True untipped Italic nibs?

[Garageboy]

What pens came with true untipped italic nibs, ala Osmiroid? Are these "better" than tipped nibs?

[ANM]

Pelikan had some Italic nibs. I thought they were better than Osmiroid. Better than just about anything else. Rotring had some really good ones, almost on a par with Pelikan. Cartridge refills hurt my rating of them. Sheaffer has Italic nibs, not better than Osmiroid, IMHO. Parker had some, better than Sheaffer, probably not as good as Osmroid for wetness but probably longer lasting. There are plenty of others but I can't comment on their relative "better-ness"

 

I am just speculating on tipped vs untipped "better-ness" but I imagine that tipped would last longer but not produce as good ( read crisp sharp lines) results in calligraphy lettering.

Edited May 3, 2008 by ANM

[Paddler]

Platignum made a set of screw-in italic nibs that fit their Silverline pens. These appear to be untipped. There are six of them: fine, medium, broad, B2, B3, and B4. These are more crisp than the equivalent Sheaffer nibs and therefore the sweet spots are a lot smaller. I have never worn one out, so I cannot attest to their longevity.

 

I don't know what you mean by "better". The untipped nib is probably softer than the tipped one, so it would wear faster but be more easily re-ground.

 

Paddler

 

[Dr.Grace]

My experience is similar to ANM's. My Pelikan "Skript" pen has the smoothest nib, probably the most enjoyable cursive italic feel, although perhaps not quite as crisp as some others. Osmiroid nibs that fit into Esterbrook bodies are pretty good, but the metal is soft, so you may need to do periodic adjustments. Lamy Joy/Safari calligraphy nibs are OK and pretty durable. (BTW, I have a Lamy "Joy" pen I could sell you.) The Platignum pen I have has a very, very dry flow. I don't know if it's representative of that brand.

[Italicist]

The calligraphy pens by the Manuscript company are also untipped, and are very similar to the old Osmiroid nibs.

[FrankB]

In vintage pens, Esterbrook had a number of untipped italic nibs. I do not think I saw Rotring's "Art Pen" listed above. But I agree that Pelikan's "Script" series is one of the best I have found.

 

I am also unsure what you mean by "better." Untipped italic nibs give a crisp line, frequently crisper than a tipped nib. But, tipped nibs are more duarable. I seems like a trade off. What features do you want in your italic nibs?

[Garageboy]

Betterness means crispness for me.

I think the Lamy Italics are tipped