I'm getting my first fountain pen and found a place that has the Pelikan M215 for only $70. However they only come with a fine nib and I've been thinking I should get a medium. Perhaps since this is my first fountain pen it should not matter since my only reference to go by is the fact that I've always preferred medium in ball points. So is there any comparison between a medium nib and ballpoint. Should I be ok with fine nib.

This is stolen from Mr Binder's site:

http://www.richardspens.com/images/site/ex...trokewidths.pdf

Different manufacturer's treat their nibs differently though. My Kultur M for example is about the M size on the chart, but my Esprit M is about an F size on the chart, and Japanese nibs like the one on my Pilot run even finer, it's an F that writes closer to an XF.

Just a rough guide I guess

Tomallyn,

If I am not mistaken, Chartpak will exchange your nib to one of your preferred size within one month of purchase. This is a no cost service for Pelikans, and the turnaround is about 10 days.

It is OK if your pen was previously inked, so try out the nib first. There are variations from nib to nib, so the nib supplied may be perfect for you.

Here is link.... http://www.chartpak.com/


Good luck and enjoy!

Mike

A Pelikan fine nib will write a line about 0.6 mm wide or wider (depending on the paper), about the same as typical gel or ball pens which are 0.5 or 0.7 mm in width. A fine nib is my preferred width in European nibs. I find a Pelikan medium just a little too broad for my small handwriting.

Cheers.