Jinhao 159

Overview

The Jinhao 159 is one of Garry's earliest Jinhao purchases -- by his own account it was one of the very first Jinhao pens he owned, predating even his first Jinhao 992. It's a chunky, torpedo/cigar-shaped metal-bodied pen with a standard #6-size steel nib, a cartridge/converter filling system, and a reputation as a dependable, well-loved "starter pen" he recommends "without hesitation" to anyone getting into fountain pens. His collection of 159s grew over time -- two colourways (silver and blue) in his earlier videos, with a third (red) added later.

Design & Appearance

Shape: Classic torpedo/cigar shape with domed ends on both cap and body.
Colourways owned: Silver (his first), Blue, and later a Red one -- he describes the 159 as having "the widest choice of colours" among his large Jinhao pens.
Material: Metal body (confirmed by weight and feel across multiple reviews, though in one earlier video he wasn't fully certain whether it was metal or a metal-layered plastic).
Cap: Gold-coloured trim and a stiff clip he describes as sword-shaped with a small medallion -- noticeably stiffer than the clips on the Jinhao x159 or 9019. A gold band reads "Jinhao" and "159," double the width of the equivalent band on the x159. Cap removal takes only about half a turn to one full turn -- much quicker than the x159's roughly two-and-a-half turns.
Body: Same width for roughly half its length before tapering in toward the end finial, with another gold-coloured band near the bottom.
Section: Black plastic, fairly short, with no significant lip at the bottom -- he notes his fingers can occasionally slip down onto the threads, though this doesn't bother him much since he holds his pens low.
Pen Looks scores across reviews: 8/10 (Fountain Pen Focus), 8/10 (vs x850, shared score with x159) -> consistent 8/10.

The Nib

Material: Steel, stamped "18K GP" (not actual gold).
Size: Standard #6-size nib -- noticeably smaller than the x159's #8 nib.
Grade: Medium on Garry's copies (he was glad to find a medium, since he generally prefers wider nibs).
Decoration: Two-tone gold/silver, which he consistently likes.
Feel: Has some softness/bounce by the time of later reviews -- he attributes this partly to two-plus years of use softening the nib.
Audible/tactile feedback: Distinctly loud and tactile compared to most of his other pens -- in one direct comparison against a quieter pen he says the 159 "was more like a shout."
A recurring quality issue: The nib has a history of drying out / hard-starting if the pen sits unused for even a short time (as little as a couple of seconds in one test, or about a week of disuse in another) -- noted independently in at least three separate videos (Fountain Pen Focus, the April 2022 Pens In Use wrap-up, and the 159 vs x159 showdown). He suspects hot Australian summer temperatures make it worse, and has fixed it at least once via a full strip-down and clean (soapy water, clean water, sonic cleaner). His workaround is a quick shake and a few seconds of scribbling to get it flowing again.
Easily swappable: As a standard #6 nib, he has experimented with swapping in a Conklin broad nib on his blue 159 -- a fix that arose from solving flow problems on a separate, unrelated Conklin All American pen by cross-swapping nib/feed units between the two pens, which fixed both. He loves writing with the Conklin nib in the 159, describing it as "so wet."

Filling Mechanism

Cartridge/converter, with a standard Jinhao plunger-type converter included (the same converter type as the x159 -- though the two pens' bodies are not interchangeable, the converter doesn't fit between them). Metal fittings mean it isn't a candidate for eyedropper conversion.

Measurements

Measurement	Value
Total length (capped)	14.8 cm
Length unposted	12.5 cm
Length posted	16.4 cm
Body width	1.57 cm
Cap width	1.69 cm
Section width	1.21-1.36 cm (tapered)
Full pen weight	49 g
Body weight alone	30-31 g
Cap weight	19 g

Writing Experience

Posts, but not securely -- the cap comes loose very easily with the slightest tap, so Garry mostly uses it unposted (where he finds plenty of length).
A wet, generous medium line with strong, audible feedback that he genuinely enjoys -- "so wet," "writes lovely," lets him get ideas onto paper easily.
Some railroading observed in at least one review, which he notes "seems to be common with virtually all these Jinhao pens" rather than unique to the 159.
The recurring hard-start/drying-out issue (see Nib section above) is his single most consistent criticism, but he repeatedly says it's a price he's willing to pay given how nice the pen is once it's flowing.
In one month-long "Pens In Use" rotation he refilled this 159 three times -- more than almost any other pen that month -- despite ranking it only 4th of 6 Jinhao pens used that month, specifically because of the hard-start issue knocking it down.
Comfortable in the hand -- he repeatedly calls it a "beast" or "fat pen" that fits his hand well, with his only nitpick being that he'd like it about half a centimetre longer.

Inks Used (as referenced across reviews and photo logs)

Ink	Context / Notes
Robert Oster Aussie Brown	Fountain Pen Focus review (silver pen); lovely shading, an underused brown in his rotation
Colorverse Sea of Tranquility	Unboxing/First Impressions with the Jinhao 997 (silver pen); very wet, nice shading
Robert Oster Vine Leaf	"Five cheap Jinhao" roundup and "Starter Fountain Pens from Mainland China" (silver pen); nice green, lots of audible feedback
Dominant Industry Lungo	159 vs x159 showdown (dark brown with a hint of green sheen) and a separate photo-log entry
Diamine Oxblood	April 2022 Pens In Use rotation (silver pen) and a separate photo-log entry
Troublemaker Seaglass	April 2022 wrap-up -- used as a control test to confirm a flow problem was the ink's fault, not the pen's
Diamine Sargasso Sea	Used in the blue 159 after the Conklin nib swap (also a photo-log entry)
Lamy Crystal Amazonite	Photo-log entry
PenBBS Christmas Green 369	Photo-log entry
PenBBS Christmas Red 370	Photo-log entry
Noodler's Navajo Turquoise	"Comparison of 3 Large Jinhao Pens" -- same ink used across all three pens compared, to isolate pen performance; a very wet combo in the 159

Comparisons and Rankings

vs Jinhao x159 (dedicated showdown, both with Dominant Industry Lungo)

The defining comparison for this pen. Key differences: the 159 is metal and noticeably heavier (49 g vs the x159's 29 g); it has a #6 nib (Garry's copy is medium) vs the x159's #8 nib (fine only, at the time); the 159's cap comes off in about half a turn vs roughly two-and-a-half turns for the x159; and the two pens' converters/bodies aren't interchangeable. Garry is explicit that he prefers the 159's extra weight, while many other reviewers he's seen prefer the x159 for being lighter. If pushed to buy just one more, he says he'd buy another 159 -- though he'd also still buy more x159s if a medium or broad nib became available. No numeric scores were given in this video.

vs Jinhao x159 and Jinhao 9019 ("Comparison of 3 Large Jinhao Pens," all three with the same ink: Noodler's Navajo Turquoise)

Confirms the 159 has the stiffest clip of the three and a sword-shaped clip design (vs the x159's rectangular, sharp-angled clip). The 159 has the narrowest section of the three. With identical ink in all three pens, the 159 produced the wettest result and the strongest audible/tactile feedback. Of the three, Garry says the 9019 is his overall favourite, but he specifically likes the 159's weight and finds the x159 "a little bit too light... and too thin." No numeric scores were given in this video.

Among "5 Jinhao Fountain Pens Worth Owning" (159, x159, x850, 9019, and the Jinhao 100)

Described as "one of the first Jinhao pens I got," still going strong after about four years at the time of filming. Inked with Diamine Chilly Nights -- a loud, shimmer-heavy writer. When asked to pick just one pen to keep from the five, Garry says he's torn between the Jinhao 100 and the x159 (the 159 itself wasn't his final answer here) -- see the Fuzzy Match table below for a transcription oddity in his final answer.

Among "Five Cheap Jinhao Fountain Pens" (992, x450, 159, 51a, and x159)

Inked with Robert Oster Vine Leaf. Notably louder/more audible than every other pen in this lineup. When asked to pick a favourite of the five, Garry says he's torn between the x450 and the 159, but would reach for the 159 more often specifically because of its size and weight -- explicitly contrasting this with the x159, which he calls "less enjoyable... because it's just too light."

As a recommended starter pen ("Starter Fountain Pens from Mainland China," alongside the Jinhao 992, Wing Sung 3013, Picasso Pimio 916, and DLike New Moon 2)

Asked directly which pen he'd recommend to someone starting out in fountain pens, Garry says "without hesitation" it would be the Jinhao 159, citing its size, width, and nib quality, while suggesting a Jinhao 992 as a worthwhile add-on too.

Overall Scores Summary

Review	Score
Fountain Pen Focus (Robert Oster Aussie Brown)	8.25/10
Average (where numerically scored)	8.25/10

(The 159 vs x159 showdown and the "Comparison of 3 Large Jinhao Pens" video gave qualitative thoughts only, with no final numeric stars.)

By category (Fountain Pen Focus review)

Category	Score
Pen Looks	8/10
Writing Experience	8/10
Ink Flow	8/10
Value for Money	9/10

Build Quality

Generally solid and long-lasting -- one of his oldest Jinhao pens, still in regular rotation years after purchase. The recurring blemish is the nib's tendency to dry out or hard-start after even brief periods of disuse, which he's traced (at least once) to debris needing a full clean-out, and which he suspects is worsened by hot weather. No structural or cracking issues reported on the body or cap.

Value for Money

Consistently one of his favourite-value pens -- scored 9/10 in his one fully-rated review, and repeatedly described as excellent value, a pen he recommends "without hesitation" to newcomers.

Key Recurring Themes

One of his very first Jinhao pens -- predates even his first Jinhao 992, and one of the longest-held pens in his current Jinhao lineup.
Loved for its weight -- his single most-repeated point of contrast against the lighter Jinhao x159, and a recurring reason he says he'd buy another 159 before another x159.
Loud, tactile nib -- repeatedly described as audibly "singing" or even "shouting" compared to quieter pens in the same price range.
Recurring hard-start/drying-out issue -- documented independently across at least three separate videos spanning different years; his most consistent criticism of the pen.
Wide colour range -- he calls it the widest range of colours among his large Jinhao pens, and has owned at least three colourways (silver, blue, red) over time.
A genuine starter-pen recommendation -- the pen he says he'd point a beginner to "without hesitation."
Nib-swap origin story -- the blue 159's nib/feed was swapped with a troublesome wooden Conklin All American's nib/feed, fixing both pens simultaneously; the 159 now wears a Conklin broad nib.

Fuzzy Match / Transcript Corrections

The following voice-transcript oddities were spotted while compiling this summary. Please review and correct in the source notes where needed:

Transcript text found	Likely correct term
"Jin help 159"	Jinhao 159
"Gin house" / "Gin had" / "chinhao" / "Ginhang" / "ginhao" / "Jinhaow" / "Jinhaoe" / "jinhhow"	Jinhao (general manufacturer name -- mis-transcribed very frequently throughout the Jinhao back-catalogue)
"x159" (when discussing the comparison pen)	x159
"X15" ("it doesn't even fit on the X15 now")	X159
"scars" ("my thoughts and scores for the Jinhao 159")	stars
"nooders" / "noodlers" / "nooder's a heardher" / "never herturquoise" / "naturally heardturquoise"	Noodler's Navajo Turquoise (ink)
"Jinhao merry and bright" (ink misattributed to the pen brand)	Diamine Merry and Bright (ink)
"I'd have to say it would be the Jinhao 200" (final answer to "pick one pen to keep," despite the choice being framed as between the 100 and the x159)	Likely Jinhao 100 -- transcript appears to have garbled the final word

Source Files

#summary