Jinhao 100 vs Kaigelu 316a - Fountain Pen Showdown 

Gary, thank you for all the work you do to share your knowledge and experience with us. I would like to share my opinion on one aspect of your presentation today. I realize that the general trend of you pen gurus is to try to match the ink to the color of the pen. This is great when the pen and ink are bold colors. When the ink is as faint as this light green, it is difficult to really evaluate on a computer screen. I saw that the Jinhao was having some hard starts, but it was difficult to be sure. With a deeper color your findings would have been more easily discerned. Also, in my own examples of Kaigelu 316A pens, the nibs seem to paint very wide (excessive) lines relative to the nib width; both fine and medium nibs.

Enjoyed the head to head comparison, Garry. Great video. If Jinhao had that green resin, it would be the best of both worlds.

wow, great comparison, thanks for sharing Garry

Great video. These pens were meant to have a showdown, thanks!

Light coloured pens are aggravating. People who appreciate aesthetics usually respond very positively to Kaigelu colour combinations. My Kaigelus have a threaded converter so they stay in place. I have given these two pens as gifts so I can't check whether I have an earlier version of the pen.

Excellent comparison. For me, the Jinhao 100 performs better with any ink.

I don’t have a Kaigelu 316a, but my Jinhao 100 Centennial hard-starts every single time. And I had to polish the nib to reduce the scratchiness enough to write. Not something I expected in an M nib. I’m not happy with it. No way I could use it to take notes because it would keep hard-starting, as if it had dried out for days. The ink in it should not cause issues: Waterman Auspicious Red.

If I were watching this on public access television, I would've written you an angry letter about the "g" in "Weights" overlapping with the "M" in "Measures"

Hi, Gary. Great review on these 2 fountain pens, as always....Keep them coming. I recently purchased a Kaigelu 316a in brown. Awesome look. It does stand out amongst my Jinhao pens. But I have encountered a similar problem with the converter. When I tried to ink it up, converter failed to suck up the ink. I made sure the ink bottle was full of ink. I thought the converter was not inserted properly but it still did not pull any ink through the nib after a couple of tries, pushing it harder. I resorted to filing up the converter directly, instead of through the nib. And it does seem to work. I think you are right about the converter. I might swap it with a Jinhao converter and see how that goes. The pen is very wet and very smooth too. It is perfect as a signing pen for special occasions.

Nice comparison (apples to apples), Garry! Looks to be that Jinhao is the better value . Have you tried a converter swap? IE: Jinhao in the Kaigelu -- I think they are both "Chinese standard international" converters.BTW the weights and measures section, in my opinion, provides just the right information...there is no need for ultra-precise measurements. Great job with these videos. 😄

The broader cap band covering the end of the barrel wins the battle. Although they are both nice.

A very, very helpful review. the staining is probably a deal-killer for me, but I love the Jihhao quality! I have had so much success with the Jinhao 100 Centennial. I have given them away as gifts too, and each recipient has raved about them. I have had good luck with some Kaigelu 316 and 316a; however, I do not remember if I had that same converter. I would love to know how the Kaigelu performed if you try it with the Jinhao converter. It should fit. You would then know if the converter was the difference in performance (which I too suspect it is). Great job!

Heya Garry! I also have a KAIGELU 316a (m nib). However I've had no issues with flow, and I have had no issues with the converter falling out of it's spot. I honestly suspect that You have a DUD. P.S. I would love to see You use a proper slide caliper for Your "rules of measuring." And I also would love to see You use a higher sensitivity scale for Your "scales of weighing." These 2 additions would add sone excellence to Your devoted viewer's.

Have you seen the jinhao centennial 100 in the cream and brown color sold anywhere? It looks a bit like a latte. I've been looking everywhere and aliexpress is never in stock

I have leaned towards the 316a. However I just bought a 100 Skeleton and will reconsider my own thoughts on 316a. I am sorry that you had such a problem with the 316a. Mine has worked well.

Hey, which of these pens have a gold-plated nib?

Disappointed in the performance of the Kaigelu since I’ve heard great things about it over on the r/fp community. I have one in my AliExpress cart but now I’m reconsidering. Di you own the 356?

Hi Garry, thank you for the great comparison video. Are the nib units interchangeable between the Jinhao 100 and Kaigelu 316a? Thanks!