The best deal in quality writing instruments going today is, without a doubt, the Jinhao X450. This pen, for only 99 cents shipped from China to the US, should prove to be a gateway drug into https://cheapgeezer.wordpress.com/the-good-shit/ for an…

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably wondering how to get better performance out of your cheap Chinese fountain pens. I spent a few bucks and got my hands filthy with Hero blue-black ink so that you won’t have to.

I didn’t want to call out any particular pen today, though my image shows a Jinhao 699. The problem I’ve been observing spans multiple value brands from China, including Jinhao and Baoer. There are some nibs out there that should be avoided. Let m…

!jinhao159 Next to a common (and spendy) Lamy Safari, the Jinhao 159 is a beast of a fountain pen. Total cost: $3.59 on eBay.

When I saw http://www.ebay.com/itm/131300838435 in my auction trawling, http://www.ebay.com/usr/hejing1314 piqued my curiosity with promises that this would be a mysterious pen. Is this pen some avatar of Eastern mysticism?

I’ve been a fountain pen user for about five years now. The number of pens I had was actually pretty small, and the few times I’d dabbled with “cheap” pens it ended with disappointment. Actually, the first time I dabbled with an expensive pen (the…

I’ve enjoyed using fountain pens for a number of years. This probably tickles the same part of my brain that appreciates typewriters and Victrolas. This is a really elegant writing instrument that never should have been allowed to fade back into o…

During this calm before our family Christmas storm, I thought I’d drop a fresh State of the Nerd report. This one was going to be all over the map, as I’ve been very busy with a lot of things. But it became clear as I was writing it that it would …