What Chinese Pens Are You Using Today? 2020 + 21

[AmandaW]

22 minutes ago, Bikerchick said:

You'll need a Taobao agent though, which begs the question: is it worth getting this pen?

 

Nah. It won't even let me look cos "there's unusual traffic from my network".

 

That's OK. I'm getting a Hero 616 Plus in Hot Pink instead. I didn't like pink. Maybe I caught teenager too.  

[Bikerchick]

23 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

Nah. It won't even let me look cos "there's unusual traffic from my network".

It's a sign.

 

23 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

I didn't like pink. Maybe I caught teenager too.

So it is contagious. @KB3K, this is all your fault. 

[Detman101]

[KB3K]

12 hours ago, Bikerchick said:

Just tell her that you're thinking about switching hobbies and you're planning on collecting German U-boats. Or hairless cats. 

Now that you mention it… I DO want to collect German U-boats. The nearest ocean is 1500 km west of where I live, but I’m sure I could make it work. I had a computer game many years ago where you commanded a German type VIIC U-boat. It was interesting, but the movie Das Boot made it seemed less fun. I could get some tips from my brother. He was actually the Captain of a Los Angeles class sub a few years ago (and they do have a big Diesel engine on them to back up the main power plant).

 

I brought up the idea of U-boat collection with my wife. A Wing Sung 601 is on the way 😀. For those afflicted with a case of teenager, I accidentally found a cure. Some bills came in the mail, and I realized I had to pay them.

 

Today I’m using a Jinhao 599 inked with Noodler’s Black Swan in English Roses. I ran my X750 with the same ink dry, and the 599 is my backup.

[Bikerchick]

9 hours ago, KB3K said:

The nearest ocean is 1500 km west of where I live, but I’m sure I could make it work.

You don't need an ocean to collect submarines. This is outside the JSMDF Kure museum in Hiroshima, Japan. I'm not sure how big your front lawn is though.

 

 

 

10 hours ago, KB3K said:

I brought up the idea of U-boat collection with my wife. A Wing Sung 601 is on the way 😀.

Well done!  

[AmandaW]

Two Jinhao 992 in use today. A smoke with a fine nib and a transparent green with a fude.

 

I really like these pens. I have eight in different colours and only one incident of cracking so far: a while back the cap of my opaque grey failed when taking it off  it was my most used and all are a few years old so it t hasn't put me off, i recently got around to ordering a new grey. And a white one to expand the collection...

[Mech-for-i]

5 hours ago, AmandaW said:

Two Jinhao 992 in use today. A smoke with a fine nib and a transparent green with a fude.

 

I really like these pens. I have eight in different colours and only one incident of cracking so far: a while back the cap of my opaque grey failed when unscrewing the nib.  it was my most used and all are a few years old so it t hasn't put me off, i recently got around to ordering a new grey. And a white one to expand the collection...

 

And mine to show off , really I do had quite a number of them over the years and gifting them to newbies and kids , they made for decent entry level pens

 

Jinhao 992 , on Flickr

[KB3K]

Today I’ve been using a Jinhao 51a with a peach wood barrel.
 

The nib on my pen happens to be great, but part of the fun of buying a Jinhao is you never know what the nib will be like. Smooth? Thin? Wet? Who knows what you’ll get!

 

The pen came in a rather nice plastic case with a couple of cartridges and a small bottle of ink.

 

I’ve been quite impressed with Jinhao’s ink. I just wish you could get their bottled ink in America for a good price. (Cartridges are dirt cheap though. I bought 100 for ~$11)
 

[AmandaW]

A Jinhao 51a for me too today. This one the plastic Wine Red with a fine nib inked with Diamine Deep Dark Red.

 

It's one of the few pens I use posted - just so I can have the clip lined up with the nib and get the angle of the nib to the paper correct.

 

 

[KB3K]

@AmandaW That is the kind of shopping list I like to see, though I’ve never tried date syrup. 

[AmandaW]

33 minutes ago, KB3K said:

shopping list

 

Nope not a shopping list - those are the things I'm making this morning! Thankfully they're all very easy recipes.

 

Date Syrup: cover a cup or more of dried pitted dates with hot water. (The inexpensive dates from Aldi work great!) Once the water cools, blend the lot in a smoothie maker, blender or food processor. Use in place of sugar anywhere it makes sense ie porridge and muffins, Not suitable for sweetening tea or coffee, but delicious in a smoothie. Keeps in a covered container in the fridge for a few days.

 

 

Edited to add: I put the fruit cake recipe in the appropriate thread in case anyone fancies making it...

 

[KB3K]

14 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

 

Nope not a shopping list - those are the things I'm making this morning! Thankfully they're all very easy recipes:

Even better! I’ve never tried my hand at hummus after a certain falafel debacle, but I’ve always found store bought hummus hit or miss. 
 

Unfortunately Aldi hasn’t made it to the western U.S. quite yet (SoCal aside), I used to shop there in Denmark quite a bit, but that was years ago.

[AmandaW]

4 minutes ago, KB3K said:

Unfortunately Aldi hasn’t made it to the western U.S. quite yet

 

Sorry my bad, I thought Aldi was everywhere and we were the last to get a store. What I meant was any very ordinary dried dates from the supermarket. Once before I mentioned that recipe and someone commented on it being expensive to make because they were using Medjool or other fancy dates. Oops. No way. This is totally budget friendly in order to keep my fountain pen budget healthy.

[KB3K]

1 hour ago, AmandaW said:

 

Sorry my bad, I thought Aldi was everywhere and we were the last to get a store. What I meant was any very ordinary dried dates from the supermarket. Once before I mentioned that recipe and someone commented on it being expensive to make because they were using Medjool or other fancy dates. Oops. No way. This is totally budget friendly in order to keep my fountain pen budget healthy.

No problem. I’m sure dried dates aren’t too hard to find around here. There is a Middle-Eastern market close by, (two actually) and I can’t imagine them not having a selection. Plus they have a small restaurant and I’ve been meaning to try their stuffed grape leaves. 

[KB3K]

I’ve been using a Jinhao 100 that just came in the mail. I held off on buying one for too long because, while I am a Jinhao fan, it seemed like a lot to pay for one of their pens. I really shouldn’t have been concerned. The quality is noticeably higher than their cheapies (which I still love).

 

The nib on mine is fine and smooth. I hardly ever post caps so I don’t mind that doing so hangs a noticeable bit off mass a couple of centimeters off the end of the pen.

 

The pen actually looks a bit better than pictures online, so overall this purchase was a win. (Assuming I get at least a few years use out of it.)

[AmandaW]

My new grey 992 arrived, but it won't replace my old one with it's donated blue cap because I've grown fond of it. Both will be in use today.

 

The blue capped is inked with R&K Dok Brown as it been since 2018, unwashed in all that time, just topped up as needed. It has never dried out, even though it travels in my mini drawing kit - in and out of the car, the studio and backpack.

 

The new one? Not sure what's about to go in that... just about any colour goes well with grey.

 

 

 

[KB3K]

35 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

The new one? Not sure what's about to go in that... just about any colour goes well with grey.

 

 

 

 

I generally try to match inks to pens, but sometimes I have to swing hard in the other direction. I have a pink Jinhao Shark I’m considering inking with Diamine Sherwood Green.

[AmandaW]

I just picked up my Wing Sung 601 from the post office. It's the vacuum one with updated mechanism.  Now all I need to do is figure out which ink is going in it. Plenty of time on the drive home and use it tonight.

[Bikerchick]

2 hours ago, AmandaW said:

I just picked up my Wing Sung 601 from the post office. It's the vacuum one with updated mechanism.  Now all I need to do is figure out which ink is going in it. Plenty of time on the drive home and use it tonight.

Sweet!

Which nib did you get? Hooded? Exposed? Conical? 

[AmandaW]

13 minutes ago, Bikerchick said:

Which nib did you get? Hooded? Exposed? Conical? 

 

Hooded!