What's Your Favorite Nib Size?

[ZachWasniak]

I personally prefer Medium sized nib. To me it's just easier to write with when taking notes, writing in my journal, etc.. What about all of you?

Edited February 22, 2013 by ZachWasniak

[Danchin]

I used to prefer fine, but as I get more and more into shading inks I am starting to sway towards medium. The writing experience is much smoother too which I appreciate.

[pajaro]

Cursive Italic, 1 mm. It gives my writing an interesting look. It's not outrageous, and can be used for everyday writing.

 

If not using this nib in my pen, I would use a fine nib, because it does not put down enough ink to bleed through the lightweight paper used at work.

[lovementos]

I started with fine too, but now prefer broad nibs

[midnightblues]

I personally prefer Medium sized nib. To me it's just easier to write with when taking notes, writing in my journal, etc.. What about all of you?

 

I started with Lamy mediums, but having branched out into the wonderful world of italics, you can pry my italic / cursive / stubs out of my cold, dead hands! For everyday use I find a Lamy 1.5 or my TWSBI are perfect. It is a bit like asking which is your favourite child of course!

[quinden]

Extra fine and fine (firm nibs) for work and journaling, stubs/italics/flex nibs for fun...I think they're all tied for favorite

[ZachWasniak]

I've got a fine nib Ohto and it skips all the time and I feel like I have to put too much pressure down when writing. I like the size of the medium's line when on paper.

[Pterodactylus]

I write with everything mixed, depending on my mood from F to OBB also depending what I want to write.

No really preference, I like them all

 

Isn't it a little boring to write every time with the same size?

[kuroba]

I personally have no idea, I'm all over the place with my nib sizes (I don't have two pens with the same nib), but I think my favorites are M and small stubs (like 1,1mm or less) because they're great for shading inks and makes my handwriting look pretty

[chad.trent]

It depends on what I'm doing. For work, where I have to write on cheap paper that feathers badly, I like an F or XF. For writing letters, usually a M. Occasionally I'll use a B or BB for signing my name. I haven't tried any italics, but planning on getting one soon. I have an Esterbrook with a flex nib, but I don't use it very often as my handwriting isn't good enough to take advantage of the flex.

[jar]

No favorite. As long as it is smooth, responsive and reliable I can adapt my handwriting to suit the nib.

[akustyk]

I prefer fine and extra fine nibs and wet flow. However, i have a Homo Sapiens with a Medium nib and love it. I also strted experimenting with small stubs.

[inkstainedruth]

I started out with M nibs. Then I got a Parker Vector that had an F nib. I bought it because it's what I could find at the store, and it took me a week or two to get used to not having an M -- and discovered that I could get a *lot* more out of a cartridge because it was stingier with the ink.

I still probably prefer M, but as I start to accumulate pens I find that more and more of them seem to have F or even (possibly) EF nibs -- especially most of the vintage ones (the exception there is my Parker 45, which is has a 14K M; fairly small sweet spot, but when I hit it I just get all melt-y with the writing experience.

Back in the day, when I was taking a fair number of calligraphy classes, I was using dip pens (mostly Speedballs), so of course in that case I was using broader nibs. But for everyday writing they're just too wide.

A lot of the pens I have have hooded nibs and/or are cheap Chinese pens, so I'm not entirely sure what the nib widths are -- but when push comes to shove I would say that they are Fs or EFs.

Not entirely sure about the Snorkel Valiant yet, because it needs to be repaired (and for some reason the nib width isn't marked on mine, even though I gather that it normally would be). But from looking at the nib, I'm guessing that it's also an F.

For the other vintage pens, that just seems to be what I'm finding that are both affordable and in good shape.....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Koyote]

No offense to the OP, but you should do a search on FPN. This question has been posed many times, often with a poll, and you may find the results interesting.

[Craig Forsyth]

Started out thinking it would be a fine but have come to the conclision that I'm much happier with a medium.

[bemyhorcrux]

Smallish stubs. Lamy 1.1, Nemosine 0.8, the Pilot 78g "B" nib - small enough to fit pretty much anywhere you could use a regular broad nib, but infinitely less boring. It adds flair to ordinary things.

[torstar]

Guess I have to live with the fact that it is medium.

[robofkent]

Started BROAD now its EXTRA FINE

[wmfowler]

My favorite nib size is subject to the day, my mood, the writing task to be performed, etc. My most COMMONLY used size is F. After that would be a M Pendleton Point Stub. I try to enjoy each nib for what it is and its own individual character. I would hate to say one size is my favorite over another when that could change with my next purchase, or even with my next writing task. I prefer different nibs for bookkeeping vs addressing envelopes, vs writing checks, journaling, etc. They are all fun which is why we use them in the first place.

 

It is interesting to see that many people trend from F toward broader nibs as they progress in the FP world. The larger nibs are definitely more expressive and can lend a lot of character to writing vs the finer nibs. Again, it is all aout having fun, trying different things,and enjoying each pen for what it is. Thanks for asking the question.

[inkstainedruth]

Ironically, after posting to this thread a couple of hours ago, the Esterbrook 2550 (firm extra fine Posting) nib I won on Ebay earlier this week arrived in the mail.

Although, in my defense it *really* is to try to wean my husband off of BPs -- now I just have to get my hands on a pen to put it in , since I really don't think he'd like something as small as my SJ, which is currently sporting a 1555 Gregg nib. Of course I still have to get that pen resacked anyway, but I did like how the Gregg nib wrote with whatever ink was left in the pen when I tested it last fall.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth