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Surprising to see that this article has snubbed Chinese FP manufacturers. I own over 20 FPs and some of my favorites are ones made by Jinhao and WingSung. One

Surprising to see that this article has snubbed Chinese FP manufacturers. I own over 20 FPs and some of my favorites are ones made by Jinhao and WingSung. One might even say that the WingSung 300x [1] is better made than the pens that it is a copy of, i.e., TWSBI's Eco and Diamond. The Eco's body is made out of cheap plastic that decomposes when it comes to contact with many household chemicals (e.g., isopropyl alcohol). The Diamond's body is ostensibly better made, but IMHO it's still not worth the price. In comparison, I've used a <$5 WingSung 300x for over 3 years now and it's one of the best pens I've used hands down. [1]: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=wingsung+piston https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=wingsung+piston

smarx007 5y ago
Chinese manufacturers have a great value but the output quality is not 100% reliable. Couple it with difficult returns on Aliexpress and you get the picture. I watch FP vlogs and saw people get 5 Jinhaos and only 3 would have a nib with aligned tines. Sure, getting 3 good pens for the cost of 5 Jinhaos is still a steal but if you order one and get one of the remaining two. Well, it’s a perfect opportunity to learn how to do nibwork :)
- BeetleB 5y ago
  The super cheap Chinese pens like Jinhaos have large variations from one pen to the other, but if you go for pricier brands like PenBBS[0] you'll get good quality. [0] https://www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1120856448 https://www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore?ref=simple-sho...
wenc 5y ago
Jinhaos seem to have leakage problems. I bought 3 because they’re beautiful but I couldn’t use any of them. All of them leaked. From reading pen forums, most people buy Jinhaos for their aesthetics but replace the nibs with third party ones.
45ure 5y ago
I have several Jinhao and WingSung pens. Although, they invariably fail, however, they are generally good when you find a working one. There is no comparison with TWSBI Eco/T or Diamond range, at least not when it comes to the nibs and/or the choice available i.e. F/M/B/Stub/1.1, notwithstanding the ability to work with different kinds of ink and the amount a reservoir can hold. Also, they work nicely with most good quality paper e.g. Rhodia (Clairefontaine), Tomoe River et al. I have also tried the TWSBI 'clone' Lanbitou, which can only be found in F nib -- it was scratchy af and as cheap as it was, it was a waste. I have been thinking of getting some Jowo nibs to try out in one of the failed Jinhao pens, to see how they behave.
BeetleB 5y ago
> Surprising to see that this article has snubbed Chinese FP manufacturers. Two likely reasons: 1. They don't sell them at Jetpens. 2 (more likely): A lot of Chinese designs are copies of fairly expensive pens. Those manufacturers have asked online retailers[1] not to promote them. Although I doubt the Chinese manufacturers are breaking any laws (patents, etc), it's seen by many as poor class to mass copy and sell cheap. A lot of these online retailers rely on the goodwill of the more expensive brands, so they accommodate them. As an example, compare the Lamy Safari with the Jinhao 599 or the Wingsung 6359 or the Hero 359: https://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/dp/B0002T401Y https://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/dp/... https://www.amazon.com/Jinhao-Fountain-Diversity-Transparent-Unique/dp/B00L95MIJQ https://www.amazon.com/Jinhao-Fountain-Diversity-Transparent... https://www.amazon.com/FidgetGear-Coffee-Metal-Fountain-0-38mm/dp/B07S8ZLTLP https://www.amazon.com/FidgetGear-Coffee-Metal-Fountain-0-38... https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-design-fountain-purple-contains/dp/B00FQDCZP4 https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-design-fountain-purple-co... [1] I know they did with Goulet Pens.
- jhoechtl 5y ago
  Are the nibs of Hero and Wing Sung compatible with the Lamy Safari?
  - BeetleB 5y ago
    No idea.
nshm 5y ago
Exactly. Moonman T5 is a bomb, highly recommended. Many other manufacturers are also very good. Ignore people trying to convince you a pen should cost $400.
rkhacker 5y ago
Used to be a fountain pen fan and have used WinSung about 35 years ago and have very pleasant memories of the writing coming out of it. Wasn't cheap by Indian standard but the other pens mentioned here were unavailable to masses back then.
Ancapistani 5y ago
Chinese pens are hit and miss for me. Some, like all of the <$20 Jinhaos, I simply hate. I've never laid hands on one that I'd even consider "usable". Others have some models that are excellent and some that aren't. Some of the Chinese Parker 51 clones are not only very good, I'd actually consider them both more practical and more true to the original than the very expensive modern Parker 51 re-issues. Oh - and Chinese "brands" aren't the same thing as "companies". "Shanghai Green Stationery Co., Ltd" makes some amazingly great pens around $20-50 that are in all respects better than >$100 European pens. They're usually sold under the "Wing Sung" brand. They make the Wing Sung 698, which in my opinion is one of the best "budget" fountain pens out there. They're not super fancy, but but they feel substantial and hold up very well to carrying in a backpack (or even a pocket). I've torture tested some of mine in the past by leaving it inked for over a year, and not only did it survive - it wrote instantly without issue when I used it again. On the other hand, the Wing Sung 659 is pretty much just a sub-standard clone of the Pilot 78g. Their cheap Parker 45 and 51 clones are just bad, and feel like the stamped sheet metal and weak plastic they're made of.

smarx007 5y ago

Chinese manufacturers have a great value but the output quality is not 100% reliable. Couple it with difficult returns on Aliexpress and you get the picture. I watch FP vlogs and saw people get 5 Jinhaos and only 3 would have a nib with aligned tines. Sure, getting 3 good pens for the cost of 5 Jinhaos is still a steal but if you order one and get one of the remaining two. Well, it’s a perfect opportunity to learn how to do nibwork :)

BeetleB 5y ago
The super cheap Chinese pens like Jinhaos have large variations from one pen to the other, but if you go for pricier brands like PenBBS[0] you'll get good quality. [0] https://www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1120856448 https://www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore?ref=simple-sho...

wenc 5y ago

Jinhaos seem to have leakage problems. I bought 3 because they’re beautiful but I couldn’t use any of them. All of them leaked. From reading pen forums, most people buy Jinhaos for their aesthetics but replace the nibs with third party ones.

45ure 5y ago

I have several Jinhao and WingSung pens. Although, they invariably fail, however, they are generally good when you find a working one. There is no comparison with TWSBI Eco/T or Diamond range, at least not when it comes to the nibs and/or the choice available i.e. F/M/B/Stub/1.1, notwithstanding the ability to work with different kinds of ink and the amount a reservoir can hold. Also, they work nicely with most good quality paper e.g. Rhodia (Clairefontaine), Tomoe River et al. I have also tried the TWSBI 'clone' Lanbitou, which can only be found in F nib -- it was scratchy af and as cheap as it was, it was a waste. I have been thinking of getting some Jowo nibs to try out in one of the failed Jinhao pens, to see how they behave.

BeetleB 5y ago

> Surprising to see that this article has snubbed Chinese FP manufacturers. Two likely reasons: 1. They don't sell them at Jetpens. 2 (more likely): A lot of Chinese designs are copies of fairly expensive pens. Those manufacturers have asked online retailers[1] not to promote them. Although I doubt the Chinese manufacturers are breaking any laws (patents, etc), it's seen by many as poor class to mass copy and sell cheap. A lot of these online retailers rely on the goodwill of the more expensive brands, so they accommodate them. As an example, compare the Lamy Safari with the Jinhao 599 or the Wingsung 6359 or the Hero 359: https://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/dp/B0002T401Y https://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/dp/... https://www.amazon.com/Jinhao-Fountain-Diversity-Transparent-Unique/dp/B00L95MIJQ https://www.amazon.com/Jinhao-Fountain-Diversity-Transparent... https://www.amazon.com/FidgetGear-Coffee-Metal-Fountain-0-38mm/dp/B07S8ZLTLP https://www.amazon.com/FidgetGear-Coffee-Metal-Fountain-0-38... https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-design-fountain-purple-contains/dp/B00FQDCZP4 https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-design-fountain-purple-co... [1] I know they did with Goulet Pens.

jhoechtl 5y ago
Are the nibs of Hero and Wing Sung compatible with the Lamy Safari?
- BeetleB 5y ago
  No idea.

nshm 5y ago

Exactly. Moonman T5 is a bomb, highly recommended. Many other manufacturers are also very good. Ignore people trying to convince you a pen should cost $400.

rkhacker 5y ago

Used to be a fountain pen fan and have used WinSung about 35 years ago and have very pleasant memories of the writing coming out of it. Wasn't cheap by Indian standard but the other pens mentioned here were unavailable to masses back then.

Ancapistani 5y ago

Chinese pens are hit and miss for me. Some, like all of the <$20 Jinhaos, I simply hate. I've never laid hands on one that I'd even consider "usable". Others have some models that are excellent and some that aren't. Some of the Chinese Parker 51 clones are not only very good, I'd actually consider them both more practical and more true to the original than the very expensive modern Parker 51 re-issues. Oh - and Chinese "brands" aren't the same thing as "companies". "Shanghai Green Stationery Co., Ltd" makes some amazingly great pens around $20-50 that are in all respects better than >$100 European pens. They're usually sold under the "Wing Sung" brand. They make the Wing Sung 698, which in my opinion is one of the best "budget" fountain pens out there. They're not super fancy, but but they feel substantial and hold up very well to carrying in a backpack (or even a pocket). I've torture tested some of mine in the past by leaving it inked for over a year, and not only did it survive - it wrote instantly without issue when I used it again. On the other hand, the Wing Sung 659 is pretty much just a sub-standard clone of the Pilot 78g. Their cheap Parker 45 and 51 clones are just bad, and feel like the stamped sheet metal and weak plastic they're made of.