Jinhao 991... A Fantastic (but) Boring Pen...

[Aravind_A_2310]

I came to know about this pen on youtube when some reviewer(I think it was JPL) described it as "The most boring fountain pen ever made". Which kind of piqued my interest. As I was looking for an inexpensive Knock about pen that was inconspicuous and yet provide a good writing experience. And I think this is the pen that'd fit that niche perfectly. Before we begin, For those who are not interested in spending the next 5-10 minutes reading this whole topic, Here's a quick TL;DR : "If you're looking for an inexpensive, reliable and don't like to draw too much attention to yourselves or your pen but also writes well, then this pen fits the bill perfectly"

 

For those who want a more detailed review, lets crack on...

 

Appearance And Build

 

I ordered a 6 pack from ebay for around $7/- incl. shipping, and it showed up to my doorstep a good 7 months later. By then I'd forgotten the fact that I had ordered these but when they arrived, I was well... Unsurprised.

 

The pen comes in 6 colors and I personally like the black and the green, but the brown and the orange, not so much.

 

As far as the design goes, well it's easy to tell where the inspiration came from. if it weren't for the demonstrator appearance, I'd have thought that this was yet another uni rollerball. But this inconspicuousness is what I was looking for. So I wasn't disappointed. On the flip side however, well... there isn't much to say abut it. The pictures speak for themselves... To call it bland might be an accurate description.

 

  

 

the pen is built surprisingly well for what is, essentially a $1 pen. If your not such a rough user, then this'll last you far more than any other $1 pen that you can get at your local shops. It's not fantastic... but it's not bad either. it has survived a couple of drops onto tile floors (from around 2.5 to 3 feet high) and had no issues with cracking or breaking of any sort. 

 

The in hand feel is also okay. I'm not so fond of narrow pens because I have the hands the shape of a canoe oar, but this is actually not that bad. It has a bit more heft than that of say, a bic crystal, but nothing substantial. No problems with posting the pen as well. In fact, I'd say this pen requires posting to write comfortably as the extra little heft of the cap does help the overall writing experience. 

 

  

 

Coming to size comparisons, Here it is in the following order:

1. Baoer 079 Starwalker

2. Jinhao 991

3. Sheaffer No Nonsense

4. Kanwrite Desire

5. Pilot V7 Cartridge System

 

 

 

 

 

Nib and Writing

 

The pen that I ordered comes with a No.5 size Jinhao nib in EF, there are also hooded nib variants for those seeking even more anonymity with their pens. the Nib is housed in a nib unit which is screwed into the section. However, the nib and the feed itself are friction fit into the section so they can be removed easily (and in case of the nib in my units, a little too easily). One thing is that If you own a Kanwrite No.5 or No.5.5 nib, don't bother swapping it in as the kanwrite nib is a little thinner than the jinhao and it slides off almost instantly. I had a hero No.5 nib, and that fit without a hitch. So as always, Your Mileage May Vary.  The pen is a 3 in 1 filler which takes standard international cartridges both short and long, converter which is included (Also if you don't like this converter, then don't bother using a Schmidt converter as it won't fit unless you take the metal collar holding the mechanism is removed) and as an eyedropper (Make sure to apply some silicone grease to the section threads and the threads on the nib unit) and it holds approx. 2.5 ml of ink when used as an eyedropper and approx. 0.6 ml when using the included converter.

 

  

 

 

 

Coming to the writing, I've had good experiences with jinhao nibs. But those have all been medium nibs. This though was an extra fine, so I wasn't expecting much. And suffice to say, these do not disappoint. The nibs are pretty wet and smooth for a nib that writes like what looks like a standard fine for me (Mainly because I write with Indian nibs which are typically ground closer to Japanese sizes). There is a hint of feedback, Not scratchy, but what you'd call pencil like. In fact, that's the only bit of character this rather characterless pen possess. you can coax a bit of line variation but you'll need a pretty heavy hand to do so. But then again, flexy calligraphy style writing is not what this pen is meant for. Since it is an EF, the pen will be a good candidate of you write a lot on low quality paper as there will be minimum bleed and feathering (This also depends on your ink of course). Here's a writing sample of this pen using Bril royal blue ink. (Inspired by @Waski_the_Squirrel). There hasn't been any dry-outs and the pen has been dead reliable since I had inked it.

 

   

 

Final Verdict

 

To summarize this pen a few words, "Plain Utilitarian" would the best description to fit this pen. It's inexpensive, it writes well, it blends in with other pens and even if you lose one, you won't be that devastated, cause you have 5 more to go to. So if you are looking for a plain jane knock around pen for everyday use, then this is a good option. For those seeking a little more "character", Id say skip this and buy the Jinhao 992 instead. You'll get a pack of six for just a bit more, but you'll get a pen that looks better and offers an equally good writing experience.

 

If you've tolerated all this jibber jabber and have reached here, then Congrats! Here's a 🏆 for your patience...  And feel free to comment on your opinion on this pen if you do have one. And I'll see you soon...

[Gloucesterman]

thank you for the excellent review. Enjoyable AND informative. especially appreciated the many pictures and writing samples.

[Aravind_A_2310]

5 hours ago, Gloucesterman said:

thank you for the excellent review. Enjoyable AND informative. especially appreciated the many pictures and writing samples.

Thank you sir 🙏 

[amberleadavis]

Great review.

[Aravind_A_2310]

3 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

Great review.

Thank you 🙏

[Maurizio]

This is an excellent review and you had me jumping to Amazon to see if they were available and at what price. What fountain pen nut can resist a dollar pen to use with problematic inks or just to have around as knock-abouts?

[miwishi63]

Excellent review! I rather like the idea of a nondescript fountain pen in certain situations and, of course, for travelling. Not sure if I can justify adding more knock around pens to my collection at this point though...

[Aravind_A_2310]

2 hours ago, Maurizio said:

This is an excellent review and you had me jumping to Amazon to see if they were available and at what price. What fountain nut can resist a dollar pen to use with problematic inks or just to have around as knock-abouts?

Thank you for your response!🙏. Look at eBay for the price I got it for... I'd like to share the link, but ebay in India is broken AF... And yes... Noone can resist that good a deal for a knock about pen... Be mindful that the quality control will be a bit off than usual... But for the price, I'd be happy even if it came with no nib at all....

[Aravind_A_2310]

1 hour ago, miwishi63 said:

Excellent review! I rather like the idea of a nondescript fountain pen in certain situations and, of course, for travelling. Not sure if I can justify adding more knock around pens to my collection at this point though...

Yupp... You don't want to take your Benus or Montblancs to the govt office (atleast in India... You'd be judged... But for all the wrong reasons)... It's a great gift idea as well for people who'd like to start out in the hobby... Fit it with a nice no.5 nib, and they'll thank you for it...

[Encre Noire]

Anybody who jibber jabbers is OK by me!

 

 

[Aravind_A_2310]

18 minutes ago, Encre Noire said:

Anybody who jibber jabbers is OK by me!

 

 

Glad to hear that👍