Any reason in particular, one way or the other?

thanks,
Chris

I prefer gold nibs over steel or plated nibs after seeing my gold plated Pelikan nib get corroded and seeing some of the corroded nib pictures from others.

I've always wondered how a different K nib affects writing. I still haven't discovered it yet. I think I have a 14K and a 21K, but I don't know what the difference really is. Anyone who can enlighten me?

No preference here. I can say that I have been able to determine a constant particularity of 14k or 18k that would make one better for me. I would need to test the exact same nib design in several alloys.

That said, I'm rather sure that my M400 has a 14k and my M620 an 18k. Given that there is a slight difference in size between the nibs, they have similar designs, and I can't say that I prefer one over the other.

Denis.

I prefer gold nibs to "gold plated".
But I do like the Lamy Safari nibs.
I started with vintage FPs, and all the vintage "non-gold" nibs I found were corroded and/or pitted.
Big turn-off.
And for the price of "good" modern FPs, I had better get solid gold.

I have pens with 21k, 18k, 14k, plated and steel nibs. I don't have a personal preference since for me, it really depends on the pen. I've got several with steel nibs that write just as good as some gold nib pens in my collection. For example, my Signum Orione and Filcao Atlantica Oro.

Speaking as a pen user I have no preference. If I were to list my favourite pens in terms of writing performance there would be steel nibs, 14k gold nibs, 18k gold nibs, short ones, long ones etc etc. Each has its own characteristic but as long as a nib is well made, well finished and properly adjusted it should write well.

Historically gold was selected for its resistance to corrosion. Nowadays there are other materials that could be chosen that are also corrosion resistant, for example stainless steel, titanium, perhaps even carbon-fibre composites.

However, the buying public expects a premium-level fountain pen to have a gold nib. We therefore (generally speaking) find gold nibs to be finished and adjusted to a higher standard than steel nibs because they are fitted to more expensive pens. Personally I don't think that rules out the use of other materials on a technical basis but the pen companies may find market resistance.

Whatever your nib is made from, enjoy writing with it!

Martin

I was going to write simply gold, but then thought about the pens whose nibs I like best - they are generally two-tone gold and simply look good to me. Both 14 and 18kt - I do not notice any difference between the two, though each nib has its own individuality.

Of course, all the pens have to write perfectly, otherwise they are failing their primary function and will not get used (I have two Parkers that fit that bill).

Then I remembered my workhorse Sheaffer snorkels with the silver palladium nibs - great. I am looking for more

But I am simply not interested in steel or gold-plated steel (and I know I miss something with all the comments about Esties etc) because there are too many of the 'real' thing already for me to choose from.

Chris

I vote with NoSnow, some of my best writers are "51"s with 14k nibs that have no flex whatever.

Having said that, a modern nib in stainless steel can be as good as any gold nib.

So as long as the nib writes how I like it, then what it is made of is secondary.

Jim

14K is best for me. Performance is one issue but not dominant (one can argue that some extreme flex is best in 14K or even slightly lower K than other materials). Vis-a-vis steel and titanium 14K is it is a matter of aestetics (or perception ).
But more important of all, it is simply a fact, that companies are trying to extract more money by putting a 18K or 21K alloy in the nib. The increase the tag price is disproportionally higher than the true cost . The true cost differential between 14K and 18K per nib is trivial (few bucks). As for nails, you can easily make a nail by 14K - again the true cost differential between a flex and a nail 14k is trivial.


PS> Twdpens: Epoxy/carbon composites are not good - you can not put a tip on them and most epoxies are problematic in contact with water (ink). Unless you are willing to replace them often, the wear and the interaction with ink puts them out of the picture.

I just put that in as a wild card (I'm not a Stuff Engineer). There's no rule that states that a nib must be A or B etc material. As long as a material has the correct properties then it could be considered. CFRP obvisouly doesn't!

In the beginning, A was a feather. Then came B in the form of (carbon steel). We now have C (gold), D (stainless steel) and, more recently, E (titanium). What's next?

Martin

I am a gold kind of guy. I like the "BLING"!!! What can I say??
Seriously, I will not buy steel nibs on any of the pens I buy, needless to say i do have a few in my collection (vintage) But the Steel does not feel the same when I write in comparison. Gold has a bit of a natural bounce or spring, even in a nib as stiff as a nail. The gold seems to bounce right back into shape with a natural spring when applied reasonable pressure while writing. Steel just does not give me that feel at all. I find that the Steel nibs have an un natural spring with super high tension. It just does not feel soft and natural as a gold nib IMO. I have yet found a buttery smooth steel nib with the exception of my Lamy Safari.

As for what gold nib I would choose? 21kt 18kt or 14? It really does not matter to me all that much to be quite honest. I find the 14kt gold nibs to be a bit springier. But that is not always true, I believe it all has to do with the thickness of the metal and the design. One would expect a 21kt gold nib to be really springy in comparison to a 14kt gold nib. Well that is certinaly not the case at all with my 21kt gold music nib.

TNS