Jun Lai (Wing Sung) 930: #9 Nib in Steel

[Dan Carmell]

No. 9 nib in steel in F/M/B!

 

I believe the cap band says Jun Lai; the nib has the Jun Lai “V” imprint.

 

Colorways seem to be limited to black or burgundy, in either gold or silver trim. 

 

Before posting here, I ordered one in black with silver trim. With coupons from the current sales, it was just under $46 with tax. 

 

Helpful photos from 365Days Stationery.

[K Singh]

Thanks for sharing 👍 Looks too good for the price. 

[Dan Carmell]

22 minutes ago, K Singh said:

Thanks for sharing 👍 Looks too good for the price. 

It may require both hands! 😂 

[A Smug Dill]

Or just go the whole hog with an ebonite pen:

 

 

 

[Dan Carmell]

Did you, Dill? The closeups of the engraving show how precise Jun Lai’s work is. The titanium 900 has a similar thin band with micro engraving and at a distance, it sparkles. 
 

Jun Lai pens are a great bargain if you are seeking a fine pen. 

[OCArt]

@Dan CarmellYou are a bad influence

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

Did you, Dill?

 

No.

1. I don't particularly like ebonite pen bodies, or at least I don't feel they're somehow superior to resin as a material, even though I have a small handful of ebonite pens that I'm not dying to be rid of.
2. I have a distinct dislike of physically larger nibs than the 35mm-long ones, because they tend not to write as precisely out-of-the-box as physically smaller nibs of the same marked width grade. I don't even like the Sailor King Of Pen, even though I bought my (then-girlfriend-now-)wife one.
3. I have no respect for Jun Lai on account of it alone out of Chinese fountain pen manufacturers uses nib sizes of #6, #8, and #9 on its official marketing collateral (in its official store on Taobao).

[Dan Carmell]

7 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

No.

1. I don't particularly like ebonite pen bodies, or at least I don't feel they're somehow superior to resin as a material, even though I have a small handful of ebonite pens that I'm not dying to be rid of.
2. I have a distinct dislike of physically larger nibs than the 35mm-long ones, because they tend not to write as precisely out-of-the-box as physically smaller nibs of the same marked width grade. I don't even like the Sailor King Of Pen, even though I bought my (then-girlfriend-now-)wife one.
3. I have no respect for Jun Lai on account of it alone out of Chinese fountain pen manufacturers uses nib sizes of #6, #8, and #9 on its official marketing collateral (in its official store on Taobao).

I admit the #9 nib is awkward; its size adds nothing to the writing experience. 
 

Jun Lai uses those size designations, but are those sizes actually #35 and #40, which would be correct, or are their nibs actually sized like the Western #6 or #8? 
 

Either way, I see your point, it’s like Natami pretending to be a Japanese company. 

[A Smug Dill]

On 3/24/2025 at 12:55 AM, Dan Carmell said:

Jun Lai uses those size designations, but are those sizes actually #35 and #40, which would be correct, or are their nibs actually sized like the Western #6 or #8? 

 

I know of no other company's nib that measures 31.5mm from tip to root, irrespective of whether anyone (including the manufacturer, random AliExpress seller, or unqualified independent spectator) declares it to be a #“6 nib”:

Quote

6号尖 (number 6 nib)

31.5mm

 

JoWo #6 nibs are 35mm in length. Bock types 220 and 250 nibs are designed to fit around 6mm-diameter feeds, but I'm not sure both nib types are (or, in particular, type 220 is) 35mm in length.

 

38.5mm length doesn't make a nib a (size) number 40 nib in Chinese fountain pen industry convention:

Quote

8号尖也称40尖 (number 8 nib a.k.a. 40 nib)

38.5mm

 

and 43.5mm length is even further away from what size number 50 would mean:

Quote

9号尖也称50尖 (number 9 nib a.k.a. 50 nib)

43.5mm

 

 

[Dan Carmell]

4 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I know of no other company's nib that measures 31.5mm from tip to root, irrespective of whether anyone (including the manufacturer, random AliExpress seller, or unqualified independent spectator) declares it to be a #“6 nib”:

 

JoWo #6 nibs are 35mm in length. Bock types 220 and 250 nibs are designed to fit around 6mm-diameter feeds, but I'm not sure both nib types are (or, in particular, type 220 is) 35mm in length.

 

38.5mm length doesn't make a nib a (size) number 40 nib in Chinese fountain pen industry convention:

 

and 43.5mm length is even further away from what size number 50 would mean:

 

 

I’d like to be able to reference Chinese nib sizes properly, but apparently I’d have to be familiar with the size of the nib on the pen I’m referring to, I guess?

 

It’s a monkey-see, monkey-do situation, one finds everyone using these terms so one adopts them, as I did. It would be better to have more accurate terms for these various nib sizes. 

[A Smug Dill]

4 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

It would be better to have more accurate terms for these various nib sizes. 

 

We talked about this before:

(You replied to something below that post, just not to that specific thread of commenting shown above.)

 

[mke]

On 3/23/2025 at 1:06 PM, Dan Carmell said:

engraving show how precise Jun Lai’s work is

 

That looks laser-imprinted to me. 

[Dan Carmell]

5 hours ago, mke said:

 

That looks laser-imprinted to me. 

I was under the impression that laser imprinting was a surface effect? Those details have depth. 

[mke]

12 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

I was under the impression that laser imprinting was a surface effect? Those details have depth. 

It depends on the power of the laser. And you can also repeat the process to vaporize more material. 

 

But the main point is that many engraving tools seem to use the same font for characters. And this looks like that font.

 

Additionally, laser engraving is cheap.

[Dillo]

Those look stamped to me, not laser engraved. Laser engraving does not create these types of imprints in this shape. They typically have more squared shape to the grooves and more roughness in the bottom of the grooves. To have a more U or V shaped groove it needs to stamped or engraved with some other method.

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

Yeah, the nib numbering was introduced to Chinese fp industry in very recent time. Some maker was just being acknowledged of such as late as 2023 and started adopting of it since. 

 

During the era of Universal Feed (公模), length of nib was used to distinguish between nibs: 26, 32, 35. 26 fits one type of feed, 32/35 goes for the other. UF can still be found in some current Majohn, Nahvalur, Jinhao definitely, Duke and early Hongdian. 

 

[Number99]

4 hours ago, Shanghai Knife Dude said:

Yeah, the nib numbering was introduced to Chinese fp industry in very recent time. Some maker was just being acknowledged of such as late as 2023 and started adopting of it since. 

 

During the era of Universal Feed (公模), length of nib was used to distinguish between nibs: 26, 32, 35. 26 fits one type of feed, 32/35 goes for the other. UF can still be found in some current Majohn, Nahvalur, Jinhao definitely, Duke and early Hongdian. 

 

 

I have been waiting for you to join this thread. I would be happy to hear your opinions and interpretations of the referenced articles below (Zhufu's reply article.) and let me know various things about them.

 

On 3/24/2025 at 8:20 AM, A Smug Dill said:

On 3/24/2025 at 3:58 AM, Dan Carmell said:

It would be better to have more accurate terms for these various nib sizes. 

 

We talked about this before:

 

This Zhufu article is an answer to a question about nib weight, but before explaining it, the author explains in detail the size of the nib, which is largely related to the weight of the nib.

I do not know if what the author of this article says is correct or not. However, he explains the classification of nibs in China in detail without contradiction.

The author does not cite any primary information about the size classification of nibs and explains it as a natural fact, so the basis of the classification is unclear, but I think it would be interesting to read the article as a reference. https://www.zhihu.com/question/315719898/answer/2749294468

 

P.S..

As for the size of the No. 6 nib, the attached image shows that the range of lengths of Bock and Schmidt's No. 6 nibs is used as the standard for the size of the nib, regardless of the diameter of the feed, because of the variation in the width of the base of the nib.

The size 6 in these classifications appears to be impractical because of its wide range.

The other classes also appear to be broad criteria for classification.

Edited March 25 by Number99

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

14 hours ago, Number99 said:

 

I have been waiting for you to join this thread. I would be happy to hear your opinions and interpretations of the referenced articles below (Zhufu's reply article.) and let me know various things about them.

 

 

This Zhufu article is an answer to a question about nib weight, but before explaining it, the author explains in detail the size of the nib, which is largely related to the weight of the nib.

I do not know if what the author of this article says is correct or not. However, he explains the classification of nibs in China in detail without contradiction.

The author does not cite any primary information about the size classification of nibs and explains it as a natural fact, so the basis of the classification is unclear, but I think it would be interesting to read the article as a reference. https://www.zhihu.com/question/315719898/answer/2749294468

 

P.S..

As for the size of the No. 6 nib, the attached image shows that the range of lengths of Bock and Schmidt's No. 6 nibs is used as the standard for the size of the nib, regardless of the diameter of the feed, because of the variation in the width of the base of the nib.

The size 6 in these classifications appears to be impractical because of its wide range.

The other classes also appear to be broad criteria for classification.

As you may realise, the fp industry collasped befor a global consensus has yet to reach. No unified international standard of nib size was stabalised or recognised ever since 1888. 

 

The best way to maintain quality is "in house". Rolex is even milling own gold bar somewhere under alps. Seiko uses own grease in Gand Seiko. Same as nibs, and feeds. Since everything was in house and properitary, why one should care about external standard? At least Pilot, the best nib maker, never did. Another example is the "diameter of convertors". That's another interesting topic. 

 

Standard, only comes in use in time of "industrilised and outsourcing". Long story short, China pens once went through such stage with primarily oversea market in eastern Europe, se asia, mid asia. Massive amount was produced and it has to be cheap enough for people even struggled for basic livings. You may find more Hero in Pakistan villages than in China. Jowo invented its STANDARD for the same reason. 

 

Chinese Universal Feed is cheap, efficient and most folks grew up with them without awareness.

 

There is never a STANDARD before you call it a standard. I foresee Fp industry will never establish any standard of any sorts. Since it has passed his hype time, nevertheless to say coming to current time, fp is more of a hobby. 

 

I just bought a Junlai 930, 43.5mm nib length. Junlai called it #9. Whatever standard it follows, it doesn't mean to be practical anyway. For fun, and is enough. 

 

 

[Number99]

2 hours ago, Shanghai Knife Dude said:

As you may realise, the fp industry collasped befor a global consensus has yet to reach. No unified international standard of nib size was stabalised or recognised ever since 1888. 

 

The best way to maintain quality is "in house". Rolex is even milling own gold bar somewhere under alps. Seiko uses own grease in Gand Seiko. Same as nibs, and feeds. Since everything was in house and properitary, why one should care about external standard? At least Pilot, the best nib maker, never did. Another example is the "diameter of convertors". That's another interesting topic. 

 

Standard, only comes in use in time of "industrilised and outsourcing". Long story short, China pens once went through such stage with primarily oversea market in eastern Europe, se asia, mid asia. Massive amount was produced and it has to be cheap enough for people even struggled for basic livings. You may find more Hero in Pakistan villages than in China. Jowo invented its STANDARD for the same reason. 

 

Chinese Universal Feed is cheap, efficient and most folks grew up with them without awareness.

 

There is never a STANDARD before you call it a standard. I foresee Fp industry will never establish any standard of any sorts. Since it has passed his hype time, nevertheless to say coming to current time, fp is more of a hobby. 

 

 

Thank you for elaborating on this.

I'm glad I was able to confirm and correct early on what the above classifications are.

I think it is more ideal to set one design for each pen as it gives the pen more individuality. (Like the Hero 849.)

 

There is no provision for nib size in the former JIS standard either. Even before the JIS standard, I remember reading that precision machine (repair) stores that used to be in front of every station selling fountain pens, watches, cameras, etc. used to heat ebonite feed to fit the nibs.

 

I will only remember about the compatibility of 19.5mm nibs as I am mainly interested in Chinese pens from the era of Chinese state-owned enterprises (as you described it) found in the Japanese second-hand market.

 

2 hours ago, Shanghai Knife Dude said:

I just bought a Junlai 930, 43.5mm nib length. Junlai called it #9. Whatever standard it follows, it doesn't mean to be practical anyway. For fun, and is enough. 

 

Congratulations on that!

Interestingly, I believe the Indian pen named Mammoth by Kanwrite was also called # 9 nib.

 

P.S.

I don't think so, since they are from different countries of production, but before I asked the question I thought they might be related.

Edited March 26 by Number99
149→849

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

1 hour ago, Number99 said:

 

Thank you for elaborating on this.

I'm glad I was able to confirm and correct early on what the above classifications are.

I think it is more ideal to set one design for each pen as it gives the pen more individuality. (Like the Hero 849.)

 

There is no provision for nib size in the former JIS standard either. Even before the JIS standard, I remember reading that precision machine (repair) stores that used to be in front of every station selling fountain pens, watches, cameras, etc. used to heat ebonite feed to fit the nibs.

 

I will only remember about the compatibility of 19.5mm nibs as I am mainly interested in Chinese pens from the era of Chinese state-owned enterprises (as you described it) found in the Japanese second-hand market.

 

 

Congratulations on that!

Interestingly, I believe the Indian pen named Mammoth by Kanwrite was also called # 9 nib.

 

P.S.

I don't think so, since they are from different countries of production, but before I asked the question I thought they might be related.

Nib length of 43.5mm, is called #9 by Junlai. But same length was called #50 by Namiki decades ago. I bet Jowo or other western makers must have historically announced such 43.5mm as #9.

 

One thing is certain that, we are stepping back to an era, premium fp are back to workshop low scale production with 100% properitary parts. It's also an approach to avoid unnecessary competitions, e.g. sticking a Pilot Con70 into a Sailor KOP for a capacity upgrade, not much though.