Jinhao 992 Informal Review

[truthpil]

Greetings All,

 

Pardon the sloppiness (and embarrassing typos everywhere, even the first word ), but I wanted to get out this review as soon as possible because I'm so excited about this pen.

 

I've had a lot of bad luck with Chinese pens (Hero's have been anything but my hero), but so far no Jinhao nib has ever failed me and their quality seems to be getting even better.

 

Here are my comments and some writings samples about the new Jinhao 992. It's currently available in all colors on Ebay and probably places like Aliexpress as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Writing sample on a cheap little notepad:

 

 

Final Run-down

 

Pros:

- Quality construction

- Superb converter that holds a good amount of ink

- Toothless smooth nib

- Flawless flow

- Nib and feed easily removable for thorough cleaning (perfect for using those troublesome yet beautiful Noodler's inks)

- Lightweight

- Cap posts well (no slipping or popping off)

- Screw on cap

- Great color selection

- The price!

 

Cons:

- Unbalanced when posted

- Might be too small for larger hands when not posted

 

[Addendum: Some pictures from the seller I bought from...]

 

Edited April 14, 2017 by TruthPil

[Beechwood]

Thank you for the review

 

I didnt know what a 992 looked like, to save others the trouble of looking I post an image of the pen.

[truthpil]

  On 4/14/2017 at 1:03 PM, Beechwood said:

Thank you for the review

 

I didnt know what a 992 looked like, to save others the trouble of looking I post an image of the pen.

 

Argh....sorry about that, very overworked these days... I added pics to the original post.

 

Thanks for pointing that out!

[Beechwood]

  On 4/14/2017 at 1:43 PM, TruthPil said:

 

Argh....sorry about that, very overworked these days... I added pics to the original post.

 

Thanks for pointing that out!

 

 

No problem, thanks for the varied pics, I have been using the 599 and like it for its simple functionality, going to have a look for the 992 now, hopefully with a broad nib.

[Georges_S]

Haha, thanks to you, i have just ordered the transparent black one because it (the plastic) looks like my black pilot ch 92, it looks gorgeous . I hope it is the same plastic too.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Georges_S

[antichresis]

Thank you for the review! I'll be sure to get a bunch of these (the only question is which colours). A question though: in some listings I saw on eBay and Taobao there seems to be an impression of the Jinhao logo on the section, does that hold true for your pen?

 

Also, would you say the pen colour of yours is similar to the one in the manufacturer's photo? Edit: maybe identical to the 599?

 

 

Thanks!

Edited April 14, 2017 by antichresis

[Benpiggy]

I wonder would it take a #6 JoWo nib?

 

Thanks

[Diderot]

Thanks.

[truthpil]

  On 4/14/2017 at 2:03 PM, antichresis said:

Thank you for the review! I'll be sure to get a bunch of these (the only question is which colours). A question though: in some listings I saw on eBay and Taobao there seems to be an impression of the Jinhao logo on the section, does that hold true for your pen?

 

Also, would you say the pen colour of yours is similar to the one in the manufacturer's photo? Edit: maybe identical to the 599?

 

 

Thanks!

On my pen, the only indication of the maker is "Jinhao" etched on the cap band and the chariot logo on the nib. That subtleness is one of the pluses of this model.

 

I got the cobalt blue version and it's the exact same color (but better material) as the new blue Pilot 78G+. I don't have a 599 to compare with, but from the pics it seems to be an identical color.

[truthpil]

  On 4/14/2017 at 5:27 PM, Benpiggy said:

I wonder would it take a #6 JoWo nib?

 

Thanks

I have a #6 JoWo and it's definitely too big for this pen. That nib is perfect for the X250, X450, and X750.

 

I bought the 992 because I'm pretty sure it takes a #5 nib and I want to see if a Noodler's Nib Creaper nib will fit in it. I'll let you know the results.

Edited April 14, 2017 by TruthPil

[antichresis]

Thanks!

[Benpiggy]

Thank you, I have a #5 B JoWo nib sitting around as well.

 

Also, thank you for the nice review

 

Ben

Edited April 15, 2017 by Benpiggy

[FOUR X FOUR]

Wow, I like all the positive reviews I'm seeing. I've never ordered a jinhao. I just wasn't interested. A few days ago I was looking for some cheap pens to use with my Noodlers inks and I saw that Goulet is having a BOGO sale on them. Considering that they come with a converter, that makes them cheaper than a preppie with an added converter. I'm looking forward to seeing them. They should be her tomorrow.

[truthpil]

  On 4/15/2017 at 1:09 AM, Benpiggy said:

Thank you, I have a #5 B JoWo nib sitting around as well.

 

 

Here are some photos comparing the nib of a Noodler's Ink Nib Creaper with the Jinhao 992 nib.

The Noodler's nib fits in the 992, but is a little loose because the back end of the nib is narrower than that of the Jinhao nib.

 

 

The length of the nibs is about the same, but the slit on the Noodler's nib is much longer.

 

You can see in this photo that the Jinhao nib's base is about 1mm wider than that of the Noodler's nib.

 

 

 

The looseness is similar to that of the Goulet Pens/JoWo nib in my Jinhao X750, which is one of my best writers.

I haven't inked this 992/Noodler's nib combination yet, but I suspect the looseness won't affect performance at all.

I can't wait to get a JoWo #5 1.1 stub to put in this pen!

 

BTW, where did you get your JoWo #5 nib? I think Goulet only has #6.

 

Thanks!

[Jamerelbe]

@TruthPil: For JoWo #5 nibs, your best option (probably) is fpnibs.com in Spain.

[Miaxina]

Thank you for this review! Ordered the 'Transparent Coffee' color after seeing your review, for my Diamine Ancient Copper ink that's yet to come xD Hope I like it as much as you do!

[Lchu613]

Could you by any chance post a picture of the barrel so we could see the thickness at the threads?
That's my primary concern with these types of pens because my gorilla hands cracked the threads on my Wing Sung 659 at that spot, although if you say this one is thicker than the 78g then it should be better.

[Benpiggy]

Thank you for the OP's pictures.

 

So the #5 nib should fit the 992 pen.

 

I got my #5 nib from a local pen turning company in the US.

 

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/25/5017/Artisan-Small-%235-Fountain-Pen-Nib?term=nib#ReviewsPanel

 

(I actually do not know if the nibs are JoWo made or not. The #6 nib they sold fits 159, X450 and 750 well, writes the same as the Goulet / Anderson replacement nibs. The curvature at the base is slightly different. The pattern on the nib looked the same, so I simply assumed it is made by JoWo).

 

For a #5 1.1 stub and international shipping, www.fpnib.com as suggested in prior post is probably the better option.

 

Regards, ben

[truthpil]

  On 4/15/2017 at 4:52 PM, Lchu613 said:

Could you by any chance post a picture of the barrel so we could see the thickness at the threads?

That's my primary concern with these types of pens because my gorilla hands cracked the threads on my Wing Sung 659 at that spot, although if you say this one is thicker than the 78g then it should be better.

 

Maybe these pics will help:

 

 

 

 

The barrel walls are quite thick and solid. Both barrel and section are very sturdy, noticeably more so than my Pilot Prera or other Pilot pens in that price range.

 

According to the Chinese manufacturer's description, the barrel is made of resin (树脂), not plain old plastic.

[truthpil]

  On 4/15/2017 at 10:00 AM, Jamerelbe said:

@TruthPil: For JoWo #5 nibs, your best option (probably) is fpnibs.com in Spain.

 

Thanks for the link! I can't believe I'd never heard of this site before. Their nib options are amazing!

 

Now I can finally get a 1.1 oblique cursive italic and even choose from 15 or 30 degree slant. I have a feeling Christmas this year will be a slew of Jinhaos with these JoWo nibs in rare grinds.

 

  On 4/15/2017 at 6:07 PM, Benpiggy said:

Thank you for the OP's pictures.

 

So the #5 nib should fit the 992 pen.

 

I got my #5 nib from a local pen turning company in the US.

 

https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/25/5017/Artisan-Small-%235-Fountain-Pen-Nib?term=nib#ReviewsPanel

 

(I actually do not know if the nibs are JoWo made or not. The #6 nib they sold fits 159, X450 and 750 well, writes the same as the Goulet / Anderson replacement nibs. The curvature at the base is slightly different. The pattern on the nib looked the same, so I simply assumed it is made by JoWo).

 

For a #5 1.1 stub and international shipping, www.fpnib.com as suggested in prior post is probably the better option.

 

Regards, ben

 

It's interesting that the product description says those nibs are made of brass instead of steel. They do look like a good option for someone in the US. Thanks for the info!