Jinhao x159

Overview

The Jinhao x159 is the newer, updated sibling of the Jinhao 159 -- similar shape and styling, but acrylic/plastic-bodied rather than metal, and built around a much larger #8-size nib. Garry's first x159 (dark blue) was a gift from his wife on the first day of Inkvent (1 December), after he'd been eyeing the model for months while waiting for a colour he liked. At the time of his reviews it was only available with a fine nib, which was a recurring source of mild frustration given his usual preference for broader nibs; a medium-nib version became available later, but he hadn't bought one as of his most recent mentions.

Design & Appearance

Shape: Same general torpedo/cigar silhouette as the 159, but in lighter acrylic/plastic.
Colourway owned: Dark blue (his only x159, a gift from his wife) -- he notes the model was originally launched in just black, with more colours (including his blue) arriving later, and the range has continued to expand since.
Cap: Faceted clip that catches the light nicely, but very stiff -- he can barely shift it. "Jinhao" is engraved on the front of the cap band, aligned with the clip, with "x159" round the back. Cap removal takes about two-and-a-half turns, noticeably more than the 159's roughly half-turn.
Clip: Described by some other reviewers as "sword"-shaped, though Garry says he doesn't quite see the resemblance; to him it looks rectangular with sharp angles.
Body: Same width for most of its length, tapering near the end, with a gold-coloured ring and domed end finial.
Section: Wide, with a slight lip at the bottom that he can feel given how low he holds his pens. Section colour matches the body and cap throughout, which he specifically likes -- unlike the 159, where the section is a contrasting black.
Pen Looks scores across reviews: 8/10 (vs x850) -> consistent 8/10.

The Nib

Material: Steel, two-tone gold/silver.
Size: A large #8-size nib -- this was the first pen in his collection with a #8 nib.
Grade: Fine on every copy he was able to find at the time of his reviews (he wanted a medium or broad, and notes a medium version became available later, though he hadn't picked one up as of his most recent mentions). Despite being fine, he describes the line as "a very generous writing fine."
Decoration: Two-tone, with the nib size ("F") marked on it -- unlike the 159's nib, which has no size marking at all.
Feel: Feels stiffer than the 159's medium nib, with less line variation and less audible feedback, though still a "little bit of feedback" and "tactalness" that he enjoys. He also notes the nib felt "soft" in one review but "not as bouncy" as his well-used 159 (which has softened from over two years of use).
Flow out of the box: In one direct three-pen comparison, the x159 (and the Jinhao 9019) felt notably tight/dry compared to the 159 when fresh from packaging -- he "flossed" (cleaned out) the nibs slightly to loosen the flow, by his own admission making them a little wetter than how they arrived.
Not swappable for Garry: Being a #8 nib, he doesn't have any other #8 nibs on hand to experiment with, unlike the easily-swapped #6 nib on the 159.

Filling Mechanism

Cartridge/converter, using the same standard Jinhao plunger-type converter as the 159 (though the two pens' bodies are not interchangeable -- the 159's body doesn't fit the x159). Metal fittings rule out eyedropper use via the section threads, but the section is too wide to fit most standard ink bottles directly, so Garry has filled it at least once via syringe through the converter -- an "eyedropper-style" workaround rather than true eyedropper conversion.

Measurements

Measurement	Value
Total length (capped)	14.7 cm
Length unposted	12.9 cm
Length posted	16.3 cm
Body width	1.51 cm
Cap width	1.65 cm
Section width	1.27-1.33 cm (tapered)
Full pen weight	28.2-29 g
Body weight alone	17.3-18 g
Cap weight	10.9-11 g

Writing Experience

Posts securely and doesn't feel especially back-heavy, though Garry generally chooses to use it unposted, where he finds more than enough length.
A noticeably lighter, quieter, "whispering" writer compared to the 159 -- pleasant but with less of the audible drama he enjoys in the 159.
No flex, and adding pressure produces only a slightly wider line rather than true line variation -- consistent with it not being designed as a flex nib.
One odd ink blob/flow hiccup was noted in his first-impressions video, which he suspected might be user error (possibly from experimentally flexing the nib) rather than a pen fault, and planned to monitor over longer-term use.
Comfortable for long sessions thanks to the wide section, which he repeatedly praises -- particularly good for his larger hands. He flags that smaller-handed users might find the section less comfortable.
His single most consistent criticism across nearly every review: the pen feels "too light" to him, sometimes even "too thin" -- the opposite of his praise for the 159's heft. He acknowledges this preference is very personal, noting that some other reviewers specifically prefer the x159's lighter weight.

Inks Used (as referenced across reviews and photo logs)

Ink	Context / Notes
Diamine Asa Blue	First Impressions review; a medium-toned blue, syringe-filled via the converter since the section was too wide for the bottle
Dominant Industry Lungo	159 vs x159 showdown (dark brown with a hint of green sheen) and a separate photo-log entry
Diamine Serendipity	x159 vs x850 showdown and the "5 Beautiful Blues" roundup; dark blue base with a red/coppery sheen
Diamine Oxford Blue	"Rock and Roll Pens" roundup; chosen as a colour match for the pen
Diamine Merry and Bright	Referenced alongside the x850 in the "From Budget to Brilliant" roundup video (used in the x850, not the x159, in that particular video)
Noodler's Navajo Turquoise	"Comparison of 3 Large Jinhao Pens" -- same ink used across all three pens compared, to isolate pen performance; noticeably less wet in the x159 than in the 159 with the same ink

Comparisons and Rankings

vs Jinhao 159 (dedicated showdown, both with Dominant Industry Lungo)

The defining comparison for this pen. The x159 is plastic/acrylic and about 20 g lighter than the 159's 49 g; it has the larger #8 fine nib vs the 159's #6 medium; its cap takes about two-and-a-half turns to remove vs the 159's half-turn; and its section colour matches the body, unlike the 159's contrasting black section. Garry says he'd still buy more x159s, but only once a medium or broad nib option exists -- he prefers the 159's weight overall. No numeric scores were given in this video.

vs Jinhao x850

Closely matched, similarly styled pens differing mainly in size: the x159 is bigger and wider with the #8 fine nib and a wider section that particularly suits larger hands; the x850 is smaller, lighter, and has a #6 medium nib. Both scored identically across every category.
x159 (with Diamine Serendipity) = 8/10, x850 (with Diamine Merry and Bright) = 8/10

vs Jinhao 159 and Jinhao 9019 ("Comparison of 3 Large Jinhao Pens," all three with the same ink: Noodler's Navajo Turquoise)

Confirmed as having a rectangular, sharp-angled clip (vs the 159's sword-shaped clip) and a section width in between the narrower 159 and the wider 9019. With identical ink in all three, the x159 produced less wetness and less feedback than the 159. Garry's 9019 is his favourite of the three; he specifically calls 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)

Inked with Diamine Serendipity in this video. Described as having a noticeably bigger, wider section than the 159 in this particular side-by-side look. When asked to pick just one pen to keep from the five, Garry says he's torn between the x159 and the Jinhao 100 -- 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 Lamy Crystal Azurite. Confirmed as roughly half the weight of the 159, with a softer-feeling nib than the well-worn 159. Garry explicitly says the weight difference is what makes the x159 "less enjoyable" to him by comparison.

Among "5 Beautiful Blues" (alongside the Asvine P20, Admok M800, Opus 88 Koloro, and Leonardo Momento Zero Grande)

Notable as the first pen in his collection with a #8 nib. Inked with Diamine Serendipity. When challenged to keep only one of the five blue pens, Garry rules the x159 out first -- his eventual pick from the group was the Opus 88 Koloro.

Among "Rock and Roll Pens" (alongside the Waterman Carene, Lamy 2000, Pilot Custom 823, and Visconti Homo Sapiens)

Inked with Diamine Oxford Blue. Despite the huge price gap to the other four (gold-nibbed, much more expensive pens), Garry still enjoyed its tactile, slightly textured writing feel. When asked which of the five he'd keep, he sets the x159 aside immediately as the obvious one to let go of, eventually choosing the Waterman Carene.

Overall Scores Summary

Review	Score
vs x850 (Diamine Serendipity)	8/10
Average (where numerically scored)	8/10

(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 (vs x850 review)

Category	Score
Pen Looks	8/10
Build Quality	8/10
Writing Experience	8/10
Ink Flow	8/10
Comfort	8/10
Value for Money	8/10

Build Quality

No structural issues reported. The one notable observation is that the nib flow felt tight/dry straight out of the box on Garry's copy, requiring a light clean ("flossing") to loosen it up -- a step he also needed for his Jinhao 9019 but not for his 159.

Value for Money

Scored a consistent 8/10 in his one fully-rated review. He generally regards it as good value for what it offers, while being candid that the lack of a medium or broad nib option (at the time) was the main thing holding him back from buying more.

Key Recurring Themes

An Inkvent gift from his wife -- his only x159, received on the first day of Inkvent after months of wanting one.
The first #8-nib pen in his collection -- a meaningfully larger nib than his usual #6-size Jinhaos.
"Too light" is his single most repeated criticism -- the recurring counterpoint to how much he praises the 159's weight; he acknowledges this is a personal preference, not a flaw other reviewers necessarily share.
Stuck on fine nibs (at the time) -- he wanted a medium or broad and was disappointed only fine was available when he was buying, though a medium version has since emerged.
Wide, comfortable section -- repeatedly praised, especially for his larger hands, though he flags it may be less comfortable for smaller hands.
Consistently ranked below premium pens -- in both the "5 Beautiful Blues" and "Rock and Roll Pens" roundups (where it was pitted against much more expensive gold-nibbed pens), it was the first pen set aside when picking a favourite -- though Garry still speaks positively of it as a budget pen in its own right.
Section colour matches the body -- a specific design point he prefers over the 159's contrasting black section.

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
"Gin house" / "Gin had" / "chinhao" / "Ginhang" / "ginhao" / "Jinhaow" / "jinhhow"	Jinhao (general manufacturer name -- mis-transcribed very frequently throughout the Jinhao back-catalogue)
"x159" ("the x159 that's this uh plastic")	x159
"X15" ("it doesn't even fit on the X15 now")	X159
"die mine as a blue" / "diemine acid blue"	Diamine Asa Blue (ink)
"nooders" / "never herturquoise" / "naturally heardturquoise"	Noodler's Navajo Turquoise (ink)
"Jinhao merry and bright I don't know the diamine merry and bright even" (ink misattributed to the pen brand)	Diamine Merry and Bright (ink)
"my wife absolutely awesome different love it they'll really enjoy using this pen"	Unclear -- likely something like "my wife will absolutely love it"; transcript appears garbled
"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 x159 and the 100)	Likely Jinhao 100 -- transcript appears to have garbled the final word

Source Files

#summary