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Post by distractedmom on Feb 1, 2021 2:32:59 GMT
My favorite pen is a Jinhao 994 that was 98 cents on eBay. My next favorite pen is a Jinhao 51A that was $1.35 on eBay. I have two of the 994 now because one is for glitter ink I've never actually written with a pen that was more than about 10 bucks because my first fountain pen was a Parker Vector I bought when I was a freshman in college in 1997 and I used it for years and years. Then, when I started with this letter writing hobby, it was sort of like "You must be a responsible adult because you have small children who need shoes, so you can either buy a single more expensive pen and use the large bottle of blue ink you own, or buy lots of ink samples and cheap pens." I think you can guess which choice won I do want to get one of those shark pens, just for the cuteness factor!
They are excellent writers, these Sharks! I also have the fude set, and it's as good as any I've used.Good to know, sails, as I was looking at those too. Maybe the next time I'm in a crummy mood and need a pick-me-up.
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Post by Lupine on Feb 1, 2021 14:31:49 GMT
My favorite pen is a Jinhao 994 that was 98 cents on eBay. My next favorite pen is a Jinhao 51A that was $1.35 on eBay. I have two of the 994 now because one is for glitter ink I've never actually written with a pen that was more than about 10 bucks because my first fountain pen was a Parker Vector I bought when I was a freshman in college in 1997 and I used it for years and years. Then, when I started with this letter writing hobby, it was sort of like "You must be a responsible adult because you have small children who need shoes, so you can either buy a single more expensive pen and use the large bottle of blue ink you own, or buy lots of ink samples and cheap pens." I think you can guess which choice won I do want to get one of those shark pens, just for the cuteness factor!
They are excellent writers, these Sharks! I also have the fude set, and it's as good as any I've used.Guess what I just found? www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnaLv_vgMA0 This is a very funny (quirky) reviewer who just about proves (in a very tactful way) that Jinhao makes and sells pens that are the same specifications at (probably) the very same manufacturing plants as "American" pens like the newest Parker 51. My point here is that it sure looks like very similar pens with wildly different prices are marketed to different people. The manufacturers hope the two kinds of pen buyers won't be talking to each other . Obviously this is just my impression from this one video, but the praises of these brands in this thread supports the implication that the difference is only price. Interesting. See? I told you I learn a lot of stuff here.
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Post by Rouge on Apr 18, 2021 12:28:57 GMT
Well... From my experience, I now believe that cheap Mapped fountain pens are the best to write without ink leaks with Kaweco ink cartridges. It leaves just the good amount of ink on the paper and has this thin trait I like, for my little paper letters. Each of these pens were about 5€, while 20€+ pens were horrible. Kaweco ink is about 2€ per 6 carrtridges but I LOVE this ink. Finally, after many tries, my best combo comes out to be Rhodia paper, Kaweco ink and ... CHILDREN PENS !
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Post by sails on Apr 18, 2021 13:45:17 GMT
So now Jinhao is in on the act? 😜
I have three...no, five? Wing Sung pens that are 'vac-filled'...my first two (601) look like a Parker 51, and they wrote so well that not only did I buy a third (one of which is always filled), but two more with conical nibs, the 601A.
Thanks for bringing the Jinhao to my attention, but I couldn't sit through the review. I am the impatient type. I want to see the pen, not the person....and not the unboxing.
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DeLos
Pencils
Currently a grad student (M.Div/STL) in Boston.
Posts: 62
Looking for Penpals?: Perhaps. It depends...
Country I live in is: USA
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Post by DeLos on Apr 19, 2021 0:53:02 GMT
Well... From my experience, I now believe that cheap Mapped fountain pens are the best to write without ink leaks with Kaweco ink cartridges. It leaves just the good amount of ink on the paper and has this thin trait I like, for my little paper letters. Each of these pens were about 5€, while 20€+ pens were horrible. Kaweco ink is about 2€ but I LOVE this ink. Finally, after many tries, my best combo comes out to be Rhodia paper, Kaweco ink and ... CHILDREN PENS ! Children's pens are designed to be easy to use. There is no wonder that they are so popular!
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DeLos
Pencils
Currently a grad student (M.Div/STL) in Boston.
Posts: 62
Looking for Penpals?: Perhaps. It depends...
Country I live in is: USA
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Post by DeLos on Apr 19, 2021 0:55:37 GMT
I recently inked up a Jinhao that had been sitting in my desk, unused for about five years. It worked flawlessly. Is it my favorite pen, no (I adore my Lamy 2000). But is it a good pen, most definitely. I might pick up a few more. Also toying with the idea of getting a Parker Jotter because I want to.
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Post by allanorn on Apr 19, 2021 4:39:47 GMT
If you’re not picky and can wait a bit, I picked up a Jotter from eBay for a few dollars. Parker makes some in India, but they aren’t all metal. If you go that route make sure you pick a highly ranked vendor.
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DeLos
Pencils
Currently a grad student (M.Div/STL) in Boston.
Posts: 62
Looking for Penpals?: Perhaps. It depends...
Country I live in is: USA
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Post by DeLos on Apr 19, 2021 23:59:19 GMT
If you’re not picky and can wait a bit, I picked up a Jotter from eBay for a few dollars. Parker makes some in India, but they aren’t all metal. If you go that route make sure you pick a highly ranked vendor. Do you like the pen? I realize it is not meant to be top of the line, but do you find it usable?
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Post by allanorn on Apr 20, 2021 2:18:01 GMT
If you’re not picky and can wait a bit, I picked up a Jotter from eBay for a few dollars. Parker makes some in India, but they aren’t all metal. If you go that route make sure you pick a highly ranked vendor. Do you like the pen? I realize it is not meant to be top of the line, but do you find it usable? I have a love-hate relationship with the Jotter. I’m left-handed and didn’t enjoy writing with ballpoint pens throughout school. I found them to be too thin and the rolling resistance was just too much, plus I’d end up wearing more ink on my left hand than what would end up on the page. I much preferred pencil throughout school and college. Fountain pens really changed my perspective on writing because it went from being a chore to something I could enjoy, to the point where I was willing to experiment with my handwriting style to make them work. Having said all of that - the Jotter I own is 25 years old, all metal, made in France, and bought at a Walmart right before college - and it’s now become my everyday carry pen. For signatures, quick notes, and writing envelopes and postcards in the field - it just works. From a practical perspective, the Parker G2 refill is universally known, so refills are relatively easy to come by. I personally prefer the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 for its low rolling resistance and permanence, but given my use cases I don’t have to prioritize that refill. In fact, the Jotter’s durability, reliability, and its ease of replacement parts makes it the pen I would carry with me if I could only carry one pen with me in an emergency situation. Keep in mind though, I am definitely not writing long letters or missives with this pen. I’d have to pick up or carry something else far more comfortable than the Jotter for that. (I’m not sure what that would be in a “desert island pen” situation.) I picked up a couple of Parker IMs from Amazon that *might* fit that bill, and it’s inexpensive if you pick up the Espresso color (generally), but it’s just not quite that ballpoint or rollerball pen for writing pages and pages. (I’d slightly lean towards the gel Dr. Grip or the Pilot G2 Limited for that, or perhaps the Uniball Signo 207 Premium.)
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Post by Lupine on Apr 20, 2021 16:19:34 GMT
Do you like the pen? I realize it is not meant to be top of the line, but do you find it usable? I have a love-hate relationship with the Jotter. I’m left-handed and didn’t enjoy writing with ballpoint pens throughout school. I found them to be too thin and the rolling resistance was just too much, plus I’d end up wearing more ink on my left hand than what would end up on the page. I much preferred pencil throughout school and college. Fountain pens really changed my perspective on writing because it went from being a chore to something I could enjoy, to the point where I was willing to experiment with my handwriting style to make them work. Having said all of that - the Jotter I own is 25 years old, all metal, made in France, and bought at a Walmart right before college - and it’s now become my everyday carry pen. For signatures, quick notes, and writing envelopes and postcards in the field - it just works. From a practical perspective, the Parker G2 refill is universally known, so refills are relatively easy to come by. I personally prefer the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 for its low rolling resistance and permanence, but given my use cases I don’t have to prioritize that refill. In fact, the Jotter’s durability, reliability, and its ease of replacement parts makes it the pen I would carry with me if I could only carry one pen with me in an emergency situation. Keep in mind though, I am definitely not writing long letters or missives with this pen. I’d have to pick up or carry something else far more comfortable than the Jotter for that. (I’m not sure what that would be in a “desert island pen” situation.) I picked up a couple of Parker IMs from Amazon that *might* fit that bill, and it’s inexpensive if you pick up the Espresso color (generally), but it’s just not quite that ballpoint or rollerball pen for writing pages and pages. (I’d slightly lean towards the gel Dr. Grip or the Pilot G2 Limited for that, or perhaps the Uniball Signo 207 Premium.) Parker Jotter is a beauty. There is even something called a London style in at least two colors that is pretty, pretty, pretty for about $20 USD before S&H. Thanks for these reviews. I bought a Tombow Rollerball Zoom 505 for about that much money as a gift. It's sooooo pretty, and has a rubber grip. The cap fits on in a snug way that is a little unique. The shiny color and overall look of it is something that speaks to me.
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Post by radellaf on Apr 21, 2021 20:47:38 GMT
So you guys are talking about the Jotter BP, then. I have one of the Jotter FPs that I have not inked yet.
I like the BP enough to have a ton (20?) of them. The QuinkFlow (2012?) was a real improvement over the previous Parker BP refills. Not sure when it came out. Around 1995 they had a fancy black bodied "Golden Touch" refill to go along with the Penman FP inks. I never noticed those working any better. Faber Castell's (Parker style) BPs are also darn nice. I often have a regular Schmidt in mine so I can have purple, brown, green, or cyan ink. Not a huge fan of the gel versions (Parker and Monteverde make them). Monteverde's Soft Roll are OK (and come in a lot of colors).
Lately I've been using those in either Faber Castell Grip 2011 (nice and light like a jotter but wider and triangular grip) or a Karas EDK. The brass EDK is very nice for the space pen refills (fisher or Schmidt P950 MegaLine) since it is heavy enough to make them write without requiring extra effort from my hand. Schmidt EasyFlow puts out a lot of ink. I use those for addressing envelopes, sometimes.
The best pen I have for Parker refills is a Parker Sonnet in sterling silver cisele (grid) pattern. It's thin and heavier than the jotter. I do kinda wish the Jotter and Sonnet didn't taper so much near the tip. I like the body diameter but it gets kinda thin at the end. The Jotter XL is particularly awkward-feeling that way. It seems to be even thicker in the middle and thinner 1/2" from the point. I prefer the plastic jotter, as far as grippiness and shape.
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