Fountain Pens
Jinhao X159 review
An oversized pen with a flagship-sized nib at a price that should not be possible. The catch is consistency, and it is a real one.
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The X159 exists because a No. 8 nib — the size normally found on flagship pens — turns out to be inexpensive to manufacture once you stop insisting on gold. Put one on an oversized acrylic barrel with gold-colored trim and you get a pen that looks like it costs ten times what it does.
The genuinely useful part: standard cartridges
The X159 takes international standard cartridges and comes with a converter in the box. That combination is quietly the most valuable thing about it, because it means the ink market is completely open to you from day one — no proprietary lock-in, no separate converter purchase, and the same cartridges that fit Kaweco, Faber-Castell, Diamine and J. Herbin.
By comparison, a Pilot Metropolitan or a LAMY Safari at several times the price ties you to that brand's own cartridge and asks you to buy a converter separately.
The specification conflict, published as we found it
The listing describes this pen as having a fine point while its own attribute field states a 0.9 mm line width. Those figures cannot both be right — 0.9 mm is broader than most makers' Broad. We are not going to guess which is correct, so the specification table on this page records the nib width as not published and says why.
This is not a criticism unique to Jinhao. It is what happens across the low-cost end of this market, and it is the reason the nib size guide exists in the form it does.
Quick picks
Ranked for the beginner buying their first setup. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Jinhao X159 An oversized acrylic pen with a No. 8 nib and a converter in the box, for less than the cost of a bottle of ink. | A large, heavy pen for very little money | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image Monteverde international standard cartridges The universal cartridge size, twelve to a pack, in the colors the original makers do not offer. | Any pen that takes the standard cartridge | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. A large, heavy pen for very little money
Jinhao X159
An oversized acrylic pen with a No. 8 nib and a converter in the box, for less than the cost of a bottle of ink.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
The X159 exists because a No. 8 nib — the size normally found on flagship pens — turns out to be cheap to make once you stop insisting on gold. The result is a pen that looks and feels far more expensive than it is.
It takes international standard cartridges, which is quietly the most useful thing about it: the same cartridges fit Kaweco, Monteverde, Diamine, J. Herbin and most of the European market. No proprietary lock-in.
Quality control is the trade. Jinhao nibs vary between units in a way Pilot and LAMY nibs do not, and the usual advice is to be prepared to smooth or swap one.
| Nib | No. 8 size steel nib, fine point, gold trimSource: Jinhao X159, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Nib width in mm | Not publishedThe listing describes the nib as Fine while its own attribute field states 0.9 mm — figures that cannot both be right, so we publish neither as a specification. |
| Filling | International standard cartridge, or the converter supplied in the boxSource: Jinhao X159, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Body | Acrylic, oversized barrelSource: Jinhao X159, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Takes universal international standard cartridges
- Converter included, so bottled ink works out of the box
- Genuinely large pen for the money
What it does not
- Unit-to-unit nib consistency is the known weakness
- The listing's own nib figures contradict each other
- Too heavy and too long for small hands
Skip this if you want a pen that is right the first time without any tinkering, or if you write with a light, small hand.
2. Any pen that takes the standard cartridge
Monteverde international standard cartridges
The universal cartridge size, twelve to a pack, in the colors the original makers do not offer.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
The international standard cartridge is the closest thing this hobby has to a universal part. Kaweco, Jinhao, Faber-Castell, Diamine, J. Herbin and most European pens take it; Pilot, LAMY and Platinum do not.
Once your pen takes the standard size, the cartridge market opens up and you are no longer buying color from whoever made the pen.
Check the length: the standard comes in short and long, and a short-barrelled pocket pen only takes the short one.
| Format | 12 international standard cartridges per packSource: Monteverde international standard, black (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Fits | Pens that take international standard cartridgesSource: Monteverde international standard, black (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Colors | Black, blue, blue-black, burgundy, brown and others in the same sizeSource: Monteverde international standard, blue/black (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Published drying time | Not published |
What it does well
- Works across most non-proprietary pens
- Wide color range at a low price
- Twelve to a pack
What it does not
- Does not fit Pilot, LAMY or Platinum pens
- Short and long versions are easy to confuse
- No published performance figures
Skip this if your pen is a Pilot, a LAMY or a Platinum — none of them accept the standard cartridge.
Consistency is the real trade
The documented weakness of Jinhao pens is unit-to-unit variation. Pilot and LAMY nibs are tuned to a tolerance; Jinhao nibs are not, to the same degree. Some arrive writing beautifully and some arrive needing work.
That is a reasonable trade at this price if you are willing to accept it, and a poor one if you want the pen to be right the first time. If a pen that simply works matters more to you than a pen that is remarkable for the money, buy Japanese.
Size
It is a big pen. Long, wide and heavier than a plastic pen of the same size, which is comfortable in a large hand and cramped in a small one. If you want the same value in a slimmer body, the Jinhao 82 is the same idea at the opposite proportions.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Jinhao X159 any good?
For the price, yes — a No. 8 nib, an acrylic body and a converter included. The documented weakness is unit-to-unit consistency: Jinhao does not tune nibs to the tolerance Pilot and LAMY do.
What cartridges fit the Jinhao X159?
International standard cartridges, which is one of its real advantages. The same cartridges fit Kaweco, Faber-Castell, J. Herbin and most European pens — unlike Pilot, LAMY and Platinum, which each use their own.
What is the Jinhao X159 nib size?
The listing describes it as a fine point but its own attribute field states 0.9 mm, and those cannot both be right. We record the width as not published rather than repeat a figure we cannot reconcile.
Is the Jinhao X159 too big?
It is an oversized pen, so it suits large hands and is uncomfortable for small ones. The Jinhao 82 is the same value proposition in a slim body.