new Jinhao X 159 fountain pen

[Knoffie]

Well today was my lucky day !  I recently ordered from Aliexpress a Jinhao X159  which is now available in both Bback and deep burgundy. I chose the burgundy over the black as it will be sitting next to my 50's Parker 51  which IS black.   I chose the Fine nib, well actually I dont think I had a choice, and was a bit concerned  that is might run a bit dry as fine nibs have a habit of doing.  To put this purchase in context  I have been using, and buying , collecting and selling vintage  Parkers 51's , 21's , Duofolds  and Conway Stewarts, Swan, etc  for the past  10 years  just as a hobby.   I already have a number of Jinhao X 450's,   and 5 of the new 777's, ( Lamy clones)  and I have been very impressed by each of these models  as I have made , hopefully objective comparisons  between these and my Conway Stewarts  and Parker 51's . But I was not expecting anything  that much from a $12.00 pen , as good as my other  Jinhao pens  go and that it surely would not stand up to a comparison in regard to writing, build quality, form vs  function ares with my Vintage Parker. How wrong I was!!!  This has to be the best built, smoothest writer, and functionally perfect pen I have ever owned.  A big claim?  I dont want to blow the trumpet too loud as I realise that it all goes down to personal choice  where pens are concerned.  I know this is modelled on the Mont Blanc 149  and all I can say  is that Jinhao have done a fantastic job.  I am really trying hard to come to grips with the fact that this $12.00  pen outperforms every single pen in my small collection( 30 or so) . I love my 51 and  and my C/S 15's and 759's and 58's  but if I am honest with myself none of them write as smoothly and as lightly as the X 159 does.  I am typing this shaking my head: "  how can they make this and sell it for the price??? 

I have always been a bit of a " snob" where fountain pens go,not wanting to use anything other than Parkers ,/ C/S , Cross, Swan . But I have to swallow my pride on this one.  etc

The X159 has been placed in the #1 position in my collector's display case.  I am sure there are folk who will disagree and I am happy to read your  opinions , both for and against . 
" 

[TSherbs]

Better than your Conway Stewarts? Wow.

 

I own an x159, and I like it. It is even "good." But there are many of my pens that I think write better. 

[Knoffie]

T Shirb  thanks for your comments. Made me think a bit more about what is important to me: A pen that writes smoothly , and built very, very well  and really hard to fault..or the feeling one get when writing with a C/S which has 60 or 70m years of history behind it  and still performs beautifully  and connects to the  paper one is using  differently?  In holding both in my hands the Jinhao X 159 speaks to my head and the C/S speaks to my heart , if you know what I mean.  Every time I write with my 1950's 51 it takes me back to my childhood when my fascination with fountain pens began ( over 60 years ago)  and although it doesn't write as well as my Jinhao pen , or my Lamy Safari , it still is the one that captivates me the most.  Strange  isn't it. I dont know if other share my experiences? 

 

[Tony1951]

I have purchased about a dozen Jinhao, Wing Sung and Baoer pens in the last year or so and like the OP, have been amazed at how nice they are for the money. I have a couple of X450s, one of which has been dragged about in my trouser pocket for over a year now and is used many times a day. It has been dropped several times onto hard surfaces and was trodden on once. One time it landed, uncapped, nib down and wrecked the nib.I ground the broken tine off, levelled it up and it was back in use in no time and considering the horrible incident and amateur repair, it was still a smoother writer than any of my three Shaeffer No Nonsense pens from the 1990s. Lately, I bought three new nibs for the X450 on Ali Express. They cost pennies really and I replaced the repaired nib. I like the inhao finished nib better than my repaired one, so that is now in service and the repaired one is in my nib tin with a lot of copperplate nibs.

 

My x159 is a bit of a handful though. BIG - but it is nicely made. I too was only offered the fine nibbed version, and I would have preferred a medium nib. My x450 pens will handle my home made iron-gall ink well, but the x159 tends to run a little dry with that. It is happy with Quink.

 

I don't own a Parker, but I have a couple of historic relic pens which write well. I bought them on the big auction site. They were made as entry level school pens and I owned both models at the end of the 1950s - now long gone. One is an Osmiroid 65 with a distorted barrel - the plastic Osmiroid  used was poor. The other is a pristine Platignum Regal. These write very well and match the Chinese pens - maybe they are even smoother and wetter too mainly, probably  because they are broader nibs.

[txomsy]

I think we are talking apples and oranges here: I mean, each of us has difference preferences for how a nib should write. While some may like some feedback, or flexibility or smoothness, others may have different preferences. From that point of view, what is best is personal and should be tailored to each one.

 

In my case, I use my 159s with FPR flex nibs because I couldn't stand the default factory nib. But that is my personal preference. I wouldn't rate it higher than other pens that have properties I value more. But that is my preference.

 

Yet, the ability to easily swap nibs is a very nice touch.

 

I see no surprise there.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, txomsy said:

In my case, I use my 159s with FPR flex nibs …‹snip›… the ability to easily swap nibs is a very nice touch.

 

Are you talking about the (old) metal Jinhao 159 with a ‘shield’ on the clip, or the new plastic Jinhao X159 that uses 40mm nibs?

 

[Tony1951]

3 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Are you talking about the (old) metal Jinhao 159 with a ‘shield’ on the clip, or the new plastic Jinhao X159 that uses 40mm nibs?

 

 

Yes - that's the one I have. The nib is huge. In fact it is on the way to being a trowel. 

[TSherbs]

3 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Are you talking about the (old) metal Jinhao 159 with a ‘shield’ on the clip, or the new plastic Jinhao X159 that uses 40mm nibs?

 

Must be the older (original) version with the #6 nib....

[txomsy]

Yes, that is why I said 159, not x159. Sorry for the confusion.

[shane27]

Thanks for the review! I think that x159 is a very good pen especially when you factor in the cost! 

[kny]

I bought one of these on impulse.  The build quality is quite good for the price point.  I didn't have to do anything to the nib to be able to simply use it as a pen, apart from a flush it before inking.   Two turns to uncap, and plastic - plastic cap threads.  It's on my EDC rotation at the moment.

 

The black one I have is actually a very, very dark brown, and there is color variance between the barrel, the cap ring, and the cap.  It's only noticeable in bright sunlight or under the glare of a very bright led flashlight though. 

[His Nibs]

Thanks for the enthusiastic review. I just inked up my first one (red/burgundy) with the F nib (an XF is also available, depending upon the dealer). I'm similarly impressed. In many ways, it was the 2022 Pen of the Year. 1/100 the cost of my Montblanc 149 -- and the resin is precious enough for me. 😉

 

In my latest YouTube video review (not of the x-159 but of the Asvine P30), I mention that I'm getting tired of mentioning how smooth and well-tuned all of my recent Chinese pen nibs have been. It's a wonderful development. Having imported and sold Chinese pens for a quarter century, this was a long-held hope of mine, and seems to have come true with Asvine, Jinhao, Hong Dian, PENBBS, Moonman/Majohn, etc., etc.

[Stompie]

I got the Burgundy with a Fine nib and I am very happy with it. It is in my waistcoat pocket everyday because if it breaks it does not matter it is so cheap to replace with another!

[MidSouthern-Dad]

I just received mine from Goulet Pens.  I ordered a converter, as I didn't think there would be one supplied with the pen at this price.  But SURPRISE!

There is indeed a Jinhao converter in the pen already installed.  Very impressive pen, which writes smoothly, and with good ink flow right out of the plastic sleeve that it came in.  It is missing the snowflake on the cap, and the plastic is less hard and brittle than the Montblanc's, and there are no gold trim rings, but otherwise - does the job very well.