Jinhao 80 Fountain Pen Review

A review of the Jinhao 80 fountain pen. Look familiar? See how this pen holds up in it's own right.
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The opinions are my own, based on my own experiences with the product. Not to be used for reference or as gospel.

[@shadowmihaiu]

"This is not a comparison..." (compares it with the Lamy in first 5 minutes, refers to Lamy constantly...) LOL. "Rip off"is not a problem here. Especially for something (an industrial design) for which a patent, if it had ever been obtained (it wasn't), would have expired long ago and fallen by law into the public domain. I am getting one or two of these to supplement my 3 Lamy 2000s (1 steel, 2 makrolon) in my daily writer group because I like the aesthetics of the pen.

[@theoffstageme]

If it had been an actual comparison video, the Jinhao would have been ripped to shreds! But when reviewing a pen that has been so clearly copied, I felt it important to show how similar they are in the specific ways, so people could make an informed decision if this was for them.

[@neilpiper9889]

Jinhao 80 nibs are easy to swap, levering from the back of the nib. I like 1.1 and 1.5 Lamy nibs. The 80 takes Lamy cartridges and their converters come free with the pen. With the Lamy Safari you pay extra for the converter. If a Jinhao 80 gets dropped or lost it's cheap and easy to replace. I have several of the colours now inked with matching colour ink.

[@KendallW]

I also think it's important to make the distinction between a knock-off vs a counterfeit. The pen is an obvious knock-off, but it would never be considered trying to "impersonate" a LAMY. Also the "inspired by" discussion is a big one because what pen isn't similar to another etc.

[@manuelsalazar3938]

Everybody copies everybody in this life, it's not just pens. The real sin is when they copy the branding and try to sell it as original. Even Montblanc copied the cigar shape at some point but people tend to forget. And there's also one thing people don't understand, the design is so old that even if it was copyrighted at some point, it may be expired by now, so anybody can freely use it. Disney can testify it, the original design of the first Mickey Mouse became public this year, now anybody can use it freely, and in the next years it will happen to more of their characters.

[@ibpopp]

Thanks for your perceptive review. The Lamy 2000 was such a disappointment because of the grip, while the Jinhao works perfectly in my hand. Like you, I had a devil of a time pulling the original nib, but the replacement (Lamy Broad) fits easily and securely, and writes well (no ink starvation). I prefer convertors to piston fillers: better in all ways (cost, servicing, cleaning.) As for weight, please tell me when did Shakespeare and his mates tie lead weights to their quills? The Jinhao is heavy enough for me. And if it breaks--no risk of bankruptcy. Overall, a fine product and perfectly acceptable writer.

[@paulmchugh1430]

I have this pen with a green body. I couldn't pass it up as the price for the green pen was half of a black version. I enjoy the pen a lot. I like that you can use Lamy nibs with it (the 2000 nib aside). I cannot comfortably use a Lamy Safari,so this it a pleasant alternative. Great review, Mick.

[@manoloyloles]

Very good pen. I also have same colours as you, but the black one has a black clip. Good writers for a ridiculous price.

[@-----REDACTED-----]

What I appreciate about the jinhao Lamy nibs is that they go down to true ef (well, “ultra fine” (0.3), their official ef is 0.38) rather than the bs “ef” from Lamy that is actually an f or even m if you are particularly unlucky…

[@manuelsalazar3938]

Not only Jinhao, in general Chinese nibs in this form factor are way more reliable for me, I'm still a Lamy fan but their nibs are pure garbage, because of my tiny handwriting, even M nibs (in general) are unusable for me.

[@cb7560]

Thanks for the video. It reminds me more of the Lamy Profil (made from 1975 to 1982ish). The Profil was a slimmer, piston filler than the 2000.

[@Ali-in8xi]

I jumped all over it because of its look. Got myself five different colors. I've been using them all consistently since November 2022. There is definitely a tactile feeling while writing. While it writes nicely for my taste (I only use Rhodia and Maruman Mnemosyne; the smoother the paper, the better performance), it does have this one irritating flaw... it tends to lose its ink if it's not stored nib upright. I also recently noticed that with one of them, it burped out extra ink from the underside of the feed, the end closest to the rim of the grip section. Nice looking pen? Yes. Reliable writer? I'd have to say no. So happy I didn't spend alot getting them all. Would love to hear the experience others have had after using this pen for some time.

[@davidnygard1817]

Some of the 80 have crap converters. Try a swap and see if that fixes the issue. If worked for me and I have 14 of them so far and two more on the way with Jinhao medium nibs!

[@shawndanplowmancoaching4241]

Bought a Jinhao 80 based on this review... it's everything you said it was... thank you... the physical writing performance out of the box is outstanding... if they would enhance it then I'd suggest a Bakelite-like shell to give it a bit of weight and a more luxurious feel compared to the hollow-plasticee feel of the current design...

[@markfung5654]

I bought two. One in use. The other one ready to go. It's my work pen. One vomits ink and smurfs your fingers, the other works perfectly. I threw it in the bin. No Biggie. But the other one works perfectly.

[@davidnygard1817]

The Jinhao 80 is a fantastic fountain pen. It is like a Ford Model A -- you can modify and swap for Lamy and Lamy-like parts for a custom feel and writing experience for a small price. The pen is also virtually indestructible and is very lightweight. It also feels great in the hand. It is the second best pen of 2022! First place goes to the Jinhao x159. It hit me that the Lamy 2000 reminds of the PaperMate Flair Felt Tip Pen. Which was first?

[@radiofreealbemuth]

Is there an advantage to buying this pen and Lamy vista nib and modifying it, as opposed to just buying a Lami vista?

[@davidnygard1817]

@@radiofreealbemuth The pen with a decent nib is way under $10 USD. There are also dozens of Lamy and Lamy-style nibs on the market with custom grinds and colors. I use the 80 just as it is and a few with other nibs, mainly because I can and it doesn't require a huge outlay of cash. If you want a Lamy vista nib, I would probably get the pen also. However, if you like to tinker, the Jinhao 80 is fantastic and forgiving.

[@radiofreealbemuth]

@davidnygard1817 ah, I see, thank you for the detailed explanation 😊

[@davidnygard1817]

@@radiofreealbemuth Other people have provided great advice. It only makes sense to pass along what I know when I can. Enjoy your pen and have fun with this terrific hobby of ours.

[@radiofreealbemuth]

@@davidnygard1817 thanks, Im just getting into fountain pens, and it's so much fun. I wish i knew about it when I was a lot younger. It would've encouraged me to take notes 😅

[@KendallW]

Love these pens. I have 3 and purchased LAMY nibs from Goulet to swap with them. It is REALLY hard to get those nibs off. I used finger nail clippers and probably damaged the nibs getting them off, but I threw them away anyway. Not that the original nibs aren't usable, but with a pen that cheap, it was cost-effective enough to add the better nibs. Great review, thanks.

[@738polarbear]

I don't like to hear about people damaging pens however cheap they are .

[@donbrownist]

Well Mick, while I agree with you and most others that the Chinese pen is a rip off, that doesn't bother me nearly as much as feeling that the Lamy is itself a rip off. Doubt that it costs much more to manufacture the 2000 than about $25. Mostly what you're buying is hype. And I'm as guilty as anyone.

[@MrAndrew1953]

They’re alright for what they are. But since Lamy doesn’t make a red or green 2000, I dont feel as though I’m cheating there.

[@sharizeck9318]

I have several of these pens, and every one that I have inked bleeds a bit at the base of the nib. Yes, they write very well, but I am afraid to actually carry one

[@davidnygard1817]

It is the converter. It happened to me with two of these pens. It is an easy fix. I used a Lamy converter on one, and a Hero Lamy clone converter on the other. Both fixed that issue completely.

[@Scouzeboy]

Brilliant video Mick. I loved it. I will be buying one of these. "A pen is a pen is a pen" someone said. It is blatant rip off on the exterior but the section has been greatly improved. I would be very dissatisfied with the Lamy section if I bought one. Ebay Australia has these listed between $8.78 and $14 with included postage. Unfortunately only with fine or extra fine nibs. Perhaps you can answer my question? From my experience with Chinese pens very few makers supply medium nibs, only fine or extra fine. I have Jinhao 159 and X159; a Hongdian 100; and a couple of Wing Sungs with extra fine tubular nibs. Is this because of Chinese lettering? I'm sure they would sell more if they sold with medium nibs. Great Video. Thanks.

[@manuelsalazar3938]

Generally yes, Asian languages require finer tips for writing instruments. Apparently their internal market is still bigger than international but at least for me it's 🆗 as I can't use M or wider sizes, only F or EF 😅

[@lucm6476]

I swaped my nib for a lamy nib, Now it's a very nice fountain pen.

[@davidnygard1817]

The Jinhao nibs are nice if you like F or EF nibs. I just saw a listing of Jinhao 80's with medium nibs. I ordered two of them. I like the Jinhao nibs but sometimes a medium, broad or architects nib is what I would prefer. I have also ordered Lamy or clone nibs in colors that match the colors of the pen. Why not? For $5 delivered extra, have it the way you want it!

[@738polarbear]

The body is a similar style to the Lamy 2000 but the Lamy has a hooded nib and metal grip and clip The Jinhao does not I have both penns and to be perfectly honest the Jinhao at $5 writes equally as well as the Lamy at $225. . It s performance actually AMAZED me .I imagine that with a pen of low price it's anybody's guess as to how well the one you get writes . Mine is reliable, on the wet writing side which I like and so far no trouble . Of course the Lamy feels better quality and heavier . The only thing about the Lamy is the three legged washer that holds the cap on . I do not like it . Of course the Lamy is wet and ULTRA reliable as with all my German pens . . If you're on a budget you can't go wrong with a Chinese pen from Hero or Jinhao .

[@theoffstageme]

Pretty much sums up exactly what I say in the review

[@MarcoRuschkowski]

You just sold me a pen 😂

[@738polarbear]

Right at the beginning you say , today is not a comparison . Then you spent the whole video making comparisons . Huh?

[@theoffstageme]

It’s hard to review a pen and not compare it to the pen it’s clearly modelled off, I suppose. But I plan on doing a proper comparison rating element for element on performance and value in the near future

[@sajjadhusain4146]

This is such a brazen copy of the Lamy 2000 that I find both very annoying and guiltily tempting. Because although I have 3 Lamy 2k pens (one in stainless steel), the very pretty green Jinhao 80 is one I’d kind of like to have, if only because, sadly, a 2k isn’t offered in that color yet. Well done review, Mick.

[@333pro333]

Such a rip-off, except the materials are different, the filling system is different, the capping is different, the section is different, the nib is different and the color choices are different. But it looks the same, which is very frowned upon in the pen world. They should have chosen a more unique look, like sigar chaped, then it would have been acceptable. The patent has long expired, there is nothing shady being done here. The traditional pen companies almost killed off the entire market with rip-off prices and special editions. We should be glad there are new companies that are willing to actually innovative upon old designs.

[@belphegor_dev]

I don't buy cheap knockoffs, so hard pass.

[@marvinjacobs7058]

cheap chine sub by free labor ?????

[@dancinswords]

The Lamy 2000 looks like a cheap piece of crap. And this _is_ a cheap... _not_ piece of crap. It looks like a pen that's deposited fully-formed from some terrible machine's bowels, and I actually really appreciate that aesthetic when I know the cost is appropriate.

[@belphegor_dev]

lol

[@ossilong]

what a blatant copy. the chinese are truly something else