One of the Best Pens You Can Buy Under $10 US in ‘23? • Reviewed: The Jinhao x350

[@UKMike2009]

Good review. The quality of Chinese fountain pens has improved enormously over the past few years. The x350 is a lovely pen, excellent quality and the fine and medium nibs I have tried have been smooth and wet. Remarkable value and I can recommend them 100%.

[@davidanderson3425]

Jinhao need to delve into the world of piston filling pens. Also, to be aware that some customers like a broad or stub nib option.

[@jameswenrick]

Yes

[@Bakayarou520]

Jinhao's profit is very meagre. In China, it is difficult to make money through a pen, which leads to Jinhao's lack of sufficient funds to develop pistons. Maybe something different will happen this year. And I'll tell you, sir.

[@davidanderson3425]

@柳哲生 Wing Sung have the skills to make piston filler pens. Also Lanbitou have a pen similar in appearance to a TWSBI eco with a piston. I hope Jinhao consider making one.

[@Bakayarou520]

@@davidanderson3425 Yes i agree with you.Jinhao should do more. If I see what they have done, I will tell you

[@neilpiper9889]

I prefer cartridge -converter pens. Easier to clean. No tools required!

[@ChrisSaenz13]

Jinhao is making so many great new pens!!! Thanks for this wonderful review!!

[@JG3Reviews]

Definitely. Hopefully they'll go that route.

[@DebSilhan_FocusedontheMagic]

Thank you, James for another great review. I just received my x350 and love it! I would like to see some flashy and fun colors in the future.

[@JG3Reviews]

Thanks! I hope they do, too. I

[@rahulshaw3675]

Thank you for this wonderful review James. Will check the pen out.

[@archivist17]

I'm also happy to see more Jinhao Medium nibs. And also looking forward to a silver trim.

[@kevinblack8365]

FWIW, The Jinhao @ 0.5mm is the same as the JOWO @ 0.5mm. The Jinhao is (according to them) 0.7mm. i can confirm that it is almost impossible to tell the difference between writing with a JOWO #6 vs a Jinhao #6 .

[@charlesbrough6185]

Thank you James. Informative and entertaining review as always!

[@JG3Reviews]

Much appreciated!

[@johnnyragadoo2414]

Nice quote at the end. Inspirational. Dedication to fellow man and human rights elevates us all, as do your friendly videos. I like my X159's, which I renibbed. I would not feel at a loss for words if they were the only pens I had. Regarding your upcoming Lamy AL-Star review, I got one in my ongoing search for a worthy shirt pocket pen. There was trouble with it, though. It would run dry. I discovered this happened at half full in the converter when surface tension would pin an air bubble next to the feed. Thumping the pen nib-down worked. My favorite surface tension cure comes Isaac Newton. Hold the AL-Star nib down and uncap it. The "click" from the cap snapping off transfers enough energy through the pen to break the surface tension where a thump on the side needs to be pretty vigorous. It's idle amusement. When the pen is half full, uncapping nib up parks air next to the feed. Uncapping it nib down, the air bubble migrates reliably to the back end of the converter. Hours of fun for the whole family, guaranteed. Plus, you get rights to call your converter and feed assembly the "physics package." Good stuff!

[@wilberfloss832]

Cheers, James. Top review👍 I want one 🙃

[@impish22]

thanks for the review

[@jess53nz]

I don't know why but i watch all of your reviews when i have zero interest in most of the pens. I still enjoy them. 😊 But today you are torturing me with the lamy petrol al star! They havent made it to nz yet and i want one!!

[@kevinblack8365]

I have the X159 and it's probably 2mm too big at at Section otherwise an excellent pen for the money (FTM). I have ordered the X350 in nib (the X159 came in which is the same as my JOWO #6 - you literally cannot tell the writing apart) so it will be interesting to see how a 0.7mm nib will write. As far as quality (perceived) goes, Jinhao punches well above their weight IMHO. They have a wide selection with very confusing number system, I have no idea what it means.

[@JG3Reviews]

I think you’ll like it. Both the x350 and x850 have been terrific for me with the M.

[@crouserm]

Great pen, great review. I continue to find Jinhao nibs to be without reproach. After a few weeks, "stiff" nibs of theirs open up some, for nice-if-subtle line variation. That has been my experience with all sorts of steel nibs. Want great line variation in a modern nib out of the box? No problem! Pineider's gold iperflex awaits! At some price. Worth it for a grail pen. Otherwise, give time and use a chance with the steel, and I think writers will be pleased.

[@JG3Reviews]

I'm consistently surprised at how often their nibs are quite good. Some of my most trouble free and enjoyable pens are Jinhaos.

[@alferro3149]

Great video!...again!

[@fritzn3r]

James, I just got this pen 3 weeks ago; I liked it very much. Everything seemed perfect and to the point with my taste in pen: metal body, screwed cap, conservative esthetic, perfect length, perfect weight, perfect color, perfect shape, and available in EF nib(small hand writing and left handed, and Baystate Blue user). However, I am really disappointed with this pen; the cap does not seal to prevent the nib from drying. After spending a week out in a trip, all my other pens(Asvine P36, Sheaffer NNS, x159,Black forest) work fine right away except the x350. I decided to find out why. I found that the shoulder inside the cap whose purpose is to form a seal with the end of the section does not touch the section. I measured the depth of that shoulder and the length of the section, the distances do not match. The pen only relies on the cap threads for sealing. It is a shame, I am discarding this pen and probably turning my back from Jinhao; I felt betrayed by this deceitful gimmick, considering that Jinhao can make a proper proper pen like the x159(not my taste though). I would like to see if any of you can confirm my experience with the sealing shoulder.

[@JG3Reviews]

I can see where sealing would be an even bigger deal with Baystate Blue. With mine, a quick dip in distilled water solves that after a week unused, but does Baystate's water resistance make that ineffective? I ask, because I have not used the ink in any of my pens, though the vibrance and color definitely appeal.

[@fritzn3r]

@@JG3Reviews a quick rinse re-starts the ink flow without any problem. Baystate blue is not the kind industrial glue we think it is🤣; I just keep it away from the AsvineP36 (Inked with Pelikan Turquoise). I hope that Jinhao fix that drying issue. It does not look like that difficult for them - considering how quickly they are churning out new pens, adjusting a mold or the settings of a CNC should not be a big deal; they were so close to make a really durable pen with this one!

[@paulmchugh1430]

It looks like a great pen and a great value, James. If it came in acrylic and possibly a piston filler, it would be spectacular. I have said the same thing about the X159. I think Jinhao would scratch my itch for a Montblanc if it offered these options.

[@PatriotsComing]

I’m not capable of grasping the thought that Jinhao would ever ever put out a piston filler.

[@paulmchugh1430]

@@PatriotsComing the Jinhao 9019 comes close with a converter that holds a 1.7 ml of ink.

[@PatriotsComing]

@@paulmchugh1430 Yes, got one of the first 9019s available. Unfortunately, that’s the horrible M nib I was talking about. 😕

[@paulmchugh1430]

@@PatriotsComing I have a F nib that works well. Unfortunately their nibs do have inconsistency.

[@valvibo]

Top review!

[@stevehuffman7453]

basically a screw cap X750 but (at least in black) with gold trim and 2 tone nib? Seems nice.

[@manoloyloles]

I cannot avoid seeing this pen and having reminiscences of the Platinum #3776, though the pens are at quite a distance...

[@nosuchname247]

Is the grip section made of plastic or is it made of lacquered metal? I am asking because the weak point of my x450 is the grip made of lacquered metal which looks horrible now as the lacquer partially went off and Ithe bare metal grip is clearly visible. I want to avoid it with my new Jinhao pens (and therefore I like such pens like the x159), Greetings from Poland! Pozdrowienia z Polski! Thank you for your reviews. They are truly great!

[@neilpiper9889]

My favourite daily carry is the X350

[@JG3Reviews]

Great pens!

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

Hey James. Thanks again for your wonderful videos. This looks like an interesting pen. The name of pen is odd. "X350"?

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

Looks like jinhao nibs have come a long way compared to a couple years ago.

[@loukios]

Greetings from the island of Cyprus! Thank you for your review videos, I always enjoy them. I was wondering if you have found a pen/ink combo for making notes in a bible? I find that the pages are so thin that i can't use any fountain pen/ink. Perhaps an EF with a super dry ink? Don't know. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[@JG3Reviews]

Hi! I can't say that I have. I've just resigned to pencils and dry highlighters. It's mostly a paper problem, as you've noted.

[@PatriotsComing]

I was also excited to see Jinhao start producing M nibs and snagged a couple #8 M’s. Regrettably, they are both problematic. Scratchy, skippy, hard starts. I’ve spent an hour tweaking one of them with minimal improvement. Bummed. Glad you had better luck.

[@JG3Reviews]

Sorry to hear that!

[@rogerblakely7453]

I thought that I wouldn't like the triangle section on the x450, so I didn't buy it. But now as I use these pens, I realize that I hold the pen so far back that it doesn't matter to me what kind of section it has.

[@martinlebl631]

The x450 section isn't as severe as Safari, so it never bothered me. I used a few over the years, as they were always super cheap.

[@geomancer6371]

I consider the X850 the X450 rev 2, and the X350 the X750 rev 2.

[@zathrasnotzathras9435]

My only problem with their lacquered pens is the lacquer seems to be thin and can easily scratch off. A bit too easily.

[@JG3Reviews]

It's a fair concern. I haven't had that, but others have.

[@MissMarilynDarling]

I'd make a transparent one like they did with the 992 but better

[@JG3Reviews]

It would be a good one!

[@edwardstaats4935]

Thank you for the bore size. Have you seen any sign of the pen chipping?

[@martinlebl631]

I would assume it happens with time, as it always had on the x450s. One I used a lot chipped so much, I just removed all the enamel, and turned it into a silver pen.

[@JG3Reviews]

I haven't, but it hasn't been long. I don't have any on my others (750/159/etc) either, but I think I'm pretty easy on and protective of my pens. The x450 does show signs of wear on the gold-ish plating of the cap, though. The lacquer has held up well.

[@martinlebl631]

@@JG3Reviews Yep, even with very gingerly handling the gold plating will wear rather quickly. I had some wear through of gold plating on my Visconti Opera as well, but much less, and took over decade of use, unlike less than a year on the x450s. Still that is just patina, so I don't mind as much. The cracking or peeling of the lacquer is more annoying, and varies widely between the various x450s I had. Of course if it lives in your pocket, and bumps other pens it will happen. Lived in my shirt pocket next to the Opera for years, and eventually some of the lacquer peeled, while the Opeta was none the worse, except fir the gold plating, but that is from my hands, and not my pocket.

[@jacobling2119]

The international cartridge is 2.4mm, when I use a international cartridge on jinhao pens, the international cartridge always cracks (forcing 2.4mm opening into 2.6mm stem)

[@JG3Reviews]

I've not had the cracking issue, but that may just be the difference in cartridge brands and the materials they use. I can see why it's certainly possible.

[@GeorgeENorkus]

Nice looking pen although I have one question. The nib has 18Kgp stamped into it. Several nibs claimed to be 18K a couple of years back but were not. Do you think this really is an 18K gold-plated nib? If it is, that would put it in a much higher class of pen as many other manufacturers have done.

[@oswjim]

it's not -- just a regular steel nib

[@JG3Reviews]

Yep. They've done that so long I forget to address it. It's all steel.

[@GeorgeENorkus]

They're getting pretty untrustworthy!

[@Rgc571]

How does this compare in size to x450?

[@JG3Reviews]

A bit shorter and I think about 10g lighter and ~15mm shorter.

[@vermis8344]

X350 or Wing Sung 699? X350 or Wing Sung 699? 🤔 Maybe... both?

[@JG3Reviews]

I probably would go with both. 😁 But, it's not necessary. It'll come down to two main personal preferences: whether you like metal more or less than plastic, and whether you like the grip to be thinner or thicker. The x350 would have a 6 nib instead of an 8, but that also means more nib swap possibilities later, if that matters.

[@lpanades]

The pens do not need to be long because of good grip: means griping until the second articulation of the index finger. The old thin pens where long just to balance the pen for some more natural roundness of the penmanship. Unfortunatly the ball pens ruined the pen grips fo the whole world population.

[@JG3Reviews]

"Unfortunatly the ball pens ruined the pen grips fo the whole world population." That's what drove me back to fountain pens.

[@hmjeon8609]

Weight uncapped 14 gram and (capped) weight 32 gram. Cap weight 18 grams ???

[@JG3Reviews]

Let me double-check that when I can to make sure it's not a typo.