Minerva Zimmerman

Fountain Pen Friday: JetPens Chibi Mini Pen

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When I found out JetPens was now offering their own low-price mini fountain pen I knew I had to try it.

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I was so excited to try this pen because it seemed to be designed with someone like me in mind.

L to R: Otho, Petit1, Kawacco Sport, JetPens Chibi, standard ballpoint
smallest to biggest closed: Ohto, Petit1, Kawaco Sport, JetPens Chibi, standard ballpoint

Here’s a comparison of how big it is in comparison to a standard ballpoint and a bunch of other mini fountain pens.

Largest pen body top to smallest at the bottom
Largest pen body top to smallest at the bottom

As you can see, it isn’t quite as small as the Petit1 without the cap posted, but it is smaller than the Kaweco. It’s about the same weight as the Petit1, maybe a bit lighter if they both had full cartridges in them (my Petit1 does not have a full cartridge right now).  I’m guessing that it will probably do a fine eyedropper conversion but I haven’t tested it.

Pen with cap posted compared to ballpoint
Pen with cap posted compared to ballpoint

With the cap posted on the back it’s pretty much the same size as a standard pen.

Cap posted, pen in hand
Cap posted, pen in hand

This pen feels really nice in my hand. It’s nicely balanced with or without the cap and comfortable to write with.

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I want to love this pen. I want to love it with with the fierce passion of a bag full of badgers. The design is wonderful. I’m not a fan of the color (it only comes in transparent neon yellow) but I could overlook that. The problem is the nib.

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It’s just scratchy and on all the papers I tried it on it was scraping up bits of paper fiber which eventually collected on the nib soaked in ink. It’s not… unusable, but it’s an unpleasant writing experience. I’m hopeful that fiddling with the nib and some sandpaper or maybe even canibalizing a different nib from a different pen and gooping it into place might be possible, because I really like how the pen fits in my hand… I just don’t enjoy using it as it came.

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The Good

  • Cheap
  • nice smooth grip
  • standard cartridges
  • wonderful pen design, feels nice in the hand
  • light-weight
  • I think this pen will work for small and large handed people

The Bad

  • only comes in one color and it’s neon yellow
  • The nib as it arrived is a scratchy writing experience

Overall Grade: C+

The nib problem is a pretty big problem but I’m hopeful I can find some way to doctor it to write smoother cause I really like this pen design.

Posted in Pens