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Jinhao 992 Informal Review


truthpil

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The nib on the 992 writes wetter and wider than both the F and M Prera nibs. My Prera came with an F nib, but it was too dry and scratchy for me (the gold-colored 78G nibs are smoother) so I replaced it with a Plumix stub nib and voila, pocket pen perfection. 😊

That's really helpful, thank you 😊

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Cool! Thanks for the very helpful writing sample!

 

Now the most important question: which of those is your favorite writing experience?

 

 

 

I'm liking the look of the delike's crisp line, does it write smoothly?

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Cool! Thanks for the very helpful writing sample!

 

Now the most important question: which of those is your favorite writing experience?

 

 

 

I'm liking the look of the delike's crisp line, does it write smoothly?

My Thyer has the best nib from these but it's very close. Chinese pens have really upped the ante on the budget end of the spectrum. The Caliarts and the 698 were quite surprising. Unless a buyer needs a particular nib width I don't see why anyone would get a TWSBI. The two feel better built than an Eco from the heft to the lack of travel on and smoothness of the piston.

 

The Delike is quite noticeably thinner than the rest, no? It is smoother than my Pilot Penmanship of a 78G Fine but there is a bit of tooth on the cheap paper I've tried it on. It may be unavoidable with nibs this thin.

Hero #232 Blue-Black is my Waterman Florida Blue.

 

Your Kilometrage May Vary (#ykmv), a Philippine blawg about ink and fountain pens.

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My Thyer has the best nib from these but it's very close. Chinese pens have really upped the ante on the budget end of the spectrum. The Caliarts and the 698 were quite surprising. Unless a buyer needs a particular nib width I don't see why anyone would get a TWSBI. The two feel better built than an Eco from the heft to the lack of travel on and smoothness of the piston.

 

The Delike is quite noticeably thinner than the rest, no? It is smoother than my Pilot Penmanship of a 78G Fine but there is a bit of tooth on the cheap paper I've tried it on. It may be unavoidable with nibs this thin.

absolutely agree.

BUT my caliart ego developed some skipping issues which took a lot of trouble shooting to resolve.

So WingSung 698 is a much better buy.

 

my LIngMo lorelei is a absolute delight. Bought all colours except pink :)

 

just waiting to get Jinhao 992.....

 

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My Thyer has the best nib from these but it's very close. Chinese pens have really upped the ante on the budget end of the spectrum. The Caliarts and the 698 were quite surprising. Unless a buyer needs a particular nib width I don't see why anyone would get a TWSBI. The two feel better built than an Eco from the heft to the lack of travel on and smoothness of the piston.

 

The Delike is quite noticeably thinner than the rest, no? It is smoother than my Pilot Penmanship of a 78G Fine but there is a bit of tooth on the cheap paper I've tried it on. It may be unavoidable with nibs this thin.

 

Glad to know the Thyer is the best bang for the buck. I need to put mine back into rotation soon. :)

I hadn't looked at the 698 before...wow, it looks the way I wished TWSBIs looked, and there is a 14k gold nib option!

 

I think you're right about the reason folks get TWSBIs. The only reason I got my ECO is because it was the cheapest way to get an excellent 1.1 stub with a decent pen in that price range. Chinese can make smooth stub nibs (e.g., Hero 5028), but the pens they come in aren't good. Now that the ECO stub is in my 992 I don't think it will ever leave; I much prefer the feel of this pen as opposed to the chunky angular design of the ECO.

 

Thanks for your thoughts about the Delike. I'm very satisfied with the smoothness on my Penmanship, 78G, and 78G+ nibs and rarely need a Japanese EF, so it looks like I don't need to buy anymore Asian EF or F pens. All my energy can be focused on vintage oblique stubs. :P

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absolutely agree.

BUT my caliart ego developed some skipping issues which took a lot of trouble shooting to resolve.

So WingSung 698 is a much better buy.

 

my LIngMo lorelei is a absolute delight. Bought all colours except pink :)

 

just waiting to get Jinhao 992.....

 

How did you fix the skipping? Mine is doing fine but it would be great to know what to do if (knock on wood) if happens to me. I remember someone on SFPL (Singapore Fountain Pen Lovers FB group) saying that the skipping solved itself when he changed inks.

 

I will think about getting the Lorelei for the next time I go to China. I have a friend who has one and it is a good writer. The nib is a bit too broad from what I remember though? (strictly a Fine or Finer person because of my smaller handwriting)

 

 

Glad to know the Thyer is the best bang for the buck. I need to put mine back into rotation soon. :)

I hadn't looked at the 698 before...wow, it looks the way I wished TWSBIs looked, and there is a 14k gold nib option!

 

I think you're right about the reason folks get TWSBIs. The only reason I got my ECO is because it was the cheapest way to get an excellent 1.1 stub with a decent pen in that price range. Chinese can make smooth stub nibs (e.g., Hero 5028), but the pens they come in aren't good. Now that the ECO stub is in my 992 I don't think it will ever leave; I much prefer the feel of this pen as opposed to the chunky angular design of the ECO.

 

Thanks for your thoughts about the Delike. I'm very satisfied with the smoothness on my Penmanship, 78G, and 78G+ nibs and rarely need a Japanese EF, so it looks like I don't need to buy anymore Asian EF or F pens. All my energy can be focused on vintage oblique stubs. :P

The 698 is nice. It feels very nice in the hand. It looks much better than I expected: if you like how it looks from pictures now, you'll love it when you get it. I have yet to properly use it full-time—unless I am taking exams a piston filler just doesn't make sense to me since I like changing inks—but hopefully it will show "character" that my Eco doesn't have.

 

BUT if you weren't a fan of the Eco on the hand, maybe not. The Eco, while it looks quite angular, feels pretty round/tubular in my hand and both the Ego and the 698 are only very gradually less angular. It's hard to explain...but they feel very similar.

 

As for the Delike New Moon, yes it brings very little to the table. What I can say for it though is that it is cheaper than the Pilots yet feels better made (thicker plastics, smoother edges, heavier) than the Penmanship or the 78G. I don't have a 78G+ (yet) ;)

Hero #232 Blue-Black is my Waterman Florida Blue.

 

Your Kilometrage May Vary (#ykmv), a Philippine blawg about ink and fountain pens.

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Of the Jinhao 992 and the Delike New Moon...I use them and enjoy them both. Maybe it's the ink, but the 992 lays down a wetter, heavier line for me. The New Moon cost more, but as a Sapporo homage, it does the job (as does the Pilot Prera, or so I think, and the NM is half the Prera's price).

 

The finer, slightly drier Delike would be better for sketching and liner notes. I can feel the difference writing, even though that may not show well on the image.

 

 

33607862064_3cb75304f0_z.jpg

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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How did you fix the skipping? Mine is doing fine but it would be great to know what to do if (knock on wood) if happens to me. I remember someone on SFPL (Singapore Fountain Pen Lovers FB group) saying that the skipping solved itself when he changed inks.

 

I will think about getting the Lorelei for the next time I go to China. I have a friend who has one and it is a good writer. The nib is a bit too broad from what I remember though? (strictly a Fine or Finer person because of my smaller handwriting)

 

i tried everything from fitting of the feed to ink change to nib-feed alignment.

the FINAL thing that seems to work was I noticd the tines are a little bit

broader than normal, so i adjusted them close....which is counterintuitive

since it reduces ink flow.

BUT it solved skipping .

HOWEVER if you test it with fast strokes, it skips.

Suits me at regular writing speed.

NEVER skipped again.

 

/Lorelei nib is a very smooth fine nib.

CANT believe its so smooth.

and such a bargain too.

Edited by maximme
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i tried everything from fitting of the feed to ink change to nib-feed alignment.

the FINAL thing that seems to work was I noticd the tines are a little bit

broader than normal, so i adjusted them close....which is counterintuitive

since it reduces ink flow.

BUT it solved skipping .

HOWEVER if you test it with fast strokes, it skips.

Suits me at regular writing speed.

NEVER skipped again.

 

/Lorelei nib is a very smooth fine nib.

CANT believe its so smooth.

and such a bargain too.

Thanks, I've done that repair to a few Dollar 717 Calligraphy pens. I'll look at the nibs of my Egos tomorrow.

Hero #232 Blue-Black is my Waterman Florida Blue.

 

Your Kilometrage May Vary (#ykmv), a Philippine blawg about ink and fountain pens.

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Thanks, folks, for sharing some experiences about this pen!

 

 

InsuranceMan, do you still think the 992's build is not as strong as the Wing Sung 659? How do the thicknesses in plastic compare?

My non-demonstrator 992 is most definitely thicker and stronger plastic than my Pilot 78Gs and 78G+s.

 

 

 

This is invaluable information! As soon as my ECO stub is out of ink I'm going to swap nibs and see what happens.

Is the feed keeping up well with the need for more ink flow? I had ink starvation issues when I tried a flex nib in the pen.

My original response:

I would say the 992 is thicker than the 659. B) My comment is regarding the way they feel. The finish of the 659 is closer to what I feel when I write with my Sailor 1911. I don't think it is made with PMMA plastic but there is a smoothness that I don't feel with the 992. The 992 is a great little writer for the price as long as you don't push it too hard. I have to slow down when signing documents because of an occasional skip. But this is only experienced when I sign at my max speed. Aside from that it has performed well. On a scale from 1 -10 it gets a solid 7 for writing experience and 5.5 for the way it feels in my hand. :) Cliff

 

Update

After a full week of writing with both of these pens my opinion has changed. :huh: The quality of the Wing Sung 659's plastic is inferior IMHO. It has developed some very fine scratches and the painted on gold cap rings have worn of in some places. :yikes: This has prompted me to completely remove the remaining paint. On the other hand the Jinhao 992's over all appearance with much more use is holding up much better. I eye dropped both pens with Noodler's Midnight Blue and Private Reserve Ebony Blue. Both pens look outstanding with little to no scratching at all. I can only imagine the chuckles you guys must of had with my comparison to the

Sailors PMMA resin. :lticaptd: Well I am a rookie. :blush: All said, I'm so happy with the Jinhao 992, I ordered 2 more. Cliff

Conquering the stumbling blocks come easier. When the conqueror is in tune with the infinite ...

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—unless I am taking exams a piston filler just doesn't make sense to me since I like changing inks—

 

 

Thank you for saying this! After spending time on this forum I've been starting to think I am crazy for preferring c/c pens over piston fillers for the same reasons you do. I get bored writing with the same ink for more than a week and I just don't write enough to use up a piston full of ink. I'm going to sell my TWSBI 580 EF because one fill would last me months with that nib.

 


Update

After a full week of writing with both of these pens my opinion has changed. :huh: The quality of the Wing Sung 659's plastic is inferior IMHO. It has developed some very fine scratches and the painted on gold cap rings have worn of in some places. :yikes: This has prompted me to completely remove the remaining paint. On the other hand the Jinhao 992's over all appearance with much more use is holding up much better.

 

Thanks for the update!! I had suspected as much about the 659 because the Jinhao 992 has sturdier construction than the Pilot 78G which is better made than the Wing Sung 659. The gold-colored lines on the 78G also wear off very quickly even with gentle use.

 

I've been throwing the 992 around in my bag on and off for a few weeks and it still looks brand new! It has quickly earned a place in my EDC rotation. :happycloud9:

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What I do is, unless I need the full capacity, to fill them to about a half or third full. I do share the sentiments of many that seeing the ink sloshing about is quite a sight! :lol:

Hero #232 Blue-Black is my Waterman Florida Blue.

 

Your Kilometrage May Vary (#ykmv), a Philippine blawg about ink and fountain pens.

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What I do is, unless I need the full capacity, to fill them to about a half or third full. I do share the sentiments of many that seeing the ink sloshing about is quite a sight! :lol:

 

Yeah, same here. My biggest complaint is that I can't get behind the section on a piston filler to clean then with a bulb syringe without taking the whole pen apart.

 

Oh yeah, if it isn't an inconvenience it would be great to see a pic of all the pens together that you used for your writing sample above. I don't have any other Chinese pens to compare the Jinhao 992 to.

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Yeah, same here. My biggest complaint is that I can't get behind the section on a piston filler to clean then with a bulb syringe without taking the whole pen apart.

 

Oh yeah, if it isn't an inconvenience it would be great to see a pic of all the pens together that you used for your writing sample above. I don't have any other Chinese pens to compare the Jinhao 992 to.

OH you'll really love the Wing Sung 698 then. The section unscrews from those.

 

Sure thing! Photos below show L-R a Lamy Safari, a Lanbitou 757, three Jinhao 992s, a TheBai Thyer, a Caliarts Ego, a Delike New Moon, a Wing Sung 698, a TWSBI Eco, and a Pilot Metropolitan.

 

post-129019-0-77212200-1494852903_thumb.jpg

post-129019-0-56957200-1494852879_thumb.jpg

 

I have some close-up photos on my Instagram (antichresis) and if any of you guys want me to make comparison photos etc. just tell me. It's really no inconvenience! I want to take better pen photos so it's good practice.

Edited by antichresis

Hero #232 Blue-Black is my Waterman Florida Blue.

 

Your Kilometrage May Vary (#ykmv), a Philippine blawg about ink and fountain pens.

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Some photos:

Addendum: second "Pilot Metropolitan Medium" is a Fine nib. The first Lamy Safari is an EF. The paper is from a cheap notebook (our school's exam bluebook), 20c US converted.

Hero #232 Blue-Black is my Waterman Florida Blue.

 

Your Kilometrage May Vary (#ykmv), a Philippine blawg about ink and fountain pens.

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Well, my enthusiasm was premature. After a month of use the pen suddenly cracked near the barrel end. As I was using it as an eyedropper I've discovered cracks not because I've watched the pen closely but because, suddenly, my fingers became green and wet with ink. Has it happened to anyone else? I haven't dropped the pen, I haven't abused it in any way. The cracks appeared out of nowhere :/

 

fpn_1494855453__img_20170515_153306_1.jp

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OH you'll really love the Wing Sung 698 then. The section unscrews from those.

 

Sure thing! Photos below show L-R a Lamy Safari, a Lanbitou 757, three Jinhao 992s, a TheBai Thyer, a Caliarts Ego, a Delike New Moon, a Wing Sung 698, a TWSBI Eco, and a Pilot Metropolitan.

 

attachicon.gif18382642_173883606470747_6762721239308959744_n.jpg

attachicon.gif18381775_1748792031815482_7939445048943312896_n.jpg

 

I have some close-up photos on my Instagram (antichresis) and if any of you guys want me to make comparison photos etc. just tell me. It's really no inconvenience! I want to take better pen photos so it's good practice.

 

Thanks for the comparison photos, they are extremely helpful for knowing which pens will fit a preferred size!

If the Wing Sung 698 takes JoWo #5 nibs, then I "need" this pen.

 

Well, my enthusiasm was premature. After a month of use the pen suddenly cracked near the barrel end. As I was using it as an eyedropper I've discovered cracks not because I've watched the pen closely but because, suddenly, my fingers became green and wet with ink. Has it happened to anyone else? I haven't dropped the pen, I haven't abused it in any way. The cracks appeared out of nowhere :/

 

Thanks for sharing the warning! I haven't been too careful with my opaque version and no sizes of cracks yet.

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Well, my enthusiasm was premature. After a month of use the pen suddenly cracked near the barrel end. As I was using it as an eyedropper I've discovered cracks not because I've watched the pen closely but because, suddenly, my fingers became green and wet with ink. Has it happened to anyone else? I haven't dropped the pen, I haven't abused it in any way. The cracks appeared out of nowhere :/

 

fpn_1494855453__img_20170515_153306_1.jp

Thank you for the warning. Thankfully, I do not eyedropper my pens.

 

I heard from someone earlier in conversation that from a set of 992 he got, 5 out of 6 had hairline cracks out of the box. Maybe yours had these and regular use aggravated an existing issue? His was straight from the Official Jinhao outlet too. I bought some from jewelrymathematics and I'm not sure if he checks the pens he sells before shipping but I cannot see anything from mine (I just checked again after your comment). Neither can I feel anything when I drag my nail around the circumference of the barrel end/finial.

 

18513121_306335193105212_440073028584341

 

I will report back in a month or so if mine developed any problems. Has your pen been rendered unusable after the crack? I understand that it can no longer be eyedroppered but is the structural damage such that it's going to break off soon?

 

 

Thanks for the comparison photos, they are extremely helpful for knowing which pens will fit a preferred size!

If the Wing Sung 698 takes JoWo #5 nibs, then I "need" this pen.

Unfortunately, not a #5. Uses the Pilot Super Quality nib size.

Hero #232 Blue-Black is my Waterman Florida Blue.

 

Your Kilometrage May Vary (#ykmv), a Philippine blawg about ink and fountain pens.

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