Jinhao 80 - The Best Chinese Fountain I Have Used In A Long Time

[@jpl2475]

Back for good. First new pen review in 3 1/2 years. Hope you all enjoy it. Cheers

[@musumbee121]

The king has returned.

[@LeoMB90]

Love you bro! Missed you sooo much! I used to marathon the heck out of your vids! 😅😅😅

[@LeoMB90]

Cheers from Argentina!

[@bluerosesanjuan8464]

Thank you for this video! So glad to see you back!

[@edanthony6]

Welcome. Very fine review. I missed your content, wondered if anything happened to you, continue to wish you well, and hope for more visits from you on line.

[@Peter-eb9pt]

I really like my JH80. I swapped the Lamy nib, but decided that the Jinhoa was better than the Lamy. The nib is very smooth, but with a pencil like feedback I actually became to appreciate. The pen is very light, maybe a little too light for my liking. I wrapped some paper around the converter to make it feel a little heavier. Now it has a little more heft. I have some really nice Jinhoa writers that belie the price.

[@denisripley8699]

The Jinhao 80 accepts the long Parker cartridge (1.4mL capacity) which is usefully more than the Jinhao converter or Jinhao's version of the Standard International Cartridge (2.6mm OD). I use a syringe to fill my cartridge which gives significant flexibility in ink choice (wet/dry, feathering/bleeding, permanency, colour etc)

[@viv_2489]

This comment is helpful.. i tried Parker quink long cartridge and it fits well..

[@denisripley8699]

@@viv_2489 You'll find that capillary/surface tension leaves a quantity of ink at the top/narrow end of the cartridge once the cartridge begins to run dry. This is a useful 'reserve' which is accessed by a flick of the finger nail ! The barrel can unintentionally loosen from the feed (which it's apt to do). This may be remedied by slipping a 7mm ID (internal diameter) x 1 mm cross section black 'O' ring over the feed thread This satisfying and lightly 'locks' the barrel/feed which reduces chance of overtightening/stressing the barrel. Further, it doesn't interfere with the seating/sealing of the cap. On the whole - a useful modification. Should you wish to swap nibs, proprietary Lamy nibs fit easily. The existing feed keeps up even with the Lamy 1.1mm stub.

[@ichirofakename]

Thanks for the intelligent and perceptive review. I am so glad you are back. I'm happy with my 4 Jinhao 82's. Convincing, pretty, Sailoresque colors, writes fine, quite cheap, and available with a fude nib.

[@archivist17]

I rarely buy repeats of pens, but I have two Jinhao 82s. Plus an 82 Mini, plus another with the hooded nib...

[@davidmason4144]

I love the Jinhao 80's 03 nib so much that I bought extra pens just to scavenge the nibs to put on my real Lamy pens. They're finer than real Lamy EF nibs. I put them on Lamy ABC, AL-Star, Safari, CP1, and Studio, and all were improved.

[@cd3694]

I have 5 Jinhaos and the Jinhao 80 is definitely the best one in my Jinhao collection. The nib (EF) is fantastic, it writes so well, I have zero desire to purchase a Lamy 2000. I purchased a Lamy Safari with an EF nib nib and it wrote like a medium. I got rid of it. My Jinhao 80 is a winner.

[@etraudrod]

I have four Jinhao 80s. One arrived with a very scratchy nib that was replaced with a Yiren EF. From then on they have been delightful.

[@davidnygard1817]

Spot on - great review! I have ten Jinhao 80's of various colors and with a range of nibs. I really like the Jinhao nibs but I have also added Lamy Broads, black nibs, rainbow nibs and others. I have two Lamy 2000's, one in Makrolon, the other in brushed steel. I like the Lamy 2000 but I often prefer the Jinhao 80 for daily use and puzzling. I am not going to put hard to clean inks like Noodlers' Baystate Blue in a USD $150 to $250 pen -- it is a no brainer in a $10 USD Jinhao 80. Some claim the Jinhao cap is not a perfect seal and will dry out - that is not my experience at all. I have had one sit for several months only to fire up after a shake or two. The other thing I love about the Jinhao 80 is that it is almost indestructible. Like you, I highly recommend this pen. I also recommend getting a few and modifying them to your heart's desire. This is the pen to experiment with and have fun exploring modifications and combinations. Another Lamy pen I'd suggest is their wooden version for schoolchildren. It has their foldover nib and a decent grip and very reasonably priced.

[@MattZ42]

It's coincidental you picked this pen. I just picked up a matte black Jinhao 80. I happened to have an extra black Lamy nib in F that I put on it. It's going to be my school pen.

[@cbronoord]

I never wrote with a Lamy 2000. But I love the J 80

[@Apocalypz]

Loved that you kept the outtakes in this video. Just shows how much editing is usually done. Also, went onto both sites and ordered the pen and (actual) LAMY nib. Found some new ink to try as well!

[@ChrisSaenz13]

I really love the Jinhao 80s! I've got several outfitted with Lamy nibs & just really enjoy them!!!! Like you said ... they are a great bargain made even greater with real Lamy nibs!

[@archivist17]

Nice surprise to see you back! And a great choice of pen to start with. I love my Jinhao 80, and its original nib is fine, but I did initially get it to be a way to try out a Lamy Left Handed nib at low cost. And it is a pleasing pen.

[@themisterchristie]

I have 3 Jinhao 80s, 2 which are great (all black and red with gold) my third one though has never worked properly (Blue and gold). That said, the two working ones are among my favourite pens.

[@rugved7950]

ayo , you are back , very very happy for your return 🤩

[@unknowncrash1]

The return of the king

[@IvanRomero-ho8wv]

Good to see you posting again. Just a thought, maybe you don't know about the LAMY aion?

[@jpl2475]

It’s a nice pen, not worth the $130 aud asking price, at least to me.

[@sentient.ball.of.stardust]

I have 2 of these and a few other Jinhao's and I have been so impressed with them that I regret buying pricier pens. The Jinhao 100 are by far my favourite, followed by the 82. The nibs are so smooth and wet and the build quality is great. Better than my Conklin to be sure and that was close to £100.

[@patwalsh1593]

Thank you for your advice re the Lamy nib. I have the Jinhao in my collection and would not use it because of the horrible nib. I am off to nib swap!! Please review the Hongdian N11, Asvine V200 or Kaigelu 316....in your absence both Hongdian and Asvine have really upped their game!!

[@TatyanaHallMusic]

I love that you made a video covering this pen! All of the points you made were great. I actually don't like the look of the lamy Safari and while the tri-grip of it doesn't bother me too much, I don't prefer it. I'd personally much rather swap lamy nibs onto the Jinhao body. I am so pleasantly surprised that these pens also come with the converter too, and that the feed can actually draw up ink. I just ordered some other Jinhao models to try out, finding the Jinhao 80 has made me curious about the 82 mini, 82, 1935, 9016, 9019, and x159.

[@LeoMB90]

I'm just about to buy it! I will wisely use your advise.....

[@DBachiniLima]

I recently bought my first Lamy Safari, with an EF nib, and I also bought an extra Broad and stub nibs. And when I compared it to the EF nibs on the Jinhao 80, I thought it was very poor. The B and stub nibs are fantastic, but I found the Jinhao 80 EF to be smoother and better to write with than the Safari EF.

[@CMS_Mail]

Great review Josh!! I have a Jinhao 10 and a 9016 in my Etsy cart. I may need to add one of these too

[@TheAltair033]

Wait... 30 bucks for a lamy steel nib? On german Amazon they cost 7€ for steel & 85€ for the 14k. That's an insane markup

[@nikossiotas]

Prices are in Australian dollars but even with the convertion is expensive at 18.50 euro.

[@andrewdaydreamer5209]

I put a Lamy 1.1 stub nib on my Jinhao 80. But I still like my Kaco Edge better. The newer Kaco pens seem to have solved the cap cracking issue , the cap is easier to cap and uncap and the pen feels heavier and better quality. But the Jinhao 80 is a great edc pen. I now have two of them.

[@mariojr377]

Thank you very much for the New excelent vídeo

[@totallylegit2068]

the best jinhaos are the 9019, 9016, and 100

[@osbone0076]

great video well explained iam going to find one as its compatible with the lamy nib great new

[@alextaplin7354]

As a Lamy 2000 fan I couldn't bring myself to buy this, not out of loyalty but because the 2000 is just so good and this copies the aesthetics but misses everything that I like about the 2000. I also think that it you get this there is no need to get the Lamy nib, just do a bit of tuning and polishing and it can perform the same.

[@jpl2475]

Probably not worth buying if you already have a 2000, but I think the Lamy nib is worth it, especially if like me, you use a M or B nib since jinhao don’t make those. Cheers

[@raviykrishna]

Jinhao 80 is my favourite as well and have the same Lamy M nib..If they could change the material to Makrolon it would be great. And maybe a brushed Titanium section would be Awesome 😊

[@UndeadCrabstick]

By far my favourite chinese brand of fountain pen is HongDian. Jinhaos are good but they feel a bit too awkward for me, not sure why. The nibs don't feel up to my tastes either.

[@archivist17]

I've been impressed with a number of Jinhaos, but HongDian are my go to.

[@stargazer1359]

I bought a few Kaco's to use the Schmidt nibs in other #5 nibbed pens. They were excellent, especially the fine.

[@lithinm1998]

The fact that even after 60 years of LAMY's production of the LAMY 2000, these chinese manufacturers aren't able to/ (within price range or otherwise) make a copy of it says a lot about its design and manufacturing. These chinese manufacturers have successfully managed to replicate many of the other pens, even complex ones like Pilot Capless and Mont Blancs.

[@geneinpennsylvania]

Excellent and not very heavy

[@viv_2489]

Jinhao 80 nibs are good in themselves.. i do have 2 Lamy Safari but i don't feel like swapping Jinhao 80 nibs....

[@nilcesoares9708]

Does the Jinhao 80 take cartridges or is it only converter fillable?

[@BendyLemmy]

Haha cheers, good to see u

[@comulder8499]

u know u cab use the converter or cartridges from the lamy

[@Kevinjimtheone]

I want to like Lamy fountain pens, but their nibs leave me disappointed at best and mad at worse. To me, they feel very scratchy and inconsistent. This video made me order a Jinhao 80 and if the Jinhao nib is scratchy I'll smooth it with sponge sandpaper.

[@santauxia]

I was very disapointed with mine. Drained all the ink into the cap. And others had defective clips.

[@silverghost5752]

I swapped the in-house nib with a Lamy Safari Fine. Now my 80 writes like a European pen.

[@manuelsalazar3938]

Well, this is one of those situations where it's clear we all have different needs regarding a fountain pen 😂 I totally disagree with you about Lamy, for me (almost all) their pens are fantastic and all their nibs are pure garbage for their inconsistency, including the nib of the 2k (later why). A couple years back I was able to get a brand new 2k at (almost) half the price. Mine doesn't have the so-called "sweet spot", it just writes at any angle possible, but there's two major issues with it. First, it's too wide, my handwriting is tiny and I need finer nibs, even the EF writes too wide (and too wet) for me (already waiting for a nibmeister to transform it into something more usable). And second, the pen is just so perfect that it becomes boring and uninspiring, think of it as not being a challenge. Other pens inspire me to mess with them, tune their nibs, regrind them, change parts, but this one just doesn't. Lamy, time to think (at least) about more colors or different materials 😂

[@sfinnera1]

Still making your own designs bud?

[@henryepstein5780]

Thanks but you are too attractive still to watch talking about pens. All the best to your new mature look... And analysis of pens of course.

[@geneinpennsylvania]

Josh is very hott eh

[@Calcprof]

If you really want to be fancy, put a Lamy gold nib (about $100) on it!

[@valeriegriffith5409]

That's not true JPL. The Jinhao 80s are a homage to the Lamy 80 that Lamy stopped producing in the 80s. The Lamy 80s were themselves a clone of another pen brand that went bust.

[@webbdelasteve]

I'd say it is a combination of the two.

@@raeedibnzaman1 you have to use both and you’ll know

[@jpl2475]

I don’t think so. I mentioned the 80 in the video but by looks alone it seems to look much closer to the 2000, at least with the cap on. The Lamy 80 also looks to me much slimmer than the Jinhao.

[@valeriegriffith5409]

@jpl2475 I'm an extra fine girl. The minute I wrote with my first Kakuno EF, it was love at first sight 😍. If you could chop up a pen and snort it, I would snort this pen. But when I started my ink journey with Diamine Inks, the colors looked washed out. I was forced to use the Jinhao 80s 0.30mm in order to see the colors properly 😐. I have a tool collection: Clear Kakunos EF, Platinum meteors, Platinum prefonte, Platinum Procyon, a couple of Sheaffer Taranis, and Pilot Ecrina and Lucina. Most expensive pens are a Pelikan M215 Rhombus EF and a Pilot Falcon SF. Plan on purchasing Pilot Custom 74s, a 742 and a Pilot 823. But I'm really excited about experimenting with using nail stickers to create my own version of maniki (sp) pens with the Kakunos.

[@goblinscout9571]

Got a hongdian 1860 max but it's so disappointing compared to the jinhao 80.

[@ilanlevin4833]

It get dry if it left a side for 2 days

[@kryjPL]

WTF?! Artisan makes talking about fountain pens?! It seems that not only I am into machining and fountain pens.

[@jpl2475]

It’s good to have multiple hobbies. Plus I used to work in this industry for a bit

[@nicholascassadine1294]

First here!

Rather than a Lamy 2000, it looks like the Lamy 80 or 81, don’t recall the right number.

[@jpl2475]

I think it looks much closer to a 2000 than the 80. The Lamy 80 looks to be much slimmer with a slightly different clip.

⁠​⁠@@jpl2475 take a look again, the 80 is not an inlaid as the 2000, and there is another fact that you might found interesting, the nib thickness in the 80 is not on the nib, but in the body of the pen.

However I do really prefer a 2000, even owning both, the cap locking system in the 2000 it’s something superb.👌 And the worst pen that I’ve ever used is the Lamy Accent, interesting design, but doomed to disaster

[@jpl2475]

I still don’t see it, but it’s so close that it’s probably doesn’t matter splitting hairs about it. Still a great pen and I’m definitely going to be on the look out for a Lamy 80 in the future. Cheers

[@vamark7751]

Save up and get the real thing rather than Chinese crap.

[@jpl2475]

Funny thing is I don’t like the Lamy 2000 nib

[@Vanessa_S0]

I didn't know about this pen and I have to say I'm very happy that you showed it in this review. I can't stand the triangular grip on the cheaper Lamys, and the other ones cost way too much for someone who lives in Brazil 🥲 I'll get a Jinhao 80 to put a spare Lamy nib that I have. The only issue now is which color to choose!