Jinhao 599A

[jody_fpn]

//disclaimer - I am new to fountain pens.

 

I received from the postman a Jinhao 599a, a red pen, an inexpensive pen.

 

I cannot figure out how the postage alone is not more than the entire purchase price.

 

Filled with Parker Quink Ink - it writes a heavy line.

It writes reliably.

The pen is light.

 

Problem: Weird grip - it wants to force your fingers in a certain position.

 

Maybe the grip will grow on me.

The flats on the grip do let you know the position of the point.

 

Cheers,

Jody

Edited February 19, 2015 by jody_fpn

[Sasha Royale]

Try not to think in terms of American capitalism. In the People's Republic Of China, the

government is partner in all enterprises. "Profit" is not always the only motive. Besides,

Governments are not bound by profit rules.

[torstar]

Nice little pens for the price exerted....

 

[Jamerelbe]

The whole design of this pen, including the "weird grip", is copied from the Lamy Safari and AL-star. Designed, I think, to teach school kids to write with a classic tripod grip. It really is a love it or loathe it thing: I tend to prefer a rounded grip section, but really like the triangular grip on these pens regardless - I find it strangely soothing!

[Jamerelbe]

Safaris are 5-10x the price of the Jinhao copy, but have interchangeable nibs of varying sizes, and in my experience the cap produces an airtight seal more reliably. I have two Safaris and several Jinhaos, and appreciate the merits of both!

[THRobinson]

Does the Jinhao 599A take a standard #6 nib? I know the older models were similar to the Lamy nibs, but looking online, the nibs on the 599A looks more like a standard nib.

[Jamerelbe]

Does the Jinhao 599A take a standard #6 nib? I know the older models were similar to the Lamy nibs, but looking online, the nibs on the 599A looks more like a standard nib.

 

Standard nib, yes - but #5 rather than #6. The chrome #5 nibs from FPR (www.fountainpenrevolution.com) will fit on the feed, but the 'wings' are a little wider, so it's not a perfect fit within the grip section. It'll work at a pinch, though!

[Gloucesterman]

Some pictures - please.

Thank you

[Jamerelbe]

OK, I take it back - I was speaking from distant memory. Placed side-by-side, the Jinhao #5 nib from a 599 and the FPR #5 nib look very similar - just a shade 'stubbier' (shorter tip), maybe. The TWSBI 580 nib to the right, as you can see, is longer. The FPR nib is a much snugger fit, though - especially if you want to ram it down into the grip section - and a little harder to remove again. Not because the wings are wider, as I'd initially suggested - maybe the sheet metal the FPR nibs are made from is a shade thicker?

 

All in all, though, it's a pretty good fit for the Jinhao, if you want a finer or broader nib!

 

http://i.imgur.com/2LeRANQ.jpg

[THRobinson]

Actually hoping #6... was looking for a cheap/decent enough pen that takes a #6 so I can swap in a Noodler's Flex nib since never tried something like that yet.

 

Saw a few sites that listed various Jinhao's as 'standard nib' but neglected to saw #5 or #6. Been looking at a few Jinhao models and not sure what they take.

[Jamerelbe]

Jinhao x450, x750 and 159 all take #6 nibs - but the Noodler's flex nibs are not necessarily going to fit even so. Also, the plastic feed in these pens is not optimised for flex nibs - so even if you can fit the Noodler's nib you may get a fair bit of railroading...

[THRobinson]

Not to thread-jack, but... any chance the Jinhao 188 takes a #6?

 

When the Noodler's Konrad in Coral Sea is back in stock I plan to grab one with a flex, but... could be weeks, months, never... figured get something like the Jinhao with a #6 nib, buy an extra flex nib for a few bucks extra and try.... and if not great, could always grab a Goulet nib, something like a broad, or 1.1 italic, since all my pens are medium... I need some variety.

[Jamerelbe]

Not to thread-jack, but... any chance the Jinhao 188 takes a #6?

 

When the Noodler's Konrad in Coral Sea is back in stock I plan to grab one with a flex, but... could be weeks, months, never... figured get something like the Jinhao with a #6 nib, buy an extra flex nib for a few bucks extra and try.... and if not great, could always grab a Goulet nib, something like a broad, or 1.1 italic, since all my pens are medium... I need some variety.

 

Dunno about the 188 - it's not in my collection. If you want a flex pen, it's worth checking in on Fountain Pen Revolution - their range of flex-compatible pens goes from the ultra-cheap Guru (a plastic pen with ebonite feed, made on consignment for them by Serwix) to the Indus (a much nicer looking pen, made from higher-quality plastics), to the somewhat pricier Triveni (and Triveni Junior), made from either ebonite and acrylic. I'm not a fan of the Dilli - but these other 3 are all pretty good for their price ranges.

[THRobinson]

Debated it... problem is, I went from a $20 Ahab, to a $40 Konrad because of better reviews and liked the coral sea, then looked at those FPR's (didn't like the colours or the look, also #5 nib so if I hated the flex, then the Goulet #6 option was gone).. basically got stuck in that mind-set of hey it's only a few bucks more, then a few bucks more again, etc... went from being a $20 experiment to $40+... and that's US pricing, still got to do the exchange to Canada, extra costs of shipping, possibly duty at the border if unlucky, etc... the Jinhao I can get for $8.50CAD just a few hours away... just, for whatever reason, what I would think as being a good detail like nib-size... seemed to be missing from most websites.

 

Well, emailed the shop, hopefully get a response that answers the question about the 188.

 

Shame about the 599A though, I have a pair of LAMY pens and love them, be nice to have had something similar but more options nib wise.

[THRobinson]

Jinhao 188, takes a #5. Seller just confirmed.

[jody_fpn]

I have since become accustomed to gripping the pen lower - where it is more round.

This helps I think.

Jody

[Arkanabar]

I have since become accustomed to gripping the pen lower - where it is more round.

This helps I think.

Jody

I need to do that. My main gripe with the Safari (and so the 599) is the slenderness of the section.