Poll: Your Favorite Fountain Pen Nib

10/31/2013

When it’s time to buy a new pen, which nib do you fancy most?

Posted in Fountain Pens | Tagged fountain pen poll, Fountain Pens |

23 comments

My vote was “in general” because I like different nibs for different purposes. Therefore I enjoy a variety.

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by Jeanne 10/31/2013 at 9:51 am

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- I’m so surprised to see how popular the Extra Fine nib size is!! NEVER would’ve guessed!
  
  *In the poll I would have LIKED to have said my favorite nib is the Italic CURSIVE Broad (sort of between formal (crisp) Italic Broad and Stub).
  
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  by bopdoc 11/03/2013 at 7:13 am
  
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  - That surprised me, too. I thought fine or medium would top the list. It does show that manufacturers are missing out when they offer only a medium nib. I’ve passed on a lot of pens over the years, formerly because they weren’t narrow enough and more recently because they aren’t wide enough. A medium nib just begs to be modified, but then there is the loss of tipping material that accompanies giving such a nib some character. I do wish more pens came with non-round nibs. It certainly improves the handwriting of most people once they get accustomed it.
    
    The nibs listed in the poll are of the most common, off-the-shelf variety. Do you have yours modified to meet your criteria?
    
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    by inkophile 11/03/2013 at 9:19 am
    
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    - Almost always! Occasionaly I’ll leave a nib unmodified if it’s an exceptional or characterful B or M. I personally have no use for finer nibs, unless I’m doing Copperplate in which case they’re pointed flexible nibs in oblique dip penholders.
      Another exception would be something like a vintage wet noodle or a Mottishaw type of superflex modification.
      
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      by bopdoc 11/03/2013 at 9:35 am
      
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      - Ah, a Mottishaw nib. I can only imagine…
        
        A B nib with character would be lovely if hard to find. The only one I own is a MB 220 OB which is more accurately an italic. The pen itself is garbage, but the nib is outstanding. All of my other characterful nibs were modified. Who made the stock nib that meets your criteria?
        
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             by inkophile 11/03/2013 at 9:51 am
        
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        I’ve got quite a few pens with plain Broad nibs that would qualify – off the top of my head, some great ones are:
        Kaweco Dia 2
        Stipula VEDO
        Omas MoMA
        Pelikan M800 Souveran
        
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             by bopdoc 11/03/2013 at 2:08 pm
        
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        Thanks for the list. I had an ink spewing Vedo years ago. The nib might have been nice, but I couldn’t control the flow. Good to know about the other three. 🙂
        
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             by inkophile 11/03/2013 at 3:15 pm
        
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I voted stub since OBB wasn’t an option.

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by Beth Treadway 10/31/2013 at 10:19 am

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- Should I have included OBB? Yummy nib size. Who offers it besides MB and Pelikan?
  
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  by inkophile 10/31/2013 at 11:43 am
  
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  - Pelikan just discontinued (I’m hoarding mine) so looks like MB is my only hope these days. CS IB, Delta stub or Visconti 1.3 are my alternates
    
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    by Beth 10/31/2013 at 12:04 pm
    
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    - That’s disappointing news. I have an M600 with a fine nib I’d like to swap for at least an OB. Is that size discontinued, too?
      
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      by inkophile 10/31/2013 at 12:40 pm
      
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      - I don’t know if Chatpak is still swapping until their stock is gone. Regina Martini & Printhardcopy are now selling the nibs individually.
        
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             by Beth Treadway 10/31/2013 at 2:22 pm
        
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        Good tip. I’ll contact Chartpak and see what can be done. Thanks.
        
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             by inkophile 10/31/2013 at 4:44 pm
        
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        Well, that was a surprise. I haven’t used the M600 in years. In fact it’s probably been filled a grand total of twice since I acquired it. Before contacting ChartPak, I decided to give it a test. The fine nib is quite wet, but not overly so. It performs very well with Waterman Florida Blue and is effortless to use. While I would like a wider nib, it is tempting to keep this one as is due to the ease of use. Very tempting…
        
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             by inkophile 11/01/2013 at 2:08 pm
        
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I would vote if I knew the answer. It depends so much on the pen…

Thanks for the hard work of blogging regularly.

BT

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by brunotaut 10/31/2013 at 10:49 am

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- You are most welcome.
  
  Part of what I wanted to find out is whether a medium nib is a favored size. Some pens only come in medium and to be sure not all mediums are created equal. Flow is important, too. We shall see how the poll turns out.
  
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  by inkophile 10/31/2013 at 11:49 am
  
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  - Interesting, and a good try.
    
    However, I wonder how significant the sample who voted was with respect to the total of people who might buy a fountain pen. We are, you know this very well, die-hard stylophiles and our knowledge about pens is well above the average. Who would choose an OBB nib without having tried many other points before?
    
    Cheers,
    
    BT
    
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    by brunotaut 11/03/2013 at 5:44 am
    
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    - There are a few neophytes in the crowd, so the poll might not be skewed too much to be believable. But I agree that an OBB nib is for an experienced user. After more than ten years of fountain pen use, an OBB is still daunting. Fun though. 🙂
      
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      by inkophile 11/03/2013 at 9:06 am
      
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      - The problem is how few of us ever get to try one. So long as F & M is all the bean counters push, that’s all people know exist. A self-defeating loop if I ever saw one.
        
        If no one advertises availability, how do people know to ask?!
        
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        by Beth Treadway 11/03/2013 at 2:08 pm
        
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        You would think they could sell more pens if they offered better nib options. Sometimes I think the manufacturers miss the point and think purchasing a fountain pen is about the appearance only. Not true for aficionados, but they are playing to the masses or at least they think they are.
        
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        by inkophile 11/03/2013 at 3:13 pm
        
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I can’t decide! It really depends on the pen, my mood, and what look I want to achieve.

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by La Plume Etoile 10/31/2013 at 11:12 am

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It really depends on the model I am buying. In the poll I said italic as I have two Binder custom CIs in use at the moment and they are just superb.

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by justdaveyb 10/31/2013 at 1:25 pm

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[…] fountain pen nib poll results were not what I expected. Unscientific to be sure, but manufacturers should take note. […]

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by Fountain Pen Nib Poll Results Are In | An Inkophile's Blog 11/05/2013 at 9:43 am

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