First Pen

[TorqueRanger]

Today I ordered my first fountain pens .. I orded the Jinhao 599 with med and fine nib and the Jinhao X750 frosted finish ..The pens will take some time getting here all the way from china but I am super excited.. They come with blue ink which I am not a fan of but don't have money right now to buy some Noolders Black ink.. Also can you suggest a good plain black ink to try ??

I will try to keep is updated ..


Thanks

 

[Foyle]

For a good plain black ink, I would try either Pilot/Namiki black, Aurora Black, or Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. Pilot or Pelikan black are going to be the most affordable options. Aurora is a good ink, but it's a bit pricey considering the amount that comes in the bottle.

 

[Venator]

Jinhao makes good first pens. They are heavier than most though so if you plan to write for long stretches you may find your hand or wrist getting fatigued. You may consider dropping a few $ on ebay for a Pelikan or Schmidt converter as an upgrade to the Jinhao ones.

Most of the basic or cheaper black inks do not appear truly black, rather dark grey. Pelikan is a good choice, as are Noodlers', Aurora or J. Herbin Perle Noire if you can spend a little more depending where you live. Private Reserve Velvet Black is supposed to be another good choice, but I haven't tried it.

Enjoy your new pens!

 

[Vacumatic]

I think that the 599 is the Lamy copy and quite light, the 159 is the heavy and chunky pen in the Jinhao range.

Wouldnt argue with any of the ink suggestions but would add Montegrappa to this list, and a usefully shaped bottle too.

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/ink/montegrappa.htm

 

[Doc4]

The pens will take some time getting here all the way from china but I am super excited..

What's the over/under on the OP buying another pen while he waits for the oh-so-long shipping to wend its way from China?

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

What's the over/under on the OP buying another pen while he waits for the oh-so-long shipping to wend its way from China?

 

[NinthSphere]

Takes ~1 month average ime, so pretty good. After all, what are you going to play with in the meantime.

 

[TorqueRanger]

I just wanted to explain a little here.. Right now I am really behind in my bills and have been pulling alot of shifts trying to get caught up again but it's going to take a while.. So I saved my lunch money to get these pens.. Money is too tight for my family to get any ink or converters but I stay positive..

For a good plain black ink, I would try either Pilot/Namiki black, Aurora Black, or Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black. Pilot or Pelikan black are going to be the most affordable options. Aurora is a good ink, but it's a bit pricey considering the amount that comes in the bottle.

I will have to check them out when I get some more money..

Jinhao makes good first pens. They are heavier than most though so if you plan to write for long stretches you may find your hand or wrist getting fatigued. You may consider dropping a few $ on ebay for a Pelikan or Schmidt converter as an upgrade to the Jinhao ones.

Most of the basic or cheaper black inks do not appear truly black, rather dark grey. Pelikan is a good choice, as are Noodlers', Aurora or J. Herbin Perle Noire if you can spend a little more depending where you live. Private Reserve Velvet Black is supposed to be another good choice, but I haven't tried it.

Enjoy your new pens!

I don't mind the weight and have to find those converters for a later purchase.. I am really eager to try the Private Reserve Velvet Black.

I think that the 599 is the Lamy copy and quite light, the 159 is the heavy and chunky pen in the Jinhao range.

Wouldnt argue with any of the ink suggestions but would add Montegrappa to this list, and a usefully shaped bottle too.

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/ink/montegrappa.htm

Never heard of that company but will have to check them out

What's the over/under on the OP buying another pen while he waits for the oh-so-long shipping to wend its way from China?

Both pens are coming from china and I really wanted a Jinhao X750 but found one for a really good price.. Which got me to order it while the other is being shipped..

Thanks

 

[TorqueRanger]

Takes ~1 month average ime, so pretty good. After all, what are you going to play with in the meantime.

I don't have any other fountain pens to use.. So I have wait and hope it catches one of the faster ships lol..

 

[kcore]

I have both those pens and they are pretty decent the converters they come with arent the greatest but they havent let me down good luck with everything and don't be afraid to ask questions

 

[TorqueRanger]

Thank you very much for such great ink suggestions and help everyone. But I have a couple questions..The plan is to use pens at home since I can't use them at work.. The issues comes as I use steno books,compositions books,and Walmart notepads .. So I was
thinking about trying a quick drying ink like Noodlers ink or should I try using better paper ??? Also I am not a fan of the grid network and prefer standard or college rulered..Has anyone every had any problem with those cheap chinese converter ??? I plan on upgrading the converters after I get some money saved up.. There was a couple suggestions on better converters but are there any others that are just as good or any I should stay away on ebay ?? I almost forgot is there anyone who sells ink samples ??

I have both those pens and they are pretty decent the converters they come with arent the greatest but they havent let me down good luck with everything and don't be afraid to ask questions

Thanks and I hope these turn out good. My plan was to upgrade the x750 with a better nib if I don't like the M that comes with it.. Do you have any suggestions or mods that improve the pens ??



Sorry about the stupid questions but I have never had a fountain pen before..

 

[kcore]

Thank you very much for such great ink suggestions and help everyone. But I have a couple questions..The plan is to use pens at home since I can't use them at work.. The issues comes as I use steno books,compositions books,and Walmart notepads .. So I was
thinking about trying a quick drying ink like Noodlers ink or should I try using better paper ??? Also I am not a fan of the grid network and prefer standard or college rulered..Has anyone every had any problem with those cheap chinese converter ??? I plan on upgrading the converters after I get some money saved up.. There was a couple suggestions on better converters but are there any others that are just as good or any I should stay away on ebay ?? I almost forgot is there anyone who sells ink samples ??


Thanks and I hope these turn out good. My plan was to upgrade the x750 with a better nib if I don't like the M that comes with it.. Do you have any suggestions or mods that improve the pens ??



Sorry about the stupid questions but I have never had a fountain pen before..

For a pretty decent nib upgrade you can always go with a Goulet nib or what I use which are Nemosine nibs I find them better than the Jinhao nibs. But honestly I would suggest to save up and get a way better pen than try to upgrade that one

 

[TorqueRanger]

For a pretty decent nib upgrade you can always go with a Goulet nib or what I use which are Nemosine nibs I find them better than the Jinhao nibs. But honestly I would suggest to save up and get a way better pen than try to upgrade that one

What would you suggest as a upgrade ??

 

[TorqueRanger]

My brother gifted me a FP that needs some work but looks really nice IMO and would like some feedback please..
I don't have it yet but should be here in a couple days..

Royal USA Fountain Pen
Iridium nib in fine

 

[kcore]

What would you suggest as a upgrade ??

Honestly I went through a faze of buying cheaper pens a noodlers pen and a TWSBI Eco. I kind of wish I just saved the money from buying the cheaper pens for a nicer pen such as a pilot custom 74 or pilot custom heritage 91 or 92 or a lamy 2000. One of the things to figure out is what size nib you like if you want a thicker or thinner line also if the weight of the pen is too heavy or light all of these are factors when upgrading your pen. Or if you want to stay in the low end you can go with a pilot metro or a TWSBI Eco you can't go wrong with either one of those IMHO

 

[TorqueRanger]

Honestly I went through a faze of buying cheaper pens a noodlers pen and a TWSBI Eco. I kind of wish I just saved the money from buying the cheaper pens for a nicer pen such as a pilot custom 74 or pilot custom heritage 91 or 92 or a lamy 2000. One of the things to figure out is what size nib you like if you want a thicker or thinner line also if the weight of the pen is too heavy or light all of these are factors when upgrading your pen. Or if you want to stay in the low end you can go with a pilot metro or a TWSBI Eco you can't go wrong with either one of those IMHO

I would love a TWSBI Eco to use but will have to save up for it

 

[Doc4]

What would you suggest as a upgrade ??

Honestly I went through a faze of buying cheaper pens a noodlers pen and a TWSBI Eco. I kind of wish I just saved the money from buying the cheaper pens for a nicer pen such as a pilot custom 74 or pilot custom heritage 91 or 92 or a lamy 2000. One of the things to figure out is what size nib you like if you want a thicker or thinner line also if the weight of the pen is too heavy or light all of these are factors when upgrading your pen. Or if you want to stay in the low end you can go with a pilot metro or a TWSBI Eco you can't go wrong with either one of those IMHO

I would love a TWSBI Eco to use but will have to save up for it

As kcore mentions, the biggest issue is probably going to be figuring out what nib size you want. It's no fun dropping $75--$150 each time you want to try out a different nib size.



Two good ways of trying nib sizes on the cheap (and still having good pens out of the deal) are the Pilot 78g (and Metropolitan) and the Lamy Safari. The Pilot pens are about $10-15 each, so that's cheap enough to get the whole pen for each nib size, and (as I am informed) the Lamy Safari nibs are easy to change out ... IIRC the pen is about $35, and the nibs are $15? And Pilot Plumix is another great way to try a stub/italic nib.

If you are aiming at a TWSBI as a 'destination pen', they also have easy-to-change nibs and the extra nibs are about $20--$25 I believe.

 

[tomtom42]

Hi TorqueRanger,

.Has anyone every had any problem with those cheap chinese converter ??? I plan on upgrading the converters after I get some money saved up.. .

Yes, I for example received a converter with a Jinhao x450 that does not work at all - probably a defective seal. Generally the converter doesn't look or feel more flimsy than others I have, it just does not work.
However for a grand total of less than 3$ shipped I do not feel cheated, the pen works fine with cartridges.

br,
ToM