Very Extra Fine Chinese Pens

[sciuro]

I have a dozen of cheap (<$10) pens (Jinhao, Wing Sung, Hero etc) that I got from eBay/Aliexpress and almost all of them all shockingly decent/very good. However, I love extra extra fine nibs like Platinum Preppy 02. What I found is that Chinese EF nibs are more like Japanese F. In millimeters, they sometimes say 0.38 but sometimes it's more like >0.4 mm.

They are still very fine compared to US fine (which is roughly Japanese M) but not THAT sharp-and-razor-line fine, if you know what I mean.

Any experience finding even thinner writing nibs in this market?

[OCArt]

Hi sciuro,

I'd take this as an opportunity to learn nib grinding---you can do it with a whetstone and a nail buffing stick to finish. Practice on very inexpensive Chinese pens first but it is not that difficult. Google this and other pen sites.

[sciuro]

I tried to do one and it did not go well (so I expected). Need to look into this more...

[mke]

Chinese sellers often say anything regarding the nibs - saw the nibs for Jinhao 159 announced as fine, medium and broad - and all are the same nib - with a lot a variety.

So, either you learn to grind yourself or you should choose a pen were you can exchange the nibs.

Jinhao X450 and X750 and 159 have #6 nibs - these can be easily swapped to a Jowo #6. And there are professional grinders who can get those nibs down to 0.1 mm (XXXF) or 0.2 mm (XXF).

I have those needlepoint nibs from https://fpnibs.com and they are writing very well. And one filling seems for eternity.

Edited December 16, 2018 by mke

[antichresis]

The Delike New moon (the first one; haven't handled the second and third one) had a very fine nib. Very comparable to the Pilot Penmanship as well as an assortment of old EF Pilot and Platinum pocket pens that I own.

[mke]

Delike New Moon

https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2017/08/fountain-pen-review-delike-new-moon-aka-fake-sailor-pro-gear-slim/

and here is some writing test

https://nibandmuck.com/2017/06/15/attack-of-the-clones-jinhao-922-delike-new-moon/

 

[penzel_washinkton]

I have a dozen of cheap (<$10) pens (Jinhao, Wing Sung, Hero etc) that I got from eBay/Aliexpress and almost all of them all shockingly decent/very good. However, I love extra extra fine nibs like Platinum Preppy 02. What I found is that Chinese EF nibs are more like Japanese F. In millimeters, they sometimes say 0.38 but sometimes it's more like >0.4 mm.

They are still very fine compared to US fine (which is roughly Japanese M) but not THAT sharp-and-razor-line fine, if you know what I mean.

Any experience finding even thinner writing nibs in this market?

 

Yes, that is quite true regarding Chinese line width.

They follow more to the line width of the western fountain pens with few exceptions.

 

The Kaco Edge Fine writes identical to a Japanese fine but if you love the Preppy EF then there are only three options.

Stick with the Preppy (make it an eyedropper), upgrade to the 3776 UEF nib (huge step up in price) or as others have mentioned is to sharpen your grinding skills.

[mke]

Jinhao 159: 2-4 USD

Jowo EF: 10.20 Euro

Grinding: 14.90 Euro

 

around 30-32 USD in total - and you can change the pen according to your mood

 

or simply get a Sailor Profit/ProGear EF or a Platinum 3776 UEF on Ebay - starts at $100

Edited December 16, 2018 by mke

[Mech-for-i]

I second the Delike EF nib on any of those model with such nib unit equipped, and some of the Wing Sung Pilot style nib in EF particularly those from WSE ( not Vikto ) are generally very fine I say between Japanses EF and F leaning towards the EF side, the finest of them all is perhaps the specialized Blade grind offered by many Chinese nib specialist and they are tailored to write Chinese text and had a sharp edge type ( not quite architect cause its usually curved ) , think of it as a vary narrow triangular grounded surface wit a fine fine apex on the tip

Edited December 17, 2018 by Mech-for-i

[Lunoxmos]

I second the Delike EF nib on any of those model with such nib unit equipped, and some of the Wing Sung Pilot style nib in EF particularly those from WSE ( not Vikto ) are generally very fine I say between Japanses EF and F leaning towards the EF side, the finest of them all is perhaps the specialized Blade grind offered by many Chinese nib specialist and they are tailored to write Chinese text and had a sharp edge type ( not quite architect cause its usually curved ) , think of it as a vary narrow triangular grounded surface wit a fine fine apex on the tip

 

 

Do you know where I could get that blade grind? It sounds veeery interesting...

[Mech-for-i]

 

 

Do you know where I could get that blade grind? It sounds veeery interesting...

Well you cannot have them retail ; they are custom grind by Chinese nib master and had to be ordered individually ; though the basic grind of this variety is sern quite common in vintage models

[Honeybadgers]

I find their grind, on average, to make them sensitive to paper. Softer, more absorbent papers tend to spread out the line as the grind isn't a very narrow all the way down grind. But on smooth, hard paper, they tend to be quite a bit finer.

 

Pilot's steel nibs (What most of these EF's are based on) are the same way. A pilot metro F will also be a little wider on cheap paper than a gold pilot F because of the shape of the tipping. It's not much, but noticeable.