JINHAO 51A Wooden Fountain Pen Steel Cap (Rosewood, Extra Fine Nib 0.38mm)

A light and sleek pen. Writes smoothly and comfortably. Great value.

I like the 51A a lot. I have a few colored demonstrator models that get a fair amount of pocket time. This feels like an upgrade.The ebony is pleasant to look at and warm to the touch. It appears to be real ebony but I don’t know what a scrap of ebony big enough to make a pen body costs or if it’s reasonable to think so. For my purposes it’s real, real enough.I like the fine nib and the hood keeps fingers clean. I think an extra fine wouldn’t work for me. This one writes very well with no hard starts, or skips. I’ve used both Diamine Oxblood and Noodler’s Bad Black Moccasin in It without issue. Internally it’s the same reliable, budget friendly Jinhao 51A.What would be nice is if the cap was a seamless fit rather than slipped over like in the photo. The pen is long enough to write without posting, which I do not do with this pen because I don’t want to mar wood. I wear a size 10 glove, so average I guess?For the price that’s a very minor complaint but if it that sort of detail matters to you, this isn’t your pen.I don’t worry too much about losing it or having the kids take it.For me it’s about equivalent to my Pilot Metropolitan. Though I like the Jinhao converter much more than the Pilot squeeze converter. The fit and finish isn’t quite there but it’s a quarter the cost.

Jin Hao are known for their quality affordable pens. I knew this going in, but I was still surprised by the weight and how smooth it wrote. Using Diamine Blue Black, it writes like a charm and the hooded nib gives it a unique touch.Everything was great until I started carrying it around every day. I use a pen case and with my Twsbi Eco and my Lamy Safari, I have never had any leaking problems. This pen also did not leak out, but it leaked within the cap. With a black grip I did not see the ink on the pen until I found ink all over my hands. Chalking it up to a bad bump I cleaned the pen and carried on. Fast forward to the next day and the problem got even worse. Now all over the cap, the end of the pen (after being posted) and again all over the grip, I had an inky mess.All of this to say that this is a great pen and it will look great on a desk where you can guarantee it will sit nib up when not in use. However, do not expect clean hands if you toss this in your bag as an EDC pen.

This is an excellent modern take off of the Parker 21. (steel tip like the Parker 21 not gold like the Parker 51)It has the nice elliptical feel and heft of 1950's the Parker 21/51. It has a nice cap that stays on and posts well. The fine point is not super fine. Definitely broader than the Japanese (e.g. Pentel) fine point and not as fine as the Lamy EF nibs. It is about like the Lamy F nib or the old Parker 21 fine nib. Ink flow is good. Fill is messy with the supplied filler. Writing is smooth, not wow but good. All and all definitely 5 stars for a $10 pen.Appearance: stellar, writing: good, filling: fair, value: awesome.

The Jinhao 51A is an obvious copy of the famous Parker 51, and it is an excellent one. It arrived in a plain clear plastic sleeve only. If gifting, you’ll want to acquire a box for presentation. There are no instructions and no included ink. A Lamy-style converter is included.The peach wood barrel has a lovely matte finish, sanded smooth and feels great in your hand. It fits into the plastic section perfectly, and the threads on both the section and the barrel are metal, and screw together smooth and tight. The clip is stiff but has a rounded head and slips nicely into shirt pockets. The cap has a brushed finish. I do miss the Parker-style arrow clip, however.I simply dipped the nib into Noodler’s Q-E’ternity ink for a fill and set nib to paper. Straightaway the Jinhao 51A wrote a tad less than smooth, with an occasional hard start on the upstroke. There is some feedback that is not distracting. I did a little smoothing on micro mesh which helped quite a bit. The nib claims to be an EF, but it’s an F. The Jinhao 51A weighs in at 21 grams capped, 12 grams uncapped. It is well balanced with and without posting.With excellent fit and finish, a decently smooth nib, and gorgeous looks, this pen is an outstanding value. I have ordered another one in ebony. Something tells me I’ll end up with all the wooden 51A pens. And then there’s those swirly acrylic ones ...

I took a chance on this pen after having such a good experience with my first Jinhao - you just can not beat the quality given this price point! It is a light pen; it feels good in the hand; the ink flows smoothly; it looks great! My only knock against it is the need to store it vertically. I am finding that I often need to wipe ink off the body of the pen (where the cap goes over the nib) after laying it down. The first time, I thought I may have had a leaking ink cartridge but it has continued to happen after trying other ink cartridges. All I know is that the other fountain pens that I have used never did this. It is causing me to wash my hands a lot more frequently - but as I write this, I have faded ink splotches on my hands.

These little pens, so cheap with a hooded nib, are such reliable writers that it is downright impressive. They just write. I've bought several in different colors for myself, and I've started buying more for gifts. Myself and friends who have used Parkers, Waterman, etc., are just plain impressed with these Jinhao 51A hooded pens. You can leave it on the desk for days, pick it up, and write instantly. You simply can't say this of a lot of pens that cost 10 or 20 times more. I've purchased half a dozen so far, and they've all been good writers. Some people may not like the fact that they are quite light weight. These are made from light woods or plastics, etc., and do not have the "hefty" feel of a brass or lacquered metal pen, so that depends on personal preference. They post well, and put down a very consistent thin line. No flex here. So there are the pros and cons.