Nib feel preference

[wimg]

Hi Arnav,

 

I think that what you mean is springiness. And yes, there are more brands that have springy nibs. Generally you'll find that bigger nibs are more springy than smaller nibs, so that is number 1 to be on the look-out for. Of course it depends a lot on the brand of pen too. I can really only speak for modern nibs, though.

 

Waterman makes rather nail like nibs these days, so I wouldn't be looking there, as do Rotring and Faber Castell.

 

Omas is said to have rather springy nibs, but personally, I don't particularly fancy them, and I find them rather nail like.

 

Of course it had to happen, because we now automatically get to my favourite brand: Stipula. I am of the opinion that the large Stipula nibs, which you can find in the Duettos, the Novecentos, the Etrurias and a few other models too, have nibs with a springiness second to none. The feedback they give makes you just want to keep on writing with these pens all the time . And on top of that, in most models you have a choice of 10 nib types (not many other pen companies can say this ). EF, F, M, B, 52 degree (a super smooth BB or 3B nib), OB, OBB (both O nibs are fairly highly angled left footed obliques, nothing like the Pels, so a bit harder to write with), and then of course their fabulously fantastic 0.9, 1.1 and 1.3 italics (often called stubs, but they really are italics for their line variance).

 

If you do get a chance, do yourself a favour and try one out. Your life won't be the same anymore .

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

[Arnav]

Thanks, Wim,

 

There's strong springiness -- such as on my flexible Canadian Parker -- and then there's soft, gentle, springiness -- like on a flexible Onoto. To control the strong springiness I have to grip the pen harder and push back a bit. It's the soft springiness (but not "mush"!) that gives me the best sensation of "contact".

 

-Arnav

[wimg]

Hi Arnav,

 

As I am the lucky owner of a few flexible Onotos, I can compare, and as a result I would recommend trying out a Stip or two, three. They are not flex nibs, but have yummmm springiness.

 

Warm regards, Wim

[TheNobleSavage]

It has to be ultra smooth!!! There is no other way!! If it is a bit toothy, then I will smooth them out with my Mylar sheets to get it as smooth as humanly possible!!

 

TNS

[Arnav]

Thanks for the information, Wim. Lovely as the Stipulas are, they're far beyond my budget.

 

-Arnav

[TheNobleSavage]

I had to look at Wimg answer and laugh!! Waterman nibs are like nails and I dont fancy OMAS, BUT STIPULAS ARE WAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR!!! Wimg you are a salesman for Stipula, I know secretly you are being paid by Stipula!!!!!! HEhe he heh eh ehn Im just playing with ya, Wimg!!! Hell, I counted my Stipula pens and I am up to 12 of them. Good Grief, I am almost like you!!!!

YES YES, stipula nibs do have a bit of spring to them but if you are looking for spring then the DaniTrio Flexy nibs are what you are looking for. They have a lot of spring to them and it feels like spongy shocks on a car. It is easy on the hand and a pleasure to write with. you might want to look into them, Ask Winedoc he is one of the larger DaniTrio sellers around and a member of our fountain pen community

 

TNS

[JRodriguez]

I consider myself very much a fountain pen user, and I have a lot of different uses for them. I picked "Shy, like a dry finger across textured paper" because when I write for myself, I like the feel of a bit of texture because it forces me to slow down so that my handwriting is nice and legible. I actually have very nice handwriting when I can't write fast, but for some reason when I can write super fast, like with a ballpoint (I haven't written with one of these in years) or a Sailor, I just can't slow down, and my writing gets less and less legible. So, when I grade my student paper - I use my buttery Omas or Sailor Pro - I not only get to grade faster but I give my students a nice decoding game to brighten their day. For notetaking, like when I do interviews, I like something in between - it doesn't need to be pretty, but easily legible for me so that I can type up my notes quickly if needs be. I also agree with the comments about smoothness not being everything. I think its quite interesting to see that distinction be so widely sought after and used as a measure of a pens quality. I'm not saying this isn't an important measure of quality - lots of folks really seem to dig on that frictionless glide - but it certainly isn't universally desirable - at least based on my experience.

[kissing]

i like smooth, but i dont think i would like "ultra smooth".

 

I want to have at least some of the sensation that i'm actually "writing", if you know what i mean

 

Too much smooth (ultra) would feel a li'l uncomfortable for me

[BruceW]

I used to prefer butter-smooth, but now like a shade or two off of that which gives a little feedback. That also provides some control so that my penmanship looks better.

 

My wife prefers a good bit of tooth and an XF, though XF by its nature provides a good bit of drag even if rather smooth.

 

That said, while I can write and enjoy a stiff nib, writing becomes a tactile joy when writing with a soft springy or a truly flexible nib. I do get annoyed at the vintage nibs which are advertised as "flexible" yet are barely semi-flex (some Pelikan, Parker, warranted or other nibs). Not to say that I dislike Pelikan, nor that I don't have a truly flexible warranted nib (since they come from various unknown makers).

[Tara]

My smoothest, wettest writer is my Bexley Sheherazade with a bold nib.

 

It has a sweet spot and if you stay on that; it's like buttah. If you get a little wild in your writing and get off that sweet spot, you'll find a bit of tooth.

 

My #2 for smooth and wet is my Stipula Etruda Nuda with a fine nib. I'm waiting on a medium nib and trying to talk myself out of this fine. But it's sooooo smooth. I just love this pen. It's currently my favorite.

 

My Pelikan 800s are pretty smooth, but the Bexley and the Stipula are smoother.

 

I've got several other pens that have toothier nibs and I get them smoothed out every time I get to a nib-meister.

 

Can anyone tell me where to get those mylar sheets for smoothing?

[kkhon]

My "nib mantra" would be...

 

Smooth, Soft, Springy, Succulent!

 

 

Cheers,

K.K. Hon

[smudgy]

i like smooth, but i dont think i would like "ultra smooth".

 

I want to have at least some of the sensation that i'm actually "writing", if you know what i mean

 

Exactly what I like, too. I really like my Signum, which feels like writing on velvet. I like my Stipula, but I think it falls into the "too smooth" category.

[KendallJ]

"too smooth". No such thing. I'm with Richard on this one. "Tooth" is something one only needs on Smudgy's avatar.

[smudgy]

"Tooth" is something one only needs on Smudgy's avatar.

 

um, yeah... maybe I should think about changing that, huh? It was only supposed to be for Halloween!

 

I'm not advocating tooth, just that it should have a little feeling to it. I can't really describe what I mean, I guess. I like the Estie nibs I have from you, and the Signum, and my Binderized nib. And those are all super smooth, yet still feel like a FP. But the Stipula? There's something about it... Well, I should stop there or Wim will get me.

[tonyv]

I'm somewhere between smooth and ultra smooth, closer to ultra-smooth, so I voted accordingly. I do like a little tooth when it comes to certain pens that have that peculiarity...like my Aurora.

[Dawn]

Ultra Smooth like Buttah

[Sciopod]

For me it depends on the width and wettness of the nib. Medium and fine nibs - the smoother the better. Broad, wet nibs make me feel a bit uncomfortable if they are completely smooth. Difficult to put my finger on why, but I guess a butter smooth broad wet nib makes me feel a bit "sickly" - like I'm eating too much chocolate! Weird or what?