Pilot Metropolitan Medium Vs Fine.

[Luca2fish]

Hey, I was wondering which is better, medium nib or fine in the Metro. The medium might be richer, darker, thicker, but the fine might not bleed as much? Just want some feedback

Edited May 9, 2015 by Luca2fish

[inkstainedruth]

When I bought my Metropolitan last winter, I was able to try both an F and an M nib. I found the F to be a bit on the scratchy side, so I bought an M. I've used several different inks in it since December, and haven't seen any noticeable feathering or show through, let alone bleedthrough.

What ink(s) are you using that this may be an issue? What paper? They could be factors, in addition to the nib.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[fljones3]

I have a fine and medium, using them both. You would probably like the medium for writing.

[Luca2fish]

Thanks guys, I'm going to get the medium. I think I was just using crappy paper, so that's the reason for the bleedthrough. Thanks

[Betweenthelines]

I love both, but because the metro is my beater pen for on the go and (bleep) paper I mostly use the fine.

[ink-syringe]

Thanks guys, I'm going to get the medium. I think I was just using crappy paper, so that's the reason for the bleedthrough. Thanks

 

 

That can be addressed on the paper and ink side of things. Get the point you need. Get good paper. If that is not an option try an ink like Noodler's x-feather.

[Kataphract]

My fine is smooth, my medium is even smoother. On cheap paper, the fine works better. Other than that, it's whatever size fits your handwriting and taste in nib width.

[starrya]

I have a Medium and a Fine and like both so far (though I am really new and have no idea what I'm talking about). So far I've been using pretty cheap / normal paper (cheap stationery and regular lined paper) and I think the fine is a little better for the super cheap paper.

[KBeezie]

I like em both, Medium is a bit smoother, but also a bit wetter, finer is well finer, dryer, but has more feedback. Personal preference really.

[Maurizio]

If you want to increase the odds of a smoother writing experience, get the medium. As noted above, bleeding, feathering can be addressed with choice of ink and paper.

 

Try some sugar cane based paper, it's generally very fountain pen friendly. Staples Eco Easy sugar cane wirebound notebooks are good, Office Depot also makes some, don't know their name. Some people on the forum have reported using sugar cane marble-type notebooks; I havn't seen them but I'm sure they're out there somewhere. So far, I havn't tried a sugar cane paper that I havn't liked. The beauty of the sugar cane paper is that it's still relatively cheap and really 10 times better than the junk sellers try to pass off as paper in average notebooks.

 

Ink is a whole other discussion.

[KBeezie]

Try some sugar cane based paper, it's generally very fountain pen friendly. Staples Eco Easy sugar cane wirebound notebooks are good, Office Depot also makes some, don't know their name. Some people on the forum have reported using sugar cane marble-type notebooks; I havn't seen them but I'm sure they're out there somewhere. So far, I havn't tried a sugar cane paper that I havn't liked. The beauty of the sugar cane paper is that it's still relatively cheap and really 10 times better than the junk sellers try to pass off as paper in average notebooks.

This is the stuff I been using since last semester, has the 'normal' feel I expect for a notebook, but handles just about every fountain pen I've thrown at it, and relatively inexpensive (ie: not as cheap as Mead 5-Star, but not as expensive as say Rhodia or Clairefontaine)

http://www.rspaperproducts.com/products/wirebound-notebooks/environotes-sugarcane-paper-notebooks

Edited May 13, 2015 by KBeezie

[Maurizio]

KBeezie - I'm glad you mentioned the Roaring Spring notebook. I've got one of those also, but didn't think they were easily available across the country. The paper in these is also quite good. In my neck of the woods, this notebook cost about $3.29.

[rutherfordr]

Really? I use Roaring Spring composition books at work, and they feather like mad when I use a fountain pen.

Show-through is really bad, too -- so much so that I can only use one side of a page.

[Maurizio]

I'm guessing they're not the ones made from sugar cane paper. Take a look at the link KBeezie provided. The sugar cane paper notebooks are called "Environotes". If your notebooks don't say that, they're not the ones we're talking about.

 

If you are using the sugar cane paper notebooks, that is surprising and disappointing and the first I've heard of sugar cane paper not performing well with fountain pens.

[WirsPlm]

I have both and the fine definitely puts less ink out than the medium so it has fewer problems with bleeding on cheap paper but since it is smaller it reacts more to the cheap texture of cheap paper. Really, the solution to cheap paper is to get better paper, there's unfortunately no real way around it unless you're OK with the FP carbon inks (Hero has a good carbon ink that's much cheaper than Sailor's, so that's an opition), since carbon inks are particles suspended in liquid the don't bleed.

[rutherfordr]

Ah, you're right, the composition books aren't sugar cane paper.

[KBeezie]

KBeezie - I'm glad you mentioned the Roaring Spring notebook. I've got one of those also, but didn't think they were easily available across the country. The paper in these is also quite good. In my neck of the woods, this notebook cost about $3.29.

I mainly find them at my campus book store at GRCC, I usually grab several at the start of each semester as I can just use the financial aid towards supplies in the bookstore (I usually grab a thing of moleskine too, despite them being not the best for fountain pens, but tend to work ok for pencil/gel/bp).

 

Alternatively, the Mead 5-star paper, has worked, though will feather/bleed with some thicker pens beyond a medium, but not nearly as bad as the expensive Cambridge (made by Mead) paper that just feathers like crazy (but I suspect it's also because of it being a "soft" paper).