The problem with having really nice fountain pens, is that everyone knows they're really nice fountain pens, and as a result, you often find that they go missing...
I'd like to say that it's just a case of me misplacing them...
But it's not...
So, today begins the start of a new plan, wherein I'm going to try cheap and cheerful pens while I'm public places, on the theory that if something does happen to one of these, i'm not actually losing anything of immense value...
So, there's two in the first look, the first is a Jinhao 599, which is the one that looks very much like a LAMY safari (albeit with a thinner nib). It's lighter than the safari (and the safari isn't heavy to begin with), and the nib isn't interchangeable like the Safari,but it's got the same triangular stem at the bottom as the LAMY, the same ink window, and the same oval shape as the LAMY.
They even put the name in the same font as the LAMY, only not in italics...
Not even trying to disguise that it's a copy...
It comes with a twist refill with a significant sized reservoir in it, and while it needed priming to get going, once going, it writes a constant line, doesn't burp, and doesn't jam up.
The second is a Jinhao 126, similar in size and nature to the Pilot Cavalier I've got, simple draw reservoir, not the same size as the one in the 599 (thinner pen), and possessed of a spring at the bottom of the refill for some reason that I still haven't figured out yet.
As with the 599, it needed priming to get going, but again, once going, it writes a steady line, no variance, no splatter, and it doesn't jam. Of the two, I prefer the 599, but I'm going to take both with me and see if they continue to perform over time. Neither of them is as solidly constructed as the original versions that they're a copy of, and while the nibs on both are solid, there's no give in them at all which might be a selling point for some, myself included, but won't suit those who are after a little give on the tip.
As for the writing...
For those wondering, the prices of these (including shipping from China...)
Jinhao 126 - 99p
Jinhao 599 - £1.29
Not convinced yet, but it's a reasonable start.
