3776 Steel Vs Golden Nib

[dezorz]

Hello,

 

I am new to the fountain pen world.

 

I have tried some cheap children pens, preppies, kakuno, kaweco and recently platinum 3776 balance UEF with steel nib.

 

Though I like thin gel pens (0,38 UNIs) UEF is thinner than i thought. I am going to buy EF and F versions.

 

Does anybody have experience with both, 3776 Balance (PTB-5000B) and 3776 Century (PNB-10000)? How much do nibs differ?

Edited May 3, 2016 by dezorz

[jar]

The material used to make a nib really has very little to do with how nibs feel or work. Well made nibs work well and poorly made nibs suck. Gold nibs are often slightly easier to adjust for individual preferences simply because gold is more malleable than most steels.

 

I've been told that gold nibs are more (fill in some characteristic) but in well over a half century of using fountain pens I have not found any significant difference when it comes to performance.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Can't help with the pens mentioned but.........

 

A good steel nib is as good as a good gold nib.....accent on good. I have vintage steel and gold semi-flex nibs from Geha and Osmia that are 100% =.

 

I have semi-vintage Pelikans which are 'true' springy regular flex...'90-97 14 K M400, '90's early 2000's Celebries, one gold and one steel and a modern 215, with the steel 200's nib. They are all very good, in gold or steel. There is no difference....in Pelikan made a good nib then. (I don't like the modern semi-nail Pelikan....but that is another question.)

 

A nail is a nail, be it gold or steel, why waste paper and ink money on gold's bling, when a good steel nail made by the same company will write exactly the same.

 

Some are convinced that a gold nib is 'softer' in feel....yet it is a modern nail?????

Perhaps they have a semi-nail gold nib and are comparing it to a steel nail, or have a wish.

The P-75 is a semi-nail, my Lamy Person is a gold nail. There is a tad of difference. A nail if pressed real hard might go 1 1/2 a light line...might be even less.....a semi-nail when pressed real hard should give @ 2 X a light down stroke.

Old fashioned 'true' regular flex when mashed 3X a light down stroke.

 

I had a couple of gold nails....Lamy, and could not tell it from a Cross steel nail, or my other nails (an MB), be it gold or steel; a nail's a nail.

[hari317]

 

Does anybody have experience with both, 3776 Balance (PTB-5000B) and 3776 Century (PNB-10000)? How much do nibs differ?

You have asked a specific question, so it is easy to provide you with a specific answer. Yes I do have both pens. I prefer the gold nib on the century. Hope this helps. Also plating quality on the trim and injection molding is better on the Century.

Edited May 5, 2016 by hari317

[dezorz]

You have asked a specific question, so it is easy to provide you with a specific answer. Yes I do have both pens. I prefer the gold nib on the century. Hope this helps. Also plating quality on the trim and injection molding is better on the Century.

thanks for the answer.

can you be, please, more specific (for my specific question-

[hari317]

thanks for the answer.

can you be, please, more specific (for my specific question-

 

specifically to the question "How much do nibs differ?" between the two models you asked about...

 

they differ like chalk and cheese in my opinion.

[dezorz]

 

specifically to the question "How much do nibs differ?" between the two models you asked about...

 

they differ like chalk and cheese in my opinion.

 

that much?

[hari317]

 

that much?

[dezorz]

 

this site has helped me to understand that biro is not just japanese for beer which i am thankful. :-)

 

but, i am pretty much aware of differences of 3776 balance/maestro and 3776 century models. i understand 3776 steel nib is one of the best steel nib. i just dont know yet what nib size i will eventually end up with. so, before spending 20€ more on century i was curious to know if there is any difference between the best steel nib and the 3776 golden nib.

[jar]

 

this site has helped me to understand that biro is not just japanese for beer which i am thankful. :-)

 

but, i am pretty much aware of differences of 3776 balance/maestro and 3776 century models. i understand 3776 steel nib is one of the best steel nib. i just dont know yet what nib size i will eventually end up with. so, before spending 20€ more on century i was curious to know if there is any difference between the best steel nib and the 3776 golden nib.

Yes there are differences, but the part that touches the paper is pretty much the same. But this is also still true when you move to the gold nib stage. Speaking only of Platinum, there are a whole host of different gold nibs. Even just in #3776 nibs there are differences.

 

IIRC (and I'm old and Japanese pens are not where I have the greatest familiarity) there have been at least 3 iterations of the #3776 gold nibs just in the modern pens. There is the older longer tine narrower shoulder round breather hole version followed by a similar version with just slightly wider shoulders and a heart shaped hole and then the newest version with the widest shoulders and heart shaped hole. The two earlier versions carry the JIS stamp while the most recent does not.

 

But wait, there is more. There is the entirely different semi wrap around no shoulder 18K Standard nib and the 18K President nib and the Nakata variations.

 

Each feels slightly different, not necessarily better or worse but different. Some will appeal to one person while others will enjoy a different one. You really need to try them and the best way to do that is to visit a store that handles them, a pen show or a local gathering.

 

Nothing really substitutes for actually feeling and fondling.