Jinhao 911 is one best of both worlds because it has a snap cap, smooth nib beautiful flow of ink!

Great video! I am so glad you joined the fountain pen community! You have added so much to it!

Excellent demonstrations. The threaded cap, especially on the Parker 51 replica, is a problem. One may pull out the cap - with some force - stripping the thread. This applies to many pens, where the "convention" of push-on versus threaded caps is neither uniform, nor visibly recognised, and where habit pf pulling out the cap may at the wrong instances dominates.

When the Parker 51 is compared to its contemporaries it comes off a little unfinished and unrefined, so it's interesting to see Doodle's take on these latter day releases. I have a Wing Sung 601 which I admit buying for its vacuum filling feature and it's an ok pen. Has a gold (10K) nib and it writes fine, never dries and when filled should be good for a month of Sundays. The real decision should be between the 601 and the pump and the aerometric original. That's because I can't understand why anyone would make a '51 with a screw cap. The pen was designed to go anywhere and write on demand and to my mind that means snap cap. Threads are so unimaginative. A lasting snap cap is not easily made. You can take the soap box now. Very good video.

Wing Sung 601 with the pump draw filler is the best Parker 51 clone, in my book. Best build quality, fun and efficient filling system, and a very good writer (at least the pair I own). I have the same Parker 51 Special (but slate grey with golden striated cap) and with that special steel nib and aerometric filler. And I have another P51 with the 14k nib and the vacumatic filler. I also bought the new 2021 Parker 51 (burgundy and chrome). It’s a fine pen in its own right. I like it quite a lot. I’m not calling the new pen a ‘clone’ though. 😀

I got a Jinhao 51A in the Demonstrator style in a smoke color. I like this pen as it's a plastic on plastic thread and with adding a touch of silicon grease it makes a wonderful eye-dropper pen with a large ink capacity (about 4.5ml). I got mine for about $3 USD. The Parker 51 used to be called "The Accountants Pen" in the 1950s through the early 1970s because of the extra-fine nib (Between a .25 and a .4 mm).

I’ve got a few imitations, I love my wing sung flighter with the push button with the spring and swapped out the plastic section for a metal one, a great pen for about $35 CAD all in

I can get a Parker 51 in good condition for around 40 to 50 dollars in secondary market. If I have to buy, will go for the original for sure.

Don't know what happened to the music during the writing sample 🤔 Will See if I can fix it!

If I want a good low cost aerometric Parker 51 alternative I will get myself the Hero 100 ; and if I want a Vacumetic I will get the Wing Sung 601 ; and if it's C/C then it's no longer a Parker 51 alternative , it's more like a styling decedent with a more modern filling mechanism. The Jinhao certainly worth it but there are others.

One of the newer iterations of the 601A has a piston instead of a diaphragm and uses #5 nibs. I ordered the demonstrator and the full stainless, the nibs need a little work, but I can always just pull them and replace with a better nib.

I have a Jinhao 51A in wood, and it's a lovely, smooth writer!! My only complaint is that it doesn't seal well so it tends to dry out. I really love this pen!! :D

I've being searching for a Jinhao 86 review in English for months, thank you for being the first to do so. Is the cap of the 86 held by a screw like the 51a? I wonder if it is possible to change the clips, so my acrylic 51a could look a lot nicer.

Got a wooden Jinhao 51a on the way from AliExpress and I can’t wait for it to come! Wing sung 601 is definitely on the list as well.

A bit late to this party but I will say that I'm happy to have found your channel! Of these pens, for me, I have owned a vintage Parker 51 and it was OK. Not amazing but fine. I just do not like aerometric fillers. Jin Hao is a brand I have mixed feelings about. I think they make generally decent pens and I like how a lot of their different models look. But. For me, I just haven't had especially good luck with the ones I have owned. So now I tend to avoid the brand. Wing Sung, on the other hand, is a brand I have had much better luck with. I have several different models of theirs and those have been very good pens for me. I have a 601a that also has a Triumph style nib and that one is my current favorite 51 knock off. I bought a demonstrator version and that combined with the plunger filling and that the one I have writes well enough as it came make it a winner for me. It is not the smoothest pen I own but it is smooth enough and it is just a pretty and functional pen. For the 15 or 20 bucks it cost me I am very pleased with it. Nice overview and I appreciate your take on all these pens! I have watched a couple of your other videos and am now subscribed. Thanks for sharing these with us!

I have two Parker 51's from 50 years ago, didn't like them then either, prefered my Sheaffer snorkel and inlaid pens !

I have a smoke grey cracked ice version of the Jinhao 51a with a fine nib. Wrote perfectly out of the box. I love it.

If you're bored one day, maybe you could look into modding the Jinhao 86 to fix the problems you identified. That would make a fun video.

good review. If I have to throw it in a bag or backback the 3 turns would not bother me at all.

Hi Doodlebud really never sure about copies of original pens or anything else for that matter. Love my Parker 51 wouldn’t want to have a copy. That said a 3 dollar pen or even $20. Pen sure has it’s merits. E.G -playing around with less pen friendly inks. On a different note which pens have you got new or old that have massively exceeded expectations? Two recent not massively expensive vintage acquisitions have wildly exceeded my expectations. Got really lucky with these 2. Great video. D

Gotta go with the Wing Sung, based on the arrow alone.

i am a fan of the 51A, with the gray gradient (Niangao) resin and a Bobby nib, from his ebay store. under 10 bux with a fantastic nib. i own a whole bunch of them.

I haven’t heard of a good stock nib on the WS, but there are Chinese mini fude nibs you can put on them that are very nice.

Yay , a new doodlebud video! I like my 51a but the writing experience for me iffy as it feels kind of scratchy and its finicky on how I hold it to weather ink flows or not. I'm currently looking at getting a Platinum Maki-e or a Pilot E95s. My dream pen is a Pilot Namiki Nippon Maki-e Chinese Phoenix but I don't think I can really bite that bullet right now. You should try Maki-e art on a pen or something similar. A custom pen would make a cool video

Not sure if you’ve checked out the revamped WS 601, they changed from a sack vacumatic to a spring loaded piston and added ink windows. Also they introduced 2 601A models (one with a fully exposed nib and one with a tubular nib)

Mr.Brown coffee! Omg I used to buy that by the case😅

While I also had to tweak the nibs, my Wing Sung 601 and 601A have been real workhorses for me. Write immediately every time, quick access with the clutch caps, and the filling mechanism is quick and easy to use.

These tend to be either scratchy or too wet. Hard to improve penmanship. But the wet fine nibs are not too bad--very reminiscent of actual Parker 51 which I bought in the '60's--not a great pen either--super smooth but had problems--I don't think they held enough ink.

Hi doodlebud.. im a fan of your analysis of the engineering quality of a fp. I have 3 P51s... and im wondering hows the build quality of a WS601 compared to the P51? Looking for one to use daily..

I would love to see a review of your collection! Which are your favourites?

It looked like the Parker 51 rerelease was an imitation of the Jinhao, so that’s the clear winner.

There are a few nice Hero pens that could make the list here as well. Especially the Hero 100... I know is a little more expensive, but the finish is beautiful (and gold nib). I'm on the same page with Wing Sun version, well built, not so great nib. Used it once and that's about it. And if you buy the 51a, get the non hooded version - the barrel actually threads into a plastic section, not metal. Also better nib choices if you want to change it! :).

Thanks for the comparison. I have several P51s I almost never use. I wish the clones had a medium nib. Most of them are decent but I can't use fine nibs.

I’m still using my Hero 616 after quite a few years of everyday use.

I have old polish Zenith2 - it is also copy of 51, they get them to Poland from Hero factory.

The Jinhao 51a that I acquired 8 or 9 months ago, I either ordered with or swapped with a Bobby Mini-Fude Nib. The best thing I ever did. I never noticed the slop in the slide-on cap. Now it's obvious. Oh, well....

Nice review. I love that Diamine Sargasso Sea ink. Notice that I call it, "Diamine" not "Diamine", sounds better that way, in my opinion!!! LOL

The O-ring on the Jinhao 86 is not meant to slide over the thread, but to but up against the barrel to both ensure a leakproof fit and enable the barrel to screw more securely onto the section. The WingSung Lorelei 9133 has a similar O-ring arrangement. As regards the number of turns to screw on the cap -- well, that's a very minor thing in my book. The truly remarkable Jinhao X159 takes two and a quarter turns (and also has the O-ring), but in my book the number of turns has no impact at all. I'm more concerned with value for money and the actual writing quality of the pen.

i like jinhao 85, since I'm used to rapidograph, i don't mind 3 turns at all😀 if that helps to better seal the nib from drying out

Thanks. A very interesting vlog. A minor request. Sometimes you do things really fast and I don't get a chance to see. So for example you whip the top off the Jinhao 51 and wave the pen around a bit before quickly pushing the cap back on. I really wanted to see the nib and get an image of the uncapped pen. Yes, for a second you hold it still on your hand, but I have to be really quick with the pause button! Less pen waving please. I hope you don't mind me saying this. The Jinhao Parker look alike / rip off needs calling out as the rip off it is. Otherwise we condone that sort of thing. Be well and again thanks for a great vlog.

I've got them all. No they are not Parker but still love to write with them. Yes got to tweak them all a bit but all are excellent writers now. Still not a Parker. And yes the 3 turns to uncap are a bit to much, I actually use her to write for longer periods rather than cap uncap, even thou sometimes the capping uncapping is a relaxing thing... go figure. Also have a Jinhao 911, all metal, brush finish, and it as sliding cap, love to use that pen, t as a slightly sleeker body that is so much comfortable to draw with it, the line really fine, even finer in reverse writing, excellent, really love that pen. I had to tweak her a bit also on receiving her but now it's wonderful. From the Jinhao 91 I really can say bad things, even from materials they are nicely finished, only thing is probably the treads on the body, the plastic on metal thing, but until now haven't had a problem with it, I only open the body to refill her anyway so hoping it will survive for some years,. Will probably use some soft gridding on the treads just to smooth them a bit.

I have a wing sung 601and wing sung 613 and the nibs are really scratchy. I have a jinhao 51a not hooded and the nib is smoother but drys out. My best pens are the hero 616 and hero 366. The nibs are wet and much smoother than the wing. sung.

Question: I have looked at the major pen retailers and Amazon, and I have yet to come across a Jinhao 86. Do you know where I can purchase one online? Thanks!

Original Parker 21 for the win. With Aerometric. I've got two more that are long term restoration/complete overhaul/rebuild projects. I probably will wind up making one good one from them. Mismatched colors be damned.

I wish the two Parker 51 aerometrics I bought on eBay more than a decade ago would actually write. Can’t remember everything I did then in my attempt to clean them, but my efforts included an ultrasonic cleaner. After watching some of your videos I might pick up the courage and try to give them another shot. Yeah, I know that such purchases of old used pens on auction sites are hit and miss. Overall not complaining though because of that wonderful Pilot Mu90 I landed.

I have used a dab of silicone on the threads going from plastic to plastic or metal.

I didn’t see any Gold filled cap versions of 51 Clones - probably they’re not made ? I don’t know why 51s got such an iconic status. Probably due to hooded nibs ? Ironically, hooded nib is the reason I don’t feel like buying a 51 even though vintage 51s with gold filled cap are available in plenty for around $70 here in India..

can you swap the snap on to the 51 from JH?

Got lucky sometime ago and scored Parker 51 free with gold nib and all XDXDX Far from perfect condition but usable.

Great workup on the Parker 51 clones. I am surprised that you didn't include the JinHao 85. The experience is, of course, largely the same as the 86 but the metal body gives it a nicer, more premium feel. I bought the JinHao 85 in February as an early "test drive" of the Parker 51 reissue. It was so good, and the Parker reviews have been so disappointing, that I just stuck with the JinHao 85 and never bought the Parker. I picked up an 86 a week or so ago, but it just felt cheap next to the 85. I also have a couple of 51a's and a 601a. All of them are very good. The 51a's needed nib adjustments and seem to dry out pretty quickly if they sit unused for a couple of days. The 85/86 and 601a don't seem to have that issue for me and the nibs were all great upon arrival. Like you, I felt that the nibs are just a bit better on the 85/86. If I didn't like the acrylic (and wood) on the 51a so much, they would be landslide losers in this battle. 1 - JinHao 85 2 - Wing Sung 601a 3 - JinHao 86 4 - JinHao 51a

My last comment made me sound snobby. But I’m not. I think that there are some excellent really cheap pens out there and they are really useful. They don’t need to be nurtured for starters. I just think that copying an original seems wrong especially the Parker 51. Sorry

It's a bit funny to listen to you say, "Oh yeah, there's some burrs..." like it's no big deal. What I hear is, "Oh yeah, you may want to pick up some bandaids..." But I suppose for an engineer, de-burring isn't difficult.

jinhao 85/86，hero 100，wing sung 601

for me functionally 601 is better than the Og

The Wing Sung pens are far superior as far as the "homage" pens, but the Jinhao 85 outdoes the new Parker 51 by a mile! The Jinhao 86, however... Not worth the money, even for a Jinhao.

That's weird. My Jinhao 86 has a pull cap.

I wonder why the parker 51 is expensive. In good condition anyway. When older pens are less expensive 🤔.