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What Is The Obsession With Fine Nibs? ( I Don't Get It)


kauloltran

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Although I do now prefer mediums, fine nibs are handy when you have limited space, or are using absorbent paper. The recycled copier paper at work adds about a size to a nib.

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I write small, slanted, fast cursive. If I use mediums (and I have a couple), the loops close up, the Ns look like blobs, etc. If I am writing for pleasure, a broader Fine or a Medium is nice. Most of the time, Fine or Extra Fine (or Japanese Extra Fine).

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Fine nibs suit my handwriting best, nothing more, nothing less, no obsession here, just experience. Sometimes a M nib works for me but my handwriting with a B nib is just a wobbly line :) I own some EF/XF nibs. These are nice for scribbling notes in small notebooks. I just use the tool that gets the job done.

 

And my Waterman Man 100 with F nib is very smooth but not as smooth as my Waterman Exceptions N&D F nib. That's one of the smoothest nibs i have. F isn't the same as scratchy, it just needs to be properly tuned.

Edited by GeeTee
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Precision, quick drying, more economical, and perfect for small handwriting.

Or perfect for taking notes quickly or filling official papers/forms which don't have much space.

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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The two extra fine nibs of my daily users at work which are two 1936 sheaffer vac fill balances and the extra fine nib on my home pen a 1979 MB 149 are a real treat to use. Asides that I use fine, medium nibs which are alongswide with extra fine nibs composing the majority of nibs in my collection, I do have however some flexible broads, flexible stubs and flexible obliques being used from time to time.

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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Precision, quick drying, more economical, and perfect for small handwriting.

Or perfect for taking notes quickly or filling official papers/forms which don't have much space.

 

Yes, good point. I use it for my pocket diary, my son's school reader sheet, and so on.

Damon Young

philosopher & author

OUT NOW: The Art of Reading

 

http://content.damonyoung.com.au/aor.jpg

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I can't have a consistent flow of thought when I need to carriage-return every 5 words. That's why.

 

 

I hadn't thought of this, but it's a good point. Even with my broader nibs, I try to rein in my characters. Otherwise I keep running out of thought-room.

 

 

Damon Young

philosopher & author

OUT NOW: The Art of Reading

 

http://content.damonyoung.com.au/aor.jpg

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I'm not sure that so many FPNers are "obsessed with fine nibs." But if they are, why does it bother you? Does everyone need to agree with you?

 

of course not, but it does bother me that you always take jabs at my posts, as if you don't have anything more constructive to say. I am simply asking why so many users prefer fine nibs over mediums, In my experience, a rollerball can give the same writing experience as a fountain pen with a fine nib, so why bother using a fountain pen?

 

Actually, I think my response was very constructive. Rather than pondering why other people might have preferences that differ from yours, I think you might more productively ponder why you care about other people's nib choices.

 

PS: You should try a decent fine nib - you might be surprised.

 

 

Exactly. Why care about what nibs other people prefer? I know, for instance, that Ghost Plane LOVES the BBB nibs. Do I lose any sleep over it? Why would I? I don't care what nibs other people write with. I care about the nibs I write with. And it isn't an obsession; it's a preference.

 

It sounds like the previous owner of your Le Man 100 wrecked the nib. I have a Le Man 200 with an EF nib that is a joy to write with. I have a Le Man with an F nib that is smooth and lovely, but the pen itself is too heavy for me, now that I prefer Nakayas (M and F nibs). These are excellent, handsome pens.

 

The Sailor music nib, which I tried at the Flax Pen Fair some months ago, was FABULOUS. But I can't write comfortably with a line that wide. If I could, I would surely have those nibs in my stable of pens.

 

It's too bad that you're not happy with your pen. Probably someone else would be. And so it goes....

_________________

etherX in To Miasto

Fleekair <--French accent.

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Fine nibs suit my handwriting best, nothing more, nothing less, no obsession here, just experience. Sometimes a M nib works for me but my handwriting with a B nib is just a wobbly line :) I own some EF/XF nibs. These are nice for scribbling notes in small notebooks. I just use the tool that gets the job done.

 

And my Waterman Man 100 with F nib is very smooth but not as smooth as my Waterman Exceptions N&D F nib. That's one of the smoothest nibs i have. F isn't the same as scratchy, it just needs to be properly tuned.

I had the opposite experience of you, I own several man 100s, some with man 100 with the first generation nib with the hole and others with the second generation nib with the man 100 ideal globe logo on them, they are way better than the exception which is stiffer than them and which offers no line variation and flex unlike them. Anyway, the exception is not really collectible as was the man 100 and is not even close in terms of quality.

Edited by georges zaslavsky

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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Exactly. Why care about what nibs other people prefer? I know, for instance, that Ghost Plane LOVES the BBB nibs. Do I lose any sleep over it? Why would I? I don't care what nibs other people write with. I care about the nibs I write with. And it isn't an obsession; it's a preference.

 

It sounds like the previous owner of your Le Man 100 wrecked the nib. I have a Le Man 200 with an EF nib that is a joy to write with. I have a Le Man with an F nib that is smooth and lovely, but the pen itself is too heavy for me, now that I prefer Nakayas (M and F nibs). These are excellent, handsome pens.

 

The Sailor music nib, which I tried at the Flax Pen Fair some months ago, was FABULOUS. But I can't write comfortably with a line that wide. If I could, I would surely have those nibs in my stable of pens.

 

It's too bad that you're not happy with your pen. Probably someone else would be. And so it goes....

Amen to that :thumbup: A well tuned and balanced ef/f nib is very pleasurable especially on the man 100s but also on the laureat,centurion, first generation expert,gentlemans,forums and cf. But as you said there are several brands to try and discover great nibs.

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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What bothers me are people who buy pens off of ebay then complain about it on here. BTW, fine and extra fine nibs rule but I'm more mature to accept a medium and broad also.

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Fine nibs suit my handwriting best, nothing more, nothing less, no obsession here, just experience. Sometimes a M nib works for me but my handwriting with a B nib is just a wobbly line :) I own some EF/XF nibs. These are nice for scribbling notes in small notebooks. I just use the tool that gets the job done.

 

And my Waterman Man 100 with F nib is very smooth but not as smooth as my Waterman Exceptions N&D F nib. That's one of the smoothest nibs i have. F isn't the same as scratchy, it just needs to be properly tuned.

I had the opposite experience of you, I own several man 100s, some with man 100 with the first generation nib with the hole and others with the second generation nib with the man 100 ideal globe logo on them, they are way better than the exception which is stiffer than them and which offers no line variation and flex unlike them. Anyway, the exception is not really collectible as was the man 100 and is not even close in terms of quality.

 

I'm not collecting collectibles :) I collect to use them. I prefer the Exception nib, yes, its stiff and hard as a nail but glassy smooth with complete control. As a lefty overwriter flex is no use to me.

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It might be odd to say, but writing smoothly sometimes requires practice. Narrower nibs are more challenging in this regard.

 

Doug

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It's a Western preoccupation with thinness. Personally, I like medium nibs.

A man's real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor.

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Fine nibs suit my handwriting best, nothing more, nothing less, no obsession here, just experience. Sometimes a M nib works for me but my handwriting with a B nib is just a wobbly line :) I own some EF/XF nibs. These are nice for scribbling notes in small notebooks. I just use the tool that gets the job done.

 

And my Waterman Man 100 with F nib is very smooth but not as smooth as my Waterman Exceptions N&D F nib. That's one of the smoothest nibs i have. F isn't the same as scratchy, it just needs to be properly tuned.

I had the opposite experience of you, I own several man 100s, some with man 100 with the first generation nib with the hole and others with the second generation nib with the man 100 ideal globe logo on them, they are way better than the exception which is stiffer than them and which offers no line variation and flex unlike them. Anyway, the exception is not really collectible as was the man 100 and is not even close in terms of quality.

 

interesting, thanks for the info. I probably have the first generation nib, which is pretty stiff like the Exception. I'm not sure if you can call the man 100 nib flexible, maybe springy at the most

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It's a Western preoccupation with thinness. Personally, I like medium nibs.

 

I've noticed this more in Americans than Europeans. I guess that the technophile mentality of Americans favours fine writing.

true, Americans are more accustomed to writing with ballpoints, hence they also expect small lines from fountain pens.

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Fine nibs suit my handwriting best, nothing more, nothing less, no obsession here, just experience. Sometimes a M nib works for me but my handwriting with a B nib is just a wobbly line :) I own some EF/XF nibs. These are nice for scribbling notes in small notebooks. I just use the tool that gets the job done.

 

And my Waterman Man 100 with F nib is very smooth but not as smooth as my Waterman Exceptions N&D F nib. That's one of the smoothest nibs i have. F isn't the same as scratchy, it just needs to be properly tuned.

I had the opposite experience of you, I own several man 100s, some with man 100 with the first generation nib with the hole and others with the second generation nib with the man 100 ideal globe logo on them, they are way better than the exception which is stiffer than them and which offers no line variation and flex unlike them. Anyway, the exception is not really collectible as was the man 100 and is not even close in terms of quality.

 

Nonsense. The Exception nibs is closely modelled on that of the Man 100 - the similarity is striking. Any differences exist in the mind of the user and only there.

 

I think the nib on the Exception is glued very tightly to the feed, whereas the man 100's nib is slightly relaxed, so there is a feeling of flexibility on the latter

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It's a Western preoccupation with thinness. Personally, I like medium nibs.

 

I've noticed this more in Americans than Europeans. I guess that the technophile mentality of Americans favours fine writing.

true, Americans are more accustomed to writing with ballpoints, hence they also expect small lines from fountain pens.

I'm not American :unsure: . To be honest, smooth nibs ARE nice, I won't even bother saying they're not. However, with my choice of paper (Rhodia), my Pelikan M150 nib isn't just smooth, it literally glides off the paper.

 

A well lubricating ink, combined with a Sailor Fountain Pen is a truly different experience. On poor quality paper, it's hardly nice to write with, but couple it with decent paper, it's a completely different story.

 

Once again, it comes down to so many different factors, paper, ink, pen brand, grip, writing style...Too many to name! Like many before have said, different strokes for different folks!

 

In order to write with a broad nib (I just tried), I have to write over the line above, which I do not usually do. Therefore, a broad nib does not work for me. I appreciate it for what it can be, and I hope that given experience with a true, good quality Fine-nibbed pen, that you too, can come to appreciate Fine nibs for what they are. You do not have to like them.

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I'm not sure that so many FPNers are "obsessed with fine nibs." But if they are, why does it bother you? Does everyone need to agree with you?

 

of course not, but it does bother me that you always take jabs at my posts, as if you don't have anything more constructive to say. I am simply asking why so many users prefer fine nibs over mediums, In my experience, a rollerball can give the same writing experience as a fountain pen with a fine nib, so why bother using a fountain pen?

 

 

PS: You should try a decent fine nib - you might be surprised.

 

"a decent fine nib"?? I'm currently using a fine on the Man 100, whose nib should be smoothest of all nibs, and some have even called it the best fountain pen ever made. The only fine nib that I can accept is one from Pelikan, though many have complained that the nib is too broad for their taste,

Edited by kauloltran
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