Jinhao X750 Deluxe Fountain Pen

I have just bought a Jinhao 159 for the grand total of £2.50 from ebay coming from Hong Kong. Nice bluse acrylic and a handsome pen but lord knows what the nib will be like for that price:baking foil probably...
 
Well they seem to have great reviews and for the price they look good. Either we pay far too much for stuff in the west or they are the result of slave labour but they do look nice.
 
I have just bought a Jinhao 159 for the grand total of £2.50 from ebay coming from Hong Kong. Nice bluse acrylic and a handsome pen but lord knows what the nib will be like for that price:baking foil probably...

The nibs are no worse than those you will find on basic or low-end pens like a Parker Vector (currently £9.99). In fact, I find them rather on the stiff side.

There seems to be just one size, which I would describe as medium tending towards fine. Whilst not especially "characterful", I venture to suggest that most people will be able to write a reasonable hand, quite easily, with them. I have noted a slight tendency to dryness in a couple.

Swapping the nib for another is relatively simple, with the main risk being damaging the feed, but that's not easy to do. If this is something you might wish to do, there are several YouTube videos, and information at Goulet. The main problem in the UK has, for me, been finding a nib supplier, for something which should cost well under £5
 
Hmmm well there are UK sellers selling these for about £6 but sellers in Hong Kong and China are selling them for under £2. I have ordered a couple in colours I like. I think ordering from China is s bit of a "wing and a prayer operation" but at this price I am not too bothered. I would much rather have one of these than a new Parker Vector. They used to be a nice pen back in the day but the latest French ones are crap. they don't auto puncture the cartridge on screwing in the barrel like the old ones do. These Jinhaos come with a converter which is perfect as I use bottled Noodlers ink because i like a non pigment/ Iron gall permanent ink. I also like the guy who runs it :) He has a nice anarchic attitude and is not in it for the money. He sells a 4.5 oz permanent ink for under £20 with an artwork quality label and a free eyedropper pen with nib to compliment the ink qualities. Anyway I digress.

I am going to start having to carry a fountain pen for daily use too. I normally use a pencil at the moment for making notes or a Uniball Gel Impact because of the permanent ink. Now I have discovered Noodlers and a cheap fountain pen this could be possible again. I have a decent Cross fountain pen and I have just bought an ASA Daily on the recommendation of someone here. They are quite nice pens though, ones you would be pissed to lose. These Jinhaos look good workhorses :)
 
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The jinhao is a great workhorse!

I lost a waterman hemisphere so know what you mean about losing them!

Where do you get your noodlers ink from is it uk based? As i find it impossible to get....and does £20.00 include postage (or is that wishful thinking on my behalf).

Thanks and enjoy the pen.

Mark
 
Well I got my Jinhao 450 through the post today and am extremely impressed. I was expecting it to be plastic so was very surprized at the sturdy metal barrel. The finish is excellent and the pen writes smoother than my £60 Cross Century too. The only improvement would be a screw on cap. I should have ordered a few more of these as stocking fillers. It just shows that not everything out of China is gimcrack crap. It's a great pen regardless of price and I would recommend one.
 
Well I got my Jinhao 450 through the post today and am extremely impressed. I was expecting it to be plastic so was very surprized at the sturdy metal barrel. The finish is excellent and the pen writes smoother than my £60 Cross Century too. The only improvement would be a screw on cap. I should have ordered a few more of these as stocking fillers. It just shows that not everything out of China is gimcrack crap. It's a great pen regardless of price and I would recommend one.
They're pretty good. I totally agree with you about the cap. If not a screw-on, a little more positive click on and off would be nice.
I've had a number of conversations with people who've had things manufactured for them in China. If you specify "cheap and nasty", then that's what you get. On the other hand, the Chinese are quite capable (in similar manner to what was the case when the Japanese made copies of Western stuff) of producing articles every bit as high-quality as is possible, if you ask for it and pay the higher prices. A case in point is the Colonial razor, which is at present Chinese-made but to high manufacturing and QC standards.
I'm amazed that the Jinhaos are still such a high standard for the price, but I believe they have quite a wide market in discerning purchasers in Asia/India who expect a certain quality level. I'd also hope that they're so tooled-up for making this standard of pen now that it would be expensive to re-equip and produce lesser ones.
 
I notice that a certain well-known internet auction site has a couple of examples of new Jinhao 750 pens which have been converted to use flex nibs. I think this is going to be a more frequent sight.
 
Hi Chrisbell

It's a resin body, so i can't say it causes me that much of an issue. I think it depends on three things:

1. How sweaty your hands get.
2. How much you're writing in anyone go.
3. How much pressure you use when writing ( i tend to try and hold the pen more relaxed to avoid strain/ tiredness).

I wouldnt say its any worse than using a plastic section, in my opinion.

Waterman Hemisphere's are a very sound alternative if your concerned about the metal section.

If your near a stockist, see if you can do a writing test and compare. I know that some people are not, or the stockists may not carry such pens.

Let me know if i can assist you any further.

Regards

Mark
Cheers.
 
You can do a flex nib on any Jinhao as the nib and feed are friction fit and just pop out. I have fitted a Bock fine nib to one of mine and a better converter from Beaufort Ink. It is a testament to Jinhao though that I think the standard medium nib from them actually feels smoother than the Bock.
 
You can do a flex nib on any Jinhao as the nib and feed are friction fit and just pop out. I have fitted a Bock fine nib to one of mine and a better converter from Beaufort Ink. It is a testament to Jinhao though that I think the standard medium nib from them actually feels smoother than the Bock.

I've converted one to flex with a Zebra nib, but, whilst the effect is fine, I still need to sort out some problems with wetness, or the lack of it. I've amassed a number of flex nibs, almost all of which are for penholders, and thus too narrow for feeds. There are a couple in there which look OK, and I'll probably try them. I also plan some FPR purchases, and will likely get a couple of nibs from them as well. There doesn't seem to be much availability of these from UK suppliers, unless I'm missing a trick here.
As far as I see it, the main problem with current steel flex nibs is that they just aren't flexible enough. There was a post on FPN where the author had ground some metal off, from between the wing and the body end on each side, thus removing some stiffness from the nib, and I might try this on a Zebra. There's nothing to beat a decent 14k gold flex nib on a Mabie Todd or similar, though.
 
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