Namiki/pilot Falcon Owners: Soft Extra Fine Vs Soft Fine. What To Buy?

[madlib]

Really contemplating on purchasing a Pilot/Namiki Falcon. Never owned a gold nib before and was wondering if you guys could help me out in selecting the right nib size. So long story short, the very first fountain pen I purchased was a Pilot DPN-70 Desk pen (almost similar to the platinum carbon desk pen). I really adore the line it lays down but it tends to be a little scratchy (i eventually smoothened it with mylar and it writes like a dream, but writes with a thicker and wetter line). I will be buying a namiki falcon but I have absolutely no idea as to which nib size I should buy, should I go for the soft fine or the soft extra fine?

 

Is the soft extra fine nib on the namiki falcon scratchy when compared to the soft fine? I recently purchased mylar paper from goulet pens (no affiliation) and smoothened all your my nibs and I am loving how smooth they run with almost no feedback and i have got so used to it!

 

However, I would not want to risk smoothening the nib on the falcon with mylar (if i do purchase it). I want it smooth out of the box. I write with almost light pressure (probably light to medium). So what would you suggest? Soft extra fine vs Soft fine? I have seen the writing samples on goulet pens and for me it just boils down to how comfortable the nib is, and in short it should glide across the paper with no pressure.

 

Are there any owners of the Pilot/Namiki Falcon who own the pen in Soft extra fine or extra fine, and could share their experience with the pen in terms of: Scratchiness, feedback and smoothness? This would definitely help me in deciding on which nib size to go for!

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited November 18, 2014 by madlib

[doggonecarl]

I have a Falcon with an SF nib. With light pressure it writes a very thin line. I can't imagine how thin a line an EF nib would put down. As for scratchy...my SF is not the smoothest nib I have. Probably why I don't use it as much as I'd like.

[cpmcnamara]

I own an SF, SEF, and SM. Based on what you want, I definitely recommend the SF. I love the SEF for line variation and drawing, but it is definitely scratchy and I almost never pick it up to write. It's just not a good experience. I keep it for small details when drawing, for which it is fantastic.

 

The SF is my favorite by far for everything: wet, smooth, with adequate line variation. For anything but drawing (and even for drawing, if it's your primary pen), the SF rules all. I will agree that it is not Sailor 1911 or even Platinum 3776 smooth, however. If you don't mind some feedback and keep a light touch, it's great. The SM is also nice, but lacks line variation.

 

Also, I'm going to sell my F because I just received a Justus 95. It's a metal falcon, black or brown - your choice. About 4 months old. Great condition. If you're interested, let me know.

Edited November 18, 2014 by cpmcnamara

[Kansas Pen]

I have a Falcon with an SF nib. With light pressure it writes a very thin line. I can't imagine how thin a line an EF nib would put down. As for scratchy...my SF is not the smoothest nib I have. Probably why I don't use it as much as I'd like.

+ 1 on this. The Falcon Soft Fine is a really fine nib. You will never HAVE to push down to get it to write - and it will write thin. If you push it a little, you will get line variation that will resemble a Western fine nib.

 

Good advice above. I love my Falcon in SF. Of course, I bought it from John Mottishaw at Nibs so I'm sure he checked it.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Kansas Pen

[Gloucesterman]

You would probably see better line vsriation with an <SF> than an <SEF>

 

just my experience - so far!

[Exlaminis]

I've only tried the Falcon in SF and I wouldn't call it the smoothest nib of any pen. That's not saying it isn't a pleasant writer, as it is my favourite pen to write with, but some may not like it. I like how the nib is smooth, but has control, unlike a glassy smooth pen I had where it skated across the paper in berserk lines. I doubt I'd get the SEF though, which also means I can't comment on how the two compare.

 

The SF Falcon nib makes a scritching sound when writing for some people, possibly due to the variation in writing pressure, but it isn't anything to worry about. The SEF would probably be scratchier than the SF and overall, not as pleasant to use for writing purposes. Not sure about the line variation either, but the SF has noticeable line variation depending on how much pressure you use. Word of advice, don't push the nib too far, it's not as flexible as a lot of people imagine.