xFountainPens.com

[thibaulthalpern]

Check this out:

http://www.xfountainpens.com/category-s/6.htm

 

Ever heard of them?

[donwinn]

I have purchased several fountain pens from this seller, through his ebay store. Good prices, free shipping, not the fastest, but good product, good service.

 

Donnie

[dumdummuoi]

Wait... is that his own brand of fountain pens? Because if so, LOL @ the "list price" vs "our price" differentiation!

[PeterBeoworld]

A question that I have always wondered about came back to me when reading this site - How do you plate something with 18k gold? I thought that plating would be with pure 24k gold? The premium nibs have the said 18k plating.

[dumdummuoi]

A question that I have always wondered about came back to me when reading this site - How do you plate something with 18k gold? I thought that plating would be with pure 24k gold? The premium nibs have the said 18k plating.

 

Hmm... I thought you can plate any metal with any other metal? Or maybe it's only *almost* any? The point is, plating material doesn't have to be pure gold--we have rhodium-plated/platinum-plated nibs, no? Anyway, I've seen lots of pens that had 22-23K gold plating. I think it's normal.

[blak000]

Wait... is that his own brand of fountain pens? Because if so, LOL @ the "list price" vs "our price" differentiation!

 

Based on the nibs, I'd say they're Jinhao pens. I wonder why the seller doesn't just mention that.

[dumdummuoi]

Wait... is that his own brand of fountain pens? Because if so, LOL @ the "list price" vs "our price" differentiation!

 

Based on the nibs, I'd say they're Jinhao pens. I wonder why the seller doesn't just mention that.

 

Hmm... Jinhao pens? Do they really have "list prices" of $50? Because that would be pretty absurd, too ^_^

[PeterBeoworld]

A question that I have always wondered about came back to me when reading this site - How do you plate something with 18k gold? I thought that plating would be with pure 24k gold? The premium nibs have the said 18k plating.

 

Hmm... I thought you can plate any metal with any other metal? Or maybe it's only *almost* any? The point is, plating material doesn't have to be pure gold--we have rhodium-plated/platinum-plated nibs, no? Anyway, I've seen lots of pens that had 22-23K gold plating. I think it's normal.

 

But surely the method in electroplating is where one suspends the nib in a solution of a salt of the metal one is using to plate. Therefore it should be a very thin layer of pure metal. 18k is a mixture of gold and base metals. Do you have a mixed solution? Rhodium and platinum will be the same principle. Or has my school boy science let me down?

 

Found the answer!!

Edited October 7, 2008 by PeterBeoworld

[dcwaites]

All the ones with X450 in the name are re-named Jinhao X-450 pens, and $10 is not a bad price for them. In at least one picture you can see the word Jinhao in the cap band. I assume that at least most of these pens are Jinhao pens.

 

 

[CarolinaWriter]

All the ones with X450 in the name are re-named Jinhao X-450 pens, and $10 is not a bad price for them. In at least one picture you can see the word Jinhao in the cap band. I assume that at least most of these pens are Jinhao pens.

 

 

I just bought a Claret X450 through eBay from this company and received it two days later. I am new to fountain pens and not an expert, but it looks nice and feels very solid. Of course I can't tell you how it writes because I don't have ink for it...yet. On the band it says "Jinhao" on one side and "X450" on the other.

 

No relation - just a satisfied customer.

 

 

[Lillyrose]

Check this out:

http://www.xfountainpens.com/category-s/6.htm

 

Ever heard of them?

 

Ya, just bought something from them. It was shipped fast USPS. Bought it Wed. last week, Shipped Thursday and got it today. Very nice stuff.

[Imaginos]

I purchased the X750 Vertrag (Jinhao X-750) from this website following a quick and courteous reply from them regarding an email I sent questioning pen weights. The item was received in top condition after just 4-5 days and I plan on buying from them again, if that helps any (just a satisfied customer).

 

The pen is very nice, though a little heavier than I am used to. Originally, I was looking at the X450, but was unsure about the textured finger rests, which the X750 does not have.

[Rahil]

Can anybody explain why these pens are so cheap? are they really that bad to write with? I'm looking around and have found some for as low as $5 a piece!

[Randal6393]

I bought one of the 450's. Wrote well, had a good feel to it. Problem with the pen was the weight. It was a metal-bodied pen and fairly heavy. After a while, the ink flow slowed from ink drying in the feed section. So, required more cleaning than the average pen. And was somewhat cumbersome to write with. Decided to replace it with a $25.00 Pelikan Future.

 

Summary: The pen works, requires more maintenance than other pens in the price range. But not a bad buy for the money. Of course, YMMV applies here. Many Jinhao fans would tell a different story.

 

Enjoy,

[Nikhil]

I have also seen these on amazon http://www.amazon.com/X30-Affilato-Black-Fountain-Pen/dp/B001F9FNMA/ref=sr_1_115?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1260727987&sr=1-115

[Jimmy James]

Can anybody explain why these pens are so cheap? are they really that bad to write with? I'm looking around and have found some for as low as $5 a piece!

They're made in China, where they are likely sold for no more than a quarter each. That's just the way economics works there.

[welch]

You can find a range of Chinese pens at Isellpens and Hisnibs, as well as eBay: XFP puts some energy into branding his pens, while Isell and Hisnibs will advertise the original maker. XFP has some amusing names...I like "Nebelflake" and such.

 

How can some Chinese pens be sold for $5? Consider low manufacturing costs and wildly varying quality.

 

I've had some pens that are decent and some that are dreadful. The Jinhao X450 is OK, and so is the Duke Silver Rings, and so is the Picasso Gentleman's pen.

 

Hero makes several types of Parker-clones...I've had a pack of Hero 616's that look like a Parker 51, if you don't look closely. The dreadful Chinese pens have off-center "jewels", a flimsy feel, not much tipping material...in general, you can feel an unfinished quality to them. Yet Hero also makes a "616 Jumbo" that is a little rough-edged but otherwise useful if you like fine points.

 

Is the Nebelflake/Jinhao X450 sold for $50 but marked down at XFP? Not that I know. More likely, XFP would say that their pen is a "50 dollar quality pen" being sold for $15 or $20. And who can define precisely a "$50 quality pen"?