The 5 Best (Cheap!) Chinese Fountain Pens
Fountain pens are amazing - they elevate the act of writing, turning it from a necessity into a beautiful ritual that can center us and give us real enjoyment. But they are traditionally quite expensive. A "nice" fountain pen can cost anywhere from $50 to $500 (there are fountain pens above that price, but they're usually more a piece of art than a writing tool).
"Cheap" chinese pens have been around for a long time, but they've always had a reputation for inferior quality and shoddy quality control (QC). I strongly feel that this reputation is no longer deserved; quality has become extremely consistent for the major Chinese brands (Jinhao, Moonman/Majohn, Hongdian, Asvine, and the like). They're now REALLY giving European, American, and Japanese brands a run for their money in terms of value.
Without further ado, here are my 5 favorites from this year:
1. Hongdian M2
The Hongdian M2 is the first Chinese pen that blew me away. It's a slim pocket pen that is light, tough, and beautiful. It uses a cartridge/converter filling mechanism, which makes it really convenient for travel (you can get standard international cartridges for it practically anywhere in the world) and easy to clean.
I've been to Europe and all over the US with this pen, and it performs. AND IT'S $20!
Note: I have heard that there is some variation in nib feel/quality, but I got an amazing nib with a writing experience that's significantly better than my Kaweco Sport (which is another pen I love in the "pocket pen" category).
2. Asvine C2000 Ebonite
The Asvine C2000 fountain pen is a fantastic way to try out ebonite (vulcanized rubber, the same stuff that bowling balls are made of) without breaking the bank. A similar pen would cost you $300+ from a European, Japanese, or American maker. Ebonite is a wonderfully "human" material which feels warm and soft when you touch it. It's also got a perfect density for pens, giving them a bit of heft without feeling heavy.
This makes the writing experience absolutely beautiful. I have this pen in green ebonite with a stub nib that adds a dramatic flair to my writing and shows off ink properties like sheen, shading, and shimmer.
Note: There is a non-ebonite version of this pen, too – the ebonite version is available in green, red, or brown.
3. Jinhao 82
The Jinhao 82 is essentially a super-low-cost clone of the Sailor Pro Gear Slim, a smallish cartridge/converter fountain pen. I find it to be a surprisingly ergonomic pen even though I have large hands; suitable for longer writing sessions even though it's quite compact.
It's a <$10 pen, and is actually one of the best starter fountain pens I can think of – I recommend it to new fountain pen users all the time because for the cost of a hamburger, you can see if the fountain pen hobby is for you.
4. Majohn P140
This is a real step up; a piston filler (giant ink capacity) and a demonstrator (clear pen) that lets you see the ink swooshing around inside. Oh, and the Majohn P140 is a looker. I don't own this one but I hear so many good things about it on r/fountainpens – and such consistently good things – that I feel comfortable recommending it here.
It's also on my "saved for later" list, so the next time I allow myself an impulse purchase to celebrate something, this baby is going straight into my Amazon shopping cart.
5. Majohn Wancai Mini (eyedropper!)
I feel weird posting a second pocket pen when there are lots of other good Chinese pens to mention, but this one is just so wild that it deserves a spot here:
How cool is this!? The Majohn Wancai Mini 2.0 is a tiny little thing when it's closed, though it uncaps and posts to become a relatively normal-length (fat and stubby, but a normal length! Stop looking at me like that!) pen. Positives:
- It's a demonstrator (clear) which makes it quite fun to look at when it's filled with ink.
- It's tiny.
- It's an eyedropper filler, which is maybe my favorite filling system (and certainly the simplest and most traditional): you simply unscrew the nib section and use an (included) eyedropper to fill the entire pen body with ink.
This pen is in my nightstand, ready to jot down late night journal thoughts or incredible ideas brought to me in my dreams.