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Pilot: Po Nib Or Ef Nib


Kevan

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Yes, yes, I know. This again.

 

And yes, I've read the reviews on the blogs. I've read several threads here. Thing is, I just can't make up my mind and the price difference is still going to be around $80, I need to decide if the PO nib is worth the extra outlay. I know that the line it draws is similar to the EF, but the thing that's got me is that you can write very small with it (seeing just how small blew me away!). And neatly. I need to know if it's reasonably smooth with cursive, since that's my typical writing style, though I do write in caps sometimes.

 

I also tend to tilt the nib slightly to the left as I write, and I read the PO nib has a small sweet spot. So would that be an issue? Stubs and Italics do too, but I get around that, so I'm wondering if it'll even matter.

 

Anyway, what's prompted this is that I'm journaling more than I ever have before, and I also recently acquired a Hobonichi techo planner, and the English edition comes in only the tiny (for me) 4x6 size. I've tested my Elite 95S Fine on it, my Pilot 78G F, and my Monteverde Prima F, the finest nibs I own, and I forsee the need for a smaller line size. It'll make things easier. And writing notes on the small Rhodia pads will be easier too.

 

I love Pilot for many of the same reasons members here love Pilot, and the E95S was my first gold nib...and it was bliss. With a birthday coming up soon, I want another 14K nib. I always told myself it would be a Falcon or a "soft" fine, but to be truthful, stubs are satisfying my line variation curiosities for now. So I want an EF (mediums and broads don't suit my writing, so the majority of my usage is with fines).

 

The Custom Heritage 91 comes with an EF and the 912 comes with the PO nib option. I don't mind paying more for a unique nib if it's going to be a nice writer, and the reviews of the PO have me genuinely curious. I just wish I could see more writing samples.

 

So....EF or PO? I'm not a super-fast writer if that makes a difference. I just want it to be thin, smooth, and neat for small spaces.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice. :)

 

 

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Pilot's 14k EF is squishy if you use any pressure; the default tight line will be as tight or tighter than you can get from the stock PO, but it will look inconsistent due to the squishiness putting down uneven amounts of ink. If you are very light-handed and consistent, it is not an issue.

 

PO stays pretty consistent with moderate pressure; that is its strength. It is not finer than the EF in my experience (I have a 743PO) and is not extremely angle sensitive, but it does not write extremely super incredifine unless I adjust it to do that, which I can do with an EF as well. I write in cursive English, print English, and Chinese with it and have no issues.

 

If you like the relative stiffness and line consistency of stainless steel nibs and want to be able to press a little without deforming the nib much, the PO is the right option. To me it is not too different from my Prera F/EF nibs, and probably a little more forgiving to pressing firmly.

 

I like the #5EF a lot, though my handwriting looks messy with it because of its variability. A good Prera nib will write like a PO (smoothness, line consistency, and size), which is no slight on the PO.

 

There's a gamble whenever dealing with fine and extra fine nibs, but a Capless EF can be pretty brilliant, and a nice compromise when wanting fine consistent lines with a little bit of gold squish.

Robert.

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My experience only -

1. I recently got the 912 with PO nib to use in a planner. I block print there and wanted a very precise nib to write small. It definately does this, and beautifully.

2. I find myself wanting to use very saturated, wet inks, for readability.

3. I find myself naturally writing very small, as "scratchiness" is less pronounced when writing small.

4. I've tried to write cursive with this pen, but it just seems less natural, and again I find myself writing in cursive much smaller than I normally would.

5. It writes about as scratchy as my one EF nib, but I think more precisely by a tad.

6. The PO nib is a beauty to look at, with that downward curve.

7. I'm not having issues with struggling to find a "sweet spot" on this nib - it's laying down ink equally when straight to the paper and when rotated around 45 degrees left or right.

8. I'll try to upload a writing sample tonight or tomorrow.

Diane

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Thanks for the replies. The PO nib seems to be what I'm looking for -- I'm sure I could get a cheap Pilot Penmanship with a steel EF nib, but if the PO nib allows precise, small writing, that might be the tipping point. And thanks for offering to show a writing sample, Diane...that will be really helpful.

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I just loaded up my 743 with Sailor Doyou and wrote a bit. The line thickness is comparable to my Prera F and doesn't really compare to the Penmanship nib in fineness. I could tighten the nib to starve ink flow and get it a bit finer, but I don't see much reason to. This is the first I've owned, though I tried another to see if mine was a bum nib, and the other wrote similarly. I do not think the PO is really for ultrafine writing, though it does that a little when flipped over. In my opinion it's to have a stable and consistent nib in gold that handles pressure well.

 

Actually the Penmanship EF in a Prera or 78G with Noodler's Black or X-Feather is quite awesome...one of the best combinations I've come across. The VP nibs can get pretty close in fineness though.

Robert.

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I've tried the 912 posting and ef nibs side by side. The posting nib is about 1mm finer and slightly toothier than the ef, and it might have been slightly more rigid as well. I prefer the ef nib although your mileage may vary. :)

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Had the pens handy so I scrawled this. Standard obligatory apologies for legibility.

http://i.imgur.com/rlVnICl.jpg

Robert.

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ef nib more dry than po nib?

In my case yep, because the softness of the #5 gold EF nib makes for a wetter line under a little pressure, so by default the tines are a bit tight. The PO can be tightened to starve ink flow more, but I have left it at a reasonably balanced setting given the relative lack of line variation.

Robert.

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Thanks for the replies. The PO nib seems to be what I'm looking for -- I'm sure I could get a cheap Pilot Penmanship with a steel EF nib, but if the PO nib allows precise, small writing, that might be the tipping point. And thanks for offering to show a writing sample, Diane...that will be really helpful.

PRECISION is almost "precisely" the definition of the PO nib.

The strongest point of the PO nib is that it has very controlled lines, that is, you can write small lines and since just the very tip of the nib hits the paper, it won't disburse ink to any other letters around it.

I'm at work currently, but I'm excited to post some comprehensive samples for you and show you what I mean by this.

 

This interests me so much because I posted an exact thread like this one a few months ago. I didn't know whether to get a PO or EF yet ended up getting both. Long story short, getting an EF was a BIG regret for me.

 

It's scary how similar our posts are:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/273102-help-heritage-912-ef-or-po-nib/?fromsearch=1

Edited by Kuhataparunks
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I'm somewhat the opposite. I am alright with my PO, but it doesn't really bring anything to the table other than a bigger/heavier pen with a big sexy nib that writes like a Prera F (which is no bad thing). The CH91EF is a nib I don't use enough, mostly because I get caught up in shading and haven't spent the time to really find my favorite ink from it, but it is very different from a Penmanship EF (which I also like when tuned properly; I buy Penmanships in threes just to find my favorite nib). All of the above are superior to my custom-ground nibs in smoothness.

 

I think the main question is whether you want a firm nib or a squishy one. A #15 will probably be much stiffer than a #5, and a PO will be stiffer than an EF. If you want a very uniform line even when writing with variable pressure, then you might not like the #5 EF so much. If you think the prospect of a squishy nib (obligatory "not flexible" statement because of absurd FP user confusion), the EF is cool, in my opinion. Beyond that, individual variation is going to be the greatest factor in your appreciation or disappointment of a given nib.

Robert.

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I didn't like the F nib because the nib was not soft, but just both tines moved a lot, making for very inconsistent lines. The HUGE upside to it, though, was when written upside down, it wrote the finest line imaginable. It wrote just thick enough to where the ink was visible. I did sell it, regrettedly, at a huge loss, somewhere close to 50%. Hopefully whoever bought it is enjoying it.

 

Here's a photo of the 912. For what it writes, its not smooth(honestly, no nib THIS thin can write as smooth as like a M nib. Physics deems it impossible.), but offers minimal friction, to be precise in description. As for the photo, sorry in don't have a photography studio like some of the bloggers here do :P

post-115039-0-03074600-1413868200_thumb.jpg

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I do like the squishy feeling of a 14k nib in most cases. I only own one (and I love it), and I've written with one other, and both times it's like writing on a slight cushion. But I do like the firmness a steel nib provides as well. The 78G "F" is an awesome writer with the right ink, and so is my Monteverde. As I said before, while I appreciate smooth, I need some feedback or it's like the pen is skating on ice (I tried an Edison stub on Apica Premium paper...my handwriting got out of control!)

 

I see a Penmanship in my future too. I didn't know about it prior to this thread. Or a Metropolitan, now that the 78G is discontinued.

 

Normally I like to keep my pens economical. The PO nib (which I will buy as a result of this thread, thanks all!) will be a birthday splurge. The only other pen over $100 I envision myself wanting is the Falcon EF, but that's down the line. Or a complete custom pen.

 

And yes, your scans help tremendously. Thank you!

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