I've been looking around and have been unable to find a comparison between a VP-F, VP-M and a VP-B all done on the same paper with the same ink. Does anyone know if this has been done and if so where? If not, is there anyone out there that would possibly be interested in performing this?


Not quite sure if this belongs in the reviews section or the general topics section.

Thanks much,

Jeremy

Hey Jeremy -

The VP is one of my favorite daily writers for quick notes when seeing patients. I have bought a half dozen of these puppies over the past year, and have found some variation in factory nib width. My current favorite is a VP with an out-of-the-box nib that was labeled Medium, but which writes like a wet Broad.

You can get reproducible and predictable line width in a VP nib purchased from Richard Binder. He sells the VP nib units, or the whole pen - with nibs custom ground to preset widths - in round, Cursive Italic and other shapes. It's not expensive. Mr. Binder has posted on his website writing samples of each width. You may find what you need there. www.richardspens.com.

I have both Medium and Fine, but they are out of rotation at the moment (replaced by Binder .5mm cursive italics in both cases). But I may ink them up over the weekend to conduct this test. If anyone else would like to try it (and if anyone would like to compare the results with their own pens) I suggest downloading FPNer Escribiente's nib width file from this post. Just print the file out on some nice, non-feathering paper (HP Premium #32).

Doug

P.S. I recall the M as being rather fine, and the three F's I've had as uniform in width, but very fine, more an EF. But I'll try running the tests and report back this weekend.

The whole thought pattern behind this topic is that I own two VP and they are far and away the work horse pens. And I know that everyone keeps on telling me that the Japanese nibs run finer than their European counterparts. The "problem" is that all of my pens are XF or F with the vast majority being XF. So my ability to compare with other nibs is slightly limited. The easy answer is to just sit down and order 2 more VP's with extra nibs in M and B as well as my standard F order. But my financial situation might not allow it (Something about paying back student loan money at a significant interest rate for a couple of decades)

"You can get reproducible and predictable line width in a VP nib purchased from Richard Binder"
OH how I look at that website with longing, but its slightly out of the price range right now. The nib source would probably be Pam Braun again (I think she might think that I have a fountain pen problem ).

"The VP is one of my favorite daily writers for quick notes when seeing patients."
Exactly what they are going to be used for, quick notes to myself and in charts when I am finally allowed to do so. Not that I'm counting down until "The Powers That Be" release us into the wards to begin the next step. . .

Thanks All,

Jeremy

If you are XF or F nibs person, VP M and B might be too wide. I have had two VPs with M nibs, but sold one and traded the other. The width difference between F and M is very big!!

Also, (from my own personal experience) the 18k nibs, seem to be softer and more "fragile" than the 14k and the steel nibs. I say this because the 18k nibs on my sesenta has recently "flared out" due to one too many flairs in my signatures...

Between my wife and I we have a F, a B and a LE M.
The M is stiffer than the other two, should not be but maybe its the rhodium coating.
The B is a lovely smooth wet line, but not a Western B, still quite small, say western M, the M is like a western F, good to write with, and the F, well its quite fine, my wife uses it to write in margins and such, its her editing pen, prob westen XF.
Not all here, and all different inks at the moment so can not do a picture for you.
M is perfect for everyday writing, I actually like the B-more ink on paper, and the F is definitly small and a little sharp.
I second the Binder viewpoint.

Doug, if you want a second sample to compare to, I believe I can oblige. Kara's decimo is inked up with Montblanc Blue (the stock medium) and I've got a fine-pointed backup nib for when I want something other than my Binder 0.6 stub. Drop me a note back-channel.

Let me see if this works...Pic:

(link if pic doesn't load)


Nibs: VP fine, VP med, (no VP broad), Pelikan med
Paper: Mont Blanc Royal Blue
Ink: Mont Blanc Royal Blue


Note: Photo, not a scan, and I tried to correct only the contrast, and show the line widths.
Also, the Pelikan sample might be a tad watered down as I did a quick clean and fill. If the pic is too big, please let me know!

Edit: funky html

Much much appreciated.

The difference is not as big as I thought it would be. The difference between all of them is not as dramatic as I had in my mind. I was thinking it was going to be a "Whoa, that is a huge amount of ink on the papper" type moments.

Thank you so much everyone.

Jeremy

Oh, glad it helps.

Forgot to add that the first sample is the 18k VP fine, the second is the 14k VP fine, third is 14k VP medium.

i am almost ashamed to say that i have five VP pens...three of the old matte black ones, and two modern ones.

the broad points are narrower than most mediums i have, the medium is very close to a fine, and now about the fines i have a question.

i bought one fine in a pen store i think in palo alto.
i bought one fine at kinokuniya Japanese bookstore in los angeles.

my experience, which no one believes, is that the fine point i bought at kinokuniya bookstore is even FINER than the fine point i bought at the pen store in los angeles. the palo alto fine point writes like the standard "oh yes this is an extra fine" definition that everybody uses for these pens, but the one i got in Los ANgeles writes like a needlepoint. i notice that the pen i bought in los angeles has Japanese characters in gold on the barrel, and the pen i bought in Palo Alto has English words.

nobody believes me.
i wonder if anyone else has had this experience.

thanks!

I don't think you can have too many VPs. At least not in this forum.

To my eye, my Decimo (shipped from Japan because the model is not distributed for sale in the West) 18k fine-point is a hair thinner than the fine 14k VP fine point nib (bought in US, presumably made for the Western market). I still have a heavy hand from years of ballpoint pens, but when I remember to go easy on my pens and put no pressure, the Decimo fine point is definitely thinner than the Western VP fine.

I think some have mentioned this slight difference before, but I wouldn't quote me on it.