Jinhao X159 Black Acrylic Fountain Pen # 8 Extra Fine Nib Gold Trim for Writing and Calligraphy with Refill Ink Converter

I’ve been collecting fountain pens for over forty years. I used to go to the major fountain pens shows in Southern California and I even had my own fountain pen repair business for several years back when. So, I’ve owned the best of the best to Lamy Safaris. I had yet to try a Jinhao, but couldn’t wait any longer after all the good reviews I’ve read. In searching for the top Jinhao pens to purchase I kept coming across this Jinhao X159 Black Fountain Pen with a #8 nib on it in Fine. After filling it with my favorite ink - PILOT Iroshizuku Bottled Fountain Pen Ink, Ama-Iro, (Light Blue) - https://amzn.to/4fHjS5l I was ready to try it out. Wow! This thing write butter smooth, no skips, feels great in the hand. I truly believe this rivals my 35 year old Mont Blanc 149 that is 197.163% more expensive than this Jinhao. I am truly blown away. It pretty much has the good looking features of my 149. So, I sat there completely in shock at just how great this pen is. Yes, it’s a solid great pen, not even in the good category, but I believe the best bargain and high quality you can find. I find myself using this over my MB 149 because it’s just too costly to carry around. With this pen I don’t have to worry about it, but make no mistake I’m not letting this pen leave my vicinity. I can’t think of any wish list items I would want on this pen other than what it already comes with. It’s a gorgeous looking pen and most people would have no clue what this pen retails for and how well it works under the hood. I cannot stress enough at just how great a fountain pen this is. Heck, I would say even if you’re a fountain pen newbie this would make an amazing wonderfully first choice, but be forewarned you will be spoiled with just how good a pen it is. I would give this pen 10+ stars if I could; it’s that good. Just order it now and thank yourself later. A very strong recommend from me.

The pen writes well and is a good value for the money. I like the fact that it comes with a good quality converter.

This pen never wrote well from the start. Not enough ink was getting from the converter to the feed, and ultimately to the nib. What ink that did end up on the paper was very light. I also tried a cartridge, but that didn't correct the problem. If I turned the nib on it's edge (e.g., when righting in a calligraphic style), the ink came out nice and dark. But of course this is not a calligraphy nib, and because of that the line width does not vary when turned up on its edge.I was going to send the pen back, but since it didn't cost much anyway, I disassembled the nib thinking it wasn't aligned correctly. That still didn't resolve the issue. Oh well, I guess this is more evidence of, "You get what you pay for." Maybe I just got the lemon out of the bunch.Other than the fact the pen doesn't function correctly, it looks nice. And it's fat like a cigar--fits perfectly in my big hands.UPDATE June 16, 2023After my first review, I put this pen aside and forgot about it. Then one day when I had nothing better to do, I disassembled the nib again. This time around the pen worked just fine. The only time I have noticed this pen skip is when I attempt to make a long and quick flourish (e.g., when crossing the letter "T" and dragging it the length of the word). I change my rating from one star to four. I guess I didn't waste $13 after all.

I compared the size to the two most common stationary. I also show this on basic printer paper for those who might not have the proper paper to see how it works on such. I recommend doing research instead into a good quality paper for fountain pens though. You can find affordable options in the communities forums on reddit etc, or youtube (the comments sections can have others finds as well).I am new but have done a lot of research to try to find my best deal for a reasonable price being a beginner unsure how I'd like the difference as many others recommend getting a cheaper option if new. I definitely have been won over and am officially going to declare a fountain pen fanatic! As I'm sure you too will once you treat yourself to this purchase.I love both of the pens I purchased so I figured I'd compare them. The two pens were both purchased on Amazon and are such, "Jinhao X159 Black Acrylic Fountain Pen # 8 Fine Nib Gold Trim for Writing and Calligraphy with Refill Ink Converter" (from the Lanxivi Store) and "PILOT Metropolitan Collection Fountain Pen, Black Barrel, Classic Design, Medium Nib, Black Ink (91107)" (from the PILOT store).I used the same ink to better review in a controlled setting. I used "Platinum Carbon Ink Bottle 60ml - Black" (Brand: PLATINUM). Be sure to get the honey browser add on because at the time of purchasing there was a great discount for a few dollars! how wonderful.Review: These pens are exactly as I had found in my research to be. The Jinhao is a bit heavier and of course, as you can see, larger. Because of this, people say those with larger hands will prefer this one and it is best used for shorter writings or signatures. The PILOT is smaller and light, perfect for longer writings and those with smaller hands (easy fix is to keep the cap on the back).Personally I have come to see their reasons in saying these things but I personally like both equally and have smaller hands. So, don't let these things deter you from just giving things a try. I got two different types of tips to see the difference. It seems both can be a bit inky but I imagine this will be a bit better once I get the proper papers to write on. Both are wonderfully smooth, glid wonderfully. I highly recommend both and you too should give different types of more inexpensive kinds a try to see what you prefer.____The shipping for all was fast and well.____The pictures I included are done with and without flash to best try to pick up the details.