Does Steel/gold Nib Matter?

[hoipolloi]

Is it worth the step up?

[NedC]

I think it's worth stepping down to steel;) I have my last gold Pelikan nib an EF I paid a steep premium for on an m205 taupe I got from John Mottishaw, going up for sale soon as I can take some decent pics of it. I am much happier with the standard steel EF. I recently sold a lovely old style tortoise m400 with its gold nib too. The gold nibs in modern Pelikans are lovely and generally buttery smooth but also stiff and rather characterless, you are less likely to get a bad one than with the steel but the performance alone cannot justify the price premium.

 

BTW, one of the things I liked most about the medium 14K nib in my m400 was that it was cut more like a stub but I just discovered that the same was true for the steel broad nib in my m215, a newer pen than the m400 tortoise, late 2000s vs late 90s. I cannot say if the stubbish cut is still standard now but it was a nice surprise on both of those pens as was those nib's reversability, you get a very nice fine line, though not as fine as the EF when you flip them and write with the feed up.

 

The worst Pelikan nib I ever got was pretty bad, a steel medium that came on my green marble m200, scratchy, tines unevenly cut and off centre, misaligned and writing with a blobby inconsistent broken line, barely usable. I fixed it one day while I was bored rather than sending it back. It's now one of my favourites.

[DrCodfish]

I don't think it is so simple as an either/or. To begin with every nib can be a hit or a miss, an observation which offers no use to your question.I have a number of older gold nibs which are superbe, really hard to imagine anything being better. I have a couple vintage steel nibs which I would not trade for anything new.

 

I believe if you can find any of the older '250' version gold nibs (which will fit a wide variety of pel's - see this website http://www.richardspens.com/) I think you will be vey happy. likewise, I think the vintage steel nibs are better than the new models. But keep in mid, I am a data point of "1".

[PAKMAN]

Personally I love Pelikan gold nibs, lovely to look at and sweet writers.

[ac12]

The current gold looks nice to the eye, and might feel better to your soul.

But if you have a light hand like I do, they both feel the same to my hand, like a nail.

 

So...NO, not for me.

[GardenWeasel]

I've grown quite fond of steel nibs...especially those that are Binderized and the flow set at a 7 of 10. 😍

[donwinn]

I think it makes no difference unless all the tipping is removed from both. Either can be made to flex, or write like a nail, or write "semi-flex/springy). The tipping is what touches the paper and puts the ink on the paper, not the gold or steel nib. Basically, the nib is the carrier for the tipping, which does the actual work. My gold Pilot nibs are flex (Custom 742 FA & Namiki Falcon EF) but all the rest are steel. The only difference in how they write is that the gold nibs which I have flex, and the steel ones do not.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Modern fat blobby gold semi-nail nib is not the way to go. They are made that way for Ham Fisted nib bending cross over BP+RB users who don't have the three minutes to learn to hold a fountain pen.

 

The 200 is a nice springy regular flex. Made for folks that know how to hold a fountain pen.

 

The semi-vintage '80-97 400 or the '90's -200? Celebry nibs are a nice clean lined springy regular flex nibs, as good as the 200. I have the Celebry in both 14 K and steel and they are =.

 

For semi-flex and 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex gold nib the '50s-65 is where to look. They are stubbish, in the 'iridium' is flattish under the nib....not the American Bump under. The tad of flex helps give good line variation.

 

Suggest a 200 and a few nib widths....nibs costing @$25.

 

I've trans-mailed six 200 nibs to England....they impressed me.

Edited October 21, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[RLTodd]

I have had better luck with steel nibs over gold ones.
I prefer a stiff "manifold" nib as I can't do the flourish that the flex nibs are good for or feel comfortable with nib flex.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, those staneless steel nibs did not hold up well to the high acid ink.

Things have changed.

 

I think it now boils down to personal preference.

For me, I bypass the gold when there is a choice of modern a Stainless Steel nibs.

[penwriter]

To calm down my hot addiction a lot of fp from Pelikan have been coming into my fb collection.

Two of them have steel nibs, all other are fitted with gold nibs.

My experience: maybe it's possible to find a steel nib on a Pelikan writing as well as a gold nib. But to write allways in a fine and comfortable way nothing leads away from a gold nib of Pelikan!

Especially the gold nib of the M 1000 is one of the best nibs I ever had.

[Bo Bo Olson]

1000's nib is semi-flex IMO thought some just call it springy...and 18K which means it will stay bent if bent too much or too often. I prefer the safety of 14 C nibs in they don't stay bend as easy as 18K.

Do read Richard's article on how easy it is to spring a nib.....and read my signature please...for semi-flex.

 

There are vintage 18 C or K nibs that have remarkably good flex, with out the bend and stay bent factor of modern pens.

Some day I'll luck into one.....on a vintage pen.

 

I have some 26 semi-flex pens. Some like the Osmia have both gold and steel nibs.....(made by Degussa in this case...Degussa bought up Osmia's nib factory in 1932), and are =. I can not tell the difference.

 

I have Degussa nibs in regular flex and semi-flex and in Superflex. Rupp (another German nib maker) made nibs from @ 1922 to '70. Degussa stopped making nibs in '70. I have semi-flex, regular flex nibs from Bock in steel and gold. Both are good nibs.

 

 

It all depends on what the nib maker is ordered to make or if in house, what is in demand now. To prevent guarantee problems from ham fisted cross over Ball Point users....many companies have drifted away from even springy regular flex....to safer for the company semi-nail or nail nibs....which are much harder to bend into ruin.

 

Semi-flex is not much in demand now to make a nib with out Angle Wings.

 

A good steel nib can be as good as a good gold nib....if some one is going to pay a penny or two more to make the steel nib properly. In most have been led to want nail and semi-nail...that is what you get.

My Cross Townsend has a real butter smooth nail......sits in it's box....sign.

 

It depends on which era a steel nib is made, to if it is regular flex, or better or modern semi-nail in many companies, if not pure nail.

 

I've trans-mailed six 200's steel nibs, two were as good as the '50's 120's nibs. Four were as good as my '90's gold 400 nib, and as good as my Celebry nibs; one in gold and one in steel that are IMO =.

The 200's nibs have impressed me.

 

The '50-65 nibs unless marked D-daur/manifold are semi-flex or 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex....out side the rare Steno nib that is supposed to b superflex.

My late 30's 100N's gold nib is superflex.

 

The War CN nibs can be semi-flex or even 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex....my one, is regular springy regular flex....sigh.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Bo Bo Olson

[Runnin_Ute]

I haven't tried a Pelikan 14k nib as my only 14k right now is on a Parker 45 Flighter. But even that isn't even semi-flex I don't believe. Springy maybe. The steel EF on my 120 Merz & Krell is very nice however. Better than the nibs on my M150 and M205's.

[sargetalon]

I have 14C and 18C nibs that I love but also just as many, and probably more, steel nibs that I also love. I don't think that there is any foundation in the gold versus steel argument as far as modern nibs go. The steel nibs have a nice spring to them. Now vintage gold Pelikan nibs are a different story. I find these to be second to none and well worth the price.