Asvine J16 Review: A New King of the Jungle?

[@t0dd000]

I'm super impressed with what Jinhao and Asvine are putting out there. Their nibs are super smooth.

[@paulmchugh1430]

I have been looking at this pen and just haven't pulled the trigger to get one. Asvine has put out a great selection of pens and now, the nib has been upgraded. I think your recommendation has put it over the top to get. Also I am a sucker for titanium pens! Thank you for your review, James

[@pherranine]

weird comment maybe but I like your attitude and your soothing voice :))

[@johndevault9030]

The J16 has been an every day carry for me for over 3 months. It is a great pen.

[@chandreshmakesstuff]

Excellent, James. Great review and overview. Much appreciated.

[@dollishillwork]

I am certainly tempted to buy it.

[@archivist17]

I have just ordered one two days ago, after not having enough money since it came out until this week. I'm looking forward to it immensely.

[@AndrewWertheimer]

I like titanium and steel pens with no decoration so this was an easy choice after hearing Doug’s review. As another commentator pointed out, the thing that was so special was that this came with the option of a JoWo, which makes it easy for swapping. Also on the tariff, I would not be surprised if it’s much higher than 10%. Another plus was that it’s available via Amazon rather than AliExpress. Doug had an interesting video about his problems with an AliExpress pen that was falsely advertised as having a gold nib. Neither the seller nor AliExpress really dealt with the problem of false advertising. I don’t think that could have happened if on Amazon or eBay or Etsy. Nice review otherwise. Yes, I agree that Jan is too early to crown any pens as Pen of the Year.

[@JG3Reviews]

AE can be the Wild West, but I have had good luck sticking to just a few sellers that haven't done me any disservice. If I can get it affordably on Etsy or Amazon, I do that instead.

[@AndrewWertheimer]

@ Doug tried to call out one vendor who was pretty obviously doing false marketing and it’s sad that AE would not mediate beyond offering him a 10% discount on a fraudulent product if I recall correctly. Most of my transactions also had been fine, but mostly were inexpensive purchases too. Cheers.

[@meteggen]

Great pen, great review!

[@JG3Reviews]

Thanks!

[@FountainPenWorld-z4i]

Yes, it's an excellent pen, not to forget the Jowo threaded nib unit. So I immedialtely changed my nib unit with a Jowo threaded Kanwrite Ti Flex F nib. Now I like the J16 even more. Regarding "Pen of 2025": Let us all stay on the ground and wait and see what else comes up in the upcoming 11 month.

[@waylon_willie]

Great review, as usual, James! Got mine yesterday. The Jowo nib sealed the deal for me. Asvine had been making really good nibs in my experience, but the Jowo puts it over the top. Jowo nib units alone average $30 (USD), so that combined with titanium is a stellar price! Mine was perfect right out of the box (as expected), but you're right, these are even more impressive in person. 2025 is off to a good start.

[@agradoville]

Thanks, James. I do not have a cigar shaped pen in my collection. I just am not a huge fan of the shape. After this review, I just might be adding one. Love your videos, always informative and always affordable pens to checkout.

[@Penul15]

I really like Asvine nibs, but this Jowo nib is terrific.

[@stefanheeren4519]

this pen has a Jowo nib :)

[@JG3Reviews]

Arrrgh! I completely forgot that. But it was still a. Notch above my typical JOWO M, for whatever reason. Good catch.

[@HisNibs1]

Yes indeed. Hence, the 'J' designation. Asvine broke with their usual 'P' for piston or 'V' for vac-fill with the C2000, a cartridge/converter model. 😊

[@pherranine]

is there a cheaper pen with a jowo nib? Ive never tried this nib just wondering

[@LaurenceWillis]

I think the part of the excitement is we finally have a "go to Jowo stick" that's well made and well under the $100 mark. Prior to this, It was very hard to recommend a $60 pen that used a standard #6 Jowo nib unit. NIB SWAPPERS, REJOICE!

[@JG3Reviews]

Great point!

[@santauxia]

As an organ donor myself I think its hilarious. Best joke of the year so far, keep them coming ROTFL

[@SpringNotes]

Off topic - would there be a pen review for the Pilot Falcon? I think your cursive handwriting, will lend itself nicely with that nib ! I would love to see it in Soft Extra Fine :)

[@JG3Reviews]

I do plan a video of the Falcon, but is a Soft Medium. 👍🏼

[@SpringNotes]

@JG3Reviews I see. I've heard the extra fine, shows the best in line variation.

[@JG3Reviews]

@@SpringNotes I could see that being the case. 👍

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

I just received the Asvine 126 vac filler pen. I gotta say, it’s a super smooth writing pen. I use mine for doing pen and ink artwork and it even reverse writes well. The only issue I have is that it didn’t come with the wrench. So I guess I need to find one.

[@JG3Reviews]

I know Esy Buy carries them in their Etsy store. I think you can find them looking up Asvine wrench for piston fountain pens.

[@waylon_willie]

Amazon also sells them. Right now, two for $7.99

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

@@waylon_willie $7.99 for a stamped metal wrench? Oof!!

[@FriedPi-mc5yt]

@@JG3Reviews Nice, thank you.

[@sunnycharacter]

Even with tariffs, I’m thinking all the dust will settle and there will be sales. I’m not worried.

[@JG3Reviews]

I'm thinking this part of the market should be minimally hit, too.

[@sunnycharacter]

@ True. I was more concerned about coffee to be honest! Lol

[@JG3Reviews]

Seriously! ☕️

[@mollymollie6048]

James, do you think this pen (with the Asvine, not Jowo nib) is worth $30 more than the Asvine P20 or V126? (Titanium isn’t a big deal look to me, I prefer resin…and I know that it’s more expensive) I guess I’m talking about the quality of the writing, feel of the pen in the hand, the total experience of it (which would be different if I really really liked the all titanium…I don’t dislike it, it just wouldn’t cause me to spend $30 more.) So, dollars to donuts…is it worth more than 2x the cost of the other two in your opinion? Genuine question, cause I respect your opinion!

[@JG3Reviews]

It's completely a matter of preference. I'd think if you're not sold on a metal/titanium pen, the V126 or P20 are terrific. I'm quite partial to the p20 in Galaxy blue, and pretty much always have a V126 inked up.

[@SteveTrainer999]

I’m not James, but I like the V126 and P20 better. This is blasphemy, but I like the asvine nibs better than the Jowo. The J16 nib was perfect out of the box, but so are all my Asvines. If you want a titanium pen, this is incredibly good. If you prefer resin, get the P20 or V126 (or V200). At the end of the day, they are all 😅incredible pens and you can’t go wrong with any of these.

[@mollymollie6048]

@@JG3Reviews thank you! I appreciate your response! (No surprise that you like the blue 😀.) I think (for my pre-tariff day purchases) I will go for the P20 or V126 (along with the Jinhao 10 - just found one on Amazon in a new color, which is a pinkish red in a gradient, like the blue and grey. Absolutely gorgeous.)

[@mollymollie6048]

@@SteveTrainer999 Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your opinion as well! All are highly recommended pens, and I believe the P20 and v126 (I’m blanking on the v200) have #6 nibs, so are easily switched out if I want something different. Much harder to do with a #8, which I’ve never tried…I tend to write with my hand close to the bottom of the grip, and idk how much a large #8 would “impede” my writing? Maybe I’ll give that a try in something less expensive like a 9019 or x159 Jinhao, in case it isn’t a good experience. I can penable someone else for under $10! Thank you, again!

[@spiderwrangler4457]

I ordered it based on Doug (Inkquiring Minds) praise of it and suggestion that Chinese pens may bump up in price within the next month...

[@mr-gummi]

I don't understand why they would price this at the same or slightly more than the v200. Maybe I'm the crazy one, but imo the v200 is a better pen from the same company for less money.

[@JG3Reviews]

I’d guess material and machining costs, but that’s just a guess.

[@brettsmith1655]

I own both and personally, the price bump is worth it. The v200 is a really nice pen but the J16 is a fantastic pen. It's just a cut above.

[@wwbdwwbd]

Since this pen is almost completely titanium and has more complex shapes, the machining process is like considerably more costly. The good thing is that Asvine isn't greedy and priced this fairly. The fit and finish really is superb.

[@pamelasnyder9745]

Yeah…not happy with the tariffs. I understand that it is supposed to promote more manufacturing in the US which will NOT be instantaneous. But there are products, like fountain pens, which will not make a resurgence in the US as it was never really strong. So, as an American, I will just pay more for those pens Yay! Think I’ll pick one up now.

[@t0dd000]

The intention is to "punish" certain countries. Of course the only people it punishes are the consumers. Egregious tariffs do nothing but harm to the economies affected. Macroeconomics 101. Like … literally, we learn this in Macroeconomics 101.

[@pamelasnyder9745]

@ needless to say, I am not happy with the vast majority of Don Juan’s policies. Shock and awe tactics.

[@iwishyouhappinnes1125]

Yeah does not make sense unban tictoc. But do tariffs on china

[@t0dd000]

Egregious tariffs are always harmful to both economies involved. It's a braindead policy.