JINHAO Advanced Fountain Pen 159 Black Bright with Silver Broad Nib

As a user who hasn't used a fountain pen in several years and is getting back into them, I found the Jinhao 159 a great way to reintroduce myself. I wanted a pen that looked nice and professional, but was reluctant to spend over $50 for a pen; especially if I didn't know how it was going to write or not, so I thought that at this price point, I wouldn't be losing much.It arrived within 2 days (along with a bottle of ink I bought from Amazon as well), and it didn't come in a box, but bubble wrap. I read previous reviews saying that cleaning the nib in a little warm water and mild soap helped the ink flow better, and I did that, let it dry, and filled the pen up.When I first started using it, the ink flow was kind of heavy, but it evened out after a few words, and no problems since. I attribute that to some water in the pen still from my cleaning. It writes great-- feels very smooth, but you do feel a little feedback from the nib, however this is what I personally like; the ink I use is Edelstein Onyx by Pelikan. The nib is medium to broad, and I use it as a signature pen, or what I would use a 1mm roller ball pen for. It looks really nice and professional, has a heft to it, like my brother-in-law's Mont Blanc, and is a nice addition to my new fountain pen collection. I bought several other Jinhao pens in the same purchase- the 750, 450 and 250, and they all work equally as well, in my opinion.As a note, the 159 is the upgraded version of the 750. It was designed specifically to compete against the $1000 Mont Blanc Diplomat 149. The finish is much nicer than their previous model, and also offers a screw on cap instead of a push on cap; the difference is that with a push on cap, the process of putting on and taking off the cap can draw ink out of the nib. The clip is heavy duty and overall it has a nice feel to it. I think it is well balanced when writing... I like putting the cap on back of the pen while writing, and it holds in place just fine, and the balance isn't thrown off.For the price, you can't beat the quality or looks. I could nit-pick about some of the small features that could use improving (i.e. could use a metal insert where the cap screws into the pen or on the 450 and 250, the barrel attached to the nib is a cheap grade aluminum), but I don't believe I have a right to with the price point and quality so far. If you are looking for a good entry-level fountain pen, that looks and feels like a more expensive pen, this is the one for you!

The Jinhao 159 is a big, beefy cigar-shaped fountain pen for those looking for a solid fountain pen. For such a classic design, I wanted an equally classic color - black. The fit and finish are quite good. I write with the pen uncapped which provides a good balance in my hand, slightly weighted toward the front of the pen. I apply very light pressure and, combined with a smooth nib, achieve a very pleasant writing experience. With extended writing sessions, I start to feel the weight in the web between my thumb and index finger and know I'm at my limit of comfort.I flushed the pen prior to its first inking, as usual, in the event manufacturing debris or oils remain. Then I inked up with the converter and put nib to paper. It wrote right away. No problems. This pen looks, feels and writes great. I can't believe the value of this pen. The nib writes on the wet side.A complaint I do have is that the 159s, of which I have five, tend to dry out when not used for a day or so. I either give the tip a quick dip in water, or unscrew the barrel and give a slight twist to the converter to drive the piston forward. Not a big deal, but I'd prefer not to go through these steps. Several of my other fountain pens have this same problem, including other brands.The nib is a #6, and if you take the time to watch a Youtube or two, you'll learn is quite easy to swap the nib with any other #6 nib, which opens up a whole world of possibilities -- EF to 2.9mm stubs and all points between.Do be aware this is a big, heavy pen. Otherwise I highly recommend it.

Attractive, well finished enamel or lacquer finished brass bodied pen, with steel (not necessarily stainless) #6 standard width nib.The 159 is a very heavy (49.7 grams), large, threaded cap pen. Course pitch threads means 3/4 of a turn opens or closes the pen. A Montblanc knockoff in the most general way. The cap posts but makes the pen very top heavy and most users will not post the pen. Converters is slight upgrade from the completely clear standard Jinhao converter, and holds an adequate supply of ink, but not as much as a standard long cartridge.As with most Jinhao pens, the clips are very tight, and need to be sprung a little to easily clip on and off most shirt pockets. Getting them to clip over jeans, or a sport coat inner pocket may be more problematic, but they can be adjusted with a forceful grip, and I've never broken one.I've collected more than 40 Jinhao pens over the last couple of years, and whether sold as fine, med, or broad, they all ship with exactly the same standard nib. The actual measurement across the nib tipping material varies from .77 to 1.1mm, actual ink stroke is variable between .6mm to .8mm, but seems to bear no relationship to the advertised nib size. All Jinhao nibs I have worked on can be adjusted to "broad" with micromesh. I've had less success reducing the nibs to "fine".With minor nib smoothing, and removal of "Baby Bottoms", the nibs all seem to write well, but have little "springiness" and so adjust for alignment with moderate pressure using only the fingernails. The down side to this is that they also go out of alignment with little pressure as well. That being said, all but the ham-fisted should be pleased with this nib. Both mine delivered with chrome nibs, with gold accents.When the nibs are replaced with better quality stainless nibs such as Jowo, Knox, Bock, etc, write very well. Nearly all of the feeds (plastic) I have encountered perform very well after cleaning with toothbrush and detergent. Nib and feed are friction fit, and keyed to fit in only one position.Those preferring large, heavy, pens will not be disappointed, and the pen is executed well enough that it should cause "pen envy" in all but your more experienced fountain pen user friends.Excellent value for the money.