About 15 days ago, for the princely sum of $3.74 I ordered a Jinhao 159 from Amazon.
And for another $3.54 I ordered 25 Jinhao Blue Ink cartridges.
Please keep in mind that I am still brand new to the world of the Nib and my only experience up till now with fountain pens is my Pilot Metropolitan so please add a healthy amount of salt to my opinion.
The pen arrived in the same packet as the ink cartridges. No box just a cheap plastic sleeve but it still arrived in perfect condition.
As you know, it is a rather "Beefy" pen about twice the size of my Pilot.
That being said, it feels really good in my ham sized hands and sausage fingers. The construction is first rate in my book. The cap smoothly screws on over the nib and fits onto the end of the barrel just fine and is not likely to fall off.
The nib also screws into the barrel very smoothly as well.
The pen came with the standard Jinhao converter which was in the barrel but not attached to the nib.
Anyway, before going further, I gently took a Q-Tip and cleaned the nib with a bit of alcohol then wiped down with water before filling to remove any residue from the manufacturing process.
To start with, I first tried one of the ink cartridges. It snapped firmly into place but it took FOREVER for the ink to start flowing.
And when it did, it was more like a diluted watercolor than actual ink.
I quickly scrapped that idea, removed the cartridge, chucked it in the trash and connected the converter which I then filled with Noodler's Baystate Blue.
After cleaning the nib and the bottom of the pen, I put pen to paper for the first time and the ink started flowing immediately!
Like my Pilot Metro, the 159 is advertized as having a Medium nib.
However, the Jinhao produces a "Thicker" line than the Pilot does. Not an issue as far as I am concerned.
A rather handsome looking pen in my book and I really do like it!
As to the ink, I opened a ticket with Amazon.com, gave them my honest opinion..."Horrible, Do Not Purchase" and my payment was almost immediately refunded.
If you have $4 burning a hole in your wallet, you could do a lot worse than ordering the Jinhao 159!
And for another $3.54 I ordered 25 Jinhao Blue Ink cartridges.
Please keep in mind that I am still brand new to the world of the Nib and my only experience up till now with fountain pens is my Pilot Metropolitan so please add a healthy amount of salt to my opinion.
The pen arrived in the same packet as the ink cartridges. No box just a cheap plastic sleeve but it still arrived in perfect condition.
As you know, it is a rather "Beefy" pen about twice the size of my Pilot.
That being said, it feels really good in my ham sized hands and sausage fingers. The construction is first rate in my book. The cap smoothly screws on over the nib and fits onto the end of the barrel just fine and is not likely to fall off.
The nib also screws into the barrel very smoothly as well.
The pen came with the standard Jinhao converter which was in the barrel but not attached to the nib.
Anyway, before going further, I gently took a Q-Tip and cleaned the nib with a bit of alcohol then wiped down with water before filling to remove any residue from the manufacturing process.
To start with, I first tried one of the ink cartridges. It snapped firmly into place but it took FOREVER for the ink to start flowing.
And when it did, it was more like a diluted watercolor than actual ink.
I quickly scrapped that idea, removed the cartridge, chucked it in the trash and connected the converter which I then filled with Noodler's Baystate Blue.
After cleaning the nib and the bottom of the pen, I put pen to paper for the first time and the ink started flowing immediately!
Like my Pilot Metro, the 159 is advertized as having a Medium nib.
However, the Jinhao produces a "Thicker" line than the Pilot does. Not an issue as far as I am concerned.
A rather handsome looking pen in my book and I really do like it!
As to the ink, I opened a ticket with Amazon.com, gave them my honest opinion..."Horrible, Do Not Purchase" and my payment was almost immediately refunded.
If you have $4 burning a hole in your wallet, you could do a lot worse than ordering the Jinhao 159!
