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On the whole I’ve had very good luck with the Jinhao pens I’ve purchased, either on eBay or from Goulet Pens. From the 126 to the 159 and the 599a I’ve been impressed with how reliable they are, both in writing immediately after being uncapped, and in the uninterrupted flow of ink. They are great writers at very reasonable prices. So when I saw this review of the 992 I had to order myself one. I went on ebay and ended up with six! At $15 Cdn for six I couldn’t say no.
They came with the white tray. Try to ignore the red ink on the side of the tray – that was me, allowing an uncapped red Optiflow to rest for a few hours against it. It looks like a rather alarming blood stain; perhaps I should let the Optiflow loose on it again, transforming the whole tray.
The pens are plastic but it’s thick plastic so the pen feels very sturdy, like a TWSBI or Monteverde. The model is available in 12 colours, half of which are translucent; the solid colours are very nice too. The caps screw on and post very securely. The filling system is cartridge converter, which came with the pens. They also come with a plastic o-ring between the barrel and section. There is a round ball at the end of the pen and it looks like it would be completely sealed, which makes the pen an excellent candidate for making into an eyedropper. I still haven’t made any of my pens into eyedroppers, but with six of these I can afford to take the chance.
The nib is advertised as fine but writes like a wet fine or medium. Very smooth nib with no issues starting or skipping, and moves across the paper with little to no tooth. You can see the famous Jinhao chariot on the nib. All of the writing samples in my last post, #5 of 53, were written with these pens.
Jinhaos all in a row! They certainly do not look like they are all from the same brand. From left: 992, X450, 599a, X750 and 159. In weight and appearance it most closely resembles the 599a. I’m missing the 126 from the photo as I can’t find one at the moment.
And to give you an idea of its size in relation to other brands. From left: Jinhao 992, TWSBI Vac 700, Lamy Al Star, Waterman Kultur, Pilot Metropolitan, Delta Journal, Monteverde Prima and Parker Urban.
I really enjoy these pens. While the 159 remains my absolute favourite of the Jinhaos, the 992s are a welcome addition and will not disappoint.
Happy journaling.
