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Which Is A Smoother Writer?


Adam.A

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Greetings

 

I was just wondering, which is a smoother writer with a Fine nib, the Al-star or the Pilot Metropolitan.

 

Thank you :)

 

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Metro will be finer, it's a japenese grind so probably you want to switch to a metro medium and regarding their smoothness, I'd say go for the pilot.

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Well a Metro fine will be finer then the al star. Comparing smoothness, in general I'd say pilot nibs have better quality control and write better out of the box. However I love my Lamys too and many have been great out of the box as well. It's hard to compare smoothness as so many variables go into that.

http://i.imgur.com/JkyEiJW.png

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Not a fair comparison. The Lamy F nib is actually an M. You should compare the XF nib from Lamy with the F nib from Pilot.

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Not a fair comparison. The Lamy F nib is actually an M. You should compare the XF nib from Lamy with the F nib from Pilot.

Well I am comparing the nib sizes, not so much the nib categories. So yeah, if that's the case.

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Why not get both? Join the club of overspenders :) we don't bite. Join the shaded side.

Well it's the first pen the I buy so I should stick with one first :). I tend to gravitate towards one pen anyway :D

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No a Lamy is not an M it is a Lamy Fine....can't help it if folks keep trying to make miss marked too 'skinny' for width Japanese nibs the 'standard'. Please read my signature.

 

If you print go for the Japanese nib which was designed for printing....if you write cursive go for the designed for cursive western nib. A fine Japanese poster stated that....sounds good to me.

 

IMO EF (skinnier than marked Japanese F) is too thin to use Shading inks with.....if you only use vivid supersaturated inks go skinny. If you like Shading, go normal western F.

 

:lticaptd: No one stays with one pen....nor one ink or paper. B)

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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I suggest you go to a pen shop and try them both out. What you buy may depend on the feel of the pen under your hand and the smoothness of the nib. If you want to repeat the performance of this test closely after you've bought it, check what ink they let you try with and use that, at least at first, and use good-quality paper.

 

Amd, finally, when you find a pen whose performance you like buy that one pen, as nibs will vary and you can't guarantee the same smoothness from another example of the same model.

Edited by PDW
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I have both pens in a couple of variations - the Lamy M would be my preference of the two as an overall writing instrument. I would say it is smoother in cursive action too... There's something about the Metro - weight / balance / ergonomics that makes me not enjoy writing with it (and I am a huge Pilot fan). If you can - see if you can buy from a place that has the pens in stock or have access to holding both units (there are people who are not fans of the Lamy grip).

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A smooth nib depends on many factors. Neither will be smooth with misaligned tines, baby-bottom nib, or a dry flow. The type of ink may also make a difference for your chosen pen. Even the paper may make a nib "feel" differently. You could read one hundred reviews on each pen and ultimately find the one you purchased has a nib that needs adjusting.

 

When you add in the fact that the pen girth, weight, length, balance, and section material, you may find that even the smooth nib does not make the pen an enjoyable writer.

 

Writing is a personal experience.

 

Both pens you reference are excellent pens that frequently earn praise and instant recommendation for starting fountain pens. If you have the opportunity to hold them both and try them out, you will feel much more confident in your purchase. If not, save the funds for both!

 

Buzz

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A smooth nib depends on many factors. Neither will be smooth with misaligned tines, baby-bottom nib, or a dry flow. The type of ink may also make a difference for your chosen pen. Even the paper may make a nib "feel" differently. You could read one hundred reviews on each pen and ultimately find the one you purchased has a nib that needs adjusting.

 

When you add in the fact that the pen girth, weight, length, balance, and section material, you may find that even the smooth nib does not make the pen an enjoyable writer.

 

Writing is a personal experience.

 

Both pens you reference are excellent pens that frequently earn praise and instant recommendation for starting fountain pens. If you have the opportunity to hold them both and try them out, you will feel much more confident in your purchase. If not, save the funds for both!

 

Buzz

Thank you for this post. Because I live in AUS its a little bit hard to find a good store with a lot of pen options. I will choose one and hope for the best :)

 

Thanks to all the replies. They were very helpful.

Edited by Adam.A
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Well a Metro fine will be finer then the al star. Comparing smoothness, in general I'd say pilot nibs have better quality control and write better out of the box. However I love my Lamys too and many have been great out of the box as well. It's hard to compare smoothness as so many variables go into that.

 

 

Definitely the Metro, but it has a really annoying step.

 

What they said!! I love Pilot, and the QC does tend to be better, but, between these two, I'd definitely go with the Lamy.

 

 

Well it's the first pen the I buy so I should stick with one first :). I tend to gravitate towards one pen anyway :D

 

(Ominous music playing) An innocent victim about to be sucked down the rabbit hole. :bunny01:

 

Only one pen? (he thinks)... :lticaptd:

Franklin-Christoph, Italix, and Pilot pens are the best!
Iroshizuku, Diamine, and Waterman inks are my favorites!

Apica, Rhodia, and Clairefontaine make great paper!

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I own both pens, and I'd say the Pilot M is finer than the Al-Star F. The Pilot is the considerably smoother of the two, but I enjoy writing with the Lamy now that I am used to the weird grip. Even the tooth to the nip just adds to the character and it is a pleasant pen write more elaborately with. Build wise I prefer the Pilot, which looks and feels classier.

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