As a cursive writer, the finer the nibs are the better. My latest pen of choice is a black Jinhao 35. I bought it to be honest because I liked the look of it. But must admit I love the way it writes with its 0.38mm EF Nib. I notice that you can get it with an even finer nib described as an ultrafine accounting nib. Maybe you would like to consider this pen.

I tried this pen and it ended up like a lot of other reviews where there was so much frustration getting this pen to write in the first place. Jetpens actually sent me a new one, but made sure it was working before sending it out. Some people, like yourself, have had good experiences, though. I really wanted to like this pen, but it ended up being the only pen I can't recommend. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for another great review. I've had one of these for a long time. I have all of the different versions of the 301 (pencil, ballpoint, gel, rollerball) they cover it all. The cap does post but it will wear out eventually. As far as the cartridges go it's a 3.4mm cartridge. The same that is used in a lot of Chinese pens like the Hero. You can find them on Aliexpress if yours ever wears out. They also have converters that are 3.4mm. Those fit the feed with no problem but the handle it is a little too long and would need a little trim off the end so that barrel closes all the way.

Thanks for the review! Your voice is so calming and your review got straight to the point. Great job. Appreciate it. :)

You can't get cartridges for these anymore. Whatever you do, don't toss the cartridges. I refill mine. They aren't a standard size. Strangely, the cartridges for the R-301, the rollerball aren't the same either even though they are basically identical. You would think that it would be cheaper to make one cartridge for both. The last time I looked there were some cartridges available on eBay. I love the rollerball version. They were in a chain of dollar stores in my area. I bought every one that I could find when they were discontinued. I actually bought the fountain pens by mistake. The new Zebra fountain pens ate disposable. People do seem to like them. No doubt someone has figured out how to refill them too.

Thnx for the video. I have the same pen too. Forgot when it was purchased, but it is at least a decade ago. Interesting thing is, it always writes, even when there was just a little bit of ink left. I used a syringe to add Waterman Black, and it writes just as well as my other pens of the same nib size. Amazing that through all these years, I have not used it , and first time I try to write with it, it wrote! It’s so affordable, long lasting, sturdy, and writes a pretty good line.

Utilitarian pen indeed. Thanks James for the back to back videos, and yes, for bringing the live wallpaper back. 😁

Two in one day, both informative. Both fun to watch! I use the syringe refill method for both cartridges and converters.

I have one of these I bought about 4 years ago at Walgreens to go with Zebra's ballpoint pen and mechanical pencil. Mine works very well and has from the day I bought it. From most of the reviews I've read I've/we've been lucky. Thanks for the review! 😁🖋✒

I'm so glad I was recommended this video. This is the only fountain that I own. Just bought it in January and started using it this March. At first it skipped all the time. Now I have went through a large part of the cartridge and it performs well for a $4 pen. So I subbed to your channel. I have watched many of your reviews and see many"good affordable fountain pens" to consider for purchase in the future. Thank you for your time and God Bless. I'm also a preacher.

Thanks for the review! I was looking at mine under a pen loom earlier and saw that wick and almost tried to pull it out too! Glad I didn't.

I had this pen a long time ago. I kept it, after some times (about 2 years), with a little bit of ink, in a box stored away in my closet. One day I decided to clear my stuff and found this pen. I cleaned it and inked it up and wow, it worked well again.

Another great job, two fer today! God Bless James 🙏

That kind pf wick feed is common on disposable fountain pens

Thank you for the tip, that was the first thing I thought of, If I could refill it.

I got this pen from Walgreens few months ago and somehow it’s one of the worst writing implements I’ve ever used. It skips lines, feels like it’s scratchy. It even sometimes feels like it had dried up when I am just writing. In the middle of everything.

Great review. I definitely need an ink syringe. I find JG3 Reviews very informative with a touch of zen thrown in for good measure. Stay Classy.

My favorite low end fountain pen. 🖋️

Yay! I been waiting for this one. And I am glad you featured the ink feed system. I have this pen and it has never clogged. I don't know if it is the ink or seals, but I have 8 pens and this is the only one that wont clog. Speaking of converters, because the disposable cartridges in all of these are refillable with a syringe, I just refill them all and never use the converters. However, this I think is the problem. The Noodlers I have is a perm ink which I use in watercolor painting as a ink prior to painting. The standard inks will re-wet and smear and run, so they have to be used after painting is done. I think the Noodlers perm ink easily clogs the pen. So, the Zebra ink is either the non clogging, or, after I try Noodlers in the Zebra pen, I will know for sure. Just have not done that yet. Is your Noodlers a perm ink? All this to say that my Lamy goto has been replaced for ART only and not writing, by the Zebra. Yes it is best for art compared to all my other pens. The Lamy is still best for writing IMHO. Thanks for sharing.

The same wick feed it's also on the Paper Mate Mini and on the other Paper Mate cheap fountain pens and also on the Pilot Pettit 1 .

I finally just got the WingSung 698 in a medium Nib! The quality of it really surprised me compared to some other Chinese pens! I’m thinking about getting a Fine Nib to go with it what brand do you suggest?

Wow, mine is sooo much finer! What a difference! And I got mine about a year ago from Walgreens

I had the ball point and it was one of my favorite pens b4 I got into fountain pens I actually think it was considered a Gel Pen

Talking about requests, have you pulled the trigger on the Wing Sung 601a with the tubular nib? I'd like to think that it had mixed reviews because probably they used the old stock of nibs from the original Wing Sung to make the pen, maybe now they've made new batches and are more consistent? I have a couple of Wing Sung 322 NOS with that nib and they are ok writers but needed a little tweaking.

Me pasó exactamente lo mismo, pensé que era un pedazo de papel y que incluso se había roto el plástico de debajo de la punta... De ésto hace años hasta ahora que quedé sorprendido al saber que eso es una mecha 😂 muchas gracias por tu vídeo. Voy a comprar otra zebra!.

What can I do to troubleshoot this pen if it skips lines and stops writing when the nip isn’t exactly positioned in a precisely horizontal position (when the text on the nip is exactly facing upward). I had these issues with this pen from the start.

This is the most hateful pen! I purchased mine at the University of BC for around $6.00 last spring (2020). Thought it looked pretty cool and I didn't feel like spending a lot on a pen that day. Got home, opened the pack and did a flush 'n rinse as I always do for all new pens regardless of price. Here's how it went: after drying and popping in one of the 2 included cartridges , I waited a good hour for the ink to flow into the feed...well, it didn't write not even little dot! I shook the pen, did my usual swirls and lines on fp friendly paper, wet the nib, placed the nip on tissue to see if I could draw a drop of ink out and so forth...you get the idea...the thing was DEAD! Can't return it as I couldn't locate the receipt; it's sitting in a drawer until I decide to throw it out. After seeing your review I noticed the following: -on the barrel: my pen has ZEBRA above the V-301 with an elongated FP logo, otherwise the stainless and plastic exterior is identical -2 decent capacity ink cartridges are included in the pack -my stainless 'M' nib looks to be in between non-hooded & hooded, has a finless Black feed but without a 'wick' like your pen - unlike your pen, mine posts so securely that it takes some effort to unpost (same goes for capping and uncapping of it) - " " " mine is not Japanese, it's made in China (nothing wrong with that...just info.) - " " " mine has NOT EVER written and I am so disappointed in it and cannot recommend it 😪 OMG! So sorry for the long rant... but thanks for 'listening'.... Stay safe everyone! 🙃 🇨🇦 💕 -

You got a good one. I have two of them, one I inherited from an uncle, the other which I bought. Neither one of them will write more than 3-4 lines without going dry. I've tried everything to make them write reliably and nothing has worked. It amazes me that Zebra continues to sell them. Maybe I'll try what you did to the feed to see if that works. The really odd thing is that the Zenwriter disposables, also from Zebra, seem to use the same feed, and they work very reliably. Both of mine post quite securely. The cap goes into the posted position with an audible snap and it stays there until I pull it off. It's extremely frustrating, because I like everything about this little pen except for the problem that I can't get it to write reliably, or at all. As for converters, I've seen a report elsewhere from a guy who found that a Pilot Con-B would work, but why, when the converter is more expensive than the pen? As for cartridges, I think that's what I call a "Chinese Standard" cartridge, as I have several Chinese made pens that accept them. Parker cartridges will fit if the pen can accept their extra length, but they may need some help in opening. I think the search I used to find the cartridges on AliExpress was "Jinhao fountain pen cartridges", but it's been a while. Good luck.

I have one of these I bought some time ago. I have used the Zebra x-301 series 5 mm mechanical pencil and the ballpoint pen for a long time (for those very rare occasions I used a ballpoint), so when I saw this V-301 fountain pen I just decided I needed to have at least one to complete a "set." For me, the western medium nib writes just way to wet and fat, and I don't care for it. That's my only complaint about the pen. If it came in a much finer nib, I would probably use it in rotation with some of my others. As it is, I still haven't even run through the entire first cartridge of ink in it, because I just write so small it makes my writing illegible, and I can't force myself to write big enough to make it look good with this nib.

Hi James, Great video! Does the text line up [if you could post the cap]? This would be a brilliant pen, if it was available in the UK. I really like the size of the nib.

I've designated my Zebra V-301 as my "traveling" fountain pen. It comes with my carry on luggage and provides me with a fountain pen when I'm away from home. Also with me are a G-301 gel ball and an M-301 mechanical pencil. A great kit that does everything, and If it's lost or damaged, replacement is not prohibitively expensive. I use a converter to supply the pen with ink. The Luxury Brands Platinum Fountain Pen Converter (PLAT500) on Amazon for about $15 does the job with no leaking. That the converter costs about twice as much as the pen (at Amazon) is just one of the ironies of life. My only problem with the V-301 is that the cap comes off too easily, potentially exposing the nib to damage (or maybe permitting some leakage). I think I'd be happier with an "unscrew to open" type of cap.

I just got one. I was hoping to find out how to stop the skipping and drying out.

I found a Terzetti model c converter for it on Ebay,.

Great review, if you get a chance could you please review the Zebra Zensations fountain pen?

Just bought mine from Amazon for $6.08 with the 2-pack refill cartridges for $3.24. Think it only comes in black ink.. Was hoping for blue...

I bought one a few months ago and found it very dry. I was ready to dump it but I may try to fix the wick ;). I’ve seen the same type of cartridge in the semi disposable Olika Monami pens (first edition). I also think the cartridges that come with some Moonman pens are of that size. Maybe the converters will fit the Zebra. Nice review.

Wow only $4?? Reminds me of my Lamy Logo with the thin uniformly cylinder shape throughout. I do like the black and silver combination on this Zebra, I have terrible luck with cartridges, I hope they have a converter for this. Let me know if you find it please.

This was my first fountain pen many moons ago it skipped so incredibly much, it ruined fountain pens for me for years. I bought a Lamy Safari on a whim durning the pandemic and now am in love with fountain pens, I now have a Lamy Aion with a Z55 Gold nib and am about to purchase a Sailor Cylint…

With wicks being millennia old technology I wonder what prevented then from being used in the first fountain pens, perhaps natural fibres not being a good as synthetic, or the coarseness of the inks. I'm pretty sure they were taken in consideration.

How long am I supposed to shake it when I get it

The posting problem of the cap to me is the only issue, I have one in blue.

So you recommend clearing the wick? You don’t recommend a beneficial accident?

I just got this pen today. Maybe I got a defective pen, but this thing will not write. Or if I get it started it doesn't write for long. Then I have to breath into the nib with hot humid breath. I get through a sentence or two and it quits. I suspect it's the wick but not certain. Getting bummed out thinking I might need to toss it but I'm here to see what I can do to get it to write consistently.

It isn't wear, they just don't post well at all. I forget that every few months when this one comes back into rotation, throw the cap on only to have it fall off when I start writing.

Zebra had a previous nib design. I have both. The previous design was far better, better ink flow and slightly heavier line. Always writes, every time. Even after more that a year.

Are the ballpoints reliable and don't run out of ink easy say you use it alot.

The pen cap posts. When yo place the cap on you just push the black part of the cap down and it will post.

My pen never worked. For being a pen freak I'm very disappointed. I guess I got what I paid for

My brand new pen won’t write 😞

Wick feed, watch the compatibility of the ink. Flushing seems to be incomplete. :(

I LOST MY ZEBRA RETRACTIL PENCIL TODAY 😓

Lots of unnecessary info but thx for the tutorial 😊

Mine was useless. Terrible fountain pen. Dried out nearly immediately. Got it working and stopped writing again. I love the feel but it was junk. My Zebra ballpoints and mechanical pencils are great though.

I reuse the same cartridge, just make a hole, refill it with Parker ink using a syringe and cover the hole with a piece of tape.

I thought Zebra was out of China.

That's an F.

No sirven! No la compren.

You can't neuter fountain pens, they don't have balls.

Is that the v301 3 series?