (please pardon my TERRIBLE handwriting... You can see I still haven't gotten around to the practice part yet): http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/12011697455_95231e2e75_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5476/12012518496_a4069b990d_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/12012057084_48213b42e6_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506/12012056234_8a2ba1e3c1_b.jpg http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/12011687875_3b1247b5c3_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/12011698495_e366f71887_h.jpg So yeah... Long live the Noohao! Also... pardon the gunk on the image. My paper had some ink splats from somewhere else. It's ugly, I know, but I had hoped it would detract from the handwriting.

I recently ordered 4 Jinhao pens (two X450's, one X750, and one in white porcelain) for about 1.99 cents each and two of them with free shipping!!! When i received the pens and had flushed them with warm water, I inked them with some Waterman ink and was shocked at how good they were - right out of the box! They put a nice, smooth, wet line. I have been rotating them and using them extensively for work and journaling and i am very impressed!! In fact it wrote much better than a €55 Kaweco AL-Sport that I bought, which skipped like crazy and drove me nuts!! This made me think whether money can buy a better writing experience. After a certain price point ofcourse we pay for aesthetics, art, brand value, etc. But for pens under €100 I think price does not equal good writing experience. You thoughts? Anyways, I would highly highly recommend the Jinhao pens especially for the money you spend!

Hello all, I think that chinese pens can give a good writing experience for not that much money, and as considering a new pen to underline, I looked first to the Jinhaos x750 + Goulet EF nib. I don't know a lot about other chinese ones that would be suitable, but I can tell that I like the look of the Jinhao 500, even if I'm afraid by its size/weight. Does it accepts goulet/#6 nibs ? Does the nib is swappable or not ? I really have to know more about these kind of FP, I heard about Baoer, Kaigelu etc but there are surely more.. For ~20-25€ (all included), I don't know yet what to choose and I'm still searching for what would the more pleaseable to use, first to underline and then also to write some definitions, notes (at school). → I think I will use a red ink like PR fiesta red. Recommandations ? Thank you !

Believe it or not, I scored a Jinhao 599 on eBay for less than $2.00 with shipping and handling from China! I have reviewed this pen before and gave it high marks for the price. Now, it is an even better value.... More here: http://thefrugalfountainpen.blogspot.com/2015/02/jinhao-599-for-less-than-2.html

Some time ago I've received Jinhao cartridges (Black and Blue) together with Jinhao x750 fountain pen. I must say these inks are really well behaved, saturated and rather nice. I don't think that Jinhao produces their inks, they just label other manufacturer's inks. I lack knowledge to judge which ones? I would be interested to know, so if you happen to possess some knowledge / insight on chinese ink market, I'd love to hear it. Black Blue First the blue Ink splash http://imageshack.com/a/img631/8702/dWGMTw.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img903/9742/kV1Fto.jpg Zakres koloru http://imageshack.com/a/img631/2429/bWYz69.jpg Oxford Recycled ( 90g, satined paper), Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img908/4848/hta0g7.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/9567/6uCwoo.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/3126/MdIgg1.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/6121/NdQakg.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img903/41/0h5f60.jpg Comparison http://imageshack.com/a/img905/6489/w0RGxE.jpg

Hey all! Hope you are having a fantastic end to the year! I am celebrating 100 subs on my YouTube channel, and I am giving away 4 Jinhaos with samples of Organics Studios White Label inks to one winner. http://40.media.tumblr.com/5763b3daed526ed205eb6568d0430343/tumblr_ng0s9sb20f1rg83ymo1_500.jpg http://41.media.tumblr.com/c0295ff2132fcff1c267d0653ee1463a/tumblr_ng0shq94la1rg83ymo1_500.jpg I made a silly video with the full rules down below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmoGmudvobo However, there is a super secret bonus entry for FPN members: PM me with an email address, then comment on this thread so I can manually enter an extra entry for you! Also, if you would like to do the handwritten entry option, I can also PM you the postal address for that.

I just ordered this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CC711PW $4.50 for a Jinhao on Amazon Prime so it will be here Friday?! How on earth? Anyone ever use a Jinhao 301?

Hi, guys! I have been bitten by the fountain pen bug recently, and have found out very early that I want to write using a stub/italic nib for the rest of my life. This poses a bit of a problem for a few reasons - my budget (and comfort level) doesn't quite reach the price threshold for pens with good CI or stub nibs (and grinds are even more expensive); I am a lefty with small handwriting, and so anything over 1.0 transforms by cursive into almost undecipherable squiggle. At the moment, I am using Lamy Safaris with 1.1 italic nibs (which are a touch too wide), a Pilot plumix (whose nib is earmarked for a Pilot Metropolitan or a Baoer 388 if I am brave enough), and a Jinhao x750 with a 1.1 Knox nib, and a Kaigelu 356, which was ground to a 0.6mm (too fine) that I got off ebay. I like the pricepoint and looks of the Chinese pens, as they look classy without the price tag and I can potentially get a few of them to play with without breaking the bank. I was wondering if any of you knew where I could get Chinese pens with italic nibs or stubs as a standard, as custom grinding would cost several times more than the pens cost? I would prefer not to go the route of putting frankenpens together (i.e. buying an italic nib and replacing the stock nib). Second, if I did go the frankenpen route, which of the good cursive italic or stub nibs (i.e. Edison, F-C Mayusama nibs, etc.) would potentially fit into what Chinese pen body? Has anyone ever done a hybrid Chinese pen using any of these nibs or nib+section before? Thanks heaps in advance!

Hi everyone…I have several fountain pens but consider myself a newbie to the fountain pen world. While window shopping on Ebay I have found a few brands of fountain pens that are very cheap. I am referring to Hero, Jinhao and Picasso to name just a few. I looked at the forum for info but am still a bit confused. Are these brands worth trying? If so, are there particular ones that are better than others? For example, the Jinhao 599 and x750 look good but are they? Thanks in advance for your help.

I know Brian Goulet advertises his nibs as being compatible with the X450 and X750, as they both use #6 nibs, but I have a Jinhao 950 (this one) and the nib is a little skippy and way too broad for my liking. So my question is, do all Jinhao pens use the same size nib? I emailed the Goulet Pen Company but they said they don't have much experience with the 950 and suggested I ask you guys.

I know a lot of people have been interested in the Safari clones, the Jinhao 599 series, and I thought I'd post some comments about the tuning process I've gone through with these pens. I picked up several of them out of curiosity and have been using them to practice my nib grinding and smoothing skills. The first ones I picked up did not fare well. I got two of the blue demonstrators, and when doing an initial cleaning I reinserted the converters and pushed the nib/feed sleeve out of the section. Not sure if these are friction fit or tacked in there with a little bit of cement, but this is clearly a big issue when a normal push on a converter pops the whole nib/feed unit up and out. I moved too quickly and assumed that the sleeve unit was round, and I cemented the sleeve back into the section. A couple of problems with this -- 1) the sleeve has ONE alignment position and 2) using cement to lock up a sleeve in a transparent section leads to some ugliness. Obviously, because the grip is formed, the sleeve has to line up EXACTLY with the top of the section or the nib alignment will be off. And, if I were to cement the sleeves in again, I'd use a very small amount of cement and try to keep it out of the inside of the section. Having tossed the first two into the parts bin I bought three more and found myself going through a similar tuning process for each. First off, EVERY pen had a really bad nib with way too much ink flow. Not one of the five had a nib that was usable from the start. Fortunately the nibs/feeds are easy to pull out and work with, so I went through the following steps to get them working: Ground them down closer to fineAdjusted the tinesSmoothed the inner edges of the tines (this was critical)Closed gaps on the tines to get the right alignment and pressureCorrected a few "inverted Grand Canyon" problems Once these changes were made the flow was better, and I managed to turn all three of the pens into really good writers: The next weirdness to correct was how the section screwed into the barrel. Each one of the pens seems to do this strange thing where right as it gets tight it turns slightly back to the loose position. It is almost like the body can't make the final 1/16 of a turn to cinch it down completely. To correct this I put a very thin layer of Shoo Goo on the threads to prevent movement. Clearly this is a silly solution because I'd have to repeat it every time I filled the pen, but for now it works. Maybe I'll try setting one up with a sac and then using the side window and a bent paperclip to fill it. The last thing I did was to take 400 grit sandpaper (lightly) to the bottom of the cap. The plastic had a slight edge to it that I didn't like, so I smoothed it out, and because it is right on the edge you don't have to worry about scratches in the plastic. I have some solid colored ones on the way, so we'll see if those have the same issues. Overall the pens are decent for the price, but only if you have some fairly solid nib tuning skills. Graham

Figured what better way to get into fountain pens than to start inexpensive, fortunately had a couple friends who were able to get me some recommendations on favorable ones. Most were about 10USD or less, the most expensive 'single' pen was the Uranus KSF-301 w/ Box for about 17USD. My favorite of the pack is the Jinhao X750 with the Goulet Extra Fine nib, followed by the Jinhao X450 which I replaced with a Goulet 1.5mm Stub Nib (I put the 2-tone Jinhao M nib from the X450 onto my Nemosine Singularity). On the thin side it's a toss up between the Kaigelu 363 and Jinhao 611. The Hero 616 is probably the least favorite of all the Chinese ones I've tried. Baoer 507 "8 Horse" (one of a three pack I got, I kept the silverish one) http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/baoer_507_8horse.jpg Jinhao 611 in blue, aside from the Hero 616 I have, probably the finest on the nib size I have. http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/Jinhao_611.jpg A Kaigelu 363 and Haushilai 2111, bought them as a pair, I like the Kaigelu better of the two. http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/kaigelu_363_huashilai_2111.jpg A Duke Uranus KSF-301 (~ Medium Partially Hooded Nib) http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/uranus_301_full.jpg Jinhao X450 in "Distressed Black" http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/x450_closenib.jpg Jinhao X750 "Shimmering Sands" with a Goulet 2-tone Extra Fine Nib. Currently my favorite of the chinese pens. http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/x750_ef.jpg Most of them side by side (the non-Chinese ones shown being the Sheaffer Snorkel, Nemosine Singularity, and the unbranded green one in the front) http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/chinese_colection.jpg

The Jinhao 321 is one of those common or garden hooded nib Chinese pens. In fact, looking back at RichardandTracy's 2011 review, I'm reminded that the 321 was the first hooded nib pen I ever used, and the one that set me on course to try the Hero 616 and eventually the Parker 51. It's been that long since I used this Jinhao, I almost feel like I'm looking at it with fresh eyes! Time to wheel out the Pelikan Royal Blue. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321capped.jpg LOOKS I think the hooded nibbed pens are among China's most restrained, and this one follows that convention. There's no steps or lines for the eye to follow, apart from a slim bright metal trim ring that separates the hood from the barrel. It's all very swoopy and tapered; the shape reminds me of a slimmed down zepellin. This is a slim & sleek pen, a nice shade of green, with a longer section and shorter barrel than the Parker 51. The design is heavily influenced by Parker's 61, though there's no arrow on the hood. In a further departure from the Parker 61, the barrel's attractive bright metal finial is an inverted cone. The cap is a trifle more ungainly than the pen. Its satin finish contrasts nicely with a polished arrow clip and coinstack flat-top metal jewel, but the clip is a bit of an ill match: too big, flat and imposing to suit the cap. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321bodyshot.jpg BUILD QUALITY The pen itself is pretty good! The nib and feed are flush with the hood, there are no uneven gaps at the trim ring or the barrel finial. The hood is still scratch and leak free. The cap is less impressive, as the clip is slightly loose in its slot. The cap construction overall is a little crude, I can see a rivet in there holding the inner cap in place, which itself holds a metal 4 finger open clutch in place. Nevertheless, this is still much more robust than the "inner cap as snap cap" design that proliferates nowadays. The pen will post, deeply and securely, if that's your thing. I did drop this Jinhao once, on a thickly carpetted surface. The pen landed horizontally, and the cap shot off! http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321nibmacro.jpg FUNCTIONALITY It writes. I could always take that to the bank. Despite the rivetted inner cap, this has never been a pen to dry out overnight. Come to think of it, did I seal it up with shellac back in the day? Might well have done! Whenever the fine nib meets paper, I know ink will flow. The nib is very feedbacky, but doesn't drag or scratch on even the worst paper I have. Flow is 100% consistent and will match pace with my fastest scribbling. As well as being fine, it's also very rigid so there's no shading to speak of. The squeeze filler is not great, the squeeze bar on the sac guard just doesn't make much headway. The sac will fill well enough with the metal guard removed. Overall, it's certainly a very comfortable design, and sure to keep your fingers clean no matter what grip you favour. Very light and well balanced too, even posted. http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Jinhao%20321/Jinhao321barrelfinial.jpg YAY/NAY Oh, that's a hard one. It's hard to avoid comparisons with the 616 Jumbo, which I have to admit a preference for. The Jinhao is slimmer, smaller, has a shorter and harder to fill ink sac, and no ink window. The cap is less servicable, the ringless open clutch retention system less to my tastes, and the inner cap is much thinner. And yet... this one Jinhao 321 has many of my 616's trumped, in that it didn't need any fettling. I received the pen, and used it without fuss. Sure it is small and thin, but a lot of people might prefer that. If you've reached the end of this review thinking the same thing, keep an eye on the Pay It Forward thread. I've got a couple of new pens winging their way to me, and to make room, will be passing this one on.