Review: Pilot Metropolitan (and a surprise find: a Pilot Hi-Techpoint V5 Eyedropper)

(1) Pilot Metropolitan:

The Metropolitan has been strongly recommended and raved about by Mr. Brian Goulet of the Goulet Pen Company (see Ink Nouveau videos here and here). In his 2012 Youtube video Mr. Goulet said that it would become "known as one of the best starter pens out there in the fountain pen community". In my humble opinion, I think his prediction was spot on.

See also The Pen Habit's Youtube video here, where he goes into detail of his dislike of proprietary converters, which I do agree with to a certain extent - I will talk more about this later below.

(Pilot's proprietary squeeze converter)

Lastly see also Peninkcillin's very detailed review here (where there is a comparison between the Prera and a "M" Nib and "F" Nib Metropolitan).

When I first started getting into fountain pens, I had heard so many good things about the Metropolitan, i.e. how cheap and solid it was, and how smooth it wrote. I had wanted to get one for the longest time, but it somehow was never one of those pens that I "hunted" for. It was more of a "if-I-see-it-I'll-get-it" type of pen for me personally. I wasn't excited about getting it, but somehow I felt that no respectable novice fountain pen aficionado could call his collection complete without a Metropolitan.

(a) Price and Where I got it:

(photo from Yelp.com, but I believe this is the Terminal 3 outlet)

I bought it from Relay Bookstore in Changi Airport's Departure Terminal, Terminal 2 (only accessible after you've passed through immigration) for S$30 (on GouletPens.com it is going for US$15). I was able to get it on a recent business trip to China.

I think it would be an appropriate point here to say too that the Relay Bookstore in Changi Airport Terminal 2 is FANTASTIC because:

• It is open 24 hours a day (only the Terminal 2 branch);

• It carries a large variety of fountain pen brands (Lamy, Faber Castell, Pilot (even the high-end Namiki Maki-E series of fountain pens), Cross, Parker and Caran d'Ache) - there may be more as I am writing this based solely on my own sketchy memory;

• It usually is cheaper than other boutiques / stores in Singapore (I suspect this may be the case as it is a "tax and duty-free" zone as the staff do check your flight details prior to your purchases) - for example I bought my Franklin Covey Lexington from Times Bookstore for S$33, but I saw it at Relay going for about S$28 and I also bought a bottle of Waterman Ink for S$13.80 when I saw it going for about S$16 outside (if I am not wrong ... at the Waterman counter in Takashimaya);

• It has great packaged deals - there was also a "Pilot Metropolitan" gift pack which comprised of the (i) mechanical pencil, (ii) ballpoint pen and (iii) fountain pen for only S$59 (it is normally S$20 - 30 each). There were also packaged deals / gift sets for Faber Castell, Parker and almost every other brand sold in the store. With the prices in Relay being generally cheaper than anywhere else in Singapore, the packaged deals are even more value for money!

(b) Impressions and Nib:

I have to confirm what a lot of other bloggers / vloggers have already said about the Metropolitan; it is great value for money (it comes with a squeeze converter), it feels great in the hands (comfortable with a healthy heft to it) and it writes smoothly.

My Metropolitan came with a Japanese "F" (fine) nib, which makes it an "Extra Fine" nib in comparison to other continental / western fountain pens. For me, this has been great because I had been looking for a very fine pen for awhile to stave off feathering on cheap paper. Currently this is the thinnest / finest nib that I have in my fountain pen collection (see writing sample below).

(c) Finish: 

"Black Crocodile" and the body of the pen is made of metal and coated with a matte black paint finish. The cap is a snap-on one, and the pen is tapered at both ends. Undeniably, this is a sleek looking modern pen.

(d) What I Like about the Metropolitan:

• The Nib and Feed are friction-fit, but if you'll notice in the picture above, the nib has a "locking" mechanism to keep it in place (the extra protrusion at the end of the metal section of the nib sits into a groove in the plastic feed), this ensures that the nib is always centred and in the ideal position when you push it back into the grip section of the pen. For me this was ingenious - if you've struggled to get the sweet spot on another friction fit nib/feed, you'll know what I mean;

• The grip section of the pen is made of plastic and not the same "matte black" metal as the rest of the body, I like this because it doesn't cause the pen to become too slippery when I am writing for long periods of time, as compared with an all metal grip; and

• The Metropolitan clearly has a lot of care and attention put into its quality, precision of manufacture and aesthetic finishes.

(e) What I Dislike about the Metropolitan:

Only really 1 thing; the proprietary squeeze converter that it comes with, which is opaque. 

You can't see how much ink you have left in the converter, and as I've mentioned several times this really, really, really irks me. I hate not knowing how much ink I have left in my pen before I take it into a meeting with me and with this converter there is no way that I can check; even if I were to open the barrel up and take a peep inside the pen.

Also, in a regular twist converter (like any other regular standard international converter) it is easy to give it a little twist to push ink down into the nib and feed to saturate it when the pen is a tad bit dry. However, you don't often have that level of precise control (i.e. how much or how little you want to saturate the feed) with a squeeze converter. As has happened to me, I have accidentally squeezed too hard and had a drop of ink drip out from the feed and nib.

At the moment I have the squeeze converter swapped out for a regular Pilot ink cartridge (and which I am hoping to be able to swap out for a CON-50 one day soon, for more information on Pilot Converter's see the GouletPens' blog post here), which I got from a Pilot Hi-Techpoint V5 pen (see picture above). At least now I can monitor how much ink I have left since the cartridge is transparent. 

(2) Pilot Hi-Techpoint V5 Cartridge / Eyedropper Pen (see picture below)

This is also an opportune time for me to segue into the other cool discovery I stumbled upon while I was in China!

In Singapore the Pilot Hi-Techpoint is as common as dirt. 

I dare say that every single office in Singapore would have at least 1 (if not a 100) of these. However, all the ones I have ever seen are disposable (see picture below, i.e. where the ink is enclosed in the body of the pen itself and which will have to be thrown away once the ink has been used up), and I have never seen one with a refillable cartridge system!

I was able to convert one of them to an eyedropper with the same "Platinum Preppy" trick; silicone and a rubber o-ring (see picture below). Which is super cool too since it comes with a little clear window for you to monitor when your ink is low!

Onishi Seisakusho Celluloid Fountain Pen (Invaluable Pens Part 2 of 3)

As a starting point, let me just say that currently, among the few pens in my meagre collection, I consider the Onishi Seisakusho Celluloid Fountain Pen ("the Onishi") to be at the very pinnacle. I love this pen for several reasons, namely:

(1) It is handmade in japan;

(2) It writes amazingly;

(3) It looks pretty; and

(4) It is dependable and trust-worthy.

In summary, the Onishi does what it's supposed to do 100% of the time and it does it fantastically well.

(A) Background:

I first got to know about this pen because I stumbled upon this youtube video here some 3 to 4 months back:

(Check out VirtuThe3rdTV's youtube channel for the entire "Masters of Fountain Pen" Series)

It is a video of the late Mr. Kiyoshi Kato of Kato Seisakusho Co., a master artisan pen-maker, toiling away in his workshop. I loved the intricacy and delicacy that went into the making of every single one of his pens. There was also a rustic charm that immediately endeared me to their Celluloid pens. It came from seeing Mr. Kato, hunched over his lathe, expertly spinning out barrels in a matter of seconds. There and then, I made up my mind: I was going to get one, no matter the cost or inconvenience.

If you know anything about Japanese people, you'll know that they are awe-inspiring craftsmen. They are fanatically dedicated and they take a lot of pride in their life's work. The results of which show through in the final product. In my lifetime, I have come to trust and respect products labelled with the words "made in Japan", especially anything handmade. 

From the first moment I held the Onishi, I was not disappointed, in fact it surpassed all my expectations.

It would be a good time at this juncture to remind myself (and you my readers) that the nib and feed that comes with the Onishi is actually German-made; Schmidt (see picture above). My fascination with the Japanese craftsmanship therefore pertains to the look and feel of the Onishi only.

(B) Where I bought it and how much it cost:

I started scouring the web for more information on "Kato Seisakusho" pens, however I was saddened to learn that Mr. Kato had passed away sometime in 2010. I also learnt that the Mr. Kato's legacy and workshop had been passed on to Mr. Onishi, and their fountain pens were now sold under the "Onishi Seisakusho" moniker.

(Picture from Rakuten - Amazing "Acetate Sakura" finish with an embedded Swarovski crystal in the cap  - click here to buy)

I did a search on Rakuten (click here to see all the search results, there are many different finishes available! See picture above) and placed my order through vendor AT-N Nagasaka Ltd. I paid S$108 (JPY 9,524) for the pen (which came with a free Schmidt converter - see picture below) and an additional S$10 (JPY 900) for Japan Post's priority postage; EMS or Express Mail Service.I pause here to also take this opportunity to comment how efficient and fast Japan Post's EMS is, it only took about 6 days for the pen to reach me here in Singapore!

For the more price conscious, please note that on Pen-House LIMELUX Co. Ltd.'s page the same pen, listed as the "850 Series" Celluloid Fountain Pen, is going for S$101.58. There is also another version of the Celluloid Pen with a clear acrylic window to monitor your ink levels (click here to see the "800 Series" Celluloid Pen - see picture below).

(Picture from Rakuten)

Before I get into the review proper, please also check out AltecGreen's FPN Thread / Review of 2 Kato Seisakusho pens. In AltecGreen's post, besides the awesome photos, he goes into a great amount of detail of his impressions and observations of his Kato pens. Overall, I agree with AltecGreen's post, in that these pens may not offer the greatest or cleanest of finishes. This might lead some people to even describe the Onishi as being "cheap". 

However, I find that the blemishes and irregularities are part of the charm of having a genuinely "handmade" pen (as with any other handmade object). If this appeals to you, then I would highly recommend getting it, and even though the Onishi can indeed feel "cheap" at times (I attribute this most to the Onishi's light-weight) I have never once thought that it was not worth its price (i.e. not value for money), bear in mind that I too currently have a self-imposed rule not to spend more than S$100 for a pen, and that therefore getting the Onishi was a huge deal for me personally (it was a birthday gift to myself). 

This says a lot about the Onishi; as in comparison I have bought much cheaper pens which eventually made me feel like I had completely wasted my hard-earned money in acquiring it. If you've ever experienced that feeling with a certain pen in your collection, you'd know that this sours your affinity with the pen and detracts significantly from your writing experience with that particular pen (for me, that would be my Parker Vector). Obviously, this was not the case with the Onishi.

(C) Aesthetics / Impressions:

The Onishi that I got came in a "green" marbled Celluloid. Under bright lighting, it sparkles and gleams. Under close inspection one can also study the depth in the layering of the different colours and "flakes" of the Celluloid. Needless to say, the Onishi looks splendid.

The tip of the cap is glossy black, there is also a small black tip at the end of the barrel. The clip is gold-coloured and there is also a band of gold at the end (see picture above).

My Gripes with the Onishi:

As for the "feel" of the pen, as I mentioned earlier the Onishi feels very "light", and this contributes to it feeling "cheap". Besides this, there were two more things which I also took issue with. 

First was that the converter tended to rattle in the barrel and made a "clacking" noise. This can be quite worrying as it gives the (slightly paranoid) user the impression that the converter is loose and that the ink could quite possibly leak even though that's not the case at all.

Second, the pen being made from Celluloid, had an extremely strong "chemical" smell. As I have read, the smell comes from the Camphor and Nitrocellulose used to make the body of the pen.

The smell does fade over time, and I had been advised by a senior pen collector to give the Celluloid parts a wash and to thereafter let it dry by letting it "bask" in the sun for about half an hour (not too long or the heat might cause the Celluloid to warp).

After doing this, and after having used the Onishi for about 2 months, the smell is almost completely gone (only a faint whiff from time to time).

(D) Writing Experience

I have absolutely no complains about the way this pen writes. In fact, as I had mentioned, this pen is currently the smoothest writer in my collection at the moment.

I did note that this was the "same" type of Schmidt Steel Iridium Point nib as the one that came with the Muji Aluminium Round Fountain Pen (see my previous review here), but the writing experience is completely different! The Onishi Schmidt nib is springier (and allows for some flex and line variation) and is also much smoother than the Schmidt nib that came with the Muji Fountain Pen.

(E) Conclusion

I love the Onishi. I love how it looks. I love how it writes. I love that it is handmade and that it has the history of a legendary pen maker behind it. This has therefore become one of the invaluable heirloom pens in my collection.

Battle Wolf (Weekend Art of Pens Sketch 1)

Fountain Pen: Platinum Preppy (Black 0.3 & Red 0.5 & Highlighter Yellow) and Oaso (F) Fountain Pen (Turquoise).

Inks: Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black, Pilot Red Ink, Pelikan M205 Duo Yellow Highlighter Ink and Waterman Inspired Blue. 

Montblanc Meisterstuck "Mini Mozart"

(1) Background: 

Let me start by saying: this pen is not mine. I wish it was, but it's not. I saw it, dusty and dirty, sitting very innocuously in my boss's penholder about a month or so ago and I was naturally fascinated. I started hunting around online for the identity of this very elusive, tiny little burgundy pen, which I knew of course to be a Montblanc given the iconic white star emblazoned on the top of the cap (see picture below).

After several googling sessions, I stumbled upon this fountain pen network thread. 

From there I knew exactly what pen my boss had; the "Meisterstück Hommage À W.A. Mozart Fountain Pen (Small Size)" (see the official Montblanc page here), quite a mouth full, so I'll just refer to it simply as the "Mini Mozart".

When I had happened to be in my boss's room again, I brought up the topic of the little burgundy pen, and sheepishly asked: "can I have a look at it?". He laughed, knowing that I was a fountain pen enthusiast, and permitted me to do so. He then told me that the Mini Mozart had been given to him, many years ago, as a gift and that he had stopped using it because he just didn't have time to maintain it properly.

I immediately offered to take the Mini Mozart home with me over the weekend to clean it and get it back to him in a good writing state. This is why I will be reviewing the Mini Mozart in today's post (though I had originally planned to do a write-up of the Onishi Seisakusho Celluloid Fountain Pen as part of my "Invaluable Pens" series of posts).

(2) Specifications and Aesthetics: 

Finish: Burgundy with Gold Finishes, the centre band on the cap is also nicely engraved with the words "Montblanc - Meisterstück" (see picture below).

Measurements: The Mini Mozart is a very small pen; with a length of 10.7 cm (capped), 9.2 cm (uncapped and unposted) and 11.3 cm (posted). It has  a barrel diameter of 0.9 cm (at its thickest point). 

Nib: The nib is 14 Karat gold and it is beautifully engraved (see picture above).

Design: As you will you note in the previous two pictures above there are a 2 thin gold bands just before the nib and the end of the barrel. The rings have threads and allow the cap to screw on securely when the pen is either capped or posted. I love this feature of the Mini Mozart because it posts so securely; you won't feel the cap wobble as you write. This makes the pen feel as if you were writing with a single unit. This allows for the Mini Mozart to stay pocket-sized but writes and feels like a regular-sized pen (see picture below).

(3) The Cleaning Process: 

I didn't manage to take pictures while I was actually cleaning the pen, but  trust me when I say the pen was in a terrible state. There was dry ink encrusted on the nib, feed and in the barrel itself. The pen hadn't been used in such a long time that whatever little ink was left in the cartridge had turned into a gooey little blob which wouldn't budge no matter how hard you shook the cartridge.

(Nib, Cap and Barrel - sorry for the over exposed picture!)

I washed the pen under cool running tap water, flushed the nib/feed with a syringe and then left the pen submerged in water for about 5 - 6 hours. Even after the thorough flushing (with clear water coming out the nib), there was still hidden/encrusted ink dissolving into the water from the nib as it slowly soaked in the water.

(4) Re-Inking the Pen: 

Because the Mini Mozart is so small, I didn't think it would take a converter (the official Montblanc page confirms this, see also picture above), so I used a needle and syringe to refill the same cartridge that was originally in the pen (see picture below).

(5) Writing Experience: 

The Mini Mozart's broad nib lays down a very thick and "juicy" line (i.e. extremely wet, see writing sample above). The 14 Karat gold nib is soft and does allow for slight line variation with minimal strength. The nib also feels incredibly smooth on paper. Even on low-grade copier paper it feels fantastically smooth (when it can sometime feel like writing on sandpaper, especially with my cheaper fine-nibbed pens).

However, that being said this particular Mini Mozart nib does suffer from a little bit of "baby's bottom" due to the over polishing of the nib, and therefore does have some occasional starting issues (see Richard Pen's glossary entry for baby's bottom). Though it is not too major an issue, it can still be a little frustrating at times. To be honest, this has to be, by far, the smoothest writing experience I have ever had. I simply love the way this pen writes and glides across the page.

Overall, writing feels effortless with the Mini Mozart, and this is one of those pens that immediately and unconsciously improves the user's handwriting as the nib sails across the page.

(6) Conclusion: 

I personally don't believe in the mantra "the more expensive the better". From my few google searches online, I found a second-hand Mozart Mini going on ebay for about US$333 (about S$450, see here) and another ebay entry which states that the recommended retail price is about US$485 (about S$650, see here). 

Needless to say, this is not a cheap pen, and it is already considered the cheapest in the "140" series of Montblanc Meisterstück fountain pens. If you were to ask me: "is this pen worth the price?", then I would say "no", unless I could easily afford it (i.e. if I was Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark). 

I say this because (a) it is plagued by minor starting issues (due to the "baby's bottom"), and (b) that would mean that at some later stage the nib will have to be reworked by a nibmeister and potentially cost the owner some out-of-pocket expense. As I have often mentioned, I prefer thicker and heftier pens and (c) the Mini Mozart is a tiny pen, which makes it an incongruous match for a "beefier" guy like me. Though I do admit that the Mini Mozart is beautiful, well-made with high quality materials, (d) I however still don't see the economic sense of purchasing this pen unless you are getting it at a greatly discounted price, or as a status symbol, or as a fantastic gesture of someone else's generosity.

See also Inky Preacher's charming retelling of how he came to own and rediscover his own Mini Mozart here, which is testament to how easily a person can fall in love with a Mini Mozart and form sentimental bonds with a fountain pen, which far exceeds any monetary value attached to it.

Having used the Mini Mozart for just a short period of time (over the weekend), it has become something of a "gateway drug" for me and I have proudly and defiantly declared to my wife that I will be getting my very own Montblanc pen sometime in the future, and I will be looking out for a good/mint condition second-hand MB with a decent price!

For another very detailed review (with great pictures too!) of the Mini Mozart, see Hari317's FPN post here.

The Waterman Hemisphere (Invaluable Pens Part 1 of 3)

For this week's post, I'll be reviewing 1 of the most invaluable pens that I currently have in my collection. Aside from the price of the pen itself, I have placed a good amount of sentimentality and significance in the pen for my own personal reasons. 

(Top: Waterman Hemisphere / Bottom: Onishi Seisakusho Celluloid Fountain Pen)

Preface: I started out this post intending to write a review of the Waterman Hemisphere, however, as I began typing, I realised that it morphed into more of a "how I got into fountain pens" type of post. It just goes to show how much this pen means to me. This post will also be Part 1 of a 3 part series of posts where I will be discussing the Onishi Seisakusho Celluloid Fountain Pen next.

I hope you don't mind my ramblings and still enjoy the post! 

(1.a) The Waterman Hemisphere ("the Hemisphere")

Background / History: If you've read the "My Pen Collection" page, you'll know that the Hemisphere was a wedding gift from my wife's uncle who lives and works in Hong Kong. This is therefore the first and oldest pen in my collection (I've had this pen for slightly more than 2 years now, me and my wife just celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary several weeks back!).

(two-toned blue Waterman Pen Box)

The pen came very nicely gift wrapped, and it was presented to me the night before the wedding. I still remember opening the two-toned blue Waterman box and finding the gold and black Hemisphere inside, needless to say I was blown away. I remember uncapping the pen and seeing how shiny and reflective the gold-plated nib was. I was awestruck. I was speechless. I stood there just admiring the shape of the nib for the longest time. 

When I think back, I honestly believe that that might have been the very first time I actually held a fountain pen in my hands. Though I remember vaguely that my father had once owned a vintage Mont Blanc Meisterstuck (which has since been lost to time), I had however never actually touched it, I was of course too young to ever be allowed to handle something so costly.

When I had asked my wife's uncle, a long time after, why he had decided to give me a fountain pen, he then explained that it was because I was just starting out on my career. He therefore felt that I should be equipped with a good fountain pen to accompany me on my epic journey into the unknown. 

I could tell right away that he had put a lot of thought into the gift, and he had hoped to "pass the torch" like how he had once received a fountain pen too; to mark his transition into adulthood and into the working world. To this day, my wife's uncle is still using his own Hemisphere at work.

Another thing that struck me at the time was the exact words that my wife's uncle uttered to me when he saw how much I admired the Hemisphere. He said: "Ah, it's just something inexpensive, really!". The Hemisphere is still currently the most expensive pen that I own. To me that also showed just how humble and unassuming my wife's uncle really is. Of all my in-laws, he is the one that I can relate to the most, and the one that I feel understands me best.

(1.b) A Mini Review of The Hemisphere:

Finish: Matt Black with (23 Karat) Gold Trim Finishes (see the Hemisphere on Waterman's official website here).

Cost: I have seen the Hemisphere retailing online and at various boutique shops / Waterman counters (in departmental stores) in Singapore for about S$130 - S$150. As far as I know, the Hemisphere is actually considered the lower-range or entry level Waterman fountain pen.

Converter/Cartridge: One thing that I love about the Hemisphere is that it takes standard (short) international cartridges (depending on the model of the Waterman pen, I have read that there may be some difficulty closing the pen see this FPN thread). I was pleasantly surprised when I realised this because Waterman, like a lot of other established fountain pen brands, has its own proprietary converters and cartridges. Though the Hemisphere typically does not come with a converter right out of the box, mine did, probably due to my wife's uncle's thoughtfulness.

Impressions: The Hemisphere is thicker in the middle and is tapered at both ends. My initial impression of the pen was that it was thin and small, possibly even too thin and too small for my hands. But because it is thicker in the middle, it still allows for a comfortable writing experience. The Hemisphere is however deceptively much heavier than it actually looks. For a lack of a better description, the Hemisphere feels (and indeed looks) like an expensive fountain pen. It is a solidly made pen, and even the converter does not rattle in the barrel when it is shaken vigorously.

 (extra details that make the Hemisphere unique)

As for its aesthetics, I really like the slit in the middle of the clip and the "cut-off" slope at the top of the cap. These 2 deliberate and extraneous finishes give the Hemisphere a very "modern" look  and makes the pen look unique. Overall, the Hemisphere is undeniably a very sleek and beautiful pen.

The nib is also very nicely engraved with Waterman markings, as is the gold ring at the end of the cap (see photo above). If I haven't already sold you on its looks, check out the promotional video below!

Writing Experience:

The nib is made of steel and then plated with 23 Karat gold, and because of the underlying steel, the nib is stiff and does not allow for any line variation. For a "Fine" nib, it also writes nicely. As for the ink flow, the feed keeps up with even the most furious of scribblings. I have not experienced any skipping with the Hemisphere.

What I Dislike: There are really only 2 things that I dislike about this pen (which is of course specific to my own personal preference and you may not feel the same as I do). These dislikes however are not fatal to my overall love of the pen and are easily overcome.

First, would be that I dislike posting the Hemisphere when I write. Because of the extra metallic embellishments on the cap and at the end of the barrel (which actually make this pen look stunning), it makes the pen feel very "back heavy" and unwieldy when writing. It feels almost as if someone is holding onto the back of the barrel (and very gently pulling downwards) as you write. Of course the only way around this would be to NOT post the pen, I typically just leave the cap on the table, or hold it in my spare (left) hand as I write.

Second, I found the small capacity of the converter (0.5ml of ink) and the opaqueness of the barrel to be a really frustrating combo. On several occasions, I had brought the Hemisphere for work meetings and thereafter had the pen run out of ink completely. Now, I typically use only clear demonstrators during my work meetings (i.e. my TWSBI 580). A simple solution to avoiding this would be to just check the amount of ink left in the converter before heading off for a meeting, however because I always find myself rushing while at work, I rarely have the time to stop and check the converter.

But again, this is specific to me and my work. I however would say that this pen was meant for a much more cultured and slow-paced lifestyle (i.e. during the time of fair Ladies and genteel Gentlemen), where the average person still wrote letters at their desk and had the liberty to refill their pens midway through their work day. I however do not have the luxury of time; my work is fast-paced and stressful; like most other modern-day work environs.

Though I may not use the Waterman for work meetings, I do however use the Waterman when I am sitting at my cubicle. I use it to jot down quick notes or to draw up my to-do-list for the day.

(1.c) Conclusion:

The Hemisphere is a decent writer, but I love this pen more so for the background and story that it comes with. That being said, I would consider this pen to be an heirloom pen and something that I would want to pass down to my children. Again this would be a testament of how much this pen means to me personally. 

As for whether I would recommend this pen to someone else, I would think not, simply because I believe that there are better pens out there (that write smoother and objectively look better too), and that you could get for the same price or less (granted that in Europe a Waterman Hemisphere might only cost about 40 to 50 Euros, in Asia that is not the case). I realised too that a lot of the cost in making this pen went into its aesthetics (and brand prestige) rather than the actual writing experience for the user.

JINHAO X750 (with HERO 233 ink) = CHEAP and SOLID

In this post I will be discussing the value of a relatively inexpensive pen; the JINHAO X750.

(1) Personal Background on how I got this Pen: 

I got this pen very early on in my "fountain pen obsession". At the time, I was devouring blog posts, youtube videos and googling fanatically anything fountain pen related. I first got to know about JINHAO pens from SBREBrown (see specifically his X750 review here and also his website here).

I knew JINHAO pens in general to therefore be cheap and yet solidly built fountain pens, which were in a way knock-offs or imitations of their more expensive western counterparts (see SBREBrown's Fountain Pen Shoot-Out: Mont Blanc 149 vs JINHAO 159 here, inktronics' blogpost here and obviously just by looking at the JINHAO 599, picture below).

(JINHAO 599 - kind of looks like a Lamy Safari)

Yet, the appeal to me was that JINHAO pens were still proudly Chinese and even more proudly "made in China". I love that about JINHAO pens; their unabashedly Chinese origin and pride. As if defiantly saying: "Yes, I am cheap. Yes, I am made in China. But I still offer a certain level of class and quality that far exceeds the price you paid. I am, therefore, undeniably worth every cent!".

The circumstances of my buying it was more of a "chanced-encounter" rather than a hunting expedition as it is with most of the pens in my collection. On that fateful day, I happened to be in Changi Airport Terminal 3 and I just so happened to have a little bit of spare time and I just happened to walk into a Du Yi Bookshop (www.duyi.com.sg), which as it also happens, is (as far as I know) the only Bookshop in Singapore that carries JINHAO fountain pens.

I still remember the sense of excitement I felt when I saw it for the first time. After having read so much about it online, it literally felt like I had just bumped into some "mid-level" Asian movie star or Canto-pop singer. I was, in a sense, star struck and I just had to buy it.

(2) Review Proper:

(2.1) Price: I paid S$13.90 for the X750 (glossy black with silver trim finishes - see picture above).  Du Yi Bookshop currently only sells the glossy black version that I got, they do however carry the JINHAO 601 in the gold (S$19.90), glossy blue (S$13.90) and the black / grey marble (S$13.90) finishes as well. All of which comes with a free converter. Also, not every Du Yi Bookshop branch carries the same stock, I do however recommend visiting the Du Yi Bookshop in Chinatown Point. From personal experience, that branch seems to carry the most Fountain Pen related stuff (e.g. HERO Inks and JINHAO Cartridges) and is right next to Daiso too (where you can even pick up a S$2.00 fountain pen!).

You can definitely get the X750 cheaper online and in a lot more colour variations, such as Silver/Aluminium, Lava Red, White and Matte Black (the white version seems particularly sexy, see picture below. See also my search results for the X750 on eBay here). They typically cost about S$4.00 - S$5.00 including free international shipping (from Hong Kong).

(picture from eBay - note the free converter too)

I paid S$2.30 for the 60ml bottle of HERO 233 Ink (Blue), which is probably the cheapest ink you can find in Singapore! (see picture below)

(photo credit: penpaperinkletter.com, see his very detailed review of the HERO inks here)

(2.2) Problems I encountered using this pen: 

NEVER STORE THE PEN WITH THE NIB POINTING DOWNWARDS:

After getting the pen, I inked it up straight away (with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black) and brought the pen to work where I had accidentally left it nib down in my pen holder. My X750 then started to leak, and progressively started to fill the cap up with several drops of ink. The next time I uncapped the X750, the ink shot out from the cap and splattered all over my desk (and my work shirt!).

LESSON LEARNT.

I started looking around online again and realised some people were having the same problem too (see Michael Heenan's comment on the Goulet Pens Blog here). My own opinion on the matter is that the JINHAO X750 has a very BIG nib and to keep up with the nib, the feed has to be very wet. Upon closer inspection of the X750 feed, I realised that the Feed Channel on the X750 was very wide and therefore allows for very aggressive capillary action (see picture below), in effect, drawing a lot of ink down from the converter and into the nib/feed. Therefore, when stored nib-pointing downwards, and with the help of gravity, it would not be surprising if the pen "dumped its converter contents into the cap" (in Michael's words).

The cap of the JINHAO X750 snaps on to the barrel with a satisfying "CLACK" when it is closed too, this gives the cap a tight seal over the nib/feed and helps to prevent it from drying out easily. However, as I've read, this tight seal can exacerbate the ink leakage because it creates a vacuum in the cap itself, and when the cap is removed (forcibly, which is normal given how tight the cap fits onto the barrel) it actually causes the ink to get sucked out from the feed and to explode everywhere.

POOR QUALITY CONTROL:

I personally did not have an issue with this and I found my pen to be well made and a joy to write with (as I had done with my Muji and Franklin Covey pens), I took out the feed and gave it a good wash and scrubbing (with an old toothbrush) to make sure that there was no dust or grease-residue on the feed or in the feed channel before I started using the X750.

But some people (see this FPN Thread) have experienced some serious quality control issues which have rendered the pen unusable (broken barrel or nib/feed sections) and/or has allowed for a terrible writing experience (misaligned tines etc).

See also PenInkcillin's review of the JINHAO X750 here, where the author experienced a dry nib which caused the pen to skip a lot.

Again, I have to reiterate that I did not encounter such problems at all. To be frank, I didn't mind paying more to purchase the pen from Du Yi Bookshop, rather than ordering it online. At least this way, I actually got to "feel" the pen before putting down any money for it. I spent some time studying the pen (writing without ink, disassembling it and re-assembling it again, and trying to look at the tines with my naked eye), and got what I believed to be the best made X750 from the lot on display that day (however, when you buy online, it all depends on your "luck of the draw").

(3) IMPRESSIONS / WRITING EXPERIENCE:

(3.1) The Aesthetics:

I generally love the feel of the pen in my hand when I write. As I've mentioned before, I've got slightly larger hands and I really like pens with a bit of "weight" and heft to it (though for some people that might be an issue). I also found the shape and finishes of the pen to be "classic" and attractive, and honestly, you can't go wrong when your pen actually tries to look like a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck (see picture below).

(Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Classique Platinum)

(JINHAO X750)

I do however take issue with the "weird-ugly-looking-tribal-tattoo-esque" engraving on the end of the cap (see picture below).

(would have been better without it)

Another thing I found quite "weird" was the "18Kgp" engraving on the nib of the JINHAO X750 (see picture below). The nib is definitely not "18 karat gold-plated", so why state so? Clearly this must be a unique brand of Chinese-humour (that only Chinese people, me included, would get) or a very poor attempt at passing-off and a poorer attempt at misrepresentation.  To give them (JINHAO) the benefit of doubt, its probably the former reason, right?

(honestly, the other engravings on the nib do look quite cool!)

(3.2) The Writing Experience:

I found the pen wrote smoothly, without any skipping whatsoever, and with the HERO 233 ink which I've got in my X750 at the moment, the overall writing experience can be summed up simply as: VERY WET. I would therefore recommend loading it with a drier ink as the HERO 233 ink tends to be very diluted (which would also explain why it is so cheap). The HERO ink also has a very strong "inky" smell (imagine the smell of black Chinese water colour paint).

In the close-up writing sample (see picture below), you can see that the ink tends to "feather" or bleed into the paper ever-so slightly (also depending on what kind of paper you use - i.e. how fibrous the paper is) and therefore giving a very broad line even for a Medium nib.

But in comparison to another Pen/Ink combination (in the picture below I used a M-nib Platinum Preppy, inked-up with Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue) you can see that the JINHAO clearly lays down a wetter line (and broader due to the feathering).

("Feathering" - is when the ink seeps and bleeds into the paper, and 
allows for a broader line than what was initially laid down in the writing 
process. See this FPN thread for more information)

(4) CONCLUSION:

I genuinely like the JINHAO X750 a lot, I think it looks great, writes well and performs up to par for the price I paid (even if it was 3 times what I could have probably got for it on eBay). However, because of the problem that I had with the leaking of the nib (when not stored upright), I honestly do not dare take the pen out of the office, much less use it as my "EDC" pen; for fear that it would explode with ink again when I next uncap it. 

So if you're looking for a "workhorse pen" that you can throw into your bag or stick into your pocket, I wouldn't recommend the JINHAO X750, as it is clearly meant for more sedentary "storage-and-use"; either when at home or in the office.

The JINHAO X750 did, however, give me the confidence to then go onto eBay and order the JINHAO 159 (which is still in the process of being shipped to me).

All-in-all, I would say, for the price you pay, you could easily go online (or to Du Yi Bookshop) and get yourself one just for the thrill of trying it out. If you like it (as I did), GREAT! If you don't, you can toss it in the bin without too much heartbreak or damage to your wallet.