Stiff Nibs

[Runnin_Ute]

Saw a Pelikan on ebay today with a DB (manifold) nib. Don't recall model or pricing but it seems it was pretty reasonable.

[shudaizi]

The modern Aurora 88's have stiff 14K nibs. IIRC somewhere on FPN someone (georges zaslavsky?) described them as "pitchforks", which is pretty accurate. Mine (a Fine that is nearly XF) is a wonderful writer though. Worth a look / try if they aren't budget busters.

[Tweel]

My Kaweco AL Sport has a nib that's as stiff as a beam and as smooth as a ball bearing.

[Tas]

Hello. I love nails too. The thinner the better.

 

Yep, Sheaffer Triumph nibs. All mine are rock solid and flow really well.

 

Like huy3825 I can also recommend the Parker Urban as a nail. Mine, left alone for weeks on end smoothly starts up first time and behaves impeccably to the last drop.

 

Some of the wonderful Esterbrook nibs are immovable too. I have a 9450 and it could easily make carbon copies.

 

My top tip however would be the little spoken of, rarely seen but cheap as chips - Tachikawa Linemarker AT. I have a 0.3 nibbed version and it's a gem.

[Wordbanger]

 

I write with a rather heavy hand, so I like stiff nibs as well, and the best I've owned so far are those on my Watermans. I have a few fine-point Liaisons, and a sterling Edson, which is also an F. My other fountain pens include various Monte Blancs (149, etc.), Parker Duofolds, Sheaffers (Legacys, Targas, etc.), Namiki/Pilots, Lamy Safaris, Pelikans (1000, 800, etc.), and Crosses. However, my Watermans are virtual nails compared to the others, which is why I'm considering adding a Carene to my collection (although I've yet to handle one.)

 

As already noted, the inexpensive Lamy Safari's nib is made of steel, and is quite rigid. However, since the pen is so lightweight, it is quite lively in the hand despite its stiffness.

 

Unfortunately, I do not own any vintage pens. As other replies have noted, some appear to have relatively stiff nibs as well.

[JonSzanto]

Try the Stipula Viagra. You can write for hours and that nib bends not a jot. Unfortunately, the pen only comes in blue.

 

Honestly, though, most any of the Sheaffer conical Triumph nibs from the 50s-60s are smooth and rock solid.

[balson]

i think all the top makers have at least one good pen with a nail nib that they have made but overall sheaffer has the best history of good nails. there are semi flex sheaffer triumph nibs out there but for the most part sheaffer pens are usually amazingly well behaved stiff nibed pens. if you accidentally end up with a flexible nibed sheaffer pen i am sure you can find someone willing to trade it for an identical stiffed nib version of the same pen

[lahlahlaw]

My oversized Sheaffer flat top has what is colloquially referred to as a 'Nailhead'. It is my stiffest nib, not to mention its massive proportions. Another member told me that old Sheaffer advertising used to show it being hammered into a wall--WOW!!

[Beechwood]

Pens with stiff nibs were often sold by makers for a specific task, making multiple copies through carbon paper or for fine numeric work as examples.

[lahlahlaw]

Pens with stiff nibs were often sold by makers for a specific task, making multiple copies through carbon paper or for fine numeric work as examples.

Waterman's Manifold Ideal nibs are an example if I'm not mistaken.

[Steven]

The stiffest nibs I have come across in both fine and medium are on the Sheaffer Taranus. These things are so stiff that writing with these pens feel lifeless. A crow bar has more flex.

[Cordovian]

Try the Stipula Viagra. You can write for hours and that nib bends not a jot. Unfortunately, the pen only comes in blue.

 

Honestly, though, most any of the Sheaffer conical Triumph nibs from the 50s-60s are smooth and rock solid.

 

So a Stipula Viagra has a stiff nib that you can use for hours without the nib going limp? I guess I'm not really surprised to learn that.

[Lou Erickson]

Several others have noted the vintage Shaeffer conical Triumph nibs. I have one, a fine point, that's just plain hard. No flex, no give, no line variation. It's a smooth writing nib, despite being a fine point, but it's hard. The one I have is their PdAg, a palladium/silver alloy. They are vintage pens, but there's plenty of them and it's easy to find a restored one that works great.

 

Also, the Snorkel is fun.

[*Apurva*]

I like stiff nibs better ... My stiffest is Diplomat aero steel nib which, I think is more stiffer then lamy safari despite its much larger size. Also nemosine and waterman expert nibs are stiff too.

[ink-syringe]

Faber-Castel nibs. I've had 4. All were hard as rocks and lots of feedback.

[owend]

From my experience, stiff nibs examples:

 

In a good way - Faber-Castell steel; very rigid but smooth and good feedback

 

In a bad way - Lamy steel nibs; I find them lifeless.

 

In the middle - Hooded Parkers (45/51/61) and Kaigelu 316/356; all are rigid but smooth and some feedback. .

[NedC]

Parker Vector hands down. The nibs in my Lamy Safaris are wet noodles in comparison.

[Buzz_130]

For modern pens, Platinum and Nakaya both have very firm nibs.

 

For the vintage pens, the Parker 51 and Sheaffer conical nibs are very stiff nibs, but I don't seem to mind them at all as the touch is still smooth with the perfect amount of feedback on most paper.

 

Buzz

[ac12]

I dunno, I write with a light hand, so I can't tell rigid/manifold from semi-rigid.

I have a Reform 1745 and Pelikan M200, and I could not feel any "give" on those nibs. And people say the nibs on these pens have some "give."

In fact, for my normal writing pen, I do NOT want any flex, as that would slow me down.

If I want flex, I pull out my dip pen, and slow down my writing.

Edited October 5, 2014 by ac12

[Algester]

stiff huh nib number 9461/9460 esterbrook... cant go wrong with that one