Rigid Nibs Vs Firm Nibs

[gillyohan]

I'm looking for a new esterbrook nib, but can't decide on what I want. I initially wanted a fine stub (2442), but I changed my mind after finding out it was an oblique nib. Now I'm looking at standard ones, but want to know what the differences are between rigid and firm nibs as far as feel (while writing) and the line on the page.

 

The ones I'm looking at are:

 

9460 (rigid med), 9461 (rigid fine)

 

compared to: 9668 (firm med), 9556 (firm fine)

 

and, 2668 (firm med, no tipping?), 2556 (firm fine, no tipping?)

 

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. If anyone is looking to one of these nibs out let me know.

[wheezur]

The 2XXX series nibs are not tipped, the "tip" is formed by rolling the ends of the tines. The 9XXX nibs are Durium tipped (Esterbrook's name for their tipping alloy) and should be more durable. Generally the 9XXX nibs sell for more, though for rare nibs the prices can be all over the place. None of the nibs you mention are rare.

 

My limited experience is that the rigid (sometimes called manifold) nibs are very stiff; stiffer than the firm nibs, which have only a tiny bit of spring and are similar to "typical" modern nibs. I prefer the firm to the rigid, but it is not a huge difference. There are many manifold nibs out there and many happy manifold users so you probably can't go wrong with whatever you get.

 

Both of my Esterbrook nibs are fine, so I can't comment on the relative line width of fine and medium. My fine nibs are finer, for example, than my Pelikan fine but certainly not extra fine. Perhaps someone with more expertise can provide more insight?