Jinhao 777

December 3, 2022

So i got a few pens from aliexpress in the jinhao flagship store, the first one i tested was the Jinhao 777 in a "F" nib, which is the candy colored model based on the Lamy Safari, it cost me 1 dollar with free international shipping.

So.. in my opinion is one of the best basic pens i have used. It uses a light and sturdy plastic, the color selection is great, the ergonomics are fantastic (credit to Lamy here).

it comes with a converter, the size is probably the 3.4mm but i havent checked it for sure. It is not the Lamy size or Standard International.

The nib in this pens can be good or it can be bad, it can be broad or fine.. so what you do is you buy a 5 pack of replacement nibs in F or EF ( i bought EF) it costs 0.69 usd and you are good to go. I recommend the EF because the line you get you cannot get in any Lamy nib. In comparison Lamy nibs are as likely to be a size larger that they are suppose to be (and they are already quite large european sizes), or extremely scratchy and a replacement will cost you half of the cost of the already expensive safari. And you have no way of knowing if it will improve the one you have. So in comparison and considering the cost, yes this is better than the safari in the experience of buying a pen and not having regrets later.

December 5, 2022

I agree. I bought 6 of the Jinhao 777 . It just made sense as the postage cost was the same for 1 or 6. I use the Lamy Safari and the 777 side by side and imho there is not much difference functionally . The cap split on one of them around the clip housing, but a couple of drops of superglue and all set to go . I doubt that the Lamy would do that so maybe there is a difference in quality , but saying that the 777's write super smoothly and post well. I do feel a bit guilty buying knockoffs ....but they are soo good . Saying that my platinum preppy medium nib is a huge favourite . But that even was 4 times the cost of the 777's. All of the 777's write perfectly straight " out of the box" as have my 3 Jinhao X450's.

I just received the 2022 Jinhao 100 Centennial pen in a marbled green similar to C/S vintage pens and although quite nice....it is not a patch on the original C/S 's . A good try by Jinhao...but a bit underwhelming. Still cost around $12.aud ...so its no big loss.

December 6, 2022

On 12/5/2022 at 4:01 AM, Knoffie said:

I agree. I bought 6 of the Jinhao 777 . It just made sense as the postage cost was the same for 1 or 6. I use the Lamy Safari and the 777 side by side and imho there is not much difference functionally . The cap split on one of them around the clip housing, but a couple of drops of superglue and all set to go . I doubt that the Lamy would do that so maybe there is a difference in quality , but saying that the 777's write super smoothly and post well. I do feel a bit guilty buying knockoffs ....but they are soo good . Saying that my platinum preppy medium nib is a huge favourite . But that even was 4 times the cost of the 777's. All of the 777's write perfectly straight " out of the box" as have my 3 Jinhao X450's.

I just received the 2022 Jinhao 100 Centennial pen in a marbled green similar to C/S vintage pens and although quite nice....it is not a patch on the original C/S 's . A good try by Jinhao...but a bit underwhelming. Still cost around $12.aud ...so its no big loss.

if they didnt put the name JINHAO in the body it would be kinda weird, but they only took a great design that is already fairly old so there are no IP issues there i think. and then considering that Lamy charges almost 12 usd for a nib they should be able to make excellent and reliable nibs, which they dont. And they preppy is great ! i totally agree. I like the chinese market only model of platinum for the preppy. which is the little shooting star. The same grip and nib. But in a body and cap kinda like the perkeo or the kakuno.

February 3, 2023

On 12/5/2022 at 5:31 PM, Knoffie said:

I agree. I bought 6 of the Jinhao 777 . It just made sense as the postage cost was the same for 1 or 6. I use the Lamy Safari and the 777 side by side and imho there is not much difference functionally . The cap split on one of them around the clip housing, but a couple of drops of superglue and all set to go . I doubt that the Lamy would do that so maybe there is a difference in quality , but saying that the 777's write super smoothly and post well. I do feel a bit guilty buying knockoffs ....but they are soo good . Saying that my platinum preppy medium nib is a huge favourite . But that even was 4 times the cost of the 777's. All of the 777's write perfectly straight " out of the box" as have my 3 Jinhao X450's.

I just received the 2022 Jinhao 100 Centennial pen in a marbled green similar to C/S vintage pens and although quite nice....it is not a patch on the original C/S 's . A good try by Jinhao...but a bit underwhelming. Still cost around $12.aud ...so its no big loss.

February 3, 2023

Just an update to my review of the Jinhao 777's. I mentioned in my first review that I found these pens as an excellent option to the Lamy Safari. They look almost identical .However all has not turned out as well as I expected . I gave one to my son and after a few days we noticed a crack where the pen body meets the nib. Threw it away. And gave him another one to try , which is proving excellent, with no issues) Next I used one for a funeral I was preparing and the mongrel leaked all over my hands. Not good and very embarrassing . I pulled it apart, tried different convertors, cartridges and making sure the section was pushed all the way in ....still leaked. Threw that one away . I have gone back to my original Lamy Safaris ( Strawberry and Blue) which display none of the above. Seriously what was I expecting? A pen that sells for $1.50 AUD to be as good as the real one? The old adage adage : Quality is remembered, long after price is forgotten.

February 4, 2023

Knoffie: Thanks for your information. It is useful to know about the quality of different pens.

March 19

It took me a while to spot the difference between Jinhao's 777 and 599. The former has a round wire clip like a Lamy Safari, while the latter has a clip cut and formed from a sheet of spring steel.

March 19

3 hours ago, Arkanabar said:

It took me a while to spot the difference between Jinhao's 777 and 599. The former has a round wire clip like a Lamy Safari, while the latter has a clip cut and formed from a sheet of spring steel.

not only that, 777 uses lamy style nib.

While 599 uses #5 nib & feed.

Edited March 19 by AceNinja
typo "still" --> "style"

March 19

Hmmm, I just ordered fifty-two of the Jinhao 777 pens, so I damn well hope they're good and don't break easily!

1 hour ago, AceNinja said:

777 uses lamy still nib.

While 599 uses #5 nib & feed.

In which case, model 777 would use 3.4mm-bore ink cartridges, whereas model 599 would use 2.6mm-bore.

Spoiler

If you're wondering what use I have for another fifty-two fountain pens and cheap ones at that, … I don't. An English teacher at a “low SES (socioeconomic status?) Australian school” asked on Reddit for recommendations for cheap pens she could buy, to keep at school and let her students use them in class. She eventually said she's going to go with buying seven Jinhao 599 on account of the “wallet friendly” price, and let her class of twenty-odd take turns at using them. I figured I could easily get enough Jinhao pens, for the same spend (or less), for every kid to have his/her own pen to use; and, since she's going to keep it as a class resource rather than giving the pens away or otherwise letting the kids take the pens home, I offered to donate them towards her initiative. Then I spotted an opportunity to get her fifty-two pens and two hundred compatible ink cartridges, for roughly the same spend taxed and delivered, so I ordered all that last night for the school; I think better handwriting skills are a good thing, and if the kids are intrigued by her fountain pens and would be motivated to learn, then I'm happy to help out. Meanwhile, my wife has offered to help that teacher with an initiative to promote the kids' interest in reading and correspondence.