Pens For A Bock #5 Nib

[duende]

Hello good friends,

 

I purchased a Bock #5 nib, which I managed to fit into a Vac Mini. The pen wrote a little on the dry side. I saw that there was a small gap between the top of the nib and the bottom of the feeder. As I didn't want to fiddle too much with this fine pen and nib, I decided to go back to the stock Twsbi nib.

 

Now my nib has no home, and it's just wandering around aimlessly in my drawer. So, I was wondering if you know of a cheap pen (< $30) that would work with a Bock #5.

 

Your input is much appreciated.

 

 

[RocketRyan]

Kaweco sport will take them.

[Phil_Dart]

Baoer 388. One of my all time faves to carry anywhere without fear. Mine was £1.89 delivered. Ridiculous. With a Bock #5 in the front it's a super little pen. (requires a nib swap - the housing is integral to the pen)

Jinhao 500, 601 or 950. No experience of any, but they'll all take a Bock #5

Italix Parsons Essential. A tad more than your budget, bit worth looking at, so I'm told.

Faber Castell Basic. Well inside your budget, and a good pedigree.

Kaweco Perkeo. Fairly new to the market, but a straight swap with your Bock #5

Further to Ryan's reply above, the Kaweco Sport (and many other Kaweco marques) does take a #5, but they need a type 060 which is a shorter nib. The usual Bock #5 is a type 180, which if you had it in a TWSBI Vac Mini, is the type you are referring to. The Perkeo is the only Kaweco that will take a type 180.

[jekostas]

Muji Round Aluminum fountain pen

[duende]

These are great suggestions so far. I was thinking about the Perkeo, but I heard that the nib is springy and nice, so I would feel bad about swapping it. I'm basically looking for a nice looking pen body with an ugly nib, if that makes any sense. I'll look up your suggestions.

[duende]

Baoer 388. One of my all time faves to carry anywhere without fear. Mine was £1.89 delivered. Ridiculous. With a Bock #5 in the front it's a super little pen. (requires a nib swap - the housing is integral to the pen)

 

Jinhao 500, 601 or 950. No experience of any, but they'll all take a Bock #5

 

Italix Parsons Essential. A tad more than your budget, bit worth looking at, so I'm told.

 

Faber Castell Basic. Well inside your budget, and a good pedigree.

 

Kaweco Perkeo. Fairly new to the market, but a straight swap with your Bock #5

 

Further to Ryan's reply above, the Kaweco Sport (and many other Kaweco marques) does take a #5, but they need a type 060 which is a shorter nib. The usual Bock #5 is a type 180, which if you had it in a TWSBI Vac Mini, is the type you are referring to. The Perkeo is the only Kaweco that will take a type 180.

 

Well, I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I decided to bite the bullet and purchase an Italix Parsons Essential. Thank you for the recommendation. The Parsons Essential looks like a beautiful and well-designed pen with an intriguing nib. I opted for the fine cursive. I don't plan to swap the nib unless I really have to. I have three concerns about the pen: 1) I read it's a heavy pen, and this might not be ideal for long writing sessions, 2) the cursive grind might not work for my left-handed style, and 3) the nib might be too wet and cause smearing. Problem number 1 could probably be remedied by strengthening my arm and hand muscles, as well as using the appropriate writing technique. Number 3 can be fixed with fast drying inks. So, number 2 is the most worrisome scenario. Depending on the severity of any of these problems, I might opt to put the Italix nib in the TWSBI, and the Bock nib in the Italix. I love first world problems!

[Braxfield]

The Kosmos Ink fountain pen takes the wider #5.

In Bock terms, the 076.

[Brandywine]

The BAOER 388, Jinhao 250, 500, 8802 and 601 will take Bock #5 nibs (better the shorter 60 than a 180)

but the Bock nibs are a little bit thicker or curved in a different angle: they are a bit difficult to fit into those systems.

 

The rather new Jinhao 997 (a parker clone like the 601) comes with a #5 nib as well and I could easily fit a Bock 60 into it

and it writes marvellously.

[Karmachanic]

Opus 88 Koloro too.