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Hi, I hope someone can help me, because I don't know what I'm doing. I caught the fountain pen bug about three years ago and bought several pens -- inexpensive ones to start with. When they developed problems, I tried giving them a thorough cleaning, and I still had problems with them and gave up. My pens have been stored unused ever since. Something recently sparked an interest again and I decided to give it another try. I flushed and cleaned a Pilot Metropolitan, a Lamy Safari, and two Jinhaos: an X450 and X750. The Pilot and Lamy are writing beautifully now, but I can't get either of the Jinhaos to write at all. I put a "new" cartridge in one and a converter in the other one. (The cartridge is three years old; do they dry up if they've been in the box untouched?) I need to be educated, please. What can I do to get them working again? I liked them as well as the more expensive pens way back then, and I would like to be able to use them again. Thanks!

Hello forum, I bought a Jinhao x450 and I had a query regarding the nib. I thought the pen comes with a Medium nib, but it looks to be much finer. Can you confirm from the images ? Is there something wrong with the nib/flow ? You can see it breaks in the "F" and bottom of "G"s. (please zoom the images while examining) Also there is hardly a "hairline" gap between the tines. I cant even see the light through the gap. I love writing with the M nib of my old Parker Vector. The color is deep dark and uniform. But with x450, the lines are almost scratchy and non uniform. I tried to increase the gap by pushing the nib against a wooden board. Its too hard and nothing happens even after repeated efforts. Any suggestions to make the writing medium(ish) ? Can any x450 owners confirm if this is how thin the pen writes ? Also, is it normal for a fountain pen to make scratching noises ? My old parkers make a lot of noise, though their scratchiness is within the limits of "feedback". My new x450 too makes a bit of scratching noise, though it is a little quieter. Ink - Daytone Blue (500ml bottle pack) Thank You (PS: this is my first post on the forum, though I have referred to the FPN many times in the past. I am a newbie to the technicalities of FP, but I have been constantly using them since 2002, throughout my school and college times.)

Hi all, I have a Jinhao X450 that was dropped (by me) a while back. Now the cap is so loose it's not really usable. I'm holding it on the pen with electrical tape, but that's not always going to be practical (nor is it the most aesthetically pleasing thing ever). Is there a way to get the cap back to its usual tight-fitting self? It doesn't need to be quite as tough to get on and off as it was, but I would like it to stay on reliably. Thanks, Miche

Hey guys, So I recently got a Chinese pen delivered to me. (a jinhao x450) The section got three grooves for the fingers to go. (like the lamy safari) However, the nib and feed seems to be at a slight angle to the grooves and the nib and feed themselves are misaligned. I've done a bit of research and realized that the feed nib and section are a friction fit. But no matter how hard I Pull. The Feed/ nib won't budge. Is there anyway to seperate the feed nib and the section? Cheers, Victor

Hello, I was wondering if anyone knew of any pressure-type (squeeze) converters that could be used with a Jinhao X450, like the Con-20 for Pilot. The screw-type converter that came with the pen seems to prevent the ink from flowing as well as it should and every now and then I have to force it a tad by screwing it down a bit. I'm also wondering if a regular international pre-inked cartridge would be better than the scew-type refillable ones. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

Like most of us knows, the Jinhao X750, X450 and 159 are big successes among fountain pens users. As well most of us knows that Chinese pens manufacturers makes copy of popular brands. So I'm wandering why none of any small independent western manufacturer doesn't makes copy of Jinhao X750 and X450 in acrylic, ebonite or any nicer and better materials? Because if someone decide to start making the barrels and caps, many of the original can be transplanted from original: the clip, finials, cap insert, section. I would like to have a better X750 made from a beautiful material and upgraded JoWo nib.

Hello folks, I purchased a Jinhao X750 and a Jinhao X450. Both are giving me similar problems. Basically, with the X750, I wrote approximately two pages and all the ink in the converter was gone. It gushes like crazy and writes down a thick inky line that takes forever to dry due to the sheer amount of ink laid down. It also sometimes lays down blobs of ink randomly. Now I have taken out the feed and put it back in so its snug and correctly placed, I have flushed the pen before using it, and I have changed converters to see if that was an issue. All to no avail. I like the design of these pens so I would like to use them. Any solutions out there? Thanks!

So my friend from Asturias (Northern Spain) received this pen from eBay and he sent it to me so that I could do a review on it and I have had it for about two weeks now. I have to say that this company is really cheap and really good for their prices. I did have to floss it with my brass shim but thats because I have big handwriting and I like a lot of ink flow. This pen works really well for a newbie and also for a collector in my opinion. Its made to be used and I like that quality. Why have a pen if you are not going to be using it. (I can think of a lot of reasons but eh.) I really recommend this pen Has a medium nib and is really nice -Natan

My son has some problems with his handwriting. Wonder where he got that from... Anyhow, it is a nice excuse to take a look at the school writing tools he's given here in the Netherlands. So I made a handfull of writing examples with his schoolpen and some others laying around. Ample reason to share the result here. And to beg you all for proper advise. First on the line is my daily writer: Sheaffer Imperial IV TD. It is of sentimental value to me, but apart from that: nothing I have touched comes even close to its performance. Never dry, easy filler, no hassle nibcleaning, smooth, balanced, medium nib, wet but not very wet line. No flex in the nib (but hey - t's been designed to use on carboncopy paper). Second is a 'Hoover de Luxe', read its story elswhere. A compact and light pen, not half as smooth as the Sheaffer, but I like it very much for its look and feel. To me it has an air of being exotic about it. In terms of writing it has a nice flex nib, because of its small size you use it posted, it is a buttonfiller. Third is a Jinhao X450 I recently got. (€4,00 or there about...). Amazing! The nib needed a bit of tinkering, but it is a perfect writer. Like most Chines pens I've seen, the cap is heavy (the whole pen is heavy), the 'click' it closes with is loud and far from effortless. But then again: It has beautifull details, a large and somewhat springy nib, and is a stable, smooth writer. Unbelievable value. More then a bit inspired on Mont Blanc Meisterstück. International cartridge / convertor included. Then the first Bruynzeel. On the plus side: colourfull, affordable (€7,19 in a webshop), rubber grip, ink window. But then... My children keep bringing them home because they leak or clutter. But man - is that scratchy! One needs a lot of pressure to get any line at all. I said: I have to be carefull not to rip up the paper! My son says: Yes, that happens to me occasionally - but the teacher praises me because I am the only one who doesn't demolish the pen in te process! So I cleansed it out, polished the nib with a nail-polisher, and adjusted the nib to make it a bit less dry (the washed out colour on this picture is a result of the cleansing, combined with the fact that it doesn't exept the Jinhao convertor for some reason). Now it actually writes more or less, and you don't have to squeeze the ink out. But it is about as comfortable as writing with a pair of scissors (hey, they have some capillar activity, and a pointy bit as well!). Maybe part of the problem is the nibsize, which is Fine. The nib is extremely rigid. O, I have two of these laying around, and they 'perform' identical. How on earth can you teach children to write with something as bad as this!?!?! The last pen is another Bruynzeel, and another pen received at school. But one generation ago. This one is my wife's, but I had a similar one. This one is even a XF nib, and fine it is as you can see. Of course it needed some TLC - and it received that. It is not a nice writer. Any XF is vulnerable to scratchiness, but this is just bad. There is hardly any tip-matrial to tinker with. I got it in writing state. A very narrow line. I like that. But the feel is appalling. The metal cap sits so losely on the pen you might think it is from another brand. There is no clip. To avoid rolling of there is kind of a ridge on the barrel, perfectly lined out to be a pain in the ehhh... finger while writing. Now for the question: I would like to give my son a proper FP. His writing is cramped and full of pressure, so I look for a pen with an ergonomic, distressing grip, a fluid, smooth writing experience, and of course an international C/C, because of reinking at school. It 'd better be cheap, because first graders eat pens for breakfast, or use them for purposes I'd never dream of. Any suggestions?

For my first fountain pen, I am debating between a lamy vista (F/EF) or a Jinhao X450/X750 with a Goulet #6 (F or EF) nib. I like the looks of both pens, so it is a matter of performance. I will be using this pen mainly for school notes. How do the two pens compare in terms of performance, comfort, etc.? Also, how does the stock jinhao nib compare to the goulet nib? -Thanks

I have a Jinhao X450 (marbled finish) that I got a while ago when I bought a couple of Chinese pens (one is my knock-about Hero 110 that's quite good). I avoid Chinese pens unless I need something that I can use when working in the lab or that can be knocked-about, be lost (or stolen). Given that, I don't usually pay more than $10 for them, and don't care much if they don't work. But I have taken a liking to the very sturdy brass and enamel construction and the excellent M nib that I have gotten used to (though I greatly prefer F and EF nibs and usually avoid M or bigger because it is impractical to write calculations with them, and the fact that I simply really like EF nibs). Unfortunately, after writing two paragraphs, a vacuum forms inside the converter and no ink at all flows into the feed/nib section. I end up having to turn the piston in and out to manually draw air in every ten minutes. I took every single piece of the pen apart and soaked it in household bleach (it was fine, but please don't anyone soak their Montblanc in bleach! I DO NOT recommend trying this on any pen you spend more than $10 on! ). Cleaned every single channel and section with a little nylon brush. Everything was free of any contaminant or manufacturing residue. Put everything back together perfectly. Tested pen. . . And the same thing happened. I can hear a slow bubbling sound as the air tries to get into the reservoir. It is obvious that the feed system is not allowing for any air to enter. The system consists of a partially hollow feed with a little capillary feed that slips inside of it, it is this narrow little capillary feed that plugs into the tiny hole in the section and connects to the converter's reservoir. I don't think the design facilitates for any air to enter to stop a vacuum forming. Does anyone else's X450 do this? Is there any way to fix it? I would really like to find a way to solve the problem, as I have taken a liking to the pen. Thanks in advance for any advice.