It’s been nearly a year since I got into fountain pens (FPs), and in that time, I’ve hardly touched my ballpoint pens. I’ve even given away all my gel pens and refills to my students. Writing with fountain pens has been incredibly relaxing; now, I use them for everything from task and grocery lists to journal entries and research notes. I also carry 2-3 everyday carry (EDC) pens with me because I often jot down notes and ideas in my notebook from things I’ve read on my phone or Kindle.
I’m writing this blog entry because I noticed that one of my most-visited entries was about fountain pens, see below:
I wrote this article for those who want to try fountain pens but are hesitant to invest in an expensive one right away. I’ll introduce you to relatively affordable, beginner-friendly fountain pens that I bought as a beginner and have loved since day one. Here are my three criteria for choosing these pens: (1) affordability, (2) smooth-writing nib, and (3) comfortable grip.
- Jinhao 9019 (Dadao Series) with Heartbeat Nib (Makes your heart flutter, this one!)
This pen is one of my new ones. I saw someone in our local fountain pen network post about it with creative shots. I thought the heartbeat-shaped nib looked nice that I decided to order one via Shopee. As soon as it arrived, I disassembled the pen and flushed the feeder unit with water as the company that produce them typically test each pen with blue ink prior to shipping out, based on experience. Once the nib and feeder units have dried, I inked it with Diamine Shimmering Seas ink. The nib writes smoothly on different papers! Not only that, the heartbeat nib is beautiful, just like in the product photos.
Not only that, the pen has sizable girth and comes with a large-sized twist converter. When I first opened the package, I thought the pen would be uncomfortable in my hand but it wasn’t the case. The nib also comes in size 8. It looks elegant too because the nib is gold tone and the body has the classic cigar shape. I bought my second one the next day because I think I love this pen so much that one simply wasn’t enough! Here are some photos for your reference:
I saw in one of our network’s post that the heartbeat nib is limited edition of the Dadao series but I’m not sure. It does feel like a marketing scheme to me. Haha!
Here’s other versions of Jinhao chonky pens that I enjoy using for the same reasons but with regular nibs:
2. Hongdian – Elegant Pens to Impress Anyone
If you haven’t heard of this brand, I suggest you join a fountain pen network or search for it on YouTube. You’ll be surprised at how often this brand is discussed in the fountain pen community. I first came across this brand last year when I joined a global fountain pen network. For a week, people posted about Hongdian pens constantly, so I decided to buy one since it was affordable and had great reviews.
I chose the Hongdian N8 because of its charming feather design and chatoyant resin body. It’s such a beauty that photos don’t do it justice. If you get one, try rotating it in your hand in daylight to fully appreciate the chatoyancy. The pen has a size 6 steel nib and wrote smoothly right out of the box—I didn’t even need to flush it.
This pen costs about $20-24 here in the Philippines depending which online store you buy it from, which is twice the price of the Jinhao 9019 ($9-10). The Hongdian N8 is regular-sized (not chonky) and heavier, likely due to its thick resin body. Compared to the Jinhao 9019, the Hongdian N8 is more elegant and comes in a box with velvet lining, making it an impressive gift for a boss or loved one. It definitely does not look cheap at all.
3. Majohn Wancai – Pocket-sized FPs
Majohn pens have been around a while and they used to be Moonman, however, they had to rebrand due to trademark issues, if I’m not mistaken. As someone who likes to write or sketch on-the-go, I like pens that easily fit in my pocket. Aside from Majohn Wancai, I have Kaweco Sport pens, Pilot Birdie ballpoint pen, and a Zebra Techo TS-3 mechanical pencil.
Majohn Wancai is 3.4 inches long when capped and 4.7 inches when posted. When I received my first Wancai, I thought it would be uncomfortable since it is much smaller than the other pens I have in my stash. Admittedly, I bought this model because of the beautiful resin designs (notice how I like resin pens, more on this later). So when I posted it after inking, I was surprised how it fits my hand perfectly. I also like how the size 5 nib glides like butter or a tiny hint of feedback on different papers depending on which ink I use. I notice that I feel the hint of feedback only when using Vinta Inks especially the shimmer ones mostly. But when I use wetter inks, the nib writes smoothly.
There are currently two versions available in the market now. Version 1 comes in thick resin body and smoother, flawless mold. It also comes in a thick translucent box, glass dropper, and 6 mini cartridges of black ink. In the photo, I have the Version 1 in the Icelandic Blue (striped chatoyant design) and green swirl designs.
Version 2 is the cheaper one, about 5 dollars only while the Version 1 is about 20 USD. The main reason why Version 2 is cheaper according to the shop where I bought them is because Majohn innovated a faster way to mass produce them using molds. The Version 2’s body isn’t as smooth or heavy as Version 1 but they used the same nib so I had the same writing experience. I currently have to sparkly blue and warm purple designs because I also like sparkly stuff. I think the best part about Wancai having version 2 is just in case you break your Version 1 pen, you can buy the version 2 for its nib as replacement (just a thought). Another thing is Version 2 comes in carton box with just a glass dropper, without a set of cartridges that comes with Version 1.
The best part about Wancai pens is that despite the small body, it can contain more than 1 ml of ink when eyedropped. Each pen comes with a glass eyedropper and the threading and silicon stopper make eyedropping the pen easy even for beginners. I experienced no leak with any of my 4 Wancai pens.
Overall, I would say that if I were to buy Chinese brand pens again, the brands mentioned here would be top of my list. Not only are these pens affordable, they’re pretty to look at and write out of the box without problem, based on personal experience.
Thank you for reading!
xoxo
The Fabulous Scientist 