Jinhao 100

Overview

The Jinhao 100 Centennial is one of Garry's most-owned budget pens -- he has multiple copies across at least four colourways (White, Deep Sea Blue, Meteorite, and a Skeleton/demonstrator version), and has called it "one of my favorites from Jinhao" outright. It's a Duofold-style Chinese pen with a standard #6-size steel nib, a cartridge/converter filling system, and a reputation as a dependable, constantly-inked workhorse. Pricing has crept up over the years he's owned it, with rising Chinese pen prices generally noted as an ongoing trend across his collection.

Design & Appearance

Shape: Classic Duofold-style silhouette, very similar in profile to several other Chinese pens he owns (Kaigelu 316/316a, Moonman M600s) -- he considers them all "inspired by" the same Parker Duofold lineage rather than direct copies of each other.
Colourways owned: White (his favourite of his original three -- the finials match the body colour, which he prefers over the black finials on his other two), Deep Sea Blue, Meteorite (his least favourite of the original three -- "doesn't look natural to me"), and a Skeleton/demonstrator version used for nib-swap experiments.
Cap: Gold-coloured ring and springy clip, with the Jinhao logo on the cap top (present on most colourways, though he notes its absence is "unusual" on at least one of his blue ones). Cap removal is a fairly long 2.5-3 turns across every colourway tested.
Body: Same width nearly all the way down with a sharp taper near the end, finishing in a flat (or very slightly domed) bottom finial.
A recurring quirk on the white colourway specifically: ink staining at the section and nib collar, even after disassembly and ultrasonic cleaning -- something he hasn't seen on his black-sectioned colourways.
A running joke: the nib is stamped "18kgp," which he's quick to point out does not mean 18-karat gold -- it's a plated/decorative marking on an otherwise steel nib.
Pen looks scores across reviews: 8/10, 8/10, 8/10, 8/10 -> consistent 8/10 (slightly lower than his premium pens, generally because the plastic can "look what it is" -- cheap -- especially in solid colours, though the patterned colourways fare much better)

The Nib

Material: Steel, despite the "18kgp" marking.
Size: A standard #6-size nib, the same size used across most of his mid-range pens.
Grade (stock): Medium.
Decoration: Two-tone -- gold-coloured body with a silver decorative border -- which he consistently likes, calling it an attractive, "quite a nice attractive looking nib."
Feel (stock nib): Slightly stiff but with a small amount of give; not scratchy despite occasional audible feedback.
Easily swappable: A #6 nib is a standard, widely available size, and Garry has experimented with swapping in a Kiwi cursive italic nib (about $16.50 each) on at least two of his Jinhao 100s. He finds the swapped italic nib drier and a touch scratchier than the stock medium, but loves the natural line variation it produces, and has used the customised version in several showdown videos since.
Writing experience scores across reviews: 9/10 (Focus, stock nib), 9/10 (vs Asvine, swapped italic nib), 8/10 (vs Moonman M600s, stock nib), 8/10 (vs Fremantle pen, stock nib) -> averaging around 8.5/10

Filling Mechanism

Cartridge/converter, with a standard Jinhao converter included. Metal fittings mean it isn't suitable for eyedropper conversion. The converter includes an O-ring at the base, which Garry likes for giving a "soft landing" feel when reinserting it.

Measurements

Measurement	Value
Total length (capped)	13.4-13.8 cm
Length unposted	12.3-12.6 cm
Length posted	17.3-17.4 cm
Body width	1.29-1.33 cm
Cap width	1.5-1.52 cm
Section width	1.0-1.11 cm (tapered)
Full pen weight	27-30.9 g
Body weight alone	16-18.5 g
Cap weight	11-12.3 g

Writing Experience

Posts, but not well -- it only posts down to a metal band near the section and comes loose easily with a couple of taps. Garry generally chooses not to post it, finding it back-heavy and "too long" when he does.
Comfortable for long sessions -- the section has a gentle taper that sits nicely where he holds his pens, low down near the bottom.
The stock medium nib is a strong, reliable wet writer; the swapped italic nib trades some of that wetness for line variation and character.
One genuine quality hiccup reported: a hard-start issue that appeared partway through filming one showdown (after a long trouble-free run), which he docked the Ink Flow score for rather than ignore.
Comfort scores across reviews: 9/10 (Focus), 8/10 (vs Asvine) -> averaging around 8.5/10 where explicitly scored

Inks Used (as referenced across reviews)

Ink	Context / Notes
Diamine Poppy Red	Used in the Fountain Pen Focus review; caused the white pen's section-staining issue noted above
Colorverse Sea of Tranquility	Used in the First Impressions video; an 18-month-old sample that caused odd "threading" while writing -- Garry concluded the aged sample ink, not the pen, was the likely culprit
Diamine Pick Me Up	Used in the vs Asvine V169 showdown (with the swapped italic nib) and again in the "5 Jinhao Pens" roundup; a dark brown ink with green sheen
Diamine Sapphire Blue	Used in the vs Moonman M600s showdown; a purple-tinged blue with nice shading
Robert Oster Cosmic Swirl	Used in the vs Fremantle Handmade Pen showdown; a purple ink
Kobe No. 60 Foreign Museum Mint	Used in the vs Kaigelu 316a showdown; a green sample ink, used identically in both pens to isolate pen performance
J. Herbin Terre De Feu	Used in the nib-swap video; an orangey-brown ink with nice shading

Comparisons and Rankings

vs Asvine V169 (Skeleton, swapped medium cursive italic nib vs stock medium, Diamine Pick Me Up vs Diamine Upon a Star)

Both "skeleton"-style pens. The Asvine's metal skeleton frame looks more premium than the Jinhao's plastic one, but the Jinhao's customised italic nib wins on writing experience and ink flow, and is judged the better value at less than half the Asvine's price.
Jinhao 100 = 8.33/10, Asvine V169 = 8/10

vs Moonman M600s (Deep Sea Blue vs Blue, both stock nibs, Diamine Sapphire Blue vs Robert Oster Great Southern Ocean)

Near-identical pens in size and shape -- Garry says they're "virtually identical" by measurement. The Moonman's resin colour is judged more striking ("chatoyant"), but the Jinhao wins clearly on value for money given the ~$10 AUD price gap.
Jinhao 100 = 8.5/10, Moonman M600s = 8.25/10

vs Fremantle Handmade Pen (Meteorite vs a locally-made Australian mineral-resin pen, Robert Oster Cosmic Swirl vs Colorverse Gray)

An intentionally lopsided comparison included to highlight what a handmade, unique-pattern pen offers over a mass-produced one. The Fremantle pen wins on looks and overall score, but Garry notes the Jinhao still "writes nicely" and offers excellent value for its much lower price.
Jinhao 100 = 8/10, Fremantle Handmade Pen = 8.25/10

vs Kaigelu 316a (White vs White/Green, both stock medium nibs, same ink: Kobe No. 60 Foreign Museum Mint)

A close, near-identical-spec showdown. The Kaigelu's converter repeatedly came loose during testing -- a build quality mark against it -- and showed inconsistent ink flow on Tomoe River paper, while the Jinhao performed consistently. No final numeric scores were given in this video, but Garry is candid that he isn't planning to buy more Kaigelu 316a pens, while he continues to add Jinhao 100s to his collection.

Among "5 Jinhao Fountain Pens Worth Owning" (Jinhao X159, X850, 9019, and the 100, all with swapped or stock nibs)

Asked which single pen he'd keep if forced to choose just one from the five, Garry says he's torn between the Jinhao 100 and the X159, ultimately leaning toward the Jinhao 100 specifically because of its versatility and the sheer range of colours and patterns available (the transcript garbles his exact final word here -- see Fuzzy Match table below).

Overall Scores Summary

Review	Score
Fountain Pen Focus	8.67/10
vs Asvine V169	8.33/10
vs Moonman M600s	8.5/10
vs Fremantle Handmade Pen	8/10
Average	~8.38/10

(The vs Kaigelu 316a showdown gave no final numeric score in the transcript.)

By category (averaged across reviews where explicitly scored)

Category	Average
Pen Looks	8/10
Build Quality	8/10
Writing Experience	~8.5/10
Ink Flow	~8.25/10
Comfort	~8.5/10
Value for Money	~9/10

Build Quality

Generally very solid across multiple copies owned for a year or more, with no cracking or structural issues reported. The one real blemish: a hard-start/ink-flow hiccup that appeared mid-filming on one occasion after a long trouble-free run, and the recurring section-staining quirk on the white colourway specifically. Build quality scores: 8/10 where explicitly given.

Value for Money

Consistently his highest-scoring category for this pen -- 9/10 and 10/10 in different reviews -- reflecting genuine enthusiasm for what the Jinhao 100 offers at its price point. Even as prices have risen over time, Garry maintains it remains good value, repeatedly calling it a reliable "Workhorse" pen.

Key Recurring Themes

Huge colour and pattern variety -- his single most-repeated reason for liking this model, and the deciding factor when forced to pick a favourite Jinhao.
Easily nib-swappable -- a standard #6 nib that he's experimented with replacing for a customised writing experience.
"18kgp" is not real gold -- a running joke across multiple videos about the nib's plating marking.
White colourway stains -- a specific, repeatable quirk not seen on his other colourways.
Posts poorly -- generally used unposted; posting makes it back-heavy and the cap doesn't hold securely.
A genuine workhorse -- always has at least one Jinhao 100 inked and in rotation.
Rising prices over time -- a pattern he's noted across Chinese pens generally, not unique to this model.

Source Files

#summary