OK...this question is just about the nib...the pen's look and price aren't involved. I want to know who makes the best nib (in everyone's opinion). And the qualifiers are: smoothest writing and most reliable ink flow (always starts right up...never skips, etc.).

On your mark,
get set...
GO!

~Jasper

Pilot Varsity.

You are going to get so many different answers Really it comes down to that when you are writing it is the paper, ink, nib and writer that combine to produce the writing experience. I can have a nib that I think is junk but someone else might find it heaven. If you are looking for a smooth nail that always works look to Waterman or Dupont but either of these might not be best for the particular person.

Kurt

Sailor

In my experience any pen model, expensive or cheap, can write well or poorly. After narrowing down the pens you want, I always recommend trying it out, buying from a nibmeister or a fellow pen enthusiast who can attest to the nib's performance.
Otherwise, the question you should ask yourself is, who are your favorite nibmeisters?

I think Sailor or Pilot make the best out of the box nib, however, nothing rivals a nibmeister's touch. A pilot varsity smoothed by Richard will probably be smoother than an out of the box sailor. Likewise, a sailor smoothed by Richard will probably be the same as a pelikan smoothed by Richard.

Now, character of a nib... thats a whole different story

George

A Fort Madison made Sheaffer inlaid nib is almost impossible to beat.

Bexley's gold nibs imported from Germany are consistently good, also.

My experience is limited, but so far I'd have to vote for Sailor. Their nibs seem to be the smoothest and best behaved right out of the box.

I've never had a pro adjustment of a nib ... guess I'll some day spend the extra $'s and have one done, but for now, I'm happy with every Sailor I own.



Todd

Another reason for chosing Sailor: they came in many different types and sizes.

And do not forget about Bock: they produce nibs for dozen of Fountain Pen brands, and they manage to be at the same time distinctive and consistent in quality.

That should have been a poll!

Cheers,

Can't say I agree that Bock is consistent. I don't want to start an argument, but I just saw a thread where someone used an acronym for Bock Baby-Bottom. I had this experience and it seems that many others have as well.

Isnt it abvious its MONT BLANC.

No just kidding,I guess everybody expect me to say it so why disapoint them.
Actualy I think Omas makes the best nibs.Now its not really Omas its Bock that supply Omas their nibs.

Omas is the Alfa Romeo of nibs

Thanks everyone,for your responses. (HI TODD!)
I only have one FP...it's a Sailor Sapporo Mini F, and i think it's wonderful.
I asked this Q 'cause i was wondering what pen to get my Dad for his 76th Bday. I was glad to see that Sailor got a good number of votes...i ended up getting my Dad a Sailor Sapporo M. For me, this was going a little overboard ($-wise), but i really wanted him to experience a really wonderful FP...he told me he hasn't used one since college days (when that's all there was)...i hopes he appreciates it.

For Father's Day i'm giving him one of those keepsake/memory books to fill out (with the FP, of course) for my son.

~Jasper

Mont Blanc and Omas

I've had many a baby-bottom problem with Bocks. That said, it's a problem easily solved and once taken care of, Bocks can be lovely writers. Best,
David

Yard-o-Led. They're not as common as the others but that makes them uncommonly excellent!

Honorable mention goes to Bexley. They make wonderful nibs.

I am glad that you brought that point up!!! I am a huge Bock fan because they make nibs for some of the Top tier brand but they also make nibs for a very large portion of the pen market. With that said, I can only imagine how many nibs they make on a yearly basis, it has to be an incredible amount!!!!

Now with that said, with that many nibs being produced for that many companies out there, there will be a percentage that will fail. Now, it is interesting to see the total amount of companies that used bock nibs and then out of the total, the ones that are good writers and the other that are not. then from there you can see what the real percentage of failure versus acceptable nibs.

Also another reason that I am glad that you brought up this statement is because I was actually sitting down a few weeks ago and wondering why some pens have a higher failure rate than others. Well, come to think of it, I had to take into account the manufacturer of the nibs, not the pen company. This would be a very interesting study to do, especially if everyone here were to make a list of all the pens they had and the manufacturer of the nibs. Then sit down and account for the nibs that caused them the most problems or the ones they either returned, sent back for repair or sold. From there, you can figure out the failure rate of the nibs from a specific nib company rather than the pen company alone.

Anyways, getting back to the topic, I love bock nibs becasue they make such a vast variety of styles of nibs. Such as DaniTrio Flexy nibs, Stipula and Bexley Stub nibs, Pelikan M1000 soft nibs, Visconti nibs. I dont know if Bock is still making OMAS nibs or not. There are so many great nibs that they make.

Ok, on the other hand, I love Sailor nibs, Platinum/Nakaya nibs and one of my new favorite nibs, Pilot nibs. I noticed that Japanese nibs are very precise and are consistantly excellent in quality. Maybe that has to do with the fact that they are made in house and are made on a smaller scale than Bock nibs. This probobly allows them to have very strict quality control without hindering production.

I also like the nibs that are on the Danitrio Ban-ei fountain pens. These are not Bock nibs. They are all hand made if I recall correctly.

Anyways, this is just my take on it!!


TNS

For my money, the best nibs come from Sailor and Scheaffer. I'm using a Scheaffer inlaid nib right now (see below) and it has never, ever failed me. The Scheaffers are great not just because of the nibs, but also because of their incredible balance - I love the way they fit into my hand - but that is another thread.

Erick

Sailor makes the best nibs. I especially like the nib that's on the King of Pen.

I am also very fond of the inlaid nibs on the Sheaffer Legacy series.

I can't believe you folks. Are you daft? It's not Waterman, or Parker, or Conklin, or Yard-o-Led, or Bexley, or Sailor, or Sapporo, or Sheaffer, or Osmiroid, or some other pen manufacturer. Who makes the best nib?


Richard Binder


... of course.

Well, then I better buy something from him...

Erick

Totally agree that ANY nib will be better after a visit to Richard Binder. However, he doesn't MAKE nibs. He GRINDS nibs that have been made by others. He's the best in the business.

Isn't that the truth! And I've also found that my favorite nibs can vary as the other factors change as well.