Being entirely inexperienced with italic or even stub nibs, I was wondering if it could be said that italic nibs generally slow down one's speed of writing. Will writing with an italic nib be less efficient word count-over-time wise than writing with, say, a round or stub nib with similar ink flow? Leading on from that, does it take a broad italic nib to match the writing speed and flow of a medium round nib?

Cheers in advance for any input!

A stub italic, if made correctly, should allow you to write at, or very near, your normal speed the first time you pick it up. A cursive italic will require a little more practice, but that's usually all it takes to crank your speed up to normal.

I can second that. I have one or Richard's 0.6 mm stubs on a Pelikan that is as easy to write with as any "normal" nib -- indeed it is smoother than most -- and produces far more character in my scrawl. (no affiliation just a happy customer).

Tom

Ditto, I have a .8 stub on my Pelikan that Richard did... I found it a lot easier for everday writing than the cursive italic I originally had....

Speaking as one who has naturally poor penmanship, I like the way a crisp italic nib slows me down. I take the time to draw my letters and focus on the product on paper, whether printed or cursive italic. In the end, I come out with nice, legible handwriting.

But, alas!, reality does impede my desire for a perfect pen hand. I do use stub italic nibs for rapid writing when the occasion demands. My speed is good, and the product on paper is still legible. And writing by hand is still a ot of fun.

Richard makes stub and italic write like a breeze with minimal learning curve.

I am too chicken for a crisp italic but I am a happy camper, oh I should say my right hand is a happy camper of Ricahrd's 0.6mm stub and 0.7mm cursive italic.

I did not notice slowing down in my spped. But then maybe I am not a fast writer to begin with even though I consider my writing legible and fast.

Oh, I have a bad habit :
I tend to roll my wrist across the page before moving my arm. Richard was able to cater this bad habit of mine with his nib customization.

I'll chime in on Richard's stubs - fast writing speed is not a problem, even for someone with as messed up a style as this lefty! If you're just getting into specialty nibs, start with a stub, IMHO.

I've not yet mastered the art of writing comfortably "under pressure" (e.g. when I need to copy down something fast when someone is waiting on me, as when taking phone messages) with a cursive italic. For normal, unhurried writing it's no problem, and it's more enjoyable to take the time to make my writing stand out a bit more.

I have had no issues with writing speed and stubs. I'm not sure if I could tell one apart from an unmodified nib blindfolded.

Stephen

I just in the past two weeks received a cursive italic and a stub italic from Richard. Both are magnificent and my writing speed has been little, if at all, affected, though the cursive did, as someone else already noted, take a tad of practice - but for me, this entailed little more than a few sentences.