[Pen/Pencil Review] The Jinhao Ebony Jewel Fountain Pen in Red
So, I forgot the pen I intended to do for today’s blog. Discovered another required bottled ink – which is at home… but have no fear. I have a pen to review! I only acquired a few things this year at the Dallas Pen Show because of budgetary restrictions. This is one of them. I picked up a Jinhao Ebony Jewel in a red barrel.
This is a decent fountain pen from China created on the Lamy Safari style. It’s just under 5.5″ long capped and 6.5″ with the cap posted. The barrel is plastic with viewing windows to show ink levels. The grip is smooth plastic but with triangular cuts that make it ergonomic. The grip design does help to hold the pen “correctly” and comfortably. The cap does post firmly, and though it’s light plastic, it’s got a good feel.
The nib is considered a “light medium” or a “heavy fine” – which makes it a nice line. The flow (once I got it going) is strong. The nib is marked as 18k GP (I’m going to assume white gold – and it’ll be a vermeil type plating – meaning just microns of gold… thank you Day Job for that). I put a Monteverde short international cartridge in it – it’s an older ink, so it did take some doing to get the ink flowing. But the pen came with a converter, so that’ll help in the future with getting it to write immediately – because ink will already be in the nib.
This is also an affordable pen. I picked this up for $10 at Dallas Pen Show. I’ve found them on HisNibs for the same price. It’s good price for a well built fountain pen for an adult/teen starter. It’ll feel big for a smaller hand and might be a bit on the long side.
The numbers:
1. How does it work? – 1 – It works like it’s supposed to. The nib is smooth and solid. The barrel is light but well-balanced with a good feel. The nib feels strong, like it won’t bend if you’re heavy-handed writer.
2. Grip and feel – 1 – They make an effort for ergonomics. Though there’s not an “grippy” parts, it’s all smooth plastic, the grip is designed to fit comfortably in the hand.
3. Material – 1 – It is what it is, a replica Lamy in plastic. It’s light but comfortable. The nib is marked 18k GP. The clip is metal with the company name stamped in Chinese. Doesn’t feel like it’s going to break.
4. Overall Design – 0.5 – I like it. It might be a little long for some people. It’s also more designed for the converter than cartridges – and works better for the long cartridge than the short. But the ink works.
5. Price Point – 0.5 – It’s $10. That’s not super cheap but it’s not Bad. The issue isn’t just the price – you have to know where to get them. Either at a Pen Show or online. Some pen stores probably have them, but you’d have to look hard. And for a replica of a higher end pen, it’s probably not a bad price, but you have to make the investment.
That’s 4 of 5 bronze pencils.
