First Dip In Gold Nibs

[Bo Bo Olson]

Semi-flex vintage Pelikan 140.

[Algester]

^This. While not all gold nibs are created equal (likewise for steel), the vast majority of my gold nibs feel more "cushioned" than the vast majority of my steel nibs.

 

As for my recommendation, I'll add another vote for the Pilot Custom 742 or Pilot Custom Heritage 912, depending on your shape preferences. Remember that as they're intended primarily for the Japanese market, these pens may write finer than you're used to. Western EF = Pilot F, western F = Pilot FM, Mediums are close enough to be comparable IME.

I dunno having owned a Lamy Medium nib and a Pilot SM they look the same including the F nib if I were to choose a gold nib I would say get soft nibs :3 some gold nibs do have spring (Lamy does have spring) but some gold nibs are notoriously hard... I'm looking at you sailor

Edited September 14, 2014 by Algester

[Icywolfe]

I dunno having owned a Lamy Medium nib and a Pilot SM they look the same including the F nib if I were to choose a gold nib I would say get soft nibs :3 some gold nibs do have spring (Lamy does have spring) but some gold nibs are notoriously hard... I'm looking at you sailor

So it is Platinum + Sailor is hard as nails?

 

Pilot is squishy?

 

(I never tried a Sailor they are too expensive.)

[Algester]

So it is Platinum + Sailor is hard as nails?

 

Pilot is squishy?

 

(I never tried a Sailor they are too expensive.)

Platinum has some squish... but they also have the soft version nibs for extra squish Sailor not so much the Pilot as well... probably a little squish I could say Platinum and Pilot has some squish with their nibs but not particularly excessive as the squish I get from a Lamy 2000 but the soft nibs... how thats some squish

and then BAM Pilot FA nib :X I personally haven't hold one but I think I'm imagining the "squish" on that nib if flex is actually called "squish"

my next FP to buy is a Platinum 3776 Century black with SF of course it has to be black else there's no SF for my sister if she passes her boards...

as I explain "squish: my Lamy 2000 goes from F-B while my SM goes from M-anorexic BB

Edited September 14, 2014 by Algester

[Icywolfe]

Platinum has some squish... but they also have the soft version nibs for extra squish Sailor not so much the Pilot as well... probably a little squish I could say Platinum and Pilot has some squish with their nibs but not particularly excessive as the squish I get from a Lamy 2000 but the soft nibs... how thats some squish

and then BAM Pilot FA nib :X I personally haven't hold one but I think I'm imagining the "squish" on that nib if flex is actually called "squish"

my next FP to buy is a Platinum 3776 Century black with SF of course it has to be black else there's no SF for my sister if she passes her boards...

as I explain "squish: my Lamy 2000 goes from F-B while my SM goes from M-anorexic BB

The limited Platinum gold nibbed pens I have..... only 1. The Wancher PTL5000 is hard as Pilot Crystal and that is a steel nib.

 

I somehow regret saying "squish." >.>

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Hmmm...

 

If one wants to see what a gold nib offers that a steel nib lacks, I suggest looking at pens that have soft or 'flex-ish' nibs.

 

I'm very taken with the Soft Fine-Medium of my Pilot Custom 74. (It appears in many of my Ink Reviews of Brown inks.) That experience has encouraged me to consider other soft nibs from the Japanese pen makers.

 

When one goes into the realm of older pens, many gold nibs were very firm, so one must rely on the Vendor to accurately describe a nib's properties, (and set-up the nib+feed and restore the pen.)

I do like the Eversharp Symphony and Skyline models with non-Manifold nibs.

Sheaffer open nibs from the mid-1900s can be a treat. Even though I've read that the FeatherTouch nibs are much the same as the Lifetime nibs, my preference (based on a very small sample size) is for the FeatherTouch № 5 nibs.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited September 15, 2014 by Sandy1

[Algester]

The limited Platinum gold nibbed pens I have..... only 1. The Wancher PTL5000 is hard as Pilot Crystal and that is a steel nib.

 

I somehow regret saying "squish." >.>

actually the design on the PTL-5000 has some squish you need to coax the nib but the nib will squish doc brown reviewed it's also stated by platinum the nib design was intended for squishy writing experience

Edited September 15, 2014 by Algester

[sharon888]

I got my first "affordable" gold nib pens quite a while ago, but have been happy with all three of them - Vanishing Point, Lamy 2000 and Sailor 1911m (I think now it's called the 1911 Standard). If I was going to get my first gold nib pens today those would all still be on my list. Also, I would look at the Platinum 3776 that many people have mentioned. It has a great price for a pen with a gold nib. I would also consider the Pilot Custom 74. Don't have either of those two, but they've been calling me...

 

Good luck!

[Bo Bo Olson]

Maybe this soft...squisshy is the springy nib of a Falcon or a modern MB...or even true regular flex...in many of the modern nibs are semi-nail instead of what they use to be....regular flex.

 

Go to the German Ebay, get a €12 Geha round topped black and gold school pen...got numbers on the barrel so it wouldn't be stolen in school.

Do not buy them on the US Ebay, where German Baltic Sea pirates charge $85.

 

For €19 if lucky, more than likely €30-35 a Geha 790 (the same size as a 400) in gold, a semi-flex...if you find one in steel buy it anyway. It's as good as it's gold nibs. I have three. I have a superb steel OB nib sitting in another pen. Geha an office supply company like Pelikan started making fountain pens in 1950, aimed at matching Pelikan....they did.

1990 when the Malaysian billionaire, bought up Pelikan the first thing he did was buy up and shut down the Geha pen division.

From '72 on Geha concentrated on the cheaper school pen....Pelikan at that time was not much better.

I don't have any of the '70-90 Geha school pens, in I was after semi-flex.

 

Pelikan 140's gold semi-flex have jumped in price from €50-70 to €70-90.

 

Why settle for squissy...or 'Springy' when you can have the real thing, a semi-flex.

I have some 26 semi-flex pens.

 

Check out the Com's classified section for semi-flex. Those pen have to be good, or the man ruins his hard earned name.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[Algester]

Maybe this soft...squisshy is the springy nib of a Falcon or a modern MB...or even true regular flex...in many of the modern nibs are semi-nail instead of what they use to be....regular flex.

 

Go to the German Ebay, get a €12 Geha round topped black and gold school pen...got numbers on the barrel so it wouldn't be stolen in school.

Do not buy them on the US Ebay, where German Baltic Sea pirates charge $85.

 

For €19 if lucky, more than likely €30-35 a Geha 790 (the same size as a 400) in gold, a semi-flex...if you find one in steel buy it anyway. It's as good as it's gold nibs. I have three. I have a superb steel OB nib sitting in another pen. Geha an office supply company like Pelikan started making fountain pens in 1950, aimed at matching Pelikan....they did.

1990 when the Malaysian billionaire, bought up Pelikan the first thing he did was buy up and shut down the Geha pen division.

From '72 on Geha concentrated on the cheaper school pen....Pelikan at that time was not much better.

I don't have any of the '70-90 Geha school pens, in I was after semi-flex.

 

Pelikan 140's gold semi-flex have jumped in price from €50-70 to €70-90.

 

Why settle for squissy...or 'Springy' when you can have the real thing, a semi-flex.

I have some 26 semi-flex pens.

 

Check out the Com's classified section for semi-flex. Those pen have to be good, or the man ruins his hard earned name.

or how bout modern flex with a Pilot Falcon nib on a Custom 743, Custom 742 and Custom Heritage 912 but thats probably above the price point of the OP an these are full flex nib but with a bad feed makeup of course it's got to do with Pilot's standard feed not keeping up but the soft nibs are indeed semi-flex at 90 USD depending on the exchange rate but hey JAPAN ONLY (as far as the black Custom 74, Custom 91 are concerned) (probably not the Platinum 3776 century)... unless some local entity can give you a special order for a fair price :X

the soft nibs are a sight to hold really I can't simply explain how they feel like

Edited September 15, 2014 by Algester

[Bo Bo Olson]

I really don't know Japanese pens....which is a true semi-flex, something to match a 140?

 

A Pilot Falcon nib (unless there is factory or an angle wing (Ahab) mod it is only soft/springy. Not worth wasting money on.

 

There are a lot of folks with both semi-flex and the basic Falcon nib that say they are not near to each other.

Those who grew up with modern semi-nail, thinking it was regular flex are most impressed with that nib.

 

Those that grew up with true regular flex or have a real semi-flex are not.

 

The soft...Falcon nib is brought up every two weeks....as something special....it is only special against a nail or semi-nail.

Yes, it is a bit more springy than a true regular flex which when mashed spreads it's tines 3 X a light down stroke. A Falcon when mashed only spreads it's tines 2 X a light down stroke....not the "softer/more flexible" semi-flex that spreads it's tines 3X a light down stroke.

 

If one is blind, sticks a finger in the ears....and refuses to buy an old used pen....then a Falcon is what you think you want.

It ain't a semi-flex.

 

Why waste time...the time it takes to say....this ain't a whole lot...then got to sell the new pen for a loss.

A question was made a few times....Why are there so many Falcons for sale?

Because they are not semi-flex!

 

Please read my signature.

Semi-flex may not be what you think it is....is what you need, to learn a lighter hand, have fun writing with and so on.

 

Having 26 semi-flex nibbed pens, would not take a Falcon as a gift that wouldn't end up on Pass it Forward.

[Icywolfe]

The Falcon nib might be the only closest to a semi flex.

 

Falcon nib is not the same as Pilot Falcon.

 

Also the Elabo is not useless as it's good for other forms of writing.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Icywolfe

[owend]

Platinum PTL-5000 - some flex, great value (£36/$50 at present)

Lamy Accent gold nib - agin some flex, great nib! - £125/$180 at present) - same design nib as your Lamy steel but much nicer!

[Icywolfe]

 

 

The soft...Falcon nib is brought up every two weeks....as something special....it is only special against a nail or semi-nail.

 

 

This is the falcon nib: #10

 

http://engeika.ocnk.biz/data/engeika/product/20130324_04e02d.jpg

 

 

This is the Falcon nib: #15

 

http://engeika.ocnk.biz/data/engeika/product/20130321_53f41c.jpg

 

 

They are rare to find in the US. And it's not a special modification from a nib mesiter.

 

 

-------------

 

This is what I feel so far for how much pressure is needed to flex. (Most pressure to least.) (From my experiences.) (The + or - sizes is in comparison to the Justus95 for max flex, but it's only a tiny difference.)

 

Noodler Creaper - -

Noodler's Ahab + + +

Namiki Falcon/Elabo +

Pilot Justus95 +/-

Edited September 15, 2014 by Icywolfe

[itsallkg]

I would say Lamy 2000 in a heartbeat, but it's really hit or miss because of nib quality-control issues. Try your luck! I'm happy I did.

[Algester]

The Falcon nib might be the only closest to a semi flex.

 

Falcon nib is not the same as Pilot Falcon.

 

Also the Elabo is not useless as it's good for other forms of writing.

and this is why it get's confusing eh... yes yes no one really knows about Pilots Falcon nib because Pilot USA has a pen named exactly like it which hasa different name in Japan just as the Vanishing Point is different in Japan... but at least Pilot didnt came up with a nib called vanishing point

Edited September 16, 2014 by Algester

[Icywolfe]

Well do call it the VP Nib unit but it goes on the fermo also. Also it goes on the new Pilot and another brand joint FP I think. Gotta love sharing the names. Oh yeah not all VP nib units fit all the VP clones from Pilot.

[Algester]

now Imagining how the capless nib would look on a Custom line body :X its really not pretty... but it would look like a Lamy 2000 at best...

[Downcelot]

With that amount of money, for modern pen options I'll probably get either Pilot 92 (with Soft nib), or 742/743 for the FA nib. You can have much better nib if you go and find vintage but there is a risk of getting something that probably needs some repairing or the pen size maybe a bit small. Plus, you do need to do some extra research to understand the "old" filling systems, the vintage pens, as well as their related issues.

 

If you do not mind searching, you can try to get a second hand Pilot 823, or Sailor Realo 1911. These two are also Great options

[Algester]

With that amount of money, for modern pen options I'll probably get either Pilot 92 (with Soft nib), or 742/743 for the FA nib. You can have much better nib if you go and find vintage but there is a risk of getting something that probably needs some repairing or the pen size maybe a bit small. Plus, you do need to do some extra research to understand the "old" filling systems, the vintage pens, as well as their related issues.

 

If you do not mind searching, you can try to get a second hand Pilot 823, or Sailor Realo 1911. These two are also Great options

but a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 doesnt have a soft nib... only the usual F,M,B... though indeed a Custom Heritage 91 will fit the bill on that one which I already stated on the first page