Jinhao 991 Review

[Durham K]

 

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

Funny, but not so much as, too many pens and few people who will cherish them in the future.

[bluebellrose]

Platinum's new line of Preppies is definitely a step in the right direction. The 991 is still a better deal though because you get a converter included and the pen can take standard international cartridges instead of those expensive proprietary Platinum cartridges, all for like half the price of a Preppy. Of course, that assumes you like the wet and broader line of the 991.

I was able to get extra fine unhooded nib 991 from jewelerymathematics on ebay. I don't know where he got it. but he somehow managed to get some for sale.

[Ardakilic]

Two days ago, I found out both of my transparent Eye-dropped Jinhao 991s cracked from the twist section. One was at home and the other was at the office. I did not use them for a week. They were nice the last time I checked, and no one tinkered with them. I think it's because the heat change during the day and night, but to be honest I didn't think it would affect the body's plastic, unlike the cap.

 

It was a good run, but time to return to converter or to salvage nib and feed.

 

Although, the matte versions are still rock solid. No cracks anywhere whatsoever.

[bluebellrose]

Platinum's new line of Preppies is definitely a step in the right direction. The 991 is still a better deal though because you get a converter included and the pen can take standard international cartridges instead of those expensive proprietary Platinum cartridges, all for like half the price of a Preppy. Of course, that assumes you like the wet and broader line of the 991.

Well I found some Platinum Black carts at Daiso for 2 dollars for 3 carts. Daiso also had the Jinhao carts for 2 dollars for 4 or 5 carts.

[WarrenB]

Jinhao991ED03.JPG

 

Three ED'd 991s.

Three ED'd 991s, two cracked. I had the barrels unscrewed just a little, to let the o-rings slot in at the top of the section threads. I assumed that loose fit was what let a few drops of ink escape when the red pen was laid on it's side for ten-twenty minutes, so I screwed the barrels of red and green down tight.* That brought the o-rings up just a tad and - I didn't realise at the time - prevented the caps from fully 'clicking' over the hump on the section. A day or two later and that bit of outward pressure resulted in four cracks running up each cap.

Still usable for now, it hasn't killed the pens (not yet) but it feels like a sign to move onto some less brittle eyedropper...

 

* I really should've listened to TruthPil's advice way back on page 1. Section and barrel screwed tight and even with the silicone grease wiped off, there's no hint of ink in the threads.

[truthpil]

Three ED'd 991s, two cracked. I had the barrels unscrewed just a little, to let the o-rings slot in at the top of the section threads. I assumed that loose fit was what let a few drops of ink escape when the red pen was laid on it's side for ten-twenty minutes, so I screwed the barrels of red and green down tight.* That brought the o-rings up just a tad and - I didn't realise at the time - prevented the caps from fully 'clicking' over the hump on the section. A day or two later and that bit of outward pressure resulted in four cracks running up each cap.

Still usable for now, it hasn't killed the pens (not yet) but it feels like a sign to move onto some less brittle eyedropper...

 

* I really should've listened to TruthPil's advice way back on page 1. Section and barrel screwed tight and even with the silicone grease wiped off, there's no hint of ink in the threads.

Thanks for the update on your pens and sorry to hear some cracked. It seems like all the plastic Jinhao pens are a bit delicate, some more than others, so customization poses a real risk. My general policy now for Chinese pens is to get Jinhao metal pens, Wing Sung plastic pens, and Penbbs fancy acrylic pens.

[LazyPen]

For what concern nib performance how can it be compared with Jinhao 992 ?

 

thks

[truthpil]

For what concern nib performance how can it be compared with Jinhao 992 ?

 

thks

The nib on the 991 is identical to that of the 992. Jinhao actually only has a few nibs they use and just put on different models.

[LazyPen]

The nib on the 991 is identical to that of the 992. Jinhao actually only has a few nibs they use and just put on different models.

And for what concern ergonomics there are some concrete differences among the two?

[truthpil]

And for what concern ergonomics there are some concrete differences among the two?

The whole feel of the pen is quite different. The 991 is a somewhat thin design and the section has 3 subtle indentations for fingers (kind of like Lamy Safari but not as pronounced). The 992 is thicker and shorter than the 991; it feels much more substantial than the 991 but the material of the 992 is brittle and cracks easily. 661s crack too but not as often. I hope that helps.

[LazyPen]

The whole feel of the pen is quite different. The 991 is a somewhat thin design and the section has 3 subtle indentations for fingers (kind of like Lamy Safari but not as pronounced). The 992 is thicker and shorter than the 991; it feels much more substantial than the 991 but the material of the 992 is brittle and cracks easily. 661s crack too but not as often. I hope that helps.

Yes, it does.