Are Fine Tip Nibs For Noobs

[transcend]

I am trying so hard to convince myself into getting a broader nib and having it customized. I like fine and fairly consistent lines, 0.4-0.5, I know I can control a broader tip to write relatively narrowly, but there's the issue of writing on smaller parchment which is absolutely too annoying with broader tips.

 

I feel so conflicted. But I have the gut feeling buying an expensive nib with a fine tip is going to be regrettable in the not-too-distant future.

 

If I'm wrong to feel that, it would make sense too, because I am relatively a noob.

 

Any final words before I finealize my purchase?

[Hangglidernerd]

Try several different inexpensive nibs first.The Pilot 78G can be had in F M B and even BB....it's a really nice 12 buck pen.I'm sure others here have whole lists of less expensive pens to have fun with and gain more of an idea of your own style before committing to some big bucks.

[NinthSphere]

Put your money into whatever works for you. Fine, broad, whatever is just a matter of preference. Fine also comes with the additional benefit of being useable on a broader range of paper.

 

Worst case, you can put it up for sale to fund another pen. Or just buy another pen to have more options.

Edited December 23, 2014 by NinthSphere

[RyanM]

I dont think so. Many of my pens with medium and broad nibs cannot write on cheaper paper without bleed. I also find that this happens with some gold nibs, even in fine pens. I also find I like a bit of feedback in my pens, meaning that fine nibs are for me.

[siopaopei]

Fine nibs are not for noobs at all. in fact i have quite a few pen friends (especially those who love calligraphy) who prefer it. i also have a friend who is just beginning to try out fountain pens and she prefers broad nibs it's really more of a matter of personal taste. I personally prefer medium but for reasons that I had to find out for myself somewhere down the line. i started out with fine nibs and still do buy pens with fine nibs from time to time. I think it took me several months before I was comfortable enough to try medium nibs, and another few months before i thought about sending my pen in to a local nibmeister and have it reground to a cursive italic. just explore and have fun! ^_^ finding out what you like and developing your tastes along the line is part of the experience.

 

if you have other pen friends, i suggest trying out their pens first if they will let you. or you can go to a pen store and try out pens there before you buy.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

A friend let me try a few of her pens with narrow nibs. After poking fun at my hand writing, she loaned me a Sheaffer 440 with an F nib

 

I was smitten - to the extent that I made an offer to purchase. Alas, I had to buy my own. I really like the Waverley-esque upturned nib tip, which makes it very easy for me to keep it running on the sweet spot, hence avoid snagging & staggering across the page.

 

As I've become interested in ye olde pens, which are most often fitted with narrow nibs, my competence with such has increased, though I still prefer the wider nibs for most writing.

 

Of the current production inexpensive stock pens with narrow nibs, I would trend towards marques from Japan.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__

Richard Binder on Waverley nibs : http://www.richardspens.com/?refp=ttp/waverley

Edited December 23, 2014 by Sandy1

[takkun]

I think fine nibs are just the easiest to transition into--if you're coming from BPs or RBs, they're comparable, and useful for filling out forms and taking notes in limited space. I only used EF nibs for the first few years in FPs, and still tend towards them for notetaking, since I tend to use small pocket notebooks both for my photography and for class. Doesn't help that I love Asian pens, which definitely run on the narrow side.

 

When I got my first 'nice' pen--the Lamy 2000--, I ended up with the fairly broad M nib. I felt the same way as you, that if I got a high end pen (especially with a soft gold nib) in a fine grade, I'd regret it. Haven't looked back, and have a broad vintage Mont Blanc now. Neither are my go-tos for notetaking or general writing, but they're a real joy for penning letters. Never would have thought I'd like them if I hadn't jumped into them.

 

The suggestion to buy something cheap in a broad nib is seconded. That way you can try it out, and find what situations it best works in. It's like ink though, you can never tell which pen you want inked with what, and can never guess which nib grade you'll want a given pen in. If I had the money, I'd get the 2000 in a EF and a OB, just because I like it that much.

[Algester]

I like narrow nibs because simply they have more adequate ink flow for lefties... I cant emphasis if you need speed writing and being a lefty wet, broad pens are no go unless you like to smudge on what your writing

[WetNoodle]

For me, fine nibs are for work. Why? Because work paper isn't Rhodia.

[amk]

I really agree with hangglidernerd - try out inexpensive nibs all the way across the range from XF to BB, to get a feel, before you make an expensive purchase. Pilot 78gs, or Lamy Safari and swap the nibs over (very easy to do).

 

I have not 'standardised' at all. I know some people find certain nibs are right for them, and I adore being able to write with a really really broad cursive italic, that's probably my favourite. But I also like fines and XFs for taking notes, and a really good fine is a joy.

 

Bear in mind that if you want to go the custom grind route, there's less material to work with on a fine.

[huy3825]

I think that the average N00b would press too hard and ruin a fine nib really quickly. A broader nib could take more pressure before springing. With that being said, I think that a broader nib is for N00bs

[fc2462]

I've been using fountain pens to varying degrees off and on for 20+ years and I love my fine nibs!

 

As mentioned, there are different nibs for different purposes and jobs and papers, etc.

 

I would disagree wholeheartedly that the broadness of your nib somehow correlates to experience level.

[transcend]

I feel like my inks and inkwells are begging for broad tips, while my notebooks, especially my smaller "idea" pads, strongly prefer the finer ones. If that made sense to anyone...

 

Then there's that sweet hand feel running a broad tip over paper. It's always superior to a fine. On the other hand, the acoustics of the fine tip, on that sharp, occasional, stroke, is a very characteristic feature the broader tips struggle with.

 

i hate you pen world, but thank you fellow victims for your input.

Edited December 23, 2014 by transcend

[sirgilbert357]

I am trying so hard to convince myself into getting a broader nib and having it customized. I like fine and fairly consistent lines, 0.4-0.5, I know I can control a broader tip to write relatively narrowly, but there's the issue of writing on smaller parchment which is absolutely too annoying with broader tips.

 

I feel so conflicted. But I have the gut feeling buying an expensive nib with a fine tip is going to be regrettable in the not-too-distant future.

 

If I'm wrong to feel that, it would make sense too, because I am relatively a noob.

 

Any final words before I finealize my purchase?

 

If you prefer a thin line, then why buy something that isn't your preference? Stick with what you like until your preferences change (if they do). If you simply must explore, do it cheaply first, as has previously been mentioned. I prefer mediums and italics, but I tried a fine (Pilot 78g from a PIF) and its not my thing...

[redbike]

I've transitioned from medium nibs to fine nibs as I've become more comfortable with using a fountain pen. As others have noted, they will feather or bleed less than wider nibs on cheap paper. I've sold most of my medium nibbed pens, and when I buy, it's pens with fine nibs.

[LionRoar]

All of my German pens (Pelikan, LAMY) have "fine" nibs and they still write too broad on regular office copy paper. I guess I am noob.

[WateryFlow]

From what I've heard it's usually the Americans who prefer fine nibs because they say that their paper quality is awful. In the UK I've not had any experience with feathering or similar issues on any (cheap) paper using a broad nib or wider.....except for moleskine of course

Edited December 23, 2014 by WateryFlow

[KBeezie]

Tipping size is personal preference, and use of pressure is pretty much the same disclaimer for all fountain pens (ie: don't treat them like ballpoints with a death grip and jamming them into the paper), since such abuse will hurt a nib regardless if it's a BBB or a F.

 

You can get several inexpensive options like a Pilot Petit1 in Fine ($3), Pilot Varsity in Fine ($2), Pilot 78G in Fine ($6-12), Pilot Metropolitan in Fine ($15). Which are about the same as a Western Extra-Fine, if they seem usable to you, especially if you have a lighter hand, then you should be "fine" to move up on the expense of the pen if that is your wish.

 

From what I've heard it's usually the Americans who prefer fine nibs because they say that their paper quality is awful. In the UK I've not had any experience with feathering or similar issues on any (cheap) paper using a broad nib or wider.....except for moleskine of course

I prefer a fine simply because of a fine line, don't like huge thick strokes for normal writing. Far as paper quality, I don't know if that's why a fine would ever be desired, just often recommended when someone complains about (bleep) paper. But for the most part if you go dirt cheap with a no-name brand of recycled paper, the consistency is going to be all over the place. But that being said, I find that cheap Mead 5-star notebook paper performs better than expensive Moleskine paper (Which was never intended to be good for anything other than pencils and ballpoints). Likewise expensive Cambridge paper (made by mead) at $9 for a small black notebook is HORRIBLE for fountain pens, fine or otherwise.

 

But yea, I just like a fine line as I tend to write smaller and it really makes the fill last a while.

Edited December 23, 2014 by KBeezie

[Runnin_Ute]

I have pens with nibs from EF to 1.1 italic....

My first two pens were M and F - in that order.

 

The M (Al Star) later got changed to a F (which I still have), but has a 1.1 italic on it at present.....

But I have more F & M than anything else..

[Stu L]

I'm right there with ya. There's a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I'm missing so much by sticking with fines - the shading and smoothness particularly.

 

Yes I still fear the bold or even medium. Maybe as my skill increases I'll be able to use them better, so that my cursive looks ok.

Whatever you do, let us know how you get on!