Hi Robbin -- I have a great love for my most affordable pens -- I use them fearlessly and stress free and they seem to be just as good as more expensive ones!!!! I love that there are such good affordable options!!!!
I started collecting fountain pens about a month ago and decided to stick to pens under AUD20, so almost all my pens are Chinese, and I love them all. The Jinhoa 992, 911 and Y3 are probably my favourites. The only pen which required the nib to be worked on was my vintage (1990s) Hero 91. Loved your video, Chris!
Hi Ray!! Thank you! It always amazes me how beautifully my X750s and 992s write ... I reach for them all the time!!!! I use a Preppy in the daily bullet journaling and all I do is keep refilling it with Noodler's Heart of Darkness. :)
Great video, Chris. Have and love all the pens especially the WS 3008 and Jinhao 992 - the only nib that needed work was the Jinhao 599; Chinese pens are a great value especially for entry level users. I had Liberty’s Elysium in my 3008 for quite a while and had no trouble cleaning it so the plastic appears to be resistant to an ink that has a reputation for real “staying” power; I have noted that some Noodlers inks have had more bleed through on less expensive paper regardless of pen or nib size.
Hi Sue -- that is so good to know that the Liberty's Elysium cleaned out of your 3008 so well. I wonder if my Pilot Petit 1 bleeds thru because of the Noodler's Heart of Darkness. Come to think of it -- I have another one inked with Diamine Aqua Lagoon and I don't think that one bleeds thru the cheap notebook paper! But I do love the crispness of the Heart of Darkness ink!
I stopped buy pens from China a long while ago, but I have the Pilot Petit, and it's not only an amazing writer, it stays wet when capped for a very, very, very long time. One of mine was still wet after more than a year. I somehow left that one in a drawer, forgot about it, and found it many months later. It still wrote instantly. The Petit uses the same nib as the Varsity, and I've heard of those staying wet for as long as twenty years. Which makes me wonder why many of my gold nib pens dry up after a few weeks? Though a Platinum I have is supposed to stay wet for up to two years. Or so Platinum says. The pen cost too much to not use for that long, so I'll never know. Anyway, the Petit is a remarkably good pen. I didn't think I'd ever buy one, but then I had a coupon that let me get one for sixty-two cents, so I got it. Turned out to be a great decision. I don't like eyedropper pens, so I haven't tried that, but the cartridges are cheap, and can be refilled, and that's more than good enough for me. By now, I supsose everyone knows how to pronounce "Petit", but for those new to fountain pens, the word is French, and is the masculine form of "Petite". It's pronounced "Petee".
Happy New Year Chris from Australia. Have all bar the Petit and they are all good writers, first time every time. Like yourself, with the price of these pens, I don't concern myself too much about the number of pens I buy. I have actually gifted numerous pens to friends and family to get them started using fountain pens, of course showing and guiding them through the process. Good luck with your pen club.
Yep and I have bought some myself and loving it, from all places a cafe close to my home because the barista is a proud and passionate fountain pen nut; who decided to serve coffee and sell inks at the same time. What a good combination! Just a heads up of another ink made in Australia and it is Van Dieman's ink. It is available on ebay and the seller is: jinhaopensaustralia (1368). I have some of their inks and do like them. Do check it out.
Thank you for the heads up on the Van Dieman's ink -- I had not heard of it. Wow -- a coffee shop that also carries fountain pen inks -- sounds like paradise to me!
Thanks for another great video. I had been hesitating to buy pens from eBay because I heard that they were scratchy. But I just watched the videos on nib smoothing, that you recommended. That was so informative and not as scary as I thought. Although I another reason I have not bought any more pens, is I am saving up for a A5 Seed from NockCo the haven’t released it yet, but I know I really want one!
You are welcome! The nib smoothing videos I linked to were such a help to me! I actually never bought anything other than the Micro Mesh so far, but a few other materials are on my list for later on. Those Nock A5 Seed cases are really beautiful -- I just love my Sinclair pen case by them. It was a lot of money for me but I use it everyday and it fits 9 fountain pens in it!!! It sounds like we're both on a "pen allowance" ... I'm just glad that I've learned some of the low cost sources and brands so that I can have so much fun still in the hobby even with a smaller pen allowance than some folks!!!!
I like all of these pens, but I think the Jinhao 992 and the Wing Sung 3008 are my favorites. Also, my two favorite inks are Noodler's Heart of Darkness and Noodler's Dragon's Napalm.
Hi Chith - Noodler's Heart of Darkness is a daily use ink for me for note-taking!!! Excellent choices on the Jinhao 992 and the Wing Sung 3008!!! Those pens are very good quality for very little money!
You are welcome! I have linked Chris's channel, he has done very thorough reviews with specs and everything on each of these pens and many more! I usually order from the same e-bay auction/sellers he does. I also linked in the nib smoothing videos from The Pen Habit and from Troy LaPlante that helped me the most.
Hi Chris, I have been apprehensive about ordering on ebay. I guess I heard a lot of bad stories. Would you consider sharing the name of the ebay sellers that you trust? If not, I totally understand. Thanks Donna
Hi Donna - I used to be nervous about e-bay too but I use paypal to pay and I know if there is a problem I'll get my money back. I look for sellers that have a really good rating and feedback. I can tell you that I got the Wing Sung 3003's from SpringKing2010, the WingSung 3008's from TopVehicle and Jinhao 159 from epochmakingshop. Those 3 were all overseas I think. Then one of the USA sellers I went thru that shipped very fast and sold the LingMo pens was barbazoo. I had great luck with all of these. I think the main thing is feeling secure. Some people use ebay gift cards to not even have to use a credit card. Good luck to you!
Hi Chris! Welcome! My Wing Sung 3008 is still a daily writer for me! I need to revisit the X450 - I tend to write all day everyday with my X750s ... I like those so much now that I have 3 and they are all usually in use!!!! :) It's so awesome to be able to get affordable fountain pens that write great!
New. Subbie here, new to fountain pens.. i want to try some of these. But how do i know if they have an ink cartridge included? Or if they need ink, if so how do I install the ink, do i need to buy additional tools for that? Sorry I’m a total beginner. Like your videos, your voice is so calming/relaxing and informative.
Hi FelixTheCat3 -- welcome!!! I really like your screen name!!! :) Great questions - generally when you order they will mention somewhere in the details or specs whether you get a cartridge included! If not, the pen will either come with a converter (which you can plug into the pen and fill from a bottle) or you'll have to purchase a converter (like in the case of most Lamy Safari's). Don't let this discourage you at all - head on over to Brian Goulet's channel (The Goulet Pen Company) and watch his Fountain Pen 101 series - that's how I learned everything in the beginning!!!! I'll link it here for you: ruclips.net/p/PL1AEFDC6AC935BAFC Thank you very much for watching and commenting! I think you'll find excellent pen and filling advice from the link above! Hope to see you here more as well - I do a lot of ink reviews now and also show pen and ink accessories & share my love of everything stationery related!!!!
Hi Shazia -In terms of nib softness I think it's pretty close between the Wing Sung 3008 and the Jinhao 992. The Wing Sung has the Lamy style nib. None of these pens has much softness/flex but they are good writers. The Wing Sung 3008 is such a nice wet writer!
I liked the Jinhao 599. I've tried several others on this list (not all) and like them. The Chinese are making some great pens for the entry level market. I may like my nice pens, but someone starting out isn't likely to buy one.
Great video. I am on a budget. If. I had to pay $50+ I would have one pen. These beautiful little pens let me play to my heart's content. Robbin
Hi Robbin -- I have a great love for my most affordable pens -- I use them fearlessly and stress free and they seem to be just as good as more expensive ones!!!! I love that there are such good affordable options!!!!
I started collecting fountain pens about a month ago and decided to stick to pens under AUD20, so almost all my pens are Chinese, and I love them all. The Jinhoa 992, 911 and Y3 are probably my favourites. The only pen which required the nib to be worked on was my vintage (1990s) Hero 91. Loved your video, Chris!
Hi Ray!! Thank you! It always amazes me how beautifully my X750s and 992s write ... I reach for them all the time!!!! I use a Preppy in the daily bullet journaling and all I do is keep refilling it with Noodler's Heart of Darkness. :)
Well done. I also enjoy these affordable writers.
Thanks Chris! I continue to learn about these pens from you and pass on what I find out by trying them out!!! It's so much fun!!!!
Great video, Chris. Have and love all the pens especially the WS 3008 and Jinhao 992 - the only nib that needed work was the Jinhao 599; Chinese pens are a great value especially for entry level users. I had Liberty’s Elysium in my 3008 for quite a while and had no trouble cleaning it so the plastic appears to be resistant to an ink that has a reputation for real “staying” power; I have noted that some Noodlers inks have had more bleed through on less expensive paper regardless of pen or nib size.
Hi Sue -- that is so good to know that the Liberty's Elysium cleaned out of your 3008 so well. I wonder if my Pilot Petit 1 bleeds thru because of the Noodler's Heart of Darkness. Come to think of it -- I have another one inked with Diamine Aqua Lagoon and I don't think that one bleeds thru the cheap notebook paper! But I do love the crispness of the Heart of Darkness ink!
I stopped buy pens from China a long while ago, but I have the Pilot Petit, and it's not only an amazing writer, it stays wet when capped for a very, very, very long time. One of mine was still wet after more than a year. I somehow left that one in a drawer, forgot about it, and found it many months later. It still wrote instantly.
The Petit uses the same nib as the Varsity, and I've heard of those staying wet for as long as twenty years. Which makes me wonder why many of my gold nib pens dry up after a few weeks? Though a Platinum I have is supposed to stay wet for up to two years. Or so Platinum says. The pen cost too much to not use for that long, so I'll never know.
Anyway, the Petit is a remarkably good pen. I didn't think I'd ever buy one, but then I had a coupon that let me get one for sixty-two cents, so I got it. Turned out to be a great decision. I don't like eyedropper pens, so I haven't tried that, but the cartridges are cheap, and can be refilled, and that's more than good enough for me.
By now, I supsose everyone knows how to pronounce "Petit", but for those new to fountain pens, the word is French, and is the masculine form of "Petite". It's pronounced "Petee".
Hi James! I still really like my Pilot Petit 1's they NEVER dry out. I often wonder about that ... about why. But they are just incredible!
Happy New Year Chris from Australia. Have all bar the Petit and they are all good writers, first time every time. Like yourself, with the price of these pens, I don't concern myself too much about the number of pens I buy. I have actually gifted numerous pens to friends and family to get them started using fountain pens, of course showing and guiding them through the process. Good luck with your pen club.
Hi Richard -- thank you! Happy New Year!! Now when I hear Australia I think of the wonderful Robert Oster inks!!!
Yep and I have bought some myself and loving it, from all places a cafe close to my home because the barista is a proud and passionate fountain pen nut; who decided to serve coffee and sell inks at the same time. What a good combination! Just a heads up of another ink made in Australia and it is Van Dieman's ink. It is available on ebay and the seller is: jinhaopensaustralia (1368). I have some of their inks and do like them. Do check it out.
Thank you for the heads up on the Van Dieman's ink -- I had not heard of it. Wow -- a coffee shop that also carries fountain pen inks -- sounds like paradise to me!
I also love bargain fountain pens! Love your videos!
Thank you Kristi!!!
Thanks for another great video. I had been hesitating to buy pens from eBay because I heard that they were scratchy. But I just watched the videos on nib smoothing, that you recommended. That was so informative and not as scary as I thought. Although I another reason I have not bought any more pens, is I am saving up for a A5 Seed from NockCo the haven’t released it yet, but I know I really want one!
You are welcome! The nib smoothing videos I linked to were such a help to me! I actually never bought anything other than the Micro Mesh so far, but a few other materials are on my list for later on. Those Nock A5 Seed cases are really beautiful -- I just love my Sinclair pen case by them. It was a lot of money for me but I use it everyday and it fits 9 fountain pens in it!!! It sounds like we're both on a "pen allowance" ... I'm just glad that I've learned some of the low cost sources and brands so that I can have so much fun still in the hobby even with a smaller pen allowance than some folks!!!!
Have all but the petit and love them all.
Hey Michael -- thanks for watching! I really love my Pilot Petit 1 ... it gets tons of use daily!
I like all of these pens, but I think the Jinhao 992 and the Wing Sung 3008 are my favorites. Also, my two favorite inks are Noodler's Heart of Darkness and Noodler's Dragon's Napalm.
Hi Chith - Noodler's Heart of Darkness is a daily use ink for me for note-taking!!! Excellent choices on the Jinhao 992 and the Wing Sung 3008!!! Those pens are very good quality for very little money!
@@ChrisSaenz13 Also love 3008 and Heart of Darkness. I'm getting some 3009's in the mail. I'll post my thoughts here ^.^
@@ChrisSaenz13 Also love 3008 and Heart of Darkness. I'm getting some 3009's in the mail. I'll post my thoughts here ^.^
Great video. I don't have any demonstrator pens but I would like to own one. So thanks for the information.
You are welcome! I have linked Chris's channel, he has done very thorough reviews with specs and everything on each of these pens and many more! I usually order from the same e-bay auction/sellers he does. I also linked in the nib smoothing videos from The Pen Habit and from Troy LaPlante that helped me the most.
Hi Chris, I have been apprehensive about ordering on ebay. I guess I heard a lot of bad stories. Would you consider sharing the name of the ebay sellers that you trust? If not, I totally understand. Thanks Donna
Hi Donna - I used to be nervous about e-bay too but I use paypal to pay and I know if there is a problem I'll get my money back. I look for sellers that have a really good rating and feedback. I can tell you that I got the Wing Sung 3003's from SpringKing2010, the WingSung 3008's from TopVehicle and Jinhao 159 from epochmakingshop. Those 3 were all overseas I think. Then one of the USA sellers I went thru that shipped very fast and sold the LingMo pens was barbazoo. I had great luck with all of these. I think the main thing is feeling secure. Some people use ebay gift cards to not even have to use a credit card. Good luck to you!
Pilot Petit. Yes !
Hi Gena! I really love my Pilot Petit 1 - it gets a lot of use!!!!
I got Wing Sung 3008 - marvelous !!! (USD 1.50)
and Jinhao X-450 - superb (like a vintage pen but for USD 3.50)
Hi Chris! Welcome! My Wing Sung 3008 is still a daily writer for me! I need to revisit the X450 - I tend to write all day everyday with my X750s ... I like those so much now that I have 3 and they are all usually in use!!!! :) It's so awesome to be able to get affordable fountain pens that write great!
New. Subbie here, new to fountain pens.. i want to try some of these. But how do i know if they have an ink cartridge included? Or if they need ink, if so how do I install the ink, do i need to buy additional tools for that? Sorry I’m a total beginner. Like your videos, your voice is so calming/relaxing and informative.
Hi FelixTheCat3 -- welcome!!! I really like your screen name!!! :) Great questions - generally when you order they will mention somewhere in the details or specs whether you get a cartridge included! If not, the pen will either come with a converter (which you can plug into the pen and fill from a bottle) or you'll have to purchase a converter (like in the case of most Lamy Safari's). Don't let this discourage you at all - head on over to Brian Goulet's channel (The Goulet Pen Company) and watch his Fountain Pen 101 series - that's how I learned everything in the beginning!!!! I'll link it here for you: ruclips.net/p/PL1AEFDC6AC935BAFC Thank you very much for watching and commenting! I think you'll find excellent pen and filling advice from the link above! Hope to see you here more as well - I do a lot of ink reviews now and also show pen and ink accessories & share my love of everything stationery related!!!!
Which one has the softest nib?
Hi Shazia -In terms of nib softness I think it's pretty close between the Wing Sung 3008 and the Jinhao 992. The Wing Sung has the Lamy style nib. None of these pens has much softness/flex but they are good writers. The Wing Sung 3008 is such a nice wet writer!
I liked the Jinhao 599. I've tried several others on this list (not all) and like them. The Chinese are making some great pens for the entry level market.
I may like my nice pens, but someone starting out isn't likely to buy one.
Yes there are so many good inexpensive ones! I still want some of the higher priced pens but I'm grateful there are some good affordable options!!!!