Bock (Steel Nib) Ef Vs Platinum F ( Gold Nib) Vs Sailor(21K) F

[L.Velvet]

Hi,

 

 

My reference nib is a Sailor F nib. I usually like to have a western EF nib. I owned for a decade the sailor 21k with an F nib. But it became a bit too springy, too juicy and too broad ( more like a western F/M) and a bit scratchy.

I bought previously a gold nib, because I fantasised about gold qualities, I thought it would keep it's quality during a lifetime. But now it seems like a 10$ Sailor High Ace is more precise than my gold 21k nib.

 

I need another pen anyway, I can go with a custom pen with a simple bock steel EF nib, or a platinum 3776 F nib. So I have 2 questions :

 

Does a Bock EF writes as fine as an Platinum F or Sailor F nib ?

 

Does gold pen have some qualities that I am missing ?

 

Thank you.

[MusterMark]

Sometimes gold nibs can be springier than steel nibs, but it sounds like you're looking for more of a firm nib. The Platinum nibs I own are all very firm. What distinguishes them for me is their distinctive feedback. Not scratchy, just toothy. I love it. My Platinum F nib is one of the finest I own, maybe beat only by a vintage Parker that is an XXF or something crazy like that.

 

In case you haven't seen it, Edison Pen Co. has a good article on the steel vs. gold debate:

https://edisonpen.com/in-praise-of-steel-nibs-2/

Edited February 20, 2020 by MusterMark

[ENewton]

Do you have any pens with Bock steel nibs? I understand that the characteristics of Bock nibs can vary insofar as the pen manufacturers who use them can have the nibs made to specification, but the one Bock steel nib I have (on a Kaweco Sport) is the least satisfying in my collection.

 

My Bock nib is a fine, not an extra fine, so I cannot respond to your comment on the line width of a Bock extra fine, but my limited experience would lead me to choose the Platinum nib over the Bock.

 

Neither of the Platinum nibs I own is a fine, but I happen to have written with a fine a few days ago, and although I didn't like it as much as my Sailor fine, it certainly produced a precise, fine line.

[DonM]

One advantage to the Bock steel nib is that it is a standard size and inexpensive to replace if you don't like the line width. Platinum is a different animal, and runs finer than even the typical Japanese fine nibs from Sailor or Pilot. As a counter point to the above opinion, I do not care for the finer Platinum nibs due to their feedback qualities. I much prefer my Pilot and Sailor nibs.

[TassoBarbasso]

Bock nibs are very inconsistent, it would all depend on the specific manufacturer. I have a few Bock F nibs, they range from truly F to almost B in size. Moreover in recent years they have become kinda hit-or-miss (mostly miss).

[A Smug Dill]

Does a Bock EF writes as fine as an Platinum F or Sailor F nib ?

 

As far as I'm aware, I've only used one pen with a steel EF nib manufactured by Bock: my Leonardo Momento Zero Blue Hawaii. It certainly didn't put down fine enough lines out-of-the-box. Upon closer inspection with loupe, quite some time later, I discovered that the nib was imperfectly cut and the tipping was not symmetrical about the nib slit, which meant the width of the actual contact surface area was (sometimes) narrower that the geometry of the tipping material as a whole should have entailed.

 

Platinum #3776 14K gold F nibs are noticeably stiffer than Sailor "large-sized" 21K gold F nibs (fitted on Profit21, aka 1911 Large, and Professional Gear 'Classic' models), but then in my experience, so are Sailor "medium-sized" 14K gold F and EF nibs.

 

Does gold pen have some qualities that I am missing ?

Resistance to corrosion by strongly acidic inks, including but not limited to iron-gall inks, for one.

[Intensity]

My only Sailor F (21K) is quite wet and writes much wider than both of my Sailor EFs (14K and 21K) and wider than my Pilot VP/Capless 18K Fine nib. The tines seem well-aligned, there's no visible gap between them, so I think that's just how it was made to write. It also writes perfectly smoothly and evenly in reverse orientation, making a line close to Sailor EF nibs, so I use it that way quite a bit. Nice 2-in-1 bonus feature of this nib. I imagine a Bock EF nib can easily write as finely as my Sailor F nib. My #5 steel Bock F nib can write almost as fine already. I do not know how representative my specific Sailor Fine nib of the average Sailor nib. And of course there is a variation in width depending on ink used and paper.

Edited February 22, 2020 by Intensity

[TheDutchGuy]

I’ve got many steel Bock-made nibs that I use in various pens. They tend to vary a lot in terms of feel, feedback, wetness and line width. They’re not consistent, but personally I kind of like this variance because every nib brings something new to the table and while they’re dissimilar, they’re rarely duds. A steel Bock-made Kaweco nib costs 8 euros including collar and feed. For that kind of money, I like to experiment.

 

Anyway, here’s a quick writing sample of a Bock EF and some other pens (western EF and XF, Japanese MF and F, vintage accountant’s nib and a vintage needlepoint flex nib; I did not demonstrate the flex because it’s not relevant in this context).

 

[ENewton]

I’ve got many steel Bock-made nibs that I use in various pens. They tend to vary a lot in terms of feel, feedback, wetness and line width. They’re not consistent, but personally I kind of like this variance because every nib brings something new to the table and while they’re dissimilar, they’re rarely duds. A steel Bock-made Kaweco nib costs 8 euros including collar and feed. For that kind of money, I like to experiment.

 

Anyway, here’s a quick writing sample of a Bock EF and some other pens (western EF and XF, Japanese MF and F, vintage accountant’s nib and a vintage needlepoint flex nib; I did not demonstrate the flex because it’s not relevant in this context).

 

 

 

Thank you for providing these samples and characterizations of the different nibs.

 

I have not used my Kaweco Sport in more than a year, because the nib just feels flimsy to me, like the pop-top on a cat food can or the cheap metal earrings my daughter used to buy when she was a teenager, but you have managed to reframe the experience of writing with such a nib as an opportunity. What if I did give it a squash and ended up wrecking it? It would cost less than a sandwich to recover from the mishap.

[TheDutchGuy]

I have not used my Kaweco Sport in more than a year, because the nib just feels flimsy to me, like the pop-top on a cat food can or the cheap metal earrings my daughter used to buy when she was a teenager...

 

That’s interesting. I’ve got several Sports and a Dia2 and the steel nibs in those pens seem to be indestructible to me. I use them on planes, trains and automobiles and I’ve never damaged one. Now my son dropped his pen nib-down on a hard floor, twice. The first time I could fix it in 10 minutes of bending and aligning, the second time killed it.

[Intensity]

My Fine Bock is in a Kaweco Perkeo, which uses a longer #5 Bock nib compared to the compact #5 Bock nibs in Sport and other Kaweco pens. It is fairly "squishy": springy and easy to get a wider line if not writing with a light hand. I like it like that myself, it does not feel flimsy. But then again, I also write with a very light hand with my Sailor EF and F pens to avoid gradually making them write wider over time. I aim to preserve the fine-writing characteristics of my very fine pens, which requires care. If one wants a very firm nib that will stay extra fine, it's probably best to go with small hooded type nibs, such as Pilot Capless nibs, either in 18K in F or EF or even "special alloy" steel in F. Or Parker 51 fine nibs. Those can withstand some pressure and retain their fine line.

[A Smug Dill]

Those can withstand some pressure and retain their fine line.

Or something like the Daiso-Hauser fountain pen, which in spite of stated nib width grade of Medium, writes comparably to a "Western EF". The curvature of the nib body would probably withstand a lot of pressure before it yields and deforms.