Jinhao 991 Review

[loubapache]

The hooded nib unit in 991 unscrews from the section just as the regular nib unit. 991 and 992 use the same inside section dimension so they are interchangeable.

 

I do not know 599 because I do not have the hooded nib version.

 

@loubapache

How did you remove the hooded nib from the 991? Or am I not understanding you correctly? I have a 599 with a hooded EF nib and I have not been able to remove it.

Edited April 19, 2018 by loubapache

[truthpil]

 

How about exploratory surgery?

 

Neither of mine are cracked, but I'd planned on popping them apart at some time anyway. Seems like a good excuse.

 

Can't pop the finial out from inside, thanks to the inner cap, but it was easy enough to slide a hobby knife blade between cap and finial and shoggle it out that way. There's a snap-fit ring on the peg of the finial. (apologies if that's the incorrect term; see the photo) I'm not sure how much pressure it exerts once the ring is past the hole in the top of the cap, but I thought it couldn't hurt to pare it down anyway. After that, the peg didn't put any stress on the cap.

 

Also, the finial is the only 'glossy' part of the pen, but the way the ring crackled and flaked off made me doubt the notion that 991 plastic is less brittle than 992 plastic. As if Sapient's experience wasn't proof enough...

 

The clip doesn't want to pull out of it's slot without more persuasion than I was willing to apply. I'm not sure it's glued - I had to push it back in, just a hair's breadth, to let the finial sit flush again. Otherwise, I left it where it was. We'll see if that comes back to bite me.

 

But I think the culprit in this case is the inner cap. It popped out easily when I stuck the end of a paintbrush into the cap hole, but the upper, narrower part was still a pretty tight friction fit against the beams or fins that Sapient pointed out. I'll say this is what caused the stress marks and what looks like cracking around the top of the inner cap, even though it is a more flexible plastic, and perhaps what caused the cracking on Sapient's caps. (Perhaps wiser heads can confirm or deny) Easily seen in the first photo; close-up in the second.

 

Cap disassembled:

 

Jinhao991fix01.jpg

 

Inner cap:

 

Jinhao991fix02.jpg

 

So, I filed and whittled at the narrow end of the inner cap (good thing the pen's almost all frosted plastic), aiming for a comfortable slide between those fins, but not more loose than necessary. Finial and inner cap, feeling dazed and confused:

 

Jinhao991fix03.jpg

 

... and out came the clear epoxy. I capped the pen as normal, to hold the inner cap in place. I planned to drop epoxy through the top hole, and you probably could, but the mixed stuff I had was a little stiff for that. Instead I spread a little epoxy around the narrow end of the inner cap, balanced it on the pen, and capped. Once you get the wide end into the cap, it'll go straight with no tipping and smearing the glue inside the cap. The finial got the same treatment at the other end of the cap. Here's the damage:

 

Jinhao991fix04.jpg

 

Sorry for the glare, but you can still see the blob of epoxy filling the top of the cap. This might seem a little conspicuous in daily use, even looking past the frosting and the lines of the inner cap and fins. Limiting the epoxy to the very top, or following Jobodine's example, might make it less noticeable. I'm fine with this as an initial attempt, anyway. Dollar pen and all that...

 

Now I sit and wait to see what happens to the section and nib housing.

 

Thanks for showing us all the ins and outs of this pen!

After seeing how complicated it is, I think I'll just leave mine alone and hope that it doesn't crack.

Mine still looks mint condition and I've used it on and off for several months.

 

 

 

Has anyone tried the metal versions of the 991? Looks like Jinhao released their version of the preppy plasir. they call it Jinhao 991 metal version

 

Thanks for the tip. This isn't popping up on Taobao, so it must be really new. I hope it doesn't have sharp edges or something.

 

Among all the Chinese pens I tried (many), the 991 with the hooded nib has the best nib. Smooth and wet for an extra fine. I have inked two so far and both write exactly the same.

 

The nibs on the 911, on the other hand, are not as smooth and consistent. I have 10 of these pens and got frustrated with them and finally decided not to play with them. The inner cap came out too easily and then the nib just dries up if you do not use for a day.

 

991 is too small so I use the hooded nib in 992 body and i like them that way. I never liked the regular F-M nib in the 991 and 992. They are smooth but feel lifeless to me.

 

On another 992, I have a Knox EF and it writes superbly, a bit thicker and wetter than the hooded 991 nib.

 

I agree about the 911, although mine is one of the hand-tuned ones sold by Thebai, so the nib is extremely smooth with just the right amount of flow.

The poor cap seal is frustrating. I had the same problem with the nib drying out overnight....something unforgiveable for a hooded nib!

The cap clutches also scratch the plastic section.

 

As for the 991 and 992 nibs, I guess it's just different strokes for different folks. What makes me keep this pen is the super smooth F/M nib.

If the broader nib feels "lifeless" to you, what makes the EF nib feel lively? Do you mean it has some feedback, give, etc.?

[WarrenB]

Thanks for showing us all the ins and outs of this pen!

After seeing how complicated it is, I think I'll just leave mine alone and hope that it doesn't crack.

Mine still looks mint condition and I've used it on and off for several months.

I hope I didn't make it seem too fiddly! It needs some confidence to work on small objects, and it's up to the individual to put effort into such a cheap pen (I like to make sure it lasts - I'm pretty cheap meself) but once done, it boils down to pop pop, scrape scrape, glue glue.

 

I've noticed what look like a couple of small cracks in the nib housing of my second 991, but in the middle of the housing rather than where I assume any stress would occur. Not sure how it happened, though it's not progressing as quickly as the cracks in my Preppy...

 

As for the 991 and 992 nibs, I guess it's just different strokes for different folks. What makes me keep this pen is the super smooth F/M nib.

If the broader nib feels "lifeless" to you, what makes the EF nib feel lively? Do you mean it has some feedback, give, etc.?

 

Maybe it's because I spread the tines a little, but my 991 and 992 nibs have a hint of stubbiness - just a hint - that I find quite nice. And again, as an intro to fountain pens they've been great. I've since bought one or two other, (slightly) more expensive pens that have been drier and scratchier.

 

Currently waiting on one of those EF hooded nibs, though. And I'm definitely keeping an eye open for the metal 991s.

[truthpil]

Maybe it's because I spread the tines a little, but my 991 and 992 nibs have a hint of stubbiness - just a hint - that I find quite nice. And again, as an intro to fountain pens they've been great. I've since bought one or two other, (slightly) more expensive pens that have been drier and scratchier.

 

Currently waiting on one of those EF hooded nibs, though. And I'm definitely keeping an eye open for the metal 991s.

 

I currently have a 992 on the desk (exact same nib unit as the 991) next to my Montblanc 145. Although there's nothing wrong with the 145, the 992's nib writes wetter, smoother, and overall more enjoyably.

[WarrenB]

I hope I can make the comparison myself, sometime!

 

My hooded EF 991 arrived. I like to break things down for a good look before any cleaning or flushing: the nib housing screwed out okay and the nib came out with a little gentle pulling, but I couldn't figure how to get the feed out. I couldn't see any obvious joins. On impulse I took a pair of clippers to it, which was probably stupid, but the soft plastic was already looking a bit chewed up by pushing and pulling with tweezers and things.

 

Looks like the hood part is a sheath that fits over the usual nib housing, and reaches back as far as the screw thread on that. It's glued on - with what, I'm not sure, but the clear, flexible fragments suggest PVA. It might have come loose with a bit of twisting, but I'll say I spent a pound to know I should just give one a flush and be satisfied, in future.

 

Didn't even get to write with it! Though the business end of the Baoer 801 that came in the same jiffy bag is pretty much the same deal, and that goes pretty well with a quick flush.

If I can use that to answer Bob's question from last year...

 

Speaking of which, I did order one of those with the supposedly XF hooded nib. In side by side comparisons on the same paper it did not look any finer than the open nibs. I think the 991 shares nibs with the Safari clones so I would be interested to hear if others are getting XF 991s that actually write XF.

I'd say it's 'extra fine' when compared to Jinhao's usual 'not-very-fine' nibs. Or, it doesn't have that stubbish quality of Jinhao's 991/992 F nibs: The EF matches the thinner side-to-side strokes of the F, in any direction. It's certainly a fatter line than the Preppy EF, more like a Preppy F.

[Ardakilic]

I have two of these. One with EF nib, and one with F. More on the way.

 

EF is really extra fine, but the F is (sizes write on the nib) medium for me (the thickness is same as default x750 nib thickness) on my case. And the interesting part is that my EF nib is unhooded (which I like). I got the F one just for the sake of the nib (I was going to apply it to Baoer 388), but after seeing its thickness and nib smoothness I'm currently using the pen to test my ink mixes (I mixed a $1 Zycc (Cheap Chinese ink brand, popular on Aliexpress with 15ml bottles) blue-black with black to make a darker blue-black, I'll try with Diamine inks to try to make my Prussian Blue a bit darker).

 

Anyways, the problem for me with this pen is, for the both of my pens, the cap starts to crack from the plastic thingies (there are 5 plastic thingies inside of the cap to make it "click" and keep the body and cap together). And for both of my pens, the cracks start just over this plastic.

 

This clearly shows the plastic material is either too hard, or too tight so it makes a tension every time the pen caps and uncaps. I had to tape from outside of this cap from this support section to prevent the cap from falling, and sadly this looks ugly. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

As for the nibs, a little tine adjustment, both of these EF and F(!) nibs write like a baby. I didn't need to use a grinder or micro mesh etc. Definitely worths the price.

 

Apart from that, currently, it's $0.50 on Aliexpress branded as Jinhao 994 (limited to 1 purchase per account) or ~$0.81 as Jinhao 991. I guess the matte version of 991 is named as 994, but not sure and can't say much about it.

-

 

By the way, has anyone tried to eye-dropper this pen? There's a YouTube video but no instructions. Is silicone grease needed ? The transparent one would look super cool with eye-dropper conversion.

[truthpil]

 

By the way, has anyone tried to eye-dropper this pen? There's a YouTube video but no instructions. Is silicone grease needed ? The transparent one would look super cool with eye-dropper conversion.

 

These work well as eyedropper pens, I didn't need any silicone grease when I tried it because there are plenty of tight threads to keep the ink from leaking. I'd just be a little nervous about using one long-term as an eyedropper pen due the brittle nature of the plastic. Until Jinhao fixes the problem with the plastic, the 991 and 992 are best bought to scavenge the nibs from and put on tougher pens. Their nibs really are fantastically smooth!

[Ardakilic]

 

These work well as eyedropper pens, I didn't need any silicone grease when I tried it because there are plenty of tight threads to keep the ink from leaking. I'd just be a little nervous about using one long-term as an eyedropper pen due the brittle nature of the plastic. Until Jinhao fixes the problem with the plastic, the 991 and 992 are best bought to scavenge the nibs from and put on tougher pens. Their nibs really are fantastically smooth!

 

Thank you. I've tried within these recent weeks, I can confirm this works quite nicely without a need of silicone grease.

 

Only thing is that for the first time, I squeezed the body a little lot, out of fear of leakage, and the ink was almost full, that pen's body cracked from screw section. That was possibly me screwing a lot.

 

For my second try, I half-filled the body, did not squeeze much (a very little more than the cases when I use converter), and so far it's quite good.

 

---

 

More importantly, regarding the cracks, I currently have 5 transparent and 2 matte versions of Jinhao 991, and every one of these transparent ones's caps started to crack within a week from the inner bump that holds the pen together. However, the matte version's cap holds nicely after ~2 weeks of usage. It shouldn't be me pushing too hard, because I tried to be gentle with these pens, and they never left my office desk.

[truthpil]

Thanks for the update on the cracking issue! It's really a shame that the transparent material in particular seems to be so prone to cracking!

Cracking while just sitting on the desk is quite unacceptable.

I've since stopped getting any all plastic pens from Jinhao and only go for their metal ones which have long been tried and true.

[bob_hayden]

I have bunches of 991s, 992s, 994s, and 599s, Most of the nibs are just fine, though not better than many other recent Chinese nibs. The only cases of breaks or cracks in the plastic I have seen have been with a 599. (All my 991s are frosty.) But quality control has been iffy with nibs that do not write well or pens with poor ink flow. Most of my pens are at least a year old, but few see heavy use. The 99x pens do suffer from Jinhao's attempt to use plastic to make a spring. Plastic springs usually break eventually. In the 992 the bump at the closed end of the barrel seems to be a force fit, making the barrel act as a spring in permanent tension. On the 991, there are rive pimples on the inside of the cap that fit over a raised ring on the section to give that nice CLICK when you put the cap on or off. That's the cap stretching to get over the bumps, in other words, acting as a spring. The Sheaffer Dollar Pen used a similar design, but the bumps were on a metal trim ring that worked as a spring inside a metal cap. That would generally work for 50 years or so until you had to bend the circular spring back into shape. I think the issue in China is that pens are more copied than designed so the emphasis is on how it looks when new rather than on how it worked in the long term.

 

For anyone looking for cheap pens that might be a bit more lasting, I started a thread on pens under $2US.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/330996-best-cheap-fountain-pens-under-2-us/

 

In particular, if you like clean modern styling of the 991 there is the metal Baoer 801. If you prefer the cigar shape of the 992, there is the shorter metal 886 (with no extraneous bump at the end of the barrel). I think it has the same nib as the 992, as does the more expensive metal 699. Hero has a whole family of inexpensive, usually metal, pens in the 70xx series.

[bob_hayden]

I just had my first 991 casualty. I was putting the cap back on and not holding it quite straight. I did not apply a lot of force, but the pen/section broke at the waist, with the threads that used to be on the section inside the barrel. I was able to extricate that, so I now have a spare barrel, as well as cap, nib, and feed, but I was surprised how easily the pen broke. If it matters, the pen was the same color as in the first photo in this thread.

[WarrenB]

By the way, has anyone tried to eye-dropper this pen?

Not only that, but crammed a modified feed and nib from a Sainsbury's supermarket own-brand FP into it, too.

It's greased up and has a couple of o-rings around the section and the feed. No problems leaking or breaking so far, though I admit it hasn't been out for a run too often.

 

I've since stopped getting any all plastic pens from Jinhao and only go for their metal ones which have long been tried and true.

I haven't quite stopped, but I'm more cautious since a 992 broke on me. Cap broke in two right where it met the cap band. Like Bob, I was surprised at just how easily it broke. No extra pressure, no warning, just came away like it was always in two pieces.

 

Can also confirm that a Baoer 801 results in fewer nerves...

[WarrenB]

Here we go:

 

 

One thing I noticed when I was flushing these out, is that there can be a tiny hole in the moulding of the section, in the two recessed areas of the threads.

 

 

It seemed it might let the ink bypass most of the silicone grease on the threads, but it was swiftly taken care of when I was dabbing epoxy around the other areas.

 

 

Three ED'd 991s. Green and Red have Pure Pens' Glens of Antrim and Cadwaladr, respectively. Noodler's HoD in the black; though because EDing and messing with the nib have made it a pretty wet pen, I might empty it and stick in something that shows off more shading.

[VGTheOne]

Would one prefer a 992 or 991?

[truthpil]

Would one prefer a 992 or 991?

 

Definitely 992 for looks and it seems like the opaque version of the 992 crack less than the demonstrator versions.

[bob_hayden]

Would one prefer a 992 or 991?

 

Seems pretty subjective to me. I experience the 992 as looking ugly and the 991 as cheap. I went with cheap, but YMMV. Likewise the writing experience. I find it OK but there are many cheap pens from China I like better. There is also the question of how much you are bothered by stuff that breaks Sure, you can just buy another, but you can get a Sheaffer Dollar Pen NOS for about $10 with a life expectancy that is as yet unknown since they have only been around for 50 or 60 years and we still don't know how long they last. That comes out to about 20 cents a year, compared to $4 for a Jinhao that has to be replaced every six months. But then nobody my age will be around for 50 years;-)

[Durham K]

I thought I would splash out a whole £0.99p on a 991. I filled it with Diamine Rustic Brown and set about some testing. No ink came to the tip of the nib. After flushing, still nothing. The nib came out easily and it was full of grease, as were the feed channels. Warm soapy flushing and now it works fine and with a little pressure the line thickness can double. Slightly broader than a Japanese fine smooth and no scratching. An ideal starter pen if you do not mind filling from a bottle. I take it that cartridges are available?

 

One of the few pens I may use posted as the centre of balance just rests between my finger and thumb.

 

A good pen as a gift, but if it needs to be cleaned like this it may put some off the pen?

 

K

[Durham K]

Seems pretty subjective to me. I experience the 992 as looking ugly and the 991 as cheap. I went with cheap, but YMMV. Likewise the writing experience. I find it OK but there are many cheap pens from China I like better. There is also the question of how much you are bothered by stuff that breaks Sure, you can just buy another, but you can get a Sheaffer Dollar Pen NOS for about $10 with a life expectancy that is as yet unknown since they have only been around for 50 or 60 years and we still don't know how long they last. That comes out to about 20 cents a year, compared to $4 for a Jinhao that has to be replaced every six months. But then nobody my age will be around for 50 years;-)

 

That time when you think who will inherit your pens!

[truthpil]

I thought I would splash out a whole £0.99p on a 991. I filled it with Diamine Rustic Brown and set about some testing. No ink came to the tip of the nib. After flushing, still nothing. The nib came out easily and it was full of grease, as were the feed channels. Warm soapy flushing and now it works fine and with a little pressure the line thickness can double. Slightly broader than a Japanese fine smooth and no scratching. An ideal starter pen if you do not mind filling from a bottle. I take it that cartridges are available?

 

One of the few pens I may use posted as the centre of balance just rests between my finger and thumb.

 

A good pen as a gift, but if it needs to be cleaned like this it may put some off the pen?

 

K

It sounds like the greasing machine or worker at the factory was having an off day when they made your pen. You might try ordering another from a different seller to avoid the grease clog. I've never heard of that happening with one of these, so there's probably not a good chance you'll get another like that.

[bob_hayden]

 

That time when you think who will inherit your pens!

 

Oh, I get it -- the Jinhaos self-destruct to save you from having to worry about that ;-) Its a feature, not a bug!