Pilot Falcon And Justus Nibs Vs Custom 74 Soft Nib

[Zanshin]

I've been looking at the metal Falcon and the Justus, trying to decide between the two. I'm aware that the Falcon nib is considered soft rather than semi-flex, but is it more or less springy than the Justus in its soft mode and how do they compare with other Pilot nibs? I have a custom 74 with an SM nib and a Custom Heritage 91 with an SFM nib. Does anyone know if the Falcon or Justus nibs are any more soft or springy than those?

Edited February 5, 2014 by Zanshin

[azrunner]

I've had questions along these same lines. I have a Justus and wonder if the addition of a Falcon to my collection would be redundant in regards to the writing experience. I also wonder if a Custom Heritage 92 with a FA nib would write similar to a Falcon. The idea of being able to use a Con-70 converter in a resin pen is appealing.

[rollerboy]

I have a 912 FA, a Falcon SF, a 91 SF and a 91 SFM. I do not have a Justus.

 

Here's my take on the nibs I do have. Note this is from the standpoint of someone who doesn't practice Spencerian so I can't speak to how they perform when pushed, only to how they perform when writing "normally".

 

912 FA:

The softest and most flexible of the nibs discussed here. I do get a bit of subtle flex flair with my regular handwriting. Personally, I don't like it for everyday use though. It's mushy feeling and the line at it's narrowest is wider than I want from a Japanese fine. I think the initial give of the nib is a little *too* easy and it's too slow to spring back. As a consequence as soon as I put it to paper I'm writing a fine-medium or medium line.

 

Falcon SF:

This one is the springiest feeling of the bunch. I like it but with my usage I don't get any line variation. It just has an interesting springy feeling.

 

91 SF and SFM:

Under my regular writing pressure these have some initial give as the nib makes contact with the paper and then the nib firms up. I get a (very) subtle line variation and the feel of that little softness is pleasant, yet the nibs have the practicality of a firm nib for everyday use. Among the nibs discussed here these are my favourites.

[azrunner]

Thanks for the input. I think 912 with a SFM nib might be the way I'll go to be able to take advantage of the larger CON-70 filler.

[Zanshin]

I've had questions along these same lines. I have a Justus and wonder if the addition of a Falcon to my collection would be redundant in regards to the writing experience. I also wonder if a Custom Heritage 92 with a FA nib would write similar to a Falcon. The idea of being able to use a Con-70 converter in a resin pen is appealing.

How do you find the Justus? It appeals to the gadget lover in me in the reviews I've seen there doesn't seem to be a great difference between the degree of flexibility offered at the two ends of the adjustment range. I can imagine I would end up just using on the soft setting, defeating the whole purpose of it.

[Zanshin]

I have a 912 FA, a Falcon SF, a 91 SF and a 91 SFM. I do not have a Justus.

 

Here's my take on the nibs I do have. Note this is from the standpoint of someone who doesn't practice Spencerian so I can't speak to how they perform when pushed, only to how they perform when writing "normally".

 

912 FA:

The softest and most flexible of the nibs discussed here. I do get a bit of subtle flex flair with my regular handwriting. Personally, I don't like it for everyday use though. It's mushy feeling and the line at it's narrowest is wider than I want from a Japanese fine. I think the initial give of the nib is a little *too* easy and it's too slow to spring back. As a consequence as soon as I put it to paper I'm writing a fine-medium or medium line.

 

Falcon SF:

This one is the springiest feeling of the bunch. I like it but with my usage I don't get any line variation. It just has an interesting springy feeling.

 

91 SF and SFM:

Under my regular writing pressure these have some initial give as the nib makes contact with the paper and then the nib firms up. I get a (very) subtle line variation and the feel of that little softness is pleasant, yet the nibs have the practicality of a firm nib for everyday use. Among the nibs discussed here these are my favourites.

 

That's interesting, it sounds as though the Falcon is the stiffest of them all, not quite what I was expecting.

[donwinn]

I have a resin Falcon, and a Custom 742 with FA nib. The Falcon, which originally had a SM nib, turned into a great flex pen after Mike Masuyama at Mike it Work (not affiliated) turned the nib into an XF. Now it writes almost like the Custom 742. The 742 is very similar to a vintage flex, according to my friend who refuses to purchase a pen made after 1940, after he wrote with the 742. The Falcon is slightly stiffer (springier) than the 742 FA, and could be more easily used as a daily writer.

[azrunner]

How do you find the Justus? It appeals to the gadget lover in me in the reviews I've seen there doesn't seem to be a great difference between the degree of flexibility offered at the two ends of the adjustment range. I can imagine I would end up just using on the soft setting, defeating the whole purpose of it.

I notice a significant difference between the soft and hard settings on the Justus. The soft setting produces a wetter line with some variability in width. There might be a bit more flex with the soft nib as well. The soft setting feels more expressiv. I use the hard setting when I need to write in smaller letters.

[azrunner]

I have a resin Falcon, and a Custom 742 with FA nib. The Falcon, which originally had a SM nib, turned into a great flex pen after Mike Masuyama at Mike it Work (not affiliated) turned the nib into an XF. Now it writes almost like the Custom 742. The 742 is very similar to a vintage flex, according to my friend who refuses to purchase a pen made after 1940, after he wrote with the 742. The Falcon is slightly stiffer (springier) than the 742 FA, and could be more easily used as a daily writer.

I'm considering a Pilot Custom 912 with an FA nib but I read somewhere that the feed might have some difficulty keeping up with the flow. Any experience with that issue?

[donwinn]

Some difficulty. . . if I try speedwriting with it, it sometimes railroad tracks on me. With flex pens, I write slowly anyway, to get the expressiveness in. If I want to write quickly, I use a different pen. Current carries are a Noodler's ebonite Konrad and a Pilot Tow. The Konrad is what vintage buffs would call semi-flex, but it works fine for speed writing if I do not press too hard. The Pilot Falcon & Custom 742 with FA nib flex too easily for speed writing.

[Calabria]

Just wondering - are there any reviews of the Pilot 912 XF nib out there? I'm looking for a very fine nib along the lines of Sailor XF – Thanks!

[Icywolfe]

Just wondering - are there any reviews of the Pilot 912 XF nib out there? I'm looking for a very fine nib along the lines of Sailor XF Thanks!

Nice bump.

 

Also the PO nib might be finer than the EF nib on the Pilot.

[cursivator]

The PO is indeed finer. And GREAT!

[Dronak]

How do you find the Justus? It appeals to the gadget lover in me in the reviews I've seen there doesn't seem to be a great difference between the degree of flexibility offered at the two ends of the adjustment range. I can imagine I would end up just using on the soft setting, defeating the whole purpose of it.

 

I realize this is an older thread, but since it was bumped up recently, I just saw it and thought I'd comment. The only pen I have from the original post's list is the Justus 95, and I have a FM nib. In my experience, there is a noticeable difference in the writing when using the full hard and full soft settings. At settings in between, it seems harder to tell the difference. I'm not sure how different the feeling is between hard and soft, but maybe I just don't have quite enough experience with softer/springier nibs to really feel it here. Writing like I normally do, using the hard setting tends to result in somewhat finer/drier lines and I seem to get a bit more variation in line width. On the full soft setting, the lines are a bit wider/wetter and of more consistent width. I think there is some variation on the soft setting, too, but without specifically trying to get it, it's less noticeable to me. So while this probably isn't fully accurate, I almost think of the hard setting as giving me fine nib results and the soft setting as giving me medium nib results. I tend to use the hard setting more often, because the line width variations are more visible to me there in my normal writing, and the ink seems to last longer since it tends to put less down on the paper with each stroke. I hope this is of some help.

[Icywolfe]

 

I realize this is an older thread, but since it was bumped up recently, I just saw it and thought I'd comment. The only pen I have from the original post's list is the Justus 95, and I have a FM nib. In my experience, there is a noticeable difference in the writing when using the full hard and full soft settings. At settings in between, it seems harder to tell the difference. I'm not sure how different the feeling is between hard and soft, but maybe I just don't have quite enough experience with softer/springier nibs to really feel it here. Writing like I normally do, using the hard setting tends to result in somewhat finer/drier lines and I seem to get a bit more variation in line width. On the full soft setting, the lines are a bit wider/wetter and of more consistent width. I think there is some variation on the soft setting, too, but without specifically trying to get it, it's less noticeable to me. So while this probably isn't fully accurate, I almost think of the hard setting as giving me fine nib results and the soft setting as giving me medium nib results. I tend to use the hard setting more often, because the line width variations are more visible to me there in my normal writing, and the ink seems to last longer since it tends to put less down on the paper with each stroke. I hope this is of some help.

There is more of a difference in SF J95.

 

You are right on: Hard is drier than soft.