Jinhao Centennial - by popular demand
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- čas přidán 23. 01. 2023
- Fountain pen lovers asking me to feature Jinhao pens, despite their very strident public posturing to the contrary, is simply innumerable. They seem to be ever eager for more from Jinhao and what I find very strange is that most are not willing to check out other Chinese manufacturers - Moonman, Wing Sung, and the like - even though I always try to herd them toward the other offerings from across the great wall, if just to fathom the level of their obsession and the reasons underlying them.
This particular pen, the Jinhao Centennial seems to be a perpetual favorite with the pen loving masses and I have been inundated with requests to feature it, so here goes. Unfortunately, the dealer here in Kolkata had only one piece left and though I do not like the colour - I find the combination garish, lurid even - I am constrained to acquire it to honour your wishes.
What can I say about the pen, Chinese pens in general, that is not universally known? For the price at which they are offered - and mind you, the dealers that you buy your pens from in India, are making a nice packet by selling each pen, the cheap pricing notwithstanding - is extremely competitive, apart from being of reasonably good quality which makes them perennial favourites. I don’t know if I should be saying this, but part of the mystique about Chinese pens in general and Jinhaos in particular, many experts point out, is due to the push by the dealers, who fuelled purely by pecuniary purposes wax eloquent about them, often influencing the buy decision, or even creating a demand for them.
There are the Jinhao freaks who swear by them and there are the ones who are genuine users, very happy with these fountain pens, which speaks volumes about them, the pens, that is. As a matter of fact, it will not be out of place to mention here that there are lessons for Indian manufacturers here and I sincerely hope that they are listening.
Someday, I propose to do a detailed study about the management practices of the Chinese - explaining the broad trends that are becoming so obvious even to my uninitiated eyes. Do let me know in the comments below if you would like me to do such a story here.
"If I'm caught dead with it, I'll feel bad." ha ha, excellent! I enjoyed your review.
Jinhao is way ahead of Indian manufacturers and being biased against them doesn't effect their reputation, you should encourage our own manufacturers to come up with the likes of the Chinese manufacturers in terms of quality, pricing and availability.
you are right :) point taken.
the look of the pen is too good
I have two Jinhao Centennial 100 pens. One of them will dry out between uses; but can be primed; and the other writes every single time. They're attractive pens at a reasonable price, that write really well.
Jinhao makes clones of well known models. But their built quality is excellent.
Indian pen makers should learn from them.
Mohi is a Great Ebonite and Arcylic Fountain Pen Company ,I Would Definitely Recommend It Sir...👍
right you are. i have been asking them for the details so that i can buy some of their creations for review here - but abhayji is just not responding. cant find my old mohi pens either :(
dada, pata nahin, but aap ka ye video dekhkar kuch maza nahin aaya. but you make a very important point here that the community should discuss about - are the dealers pushing chinese pens for their own interest? i kind of feel the same, as the profits are substantial per unit sold and the carrying cost too is pretty low for the sellers on the street. i also dont agree with you about the look of this pen - i seem to like it. but come what may, you are certainly the boss of youtubers covering pen, paper and ink. much better than most firang guys with millions of followers. bajate raho, dada!
thank you dada.
I liked the looks of the pen but I prefer kanwrite pen over jinhao.
Good video sir
thank you dada.
Kanwrite Desire is an overpriced and over-rated pen. Their nibs are good though.
@@silverghost5752 An absolute masterpiece of a pen (design) that writes poorly has little value compared to a cheap looking pen that writes brilliantly. That’s just my humble opinion though. I have used some Jinhao pens (3 actually). The one that looked like Lamy Safari wrote horribly… scratchy as hell. The x750 I had was very smooth and a pretty good pen. But occasionally it had inconsistent flow. The other one I don’t really remember it’s name. Wrote very well most of the time but would drop a gob of ink on paper every once in a while. So, although they look good, but I tend to stay away from them because of my mixed experiences with Jinhaos.
My experience with Kanwrite pens is very limited since I have got only one (Desire, extra fine nib) and that too for less than a month. It writes brilliantly though. Having said that, I do have a soft spot for my WingSung pen that I used for years (almost my entire childhood). Wrote superbly. Got me through all my exams till 10th. Never really cared for it’s looks though.
@@gamerboy4566 I replaced the Kanwrite nib with a Jinhao Fine, and now I confess I like my KD a lot better. Also I have become a wee bit addicted to my Jinhao X750, even if posting makes it top heavy. Have you picked up a Jinhao 80? Worth every rupee! Only replace the original nib with a Lamy, and the men begins to write like a European one.
That said, I do agree that those Lamy knockoffs aren't particularly good- the cheap, plasticky feel can be off putting. By the way, do you care for handmade Indian ebonites? Many good ones out there.
@@silverghost5752 Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I will keep the Jinhao 80 in mind. I was actually thinking of getting a Jinhao x159 at some point. I still use my x750 from time to time in rotation with other pens.
This year, after having watched a few You Tube videos on Indian fountain pens, I have become quite interested in them. And after experiencing the KD (and also the Sulekha Tapti, which is basically the same as V'Sign Antiq), I have made a list of Indian pens to try out this year. This includes pens from Mohi, Ranga, ASA, Kanwrite (Heritage), and Click, along with several nib choices from Kanwrite. I think you referred to the pens from ASA, Ranga, Ratnam, etc when you mentioned the handmade Indian ebonites. I am definitely interested in trying them out.
Quite excited actually. Expecting fun times ahead :-)
I agree that it is a garish pen. It reminds me of Trump’s casino or other buildings - trying to look fancy but poor workmanship. I do like the Jinhao 911 as a very simple very inexpensive pen that writes on even cheap photocopy paper. Have a good week.
I bought my Jinhao Centennial at 1300/- only! Just tell me if there is any rival to it at the said price! Click falcon Acrylic is there but still its price is higher. I found my jinhao is built like a tank, wonderful acrylic finish & super smooth to write with. Eventually today the pen was with me at my school. It's a fairly good review sir.
it is our failure that we have not been able to make pens of such quality available at comparable or cheaper prices. the fault is ours, not that of Jinhao.
@@inkedhappiness yes sir, I understand why our products are not that cheap. Its mainly because of less quantity of production & lack of automation. But I see this change in the near future. The market is on the rise, there is a demand, so there will be more investments too. As I maintained that click falcon is there at a little higher price. It's a hell smooth pen. I hope that our Swadeshi pen makers will be able to fill the gap soon.
I too wonder why companies with such a capability like to remain branded as ‘ Copycat makers ‘.
But I guess they make some originals too.. So, this combination of their in-house designed models and copycat models may be making a perfect business sense !
Per my knowledge, its closest equivalent India made pen is Click Renaissance which unfortunately is more expensive..
Oxford Morris alias Ambassador was pushed as an Indian car for decades on end by HM without even a whiff of originality or tinkering. This clunky, shapeless car dominated the Indian automobile market for decades, thanks to India's pseudo-socialist policies. Same with with Indian FP companies following Parker or Sheaffer models using bad plastic and horrible, horrible nibs. Give the Chinese companies like Hero and WING sung credit for coming up with cheap and decent knockoffs of well known highly priced pens. A Hero or Wing Sung was the object of envy in most Indian classrooms, especially of those using Camilin and other leaky, scratchy pens. Learn from the Chinese who have moved to the 21 st century.
you have raised a very valid point about originality ... what ever may be the issues plaguing the system, we cannot forever hide our own inefficiencies, least of all the fact that we are mostly unwilling to seize the initiative, to do the best that we can and are content only with earning enough.
@@inkedhappiness Surely, it's a crime to chain the innovative genius of a people for long. You are well aware that Gooptu produced fps that were nearly equal to the technology of his times, that too in Colonial India. Today, thankfully, those pens are collector's items. Where is that spirit that produced such people? Is there any Indian Fp in today's market that compete with Jinhao, MaJohn or Hongdian, in terms of pricing, performance and marketing? I am open to persuasion on this matter. I say these with a heavy heart rather than in a spirit of derision.