Are Fine Tip Nibs For Noobs

[Icywolfe]

Wait that means I wasted money on a F nib because it was for "noobs"? (I never heard the word noob in a non tech/gaming based discussion before.)

 

F nibs (especially JP) is the perfect general purpose nib size. I have a Cosu nib is a fat fat fat broad nib and writing with that is like writing with a marker everything bonds together. In my little Hiragana practice I've noticed it can make something like a "ぺ" look like a "べ" and vice-versa.

 

A broad nib and F nib both have their own purpose in the world. I would've used a B nib in school if it didn't bleed to the next 3 sheets. (This doesn't mean I never used broad nibs in a school stuff I used the Cosu nib many times before as it's a fun nib.)

[tinysnail]

When I'm working (on math), an XF/F nib is almost necessary. Not only do I generally have a lot of symbols and subscripts, I like being able to see everything I am using to solve a problem, all at once on maybe one or two sheets of paper, and being able to write small is part of that. With a broader nib, my writing is too large and takes up too much space. Outside of math, I don't mind that

 

XF and F nibs are excellent for cheap paper. I wrote all my exams this semester with fountain pens and it went super well. I used a Sheaffer Balance with an accountant's nib, a Pilot Custom 74 with EF nib, and a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a F nib for backup.

[Buzz_130]

Companies generally make what consumers buy. Go back to golden age of fountain pens when Parker, Esterbrook, Sheaffer, and Waterman were selling millions of fountain pens a year. The most common nibs you will find are fine nibs, and this is not an accident. Even in one of the easiest vintage pens to swap nibs, the Esterbrook J, finding a B nib is very difficult. When you were only going to buy one pen and use that pen exclusively at work and home, the fine nib made sense for countless professionals and workers.

 

Fine nibs aren't for "noobs." They are tools crafted for a very specific purpose of getting a line of ink to the surface of a piece of paper. While I enjoy pens with a few larger pens, my workhorses all have XF, F, or M nibs because I need them to work on unreliable paper. And I make sure that my ink matches the nib and works with the anticipated paper.

 

Buzz

[max dog]

When I started out in fountain pens, I tended towards finer nibs because they more closely resembled ballpoint/rollerball thickness which I was more accustomed to. As i delved into the fountain pen world more, I started to like the wetter broader nibs that enhance qualities of the ink more, ie shading and sheen. I still like fine nibs that are responsive because they are soft or flexible, or is cut a special way like Montblanc EFs that give a little line variation.

 

A rigid round fine nib is a bit too ballpointish.

To ilustrate

 

Edited December 25, 2014 by max dog

[Ghost Plane]

3B, OBB & 1.3 stubs suit me. Fs feel like someone wants me to write with a needle.

 

Fortunately we get to write with anything we like.

[PDW]

My writing is small and untidy. Bold/broad nibs are just too wide for me to write with, mediums make my writing blotchy, and almost all fines work ... well, fine. I like the way the writing looks and I can read it.

 

I also use XF nibs for writing in the margins of text books, some of which seem to have been printed on lavatory paper and so demand a nib which will deliver less ink. A good XF need not be scratchy - some Chinese ones on cheap pens are surprisingly good.

[SockAddict]

I still don't get all the references to new fountain pen users starting with fines. I understand and agree with the argument that the lines are more like the ballpoints they're used to, but I think you're forgetting the availability -- or rather, the lack thereof -- of fine nibs. I have been using fountain pens that I picked up here and there for 25+ years. I bought whatever was stocked in the stores, when I found them. They were almost invariably medium nibs, even the ones I found in England as a college student. It was the accidental discovery of the growth of the modern fountain pen market online and the ability to special order finer nibs that drew me deeper into the hobby.

 

Newbies will probably start by running across a pen at one of the few B&M stores that still stock them, and get a medium nib.

[Davis19942003]

It's perfectly up to your preference

I personally like fine nibs, especially Japanese F. Mostly because my hand writing is small and the paper at school is not fountain pen friendly. And EF seems to be scratchy

But that doesn't mean I don't like other nibs. My first Fountain Pen is a Pilot MR Medium. And I have an Online Academy Medium.
Medium nibs are smoother than Fine nibs to me. But I can only use these medium writers on my own notebook or it will feathers

 

I am going to try a board nib too as I am curious on the feel it writes.

[donwinn]

I love fine tip nibs, and I have been using fountain pens off and on since third grade, when students were first allowed to use pens. Hardly anyone had a ballpoint pen, because they were more expensive than a Sheaffer school pen with two cartridges included on the cardboard. Returned to fountain pens in 1996, and began serious collecting in 2006. Not quite a noob.

[transcend]

I got my new m605 in B today and a almost new m600 in F earlier this week. Both represent big upgrades to my pen collection, and downgrades to my wallet.

 

Long story short, I need to try an M.

[transcend]

F pros: Can fit more writing is less space, can use for math.

B pros: line variation, ink beauty on full display, signature anyone?

 

f cons: scratchy acoustics, shakier print, unforgiving on using excessive pressure, feels like a pocket knife and felt tip pens' illegitimate lovechild. Intrudes on the domain of mechanical pencils with it's chiseling.

b cons: downs syndrome print, unusable with numbers, forget about using small pads unless you're willing to twitterize your notes (10 chars/4 words or less)

 

hope i didn't offend anyone with the downs.

Edited December 26, 2014 by transcend

[Icywolfe]

F pros: Can fit more writing is less space, can use for math.

B pros: line variation, ink beauty on full display, signature anyone?

 

f cons: scratchy acoustics, shakier print, unforgiving on using excessive pressure, feels like a pocket knife and felt tip pens' illegitimate lovechild. Intrudes on the domain of mechanical pencils with it's chiseling.

b cons: downs syndrome print, unusable with numbers, forget about using small pads unless you're willing to twitterize your notes (10 chars/4 words or less)

 

hope i didn't offend anyone with the downs.

 

F Pros: Also the writing is much more clearer. Especially when ぺ can look like べ (Confuse the reader)

Not all F nibs are scratchy. Also what do you mean by excessive pressure?

 

B doesn't have line variation stubs do.

[Anoia]

I am surprised that so many people think that F and EF nibs are newbie-nibs. That is not the case here at all. Schoolchildren nowadays get fountain pens with special beginner nibs, which are around M-size and basically any (moderately prized) pen comes with an M-nib, if you want anything else, you have to specifically ask for it (and of course know that this option exists).

 

I learned to write 34 years ago and in school I used my pen upside-down for years to achive a finer line. I have always preferred an F or EF-line, simply because of my small handwriting. Besides, I don't think that F and EF nibs are useful for beginners, because they can be scratchy and that can be off-putting, escpecially for children who are learning to write.

[transcend]

A Pilot 78G or Metropolitan with a Fine would be somewhat smaller (and half the price, and generally good right out the box)

 

No more metropolitans for me. I have two and they are both write excellently, but they look like glazed turds compare to every other pen in my desk. Would have bought a pilot already but the designs are uninspiring. Still, one of their high end, non limited editions, will almost certainly be the next pen I purchase.

 

I don't know if there really is a new person's nib. The old phrase is "different strokes for different folks." We all have our preferences.

 

For me, my nib preference comes down to what I'm doing. If I'm doing serious writing such as my novel, writing for school, taking notes, or correcting papers, I want a fine nib. For all purposes but the last I also want black ink.

 

For letter writing, brainstorming, embellishing my notes, and such, I enjoy the broader nibs and wider array of colors.

 

I agree, it's mainly about fulfillment of purpose. I like black ink but the lack of gradientation makes it a little boring, tho also, consistenly striking. I tend to save it for special occasions.

 

I desperately need a 6-pen pen case. 3 pen pen case looks like it's not going to be enough.

 

why not get a lamy safari? extra nibs are cheep and incredibly easy to switch out.

 

I have 4. I had 7. And their nibs don't cost an arm and a leg. Very nice all purpose, but I don't feel they excel in specifics. They're great gifts and ink samplers in the worst scenario.

Edited December 26, 2014 by transcend

[transcend]

 

F Pros: Also the writing is much more clearer. Especially when ぺ can look like べ (Confuse the reader)

Not all F nibs are scratchy. Also what do you mean by excessive pressure?

 

B doesn't have line variation stubs do.

 

It's not necessarily scratchy at all. Held correctly it writes perfectly.

 

Excessive pressure=mistake pressure. You probably don't experience this much.

Edited December 27, 2014 by transcend

[RudyR]

In general, I use a medium and larger nib for writing, but I have to have a fine Japanese nib around for filling out forms. Especially USA forms.

 

They have to have tons of personal info on a limited amount of space which is left after the instructions are included and why you better tell them what they want to know if you know what's good for you and your family, because now they know where you live. Then they leave you just this tiny little small space to put that info in and with a medium nib you can't write what needs to be told clearly so you and your family are in jeopardy.

 

Better to not take that chance and use a Japanese fine for forms. You could turn your nib upside down and use it that way but where is the fun in that?

[highlander1307]

I use fine, medium and broad nibs depending on the task at hand. I have occassionaly carried two fountain pens with different nib sizes, and it made for interesting conversation!

[transcend]

Check out Sailor nibs

They have nibs like the "zoom" nib, the line weight can change depending on the angle it's held at.

They also have some custom nibs that are medium or broad but when flipped they write fine.

 

Check out the link here....

http://nibs.com/SailorSpecialtyNibs.htm

 

All the reviews on this brand have been excellent and it follows that I would like it based on my preference toward Pilots. Although I don't really like the name pilot, I actually would feel uncomfortable with a "sailor" in my pocket.

[SujiCorp12345]

I started off my collection of fountain pens with EF and F nibs but once I saw some of amazing shading qualities of ink which were easily noticeable in a broad nib, I tried one and loved it! However, I still like using fine nibs as well, especially for school. I have pens ranging from EF to 3B now. They all have different uses. You should definitely try a broad sometime though; in my experience if they are tuned correctly, they are unbelievably smoother than their EF or F counterparts.

[transcend]

Pelikan m605 stock and unused Broad tip review, 8 hours in is that although i'm smashing through sheets of paper like it's a sworn enemy, the flow and feel are flat out seductive. I had no intention of writing this much. It's calling to me every time i put it down. I'm not that happy with the result, (ok, it's nice, but my fine tip looks 100 times smarter) but as it's going down, it's just captivating.

 

Still unsure whether a Broad tip matches a demonstrator/clearish barrel/pen, seems it would be better suited on a fat tuxedo black, or fat ornate or marbled pen, so I'm still conflicted.

 

I can't believe a backup or other size nib is going to cost as much as it is. It's really it's like wow, this weights 1 gram and it's half plastic and you want what?