HI

I have been reading about the 78g bold nib and its characteristics. My questions is as follows. Does it take any special care to use this nib? Or is it more like a cursive italilc that gives you some line variation without the hand coordination necessary to use an italic nib?

Someone who works in my office has been experimenting with calligraphy and such and I thought she might enjoy a daily pen that gives some line variation without the care of using calligraphy nibs.

thanks, jc

I'm no expert and haven't ever used an italic nibbed pen, but I find the pilot easy to use (and I'm lefthanded). I had my Tibaldi F nib turned into a fine stub, and that one is much sharper (and hence takes a bit of concentration).
The 78G is a fun pen, it's just a bit thin, light and short (but I like bigger pens, Pel. M800 is my preferred size).

Best regards,

Jarno.

I too find the 78G broad to be very easy to write with. I rotate the pen slightly compared to my normal writing with a round nib, but I find it very pleasant. It's not quite as smooth as a Binder stub italic for my VP, but it's close. I think your friend would enjoy it.

The Pilot 78G w/ a B nib handles more like a stub. It will offer line variation, but it won't be as pronounce as w/ a cursive or crisp italic. They are relatively easy to use; if she can use a calligraphy nib already, then she will manage the 78G easily as a daily user. The Pilot 78G w/ a BB nib is a bit trickier. It operates more like a calligraphy nib.

I agree. The Pilot 78G with the B nib is very user-friendly, yet it gives noticeable line variation. It does very well under everyday use.

Lisa

Thanks all for your comments. I don't think my friend will ever be a full blown pen nut but she sure deserves something for putting up with me all these years.

I agree with all the previous posts. My broad 78G allows me to write almost as fast as I can with a round nibbed pen. The behavior is definitely more on the stub or cursive italic side of the spectrum. However, the pen still gives nice line variation, which I like because my chicken scratch needs all the help it can get!

French

The 78G B is my first stub. What should be noted is the stub is not hugely wide. Have a Parker Calligraphy pen in Medium and it is much wider than the Pilot. I'd guess the Pilot would be called a narrow stub. It does give a very different stroke from a regular FP nib. Perhaps others can explain better.

I'm confident your friend will like the pen.... and I suggest you get one for yourself, they are fun.

I've got a Pilot 78G with a BB nib. It took me a while (~30 seconds ) to get used to it. Downstrokes are wide, like a normal B nib. Cross strokes are very thin, giving a lot of line variation.

I've never used a stub. The cross strokes require a little care, since the nib is "sharp" in that direction.