Gold And/or Flex Nib For Pilot Metro?

[MacTech]

I like my Metro, great sleeper of a pen, reliable, nice thin fine nib, but i'm wondering how much difference a gold/flex nib would make, any suggestions for a nib that'd fit?

[Bo Bo Olson]

Steel is not necessarily better than gold. There are many good gold nibs almost as good as good steel. Accent on Good.

 

There is a gold nib myth...........a nail's a nail be it gold or steel and there is no soft nail.

Could be folks are mistaking a gold semi-nail nib like a P-75 or modern Pelikan 400/600 for a nail nib.

 

I do have gold nail nibs that are nail as can be....a Lamy 18 K Persona nail, at least as hard as a Safari. A fabled Pelikan 14 K 400 D nib...the nail's nail, good for climbing the North Face of the Eiger or opening up main battle tanks.

 

Some people believe they put better tipping on a gold nib than on a steel nib. Most of the cheap pen companies don't make gold nibs........and I really don't see Cross going for cheaper tipping on it's steel nibs than it's gold nibs..........like on say a Townsend. (I only have a steel nibbed Townsend that is a butter smooth nail.....at the time I was still half a gold-snob.)

 

Is the nib on a Pelikan 200 made with lesser tipping....not IMO. It is a different form of tipping; dear drop instead of a round ball, on a springier nib. But don't see them having to warehouse a second 'cheaper' tipping, which would cost the same in the long run if warehousing and inventory control is factored in. The 200 is a very good nib, either gold plated or bare steel. I grew to like it a lot.

 

For any company that makes it's own ink, the nib and the feed has already been adjusted for the company's ink, be that gold or steel nib.

 

A soft Japanese nib/ what can also be called a regular flex nib, will be a softer than nail nib. A springy nib with a nice ride..........they will be close to the same in effect....Japanese Soft and Regular Flex.

 

I have Semi-vintage gold regular flex 400, 381 and Celebry nibs, that match exactly the Pelikan steel nibbed Celebry, late '80's and this century 200s, 100/150 or old 120 Pelikan steel nibs. That includes a steel and a gold W. Germany nib, that is a tad springer than the '90-97 era.

I have vintage Osmia nibs in gold and steel in both semi-&maxi-semi-flex that are grand and =. Had a Geha steel nib that was as grand as the Geha '50-60s nibs.

 

It depends on the company making a steel nib and the era to how good it is.

But if you want the bling of owning a gold nib....go for it, but don't buy into the BS that gold is better than steel. Just because a nib is gold don't mean anything other than the nib is made out of gold. Gold alloys differ so can a pen's flex rate, which is why you can have a nail, semi-nail, regular flex, semi-flex and maxi-semi-flex nibs that look pretty similar. Gold or steel.

I don't know if I have any semi-nail in steel.

 

What is important is the matching of the ink to the nib and feed. A dry ink maker Pelikan makes a wet nib...gold or steel. Waterman made a thinner nib for it's wet ink.

Japanese ink has a reputation of being wet to go with their thin nibs.

 

Japan makes some nice factory modified nibs...half moons ground out, or slits ground into the nibs to make them softer....to make the semi-flex..........and that is in gold and steel as I understand. I chase old cheaper vintage German pens........and have enough to do there, than get involved with a new area of collection. Japanese pens.

 

A golden rule of fountain pens....steel nibs are cheaper than gold.....especially in new pens.....................and I've gotten steel nibbed vintage Osmia pens that were then as good as gold....for E10 less in many believed the Gold Myth.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[Aysedasi]

An interesting twist..... but true.....

Edited March 6, 2019 by Aysedasi

[7is]

Long time ago, I tried to find such replacement for my Prera, which share nibs with Metro and Plumix. Because of the shape of Prera/Metro nib, feed and section I think it's almost impossible to find something which look and work well enough. I'd rather invest in a new pen. Anyway, good luck!

[A Smug Dill]

Seriously? Forget about flex nibs, let's talk about gold nibs. There are many things to like about the Pilot MR (not just the MR Metropolitan line, but also the MR Animal and MR Retro Pop lines which share the same technical design), but I cannot think of why you'd want to put a gold nib that is 'worth' more than the pen itself several times over into that body.

 

Is the torpedo-shaped metal body with the much-maligned step-down between barrel and section (which I don't have a problem with personally) so attractive for your purposes, that you wouldn't want to buy something in the Pilot Custom family of pens instead and get your gold and/or soft nib?

Edited March 7, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[Christopher Godfrey]

MachTech, I don't know whether or not you would splash out on another Pilot; but I can tell you that my Custom 743 with (large #15) Falcon nib was a disappointment at first, with unreliable ink flow; but, after installing the ($25?) ebonite feed from Joey Grasty at The Flexible Nib Factory, my pen was transformed into a reasonably superb, flexible performer! Where I had disliked the pen at first, I now like it very much. This nib is really quite a good flexy job and ink flow is marvellous.

 

Bo Bo knows masses about flex and you should consider his wise words; but, if you feel like another Pilot, then try this route...? I now enjoy this pen almost as much as any of my vintage Pelikans, believe it or not. ;^) (I do not know whether or not this or the the smaller Falcon nib will fit your pen?)

Edited March 7, 2019 by Christopher Godfrey

[Honeybadgers]

I've seen someone cut down a zebra G nib to fit a metro. Not sure it's worth the effort, but it can be made to fit.

 

There is a gold semiflex nib that fits the metro that is about $45. Get a wing sung 698 14k on ebay, that nib is interchangable with the pilot metro, prera, 78g, explorer, plumix, and penmanship. It also fits almost every #5 nib pen. Very versatile. It it a japanese F width and quite soft with good line variation. Not really a full flex nib, but semiflex for sure.

[Honeybadgers]

Seriously? Forget about flex nibs, let's talk about gold nibs. There are many things to like about the Pilot MR (not just the MR Metropolitan line, but also the MR Animal and MR Retro Pop lines which share the same technical design), but I cannot think of why you'd want to put a gold nib that is 'worth' more than the pen itself several times over into that body.

 

Is the torpedo-shaped metal body with the much-maligned step-down between barrel and section (which I don't have a problem with personally) so attractive for your purposes, that you wouldn't want to buy something in the Pilot Custom family of pens instead and get your gold and/or soft nib?

 

Personally the only reason I don't absolutely ADORE my metro is the grip being so skinny. If they managed to make that pen without the heavily tapered grip, I'd probably use it a lot more (and use it with the 14k nib I have that fits it) It's so close to perfect. I really like the shape, style, clip, the metro is a strangely unique little thing.

 

I routinely upgrade pens whose bodies I like with higher end nibs. my delike alpha has a 14k eversharp nib, my TWSBI vac700R is a $75 pen with a $300 nib. I mean, for all intents and purposes, the metro's body, sans nib probably costs pilot more to make than the custom 91/74

[SpecTP]

you could check out FPR's 'ultra flex' nibs

[Honeybadgers]

you could check out FPR's 'ultra flex' nibs

 

I'd bet my bottom dollar you'd never get an FPR flex nib into a metro.

[A Smug Dill]

I'd bet my bottom dollar you'd never get an FPR flex nib into a metro.

It would be so much fun, though, to match a FPR Flex (or even Ultra Flex) nib, for which Kevin pointed out that even FPR's standard ebonite feed has issues with providing adequate ink flow, with the standard feed in the Pilot MR.