The Obsession With Fine Nibs

[Victoria O.]

OK, I anticipate I will get lots of flack about this - I know everyone has their own opinion. I just don't get the deal with so much love for fine and extra fine nibs. Now it is true I have never tired a top quality fine nib, and maybe that makes all the difference. I think I have always used medium nibs, even from long ago, before my renewed interest in fountain pens. I like the smoothness, the bold stroke of color delivered by a medium nib. Many times I see the fine nibs are sold out or I see inquiries asking if a certain pen is available in fine. When JetPens released the Pilot Prera Clear, I was excited to try them and since fine was the only option, I thought I would see how I liked it. Although I love the look and feel of the pen, I am not happy with the fine nib.

 

So why do those of you who love fine nibs, love them? Are there qualities I am missing, or is it just a matter of preference?

[UltraMagnus]

I use them because I am an engineering student and need to write mathematical notation. Otherwise I, like you, fail to see the obsession with them and would much prefer a nice juicy broad.

[hobobaggins]

I have to write small to get my notes to fit next to lecture slides, so fine is the way to go.

 

Also small writing in general begets a finer line.

[UltraMagnus]

I have to write small to get my notes to fit next to lecture slides, so fine is the way to go.

 

Also small writing in general begets a finer line.

I hate those powerpoint handouts, they are inevitably printed on rubbish paper too.

[mholve]

I like mediums because they show off the ink (e.g. color and shading) better, and they're generally smoother... But my handwriting is typically rather small, so I'm about half way in between with my pens. I don't know that I'd get along with either an EF on one side, or a B on the other.

 

One thing I AM starting to seek out is a juicy wet flexible nibbed pen... Best of both worlds!

[AlanE]

Your pilot with a fine nib was more like an EF, they come much finer than "western" pens. I have a variety of nibs to suit the mood but for making notes in my diary I prefer a fine nib to fit more in. You need to try a decent pen with a fine nib and then you will see the true meaning of life !!

 

Alan

[Joe in Seattle]

For years I used medium nibs. Then came an interest in vintage where vintage medium was a modern fine. I now tend to enjoy modern fine or EF up through stub. I agree a nice bold wet nib shows the colour better, but sometimes I write smaller. It's all personal preference.

[ANM]

Fine flex isn't for everyone. I'm pretty sure that more than a few people lust after them because other people say they are wonderful and want to try them, like you did. Unless you plan to learn Spencerian style writing (which isn't easy) you really don't need a really flexible pen. One with a little flex is nice. I prefer the ability to make a line thick when I want to, and I like fine points because I write small and I want my 'e's to look like 'e's not I's or fat o's. If you like the way marker writing looks, or you write large, then a fine pen isn't your style and that is fine.

[tonybelding]

I think of fine nibs as the default, the norm. Fine nibs are sort of like vanilla ice cream. You go to the store and look in the ice cream freezer and what do you think you'll see most of? Yep, vanilla. It's not because people have an "obsession" with vanilla; it's not because they find this a very exciting flavor. It's because vanilla is what everyone's familiar with, and it's inoffensive to everyone.

 

Having said that. . . Human beings are highly adaptable and can get used to anything. If you get used to a M nib, then a F will look too thin. If you get used to a EF, then a F will look too fat. For a little while. Until you get used to it.

[inkspot]

Excepting times when the writing task simply requires a finer nib, I think it really is a matter of preference. When I first started using fountain pens all I wanted to use was a fine nib because I liked the delicate, thin line. Now, I find I enjoy the whole range of nibs - sometimes I want that fine delicate line, but other times I prefer the thick, lush line of a broad nib.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I like fine nibs for two reasons - I find them easier (& nicer) to draw with and, more importantly really, my writing is far more legible with a fine or extra fine nib - my letters are usually very close together.

[Silvermink]

I like mediums because they show off the ink (e.g. color and shading) better, and they're generally smoother... But my handwriting is typically rather small, so I'm about half way in between with my pens. I don't know that I'd get along with either an EF on one side, or a B on the other.

 

M is my favorite round nib width as well, and for pretty much the same reasons, though I do have some EF, F, and B nibs as well. I'm also very fond of stubs because they make my writing look, for lack of a better word, cool.

[Titanic9990]

I also love medium-to-broad nibs for their portrayal of ink colors, however in can be difficult to to use them in school. I completed a worksheet once (answering the latin comprehension questions and practicing my penmanship at the same time). However after finishing it and having written with bold flourishes in my Noodler's Walnut ink, I realized it had soaked through, and it wasn't fun the next night when the homework was the backside of the worksheet :roflmho:

[cubic archon]

I love everything! I love my Sailor Sapporo F which writes in lovely precise curves with Kiwa-Guro. I love my Lamy 2000 B which lays down fat swathes of colourful ink and makes me want to write and write. And I love my Parker 51s, Lamy 2000 and VP in M with their shading and balance between skinny and thick.

[smk]

I like fine nibs simply because I can write better with them than I do with broad nibs. The finer the better.

 

A part of it has to do with the feedback I get from the nib too - broader nibs tend to be wetter and therefore smoother than fine nibs. I do like to use broad nibs on occasion but I don't think I can write in my journal with a broad nib, an italic maybe but just a broad or even a stub won't do for me.

 

Maybe I just haven't found a 'good' broad one :-)

 

Salman

[beak]

For letters and for general use, 'my', pen (the one I'm never without) has a broad nib for all the normal reasons. But a golfer doesn't head off carrying just one club, and I need some other nibs too; a fine for margin notes etc.

 

I've also found that my handwriting has some interesting qualities when I'm using a fine nib. Different tools for different jobs.

[eric47]

Mediums are so middle-of-the-road, they're safe, they're not exciting. Obsessions are born at the extremes. Perhaps because so few companies know how to make a good fine and extra fine nib these days, those of us who prefer them get so excited when we find one, that can't stop buying them. Just like at the other extreme, people who've discovered the wide-load BB, stubs, and the like go on and on and on.

 

Seriously, it's a preference. With some preferences an explanation and justification often isn't needed.

Edited February 24, 2011 by eric47

[geoduc]

In my experience, a high quality fine nib can be just as pleasurable to write with as a broader nib when it comes to the feel on paper. My everyday carry pens have fine nibs because they work best for my normal handwriting. The finer nib allows me to write quickly and legibly. When I'm at home and can take my time, I prefer medium and broad italic nibs. They make my handwriting look better, plus they allow the inks to really show their color and shading potential.

[Silvermink]

Mediums are so middle-of-the-road, they're safe, they're not exciting. Obsessions are born at the extremes. Perhaps because so few companies know how to make a good fine and extra fine nib these days, those of us who prefer them get so excited when we find one, that can't stop buying them. Just like at the other extreme, people who've discovered the wide-load BB, stubs, and the like go on and on and on.

 

Seriously, it's a preference. With some preferences an explanation and justification often isn't needed.

 

I admit, despite my penchant for medium nibs (I really do like them, honest! ), I'd like to add something like a Platinum UEF or Sailor saibi togi to my collection just because it's so different. There's definitely a certain pleasure to writing with something like that.

 

I think fine flexible nibs are pretty cool because of the amount of line variation you can get. It's one of the reasons I've been using my new OMAS Paragon EF so much.

[MikeF]

Don't you have to choose it according to the size of your handwriting??

Mine is small and would be all blurred if I'd use a medium (or some mediums). That said, I much prefer a fine italic than a plain fine. Gotta get some more...