Seeking Pens With Wide Grips And Fine Nibs

[nathantain]

Hello, I'm looking for recommendations for pens with wide grips and fine nibs.

 

I find the Jinhao 159 very comfortable to write with and am pretty sure that I'd find other wide gripped pens such as the Montblanc 149 and Pelikan M1000 similarly comfortable. However, these pens don't write a fine enough line for me. I've replaced the Jinhao nib with a Nemosine EF, and have used a Pelikan EF on an M400, and have found both to write too broad (have never tried a MB but can't imagine it's any finer).

 

Conversely, the Pilot number 15 fine nib on my Custom 823 is absolutely perfect for my handwriting. I'd guess it's a combination of the nib size and the fact that it's a bit on the dry side. However, the pen is too narrow for me to hold comfortably.

 

So, what I'm looking for is a pen with a nice wide grip that writes a nice fine line. I've considered the Sailor King of Pen, but that doesn't seem to come with a nib smaller than medium. I've even considered a Namiki Emperor (would love to stick with a Pilot-Namiki nib), but would prefer something less expensive. Of course, I could get a pen with a comfortable grip and have the nib custom ground, but am hoping to find something that works out of the box.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Bluey]

You can buy a Goulet EF nib to fit your Jinhao 159. I would say they're thinner than the Pelikan EFs. There's also Pilot Capless/VP EF which is extremely fine and has a wide girth.

Edited September 10, 2017 by Bluey

[Mister5]

You might give an Aurora Optima a try. The thing is - at least mine - the EF gives a LOT of feedback. But it's the closest I've seen to Japanese EF in an European nib. I think the feedback is kind of standard for Aurora, though I've read others having smooth nibs. It's pricey though.. I got a real bargain at a pen show.

 

I'd you can find a PFM with an accountant or EF nib that might fit your bill. The PFM I tends to be less pricey than the other PFMs, but you're starting at around $200.

 

Oh I can't forget... Franklin Christoph Model 02 with a Masuyama Needlepoint.

Edited September 10, 2017 by Mister5

[displacermoose]

Sailor Pro Gear. I love this pen; it is wonderfully fat. It comes in fine.

[sidthecat]

If it's an orthopedic issue you can get some of those silicone pencil grips and slit them lengthwise.

[mitto]

A sheaffer PFM with fine nib.

[akrohn2010]

Maybe an Edison? Don't own one but it's on my wishlist: the Collier for example is a very large pen and supposed to be a very comfortable writer. Their nibs are closer to a European sized but on Goulet's nib nook the Edison EF is only a smidge wider than the Pilot 823 fine.

 

~AK

[Marioferu]

You can buy a Goulet EF nib to fit your Jinhao 159. I would say they're thinner than the Pelikan EFs. There's also Pilot Capless/VP EF which is extremely fine and has a wide girth.

Yes, I agree. I own a Pilot Namiki Capless in fine that is amazingly soft.

[Namo]

I've great memories of the Delta Dolce Vita Oversize. The #8 nibs are awesome. I used to have two of them, ones in B, the other one in EF. This was before Delta switched to 14k nibs, and before that ridiculous "fusion" scam...

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

Please take a look at the humble Pilot Prera.

 

The section has a goodly girth, and nibs of various widths can be had. I really like this pen more than anticipated

 

Mine is Lime Green + M nib, which poses with the usual suspects:

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/Ink%20Review%20-%20ESS%20Registrars%20Blue-Black/c42ebe09.jpg

Note: This is a scannned image, so no parallax.

 

• Pilot Prera + steel M nib.
• Sheaffer 440 + steel XF nib.
• Pelikan M400 + 14C M nib.
• Platinum President Purist + 22K B nib.
• Parker Newhaven Insignia.
• Waterman Carene + 18K factory Stub nib.
• Waterman 52 1/2 V

Written samples can be seen in my Ink Review of ESS Registrars ink.

Bye,

S1

Edited September 12, 2017 by Sandy1

[senzen]

Sailor Pro Gear. I love this pen; it is wonderfully fat. It comes in fine.

 

+1!

[nathantain]

Thank you to everyone for all the suggestions.

 

I ended up getting a Namiki Yukari Royale in black with a fine nib. This was definitely a pricier pen than I planned on and I hesitated a lot before making the purchase. I thought of it like this:

 

Positives:

* nib/line: basically the same sized nib and line that I love on my 823

* grip: larger grip than the 823 without being oversized

* look/fit/finish: imo, this is the perfect looking pen

 

Negatives:

* price: absolutely more than I planned to spend

* filling system: loses a lot of ink capacity vs 823, I love the transparency of the 823, wish the Yukari was an ebonite/ed system like the Emperor

 

I decided to go for the it because after considering *a lot* of different pens, including the ones suggested here (thanks again!), the Yukari Royale really was my perfect pen (except for that darn c/c filling system) and I could either pay the high price and get it, or forever go around with pens that were less than ideal (for me).

 

I've been using the pen for a couple days now and it has absolutely blown me away. The writing experience is in a different class than any pen I've used previously (823, Custom Heritage 912 [FA nib], Parker 75, Pelikan M400, Lamy 2000). Honestly, I thought it would merely be a more comfortable and much better looking 823 but it turned out to be a lot more than that. The nib requires basically no downward pressure at all so it really glides over the page with truly a whisper of feedback -- just enough to give that great sound and feel of pen on paper. In photos, the grip of the Yukari looks just a tad bigger than the 823 but you feel the difference a lot more when you're writing; it fits my hand great. The balance is perfect, and the pen looks amazing; the urushi finish has a quality that stands out from metal or resin pens, and that is hard to capture in photos.

 

Bottom line: Though I still wish the price and filling system were different, of all the generally available fountain pens on the market, the Yukari Royale is the closest to perfect for me.

 

A big thank you to Bryant at Chatterley Luxuries (chatterleyluxuries.com) for answering all my questions, putting up with my dithering, and offering a great price on this pen (for my budget this was an expensive pen, but for a new Yukari Royale Bryant's price was great).

 

Another big thank you to all the following reviews/reviewers. They really helped me cement my decision and if anyone is considering a Yukari Royale (or just wants to look at some great pen reviews) I highly recommend the following links:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/259003-battle-of-the-big-reds/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/322816-a-review-of-namiki-yukari-royale-in-vermillionred-urushi/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/258879-namiki-yukari-royale-versus-pilot-custom-845/

https://unroyalwarrant.com/2015/09/18/namiki-yukari-royale-vermilion-fountain-pen-review/

[Bryant]

Thank you to everyone for all the suggestions.

 

I ended up getting a Namiki Yukari Royale in black with a fine nib. This was definitely a pricier pen than I planned on and I hesitated a lot before making the purchase. I thought of it like this:

 

Positives:

* nib/line: basically the same sized nib and line that I love on my 823

* grip: larger grip than the 823 without being oversized

* look/fit/finish: imo, this is the perfect looking pen

 

Negatives:

* price: absolutely more than I planned to spend

* filling system: loses a lot of ink capacity vs 823, I love the transparency of the 823, wish the Yukari was an ebonite/ed system like the Emperor

 

I decided to go for the it because after considering *a lot* of different pens, including the ones suggested here (thanks again!), the Yukari Royale really was my perfect pen (except for that darn c/c filling system) and I could either pay the high price and get it, or forever go around with pens that were less than ideal (for me).

 

I've been using the pen for a couple days now and it has absolutely blown me away. The writing experience is in a different class than any pen I've used previously (823, Custom Heritage 912 [FA nib], Parker 75, Pelikan M400, Lamy 2000). Honestly, I thought it would merely be a more comfortable and much better looking 823 but it turned out to be a lot more than that. The nib requires basically no downward pressure at all so it really glides over the page with truly a whisper of feedback -- just enough to give that great sound and feel of pen on paper. In photos, the grip of the Yukari looks just a tad bigger than the 823 but you feel the difference a lot more when you're writing; it fits my hand great. The balance is perfect, and the pen looks amazing; the urushi finish has a quality that stands out from metal or resin pens, and that is hard to capture in photos.

 

Bottom line: Though I still wish the price and filling system were different, of all the generally available fountain pens on the market, the Yukari Royale is the closest to perfect for me.

 

A big thank you to Bryant at Chatterley Luxuries (chatterleyluxuries.com) for answering all my questions, putting up with my dithering, and offering a great price on this pen (for my budget this was an expensive pen, but for a new Yukari Royale Bryant's price was great).

 

Another big thank you to all the following reviews/reviewers. They really helped me cement my decision and if anyone is considering a Yukari Royale (or just wants to look at some great pen reviews) I highly recommend the following links:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/259003-battle-of-the-big-reds/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/322816-a-review-of-namiki-yukari-royale-in-vermillionred-urushi/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/258879-namiki-yukari-royale-versus-pilot-custom-845/

https://unroyalwarrant.com/2015/09/18/namiki-yukari-royale-vermilion-fountain-pen-review/

 

Im so glad you like it! And, dont worry about the "dithering", it is an expensive pen so you should be 100% sure about it. Happy help with any questions any time. Thats what I'm here for! Write with it in good health! Cheers! Bry

Edited September 22, 2017 by Bryant