Butter Smooth Pen Recommendations

[Haptesthai]

Hello, I am thinking of getting a Japanese writer for daily use. I want it to be butter smooth with the least feedback possible. I've been contemplating Platinum Maki-e (I know that they are silk screened) for a while now. They are simply gorgeous. I wonder if medium nibs are smooth enough.

 

My budget is around 100-150$.

 

Any other recommendations?

[mke]

Choose here for your target: http://www.platinum-pen.co.jp/fountain_makie.html

The 100 USD class is at the bottom of the page. Online they start at 70 USD (in Japan).

 

Pilot pens start at the double price LINK

Sailor pens too LINK

 

And the maki-e of other companies? Add a zero to the 100, and double it. From 600, if you buy used and if you are lucky.

 

For the smoothness, Pilot M is quite smooth. Platinum, I have only an F.

Edited July 2, 2017 by mke

[Haptesthai]

Choose here for your target: http://www.platinum-pen.co.jp/fountain_makie.html

The 100 USD class is at the bottom of the page. Online they start at 70 USD (in Japan).

 

Pilot pens start at the double price LINK

Sailor pens too LINK

 

And the maki-e of other companies? Add a zero to the 100, and double it. From 600, if you buy used and if you are lucky.

 

For the smoothness, Pilot M is quite smooth. Platinum, I have only an F.

Thank you for your quick reply. Is your Platinum toothy? Does it write too thin compared to Western fine nibs?

 

Also, do you think that there is a noticeable difference between 100$ Platinums and 200$ Sailor-Pilots in terms of writing experience? Thanks.

Edited July 2, 2017 by Haptesthai

[mke]

> Does it write too thin compared to Western fine nibs?

It writes fine even compared to Sailor or Pilot fines. And these are already considered one level finer as a Western fine. BUT, I don't have a Western fine, so, personally, I don't know.

 

I have no experience with a Platinum maki-e pen, I only have an entry level Pilot maki-e (30000 Yen on their HP) which I bought used.

I would say, the pen experience is the same, normal or maki-e.

I like Pilot and Sailor pens, my platinum 3776 (not the century) was a problematic pen until I started keeping it horizontally. I don't want to judge yet Platinum pens.

Edited July 2, 2017 by mke

[dcwaites]

At that price range, I would select a Pilot Custom 74 in Medium. Available from a a number of vendors, eBay and Rakuten included, in the $US70 price range.

 

Mine is the smoothest nib I have.

[Driften]

My Pilot 74 in medium (91 and 92 would be the same) and my Vanishing Point/Fermo in medium are extremely smooth. They are also very wet and write like western medium nibs in line width. Its funny that the steel nib in a Pilot MR in medium writes more like a Fine, but in the gold Pilot nibs (3for3) write like a wet western medium. It does make them extremely smooth though.

[Haptesthai]

My Pilot 74 in medium (91 and 92 would be the same) and my Vanishing Point/Fermo in medium are extremely smooth. They are also very wet and write like western medium nibs in line width. Its funny that the steel nib in a Pilot MR in medium writes more like a Fine, but in the gold Pilot nibs (3for3) write like a wet western medium. It does make them extremely smooth though.

 

 

At that price range, I would select a Pilot Custom 74 in Medium. Available from a a number of vendors, eBay and Rakuten included, in the $US70 price range. Mine is the smoothest nib I have.

 

 

I have no experience with a Platinum maki-e pen, I only have an entry level Pilot maki-e (30000 Yen on their HP) which I bought used.

I would say, the pen experience is the same, normal or maki-e.

I like Pilot and Sailor pens, my platinum 3776 (not the century) was a problematic pen until I started keeping it horizontally. I don't want to judge yet Platinum pens.

Thanks for your replies.

 

Is it possible to get a smooth Japanese fine out of the box? I just cannot love medium nibs. However, smoothness precedes line width for me.

Edited July 3, 2017 by Haptesthai

[EHV]

I own 3 Sailor's, 5 Platinum's and 7 Pilots's and I can easily say that ALL of the Pilots are "smoother" nibs than the other brands. This is not to say that the Sailor's or the Platinum's are rough or bad, etc., just that they exhibit more tooth or feedback than the Pilot nibs, (except for the Sailor music nib, which is truly like butter.)

 

All of what I describe is out of the box without any work having been done to the nibs.

 

I have read of people describing Sailor and Platinum nibs as being smooth also but so far, Pilot wins that contest for me.

 

While no doubt, you can find smooth Japanese nibs, the European brands seem to be so favored for their buttery smooth nibs. Some are so smooth that they exhibit baby's bottom out of the box. This is something that I have thankfully never encountered with a Japanese nib.

Edited July 3, 2017 by EHV

[Uncial]

My personal experience (YMMV):

Pilot to my mind would be the smoothest and your best bet.

Platinum have a touch of feedback but nothing unpleasant. Others have experienced very toothy nibs but I can't say I have ever had this (except on one that had a weird incy wincy bubble in the tipping that destroyed the pen when I tried to smooth it out)

Sailor nibs are a mystery to me. I've had some that are horribly scratchy and to me quite unpleasant to use. I sold all of these but one to people who told me after they received them that they thought the nibs were perfect. I own a Pro Gear Earth and have tried a couple of other Pro Gears and the nib on mine and one other are very smooth and a pleasure to use; the other one was a scratchy level of hell for my taste.

 

As I say, Pilot is probably your best bet. The Platinum and Sailor nibs will run a good bit finer (can't say I notice a huge difference with Pilot) and also have quite small tipping, so if you need to smooth and polish these further it can be somewhat difficult to do, and risky.

[mke]

> Pilot is probably your best bet

I second this. Choose a Pilot fine.

[nekomuffchu]

Pilot Vanishing Point in M would be a good choice, a very smooth writer. No fiddly caps either.

[ac12]

Hello, I am thinking of getting a Japanese writer for daily use. I want it to be butter smooth with the least feedback possible. I've been contemplating Platinum Maki-e (I know that they are silk screened) for a while now. They are simply gorgeous. I wonder if medium nibs are smooth enough.

 

My budget is around 100-150$.

 

Any other recommendations?

 

Smoothness is not only the pen.

 

There are FOUR variables that affect smoothness of writing. And all four variables must be in balance.

Change any one variable and you will go from good to bad, or bad to worse.

These are: the pen (including the nib), the ink, the paper, and YOU the writer.

 

In general, the Japanese nibs are a grade finer than Western nibs.

IOW a Japanese F nib = a Western EF nib. And a Japanese M = a Western F nib.

There are company to company variation in Japanese nib sizes, as they are with Western nibs.

In general, the finer nibs are scratchier than the wider nibs.

This is very similar to a cart with small wheels vs. a cart with large wheels. The cart with the large wheel will roll smoother.

If you want smooth, you should use a wider nib.

 

In general, the finer the nib, the more sensitive it will be to the texture of the surface of the paper.

If you want smooth, you NEED to use a hard smooth paper, especially with fine nibs.

 

If you write on CHEAP copy paper, you will NOT get a smooth writing experience.

The paper is too rough for the fine nib pens.

The paper will soak up the ink faster than the nib can lay it down, so the nib will get reduced lubrication from the ink.

 

If the pen writes dry, you have less ink to lubricate the nib on the paper = more friction = scratchy.

The pen needs to write wet enough to put enough ink to lubricate the nib.

 

Some inks are less lubricating than others = more friction = scratchy.

 

The harder you press down on the pen, the more friction you create between the nib and paper = scratchy.

Lighten up your hand.

 

If you roll the pen of the sweet spot of the nib, you get less ink flow = more friction = scratchy

Find the sweet spot and keep on it, do not rotate your hand as you write.

Edited July 4, 2017 by ac12

[Pensei]

Yes, you can get a F that writes perfectly out of the box. My CH 91 is an example--it writes beautifully. I would recommend the Pilot 74 or 91 as the best pen in your price range with the goals you stated. If you want to raise your budget, the Pilot #15 nib in F is, in my opinion, the smoothest writing OOB pen you can get.

[mke]

Yesterday, I tested the Platinum 3776 Century in different nib sizes. Much better than my old 3776 (not century). But still, I think Pilot is smoother.

With the Platinum, I found a smoothness gap between the F and the M.

However, I was surprised how well even the UEF writes. If I would need a finer nib than the ones I have at the moment, I would consider the UEF nib as a potential buy.

[Berghain54]

Hello, I am thinking of getting a Japanese writer for daily use. I want it to be butter smooth with the least feedback possible. I've been contemplating Platinum Maki-e (I know that they are silk screened) for a while now. They are simply gorgeous. I wonder if medium nibs are smooth enough.

 

My budget is around 100-150$.

 

Any other recommendations?

 

Hej Haptesthai,

 

what about a Pilot CH 912 with a Waverly nib?

Should fit your set spectrum.

 

Best regards

Berg

[Rednaxela]

Ac12 +1

[Shaporama]

> Pilot is probably your best bet

I second this. Choose a Pilot fine.

I have two Pilot Vanishing Points, a fine and a medium and they both write like butter. I keep them in my bag at all times, no other pen comes close no matter what price.

[JuInd]

If you use the combination of Pilot 74(3) with a C nib + Take-sume + Hammermill 32lb gloss paper, then you'll probably lose control of your pen.

Edited July 14, 2017 by JuInd

[FriendAmos]

 

Smoothness is not only the pen.

 

There are FOUR variables that affect smoothness of writing. And all four variables must be in balance.

Change any one variable and you will go from good to bad, or bad to worse.

These are: the pen (including the nib), the ink, the paper, and YOU the writer.

 

I think when people ask about or talk of smoothness, they are generally asking for or giving impressions that assume the other factors have been controlled for. That is, that the paper, ink, and person are the same. This allows people to make decisions for themselves or give advice to others.

 

It is on such basis that people can generalize, as above, and quite reasonably too, that Pilot is like this and the other one is like that.

 

In fact the "smoothness" can be determined in a more or less objective manner, independently of those three variables, which is why people send nibs to technicians for "smoothing", or "smooth" them themselves.

[mke]

Smoothness?

"Beauty lies in the eyes (of the beholder)."

 

I am sure that you cannot go (terribly) wrong with either a Pilot or a Sailor or a new type of the Platinum 3776 (i.e. the Century). There are small differences from nib to nib. If you really dislike the nib of your new pen, get it corrected by a nibmaster.

Choose the pen according to the design and if possible, get your hands on the pens. Personally, I feel more comfortable with Sailor pens in my hand than with Pilot pens.

 

Anyway, over time, you will get pens from each maker - that seem to be a natural law in the world of pen aficionados. So, don't worry buying a "wrong" pen.

Or to say it with an old saying from me: "a pen collection starts with the first pen". (a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step)

 

Enjoy.

Edited July 15, 2017 by mke