Modern Nibs: Gold Or Steel!? Do You Think They're Different?

[OMASmaniac]

Hi everybody!

 

Some people argue that modern nibs are more or less the same, regarless from the material: gold or steel it doesn't matter, they all tend to be rather rigid, and even a modern gold nib cannot be compared with a vintage nib in terms of flexibility.

 

In my opinion this is not true, because I think that gold nibs are always, at least, a little bit more flexible than steel nibs and are ALWAYS more "bouncy", and therefore more comfortable to write with.... unless someone uses a Waterman "Edson" or "Serenite" nib, which are real nails! But maybe my impression is given by the fact that I tend to use mainly OMAS pens, which always have more flexible nibs. However, so far I have used only one pen with a gold nib that performs exactly like a steel nib (a Cartier).

 

What do you think?

[777]

So far I've only tried a modern steel nib and a vintage gold nib. I think they are both nice in their own way. I do prefer gold nibs just cause it's what I do

 

edited to say: maybe it's the brand of nib that makes the difference? I've only tried 1 name brand pen before so I wouldn't be able to say whether or not this is true.

Edited July 22, 2010 by 777

[jar]

I think it is the design and construction that is the key. Steel does have advantages in spring characteristics that is very hard to achieve in gold.

[OMASmaniac]

looks like gold nibs are winning at the moment!

[welch]

You write with the "irridium" tip. A well-crafted tip is better, no matter whether it is attached to gold or steel.

[OMASmaniac]

You write with the "irridium" tip. A well-crafted tip is better, no matter whether it is attached to gold or steel.

 

Mmm... no, actually I don't use only IPG nibs. The steel nibs that I've used in my life are of different manufacturer, mainly Italians.

Edited July 22, 2010 by OMASmaniac

[Dr Lopez]

You write with the "irridium" tip. A well-crafted tip is better, no matter whether it is attached to gold or steel.

 

Mmm... no, actually I don't use only IPG nibs. The steel nibs that I've used in my life are of different manufacturer, mainly Italians.

 

No, I think you did not understand what the poster meant. The nib has a point and a base. The point or tip, the little dot that touches the paper, is always iridum, the base where the tip is attached to can be either gold, steel or even titanium. I tend to prefer gold, but I do have and use many steel nibs. I think some steel nibs are definitively better than some gold ones. Making a nib is not only a matter of using 14 or 18 K gold. As far as it is well designed for ink flow and the tip is well made I do not think it makes any difference.

[OMASmaniac]

You write with the "irridium" tip. A well-crafted tip is better, no matter whether it is attached to gold or steel.

 

Mmm... no, actually I don't use only IPG nibs. The steel nibs that I've used in my life are of different manufacturer, mainly Italians.

 

No, I think you did not understand what the poster meant. The nib has a point and a base. The point or tip, the little dot that touches the paper, is always iridum, the base where the tip is attached to can be either gold, steel or even titanium. I tend to prefer gold, but I do have and use many steel nibs. I think some steel nibs are definitively better than some gold ones. Making a nib is not only a matter of using 14 or 18 K gold. As far as it is well designed for ink flow and the tip is well made I do not think it makes any difference.

 

Yes yes, I know that what actually writes is iridium or whatever you call it. But what gives the performance of the nib, assuming that the tipping is of good wuality, is the material that supports the iridium tip. This is why I think golden nibs are always slightly better, because they're more flexible.

[RLTodd]

You write with the "irridium" tip. A well-crafted tip is better, no matter whether it is attached to gold or steel.

 

I seem to recall a comment made years ago. Might have been Mr. Dubiel. Something along the lines that the SS nibs tended toward better as they were mass produced by machines and once they machines were set up for a good nib, all the ones following would be so. OTOH, the gold nibs tended to be hand ground and you ended up with "Monday" nibs and "Friday" hour before closing times nips, and the newbie will do the grinding today nibs.

 

But I agree, all the writing is done on the hard metal pellet that is welded on and ground. With modern Stainless I can only see the gold as jewelry bling used to jack up the price to the end user.

[jniforat]

it really depends on the manufacturer. some of my p51 octanium nibs are way better than the gold nibs, and vice versa. Brian Gray sells the Jowo steel nibs because they are extremely amazing. He also wrote a fantastic article on the subject of gold v. steel that i highly recommend reading: "In Praise of Steel Nibs"

[dmmcf]

When it comes to performance, I think manufacturing trumps material; the better-made and adjusted nib will win, no matter what it's made of. But I do think there are reasons other than writing performance that one might want a precious-metal nib. If (might as well say when) I order an Edison, it will be very tempting to choose a gold nib because that material seems more in keeping with a hand-made, custom pen than steel ever could. I don't mean bling, either--probably no one but me would ever notice the nib. It's more a matter of balance.

[Silvermink]

I would say that gold and steel nibs perform differently, but I wouldn't describe either one as clearly "better". I generally prefer gold nibs in modern pens because they're more likely to be springy.

 

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be an option in the poll.

[jakelogan]

The nib base material affects absolutely nothing about the ink flow, smoothness, and stiffness. However, because gold nibs are normally more expensive and are on more expensive pens, it makes sense that there would be substantially better craftsmanship compared to cheaper steel nibs. As said, the ink flow and stiffness depends on the geometry and feed, smoothness depends on tipping.

[Metric]

In terms of utility, my main appreciation for gold is the invincible corrosion resistance, when dealing with any kind of nasty ink you can imagine. There are probably some modern steel alloys that completely eliminate this issue, but gold simply lends immediate and total certainty.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/glossary/pitted_nib.jpg

Edited July 22, 2010 by Metric

[gyasko]

You write with the "irridium" tip. A well-crafted tip is better, no matter whether it is attached to gold or steel.

 

Mmm... no, actually I don't use only IPG nibs. The steel nibs that I've used in my life are of different manufacturer, mainly Italians.

 

No, I think you did not understand what the poster meant. The nib has a point and a base. The point or tip, the little dot that touches the paper, is always iridum, the base where the tip is attached to can be either gold, steel or even titanium. I tend to prefer gold, but I do have and use many steel nibs. I think some steel nibs are definitively better than some gold ones. Making a nib is not only a matter of using 14 or 18 K gold. As far as it is well designed for ink flow and the tip is well made I do not think it makes any difference.

 

Yes yes, I know that what actually writes is iridium or whatever you call it. But what gives the performance of the nib, assuming that the tipping is of good wuality, is the material that supports the iridium tip. This is why I think golden nibs are always slightly better, because they're more flexible.

 

Compare an Esterbrook 9128 to one of the early Sheaffer Lifetime nibs or the 1940s Triumph nibs. Which is more flexible?

 

 

As for modern nibs, 18k, 14k, Bock, in-house, or whatever just aren't that flexible in the first place. I hear people say this or that modern nib is flexible and with a few exceptions i've found the flex to be neglible.

[OMASmaniac]

You write with the "irridium" tip. A well-crafted tip is better, no matter whether it is attached to gold or steel.

 

Mmm... no, actually I don't use only IPG nibs. The steel nibs that I've used in my life are of different manufacturer, mainly Italians.

 

No, I think you did not understand what the poster meant. The nib has a point and a base. The point or tip, the little dot that touches the paper, is always iridum, the base where the tip is attached to can be either gold, steel or even titanium. I tend to prefer gold, but I do have and use many steel nibs. I think some steel nibs are definitively better than some gold ones. Making a nib is not only a matter of using 14 or 18 K gold. As far as it is well designed for ink flow and the tip is well made I do not think it makes any difference.

 

Yes yes, I know that what actually writes is iridium or whatever you call it. But what gives the performance of the nib, assuming that the tipping is of good wuality, is the material that supports the iridium tip. This is why I think golden nibs are always slightly better, because they're more flexible.

 

Compare an Esterbrook 9128 to one of the early Sheaffer Lifetime nibs or the 1940s Triumph nibs. Which is more flexible?

 

 

As for modern nibs, 18k, 14k, Bock, in-house, or whatever just aren't that flexible in the first place. I hear people say this or that modern nib is flexible and with a few exceptions i've found the flex to be neglible.

 

That's partially true, modern nibs are not "flexible", but are springy, which is good for writing comfort.

However, I don't think that you can make a comparison with the Esterbrook 9128, because that is a particular nib and its peculiarity is to be flexible. But if you consider the average steel nib, it's not flexible, not even springy, just rigid...

 

I also have a Trussardi pen with a wonderfully semi-flex steel nib, but I don't take it into account in this discourse because that is an exception.

[JRodriguez]

But they're all exceptions. The writing experience any particular nib gives you isn't about whether it's gold or steel. It's about how it's crafted. Gold and steel do have inherent properties. As much as one might want to abstract from those properties things about the items made of those materials, there's no such things as a nib in the abstract. A gold nib can be every bit a nail as a steel nib - as, for example, some vintage Balances demonstrate. And a steel nib can be flexible (like the Esterbrook 9128); the reason most vintage flex nibs were gold was because of the corrosion resistance issues of steel.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I think it is the design and construction that is the key. Steel does have advantages in spring characteristics that is very hard to achieve in gold.

 

 

I chase '50's pens. There steel can be as good as gold or gold as good as steel.

 

I have only a few modern pens. Being Vintage, I cut modern off at 1970. Or 1980.

 

A '90's Pelikan 400 14 K M, a @2000 Lamy 18 K Persona OB and a @ 2005 Pelikan 605 BB, and a new Cross Townsend Medium steel nib. Both the Townsend and the Lamy are nails, and not having to work with carbon paper are useless to me.

I have Reform pens (80-90s), 1745 x 2, P-120, P-125, the regular flex steel nibs are quite ok.

The Pelikan 14K is as good but not what I can call better than a 80-90's Diplomat steel M, I have.

I also have a real fancy looking nail nib in a Diplomat. I don't like nails.

 

What's the '70's? I have a semi-flex Geha broad, I love. I have a 1970 Parker 75 stiff regular, that I no longer love. I'd had it from new, and back then never hard of flex or spring of a fountain pen nib. No Internet, ignorance was hard to cure, when one didn't know one had it.

 

I have an Osmia Supra nib in steel from 1950, that takes a back seat to no nib I own. Osmia made the Supra nib in gold and steel.

Edited July 23, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[tawanda]

I have to agree with jniforat.

 

It depends on the company who make the pen. I've had some great steel nibs, my Waterman Expert II, and my P45's being fantastic examples.

 

However, where I think SS nibs fall down is when you want an extra fine nib. For some reason (probably technical, but I don't know why) x/f steel nibs are nearly always very toothy/scratchy, whereas their gold counterparts are very often not. IMHO.

[handwriter]

Several experts have written that the nibs on Pelikan pens are among the best in modern pens. I have many Pelikan nibs both of steel and gold. The two-tone 14K nib of the Pelikan Souverän M400 is absolutely rigid, no springy at all. The steel nibs of my Pelikan Tradition M200 are more springy. And, overall, better writers.