What is an Orb nib?

[Antlab]

Hi all.

I am returning to the fountain pen world after some years, and I am trying to deepen my knowedge of the different types of nibs. I know about normal, italic, stub, music and so on, but I found in some sites the possibility to choose an "orb " nib (e.g. Orb 0.5). I made some researches here on the forum and elsewhere, but did not find a clear explanation. Could you provide some insights about this type of nib? Is it a subtype of the oblique nibs?

Thanks.

[PAKMAN]

I've never seen this designation but could it mean Oblique right broad? Obliques are either right or left in their grind.

[Antlab]

Hi Pakman,

thanks for the reply. I saw the mention of Orb nibs in a famous chinese ecommerce site. Your hypothesys makes sense, my only doubt is if 0.5 can be considered "Broad". it seems a bit strange.

[txomsy]

Could it just mean it has a round tip, like the K designation in German nibs from mid 20thC. I.e. a nib tip that writes like a ballpoint, i.e. will write the same irrespective of the angle?

 

A picture or a link to a picture of the nib could help.

[Antlab]

Hi txomsy.

The problem is that the nib is not directly represented, there are only options for the order.

I don't know if I can post the link here, I try:

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004739466305.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2ita

[SaraL]

Wondering if it could mean a ballpoint nib? I found this listing for a pen that comes with three separate nibs (picture below), they don' specify which is which but they say the nibs are artist (I'm guessing the bent one), Iridium (I'm guessing the fine nib) and orb (the only remaining one would be the ballpoint). 

 

 

Never encountered this denomination before so this is my best guess 🤷‍♂️

[txomsy]

Yes, after seeing the listing and considering that most use automatic translation, I would also bet for the BP

[Antlab]

Nice find SaraL.

I am a bit perplexed however. The pen you show has an option to become a ballpoint. But, to my knowledge, there is nothing simlilar for the Kaigelu 316 (one of the chinese Duofold clones). Furthermore, I would expect eventually the ballpoint option costing less than the fountain one, instead on the page I linked the price are exactly the same.

I will try to contact the seller, if he replies I will report here.

[SaraL]

1 hour ago, Antlab said:

Nice find SaraL.

I am a bit perplexed however. The pen you show has an option to become a ballpoint. But, to my knowledge, there is nothing simlilar for the Kaigelu 316 (one of the chinese Duofold clones). Furthermore, I would expect eventually the ballpoint option costing less than the fountain one, instead on the page I linked the price are exactly the same.

I will try to contact the seller, if he replies I will report here.

This picture is of a ballpoint so like I said, best guess 🤷‍♂️ Don't know anything about the pen itself.

If it turns out to be something else let us know

[I-am-not-really-here]

4 hours ago, Antlab said:

Hi txomsy.

The problem is that the nib is not directly represented, there are only options for the order.

I don't know if I can post the link here, I try:

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004739466305.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2ita

If one selects the far right color choice "xiaguang" then a ballpoint pen is shown.

[Antlab]

Both of you are right. I just did not notice the "xiaguang" ballpoint version. So the mistery seems solved. I did not know that the Kaigelu 316 has also a ballpoint version (I only have a Jinhao Centennial, similar Duofold clone, but it exists only as fountain, I think).

Thanks to everyone helped, much appreciated.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, Antlab said:

I did not know that the Kaigelu 316 has also a ballpoint version

 

It doesn't, as far as I'm aware; but there is a rollerball pen version. You can see these images in the first match returned by Google search for site:taobao.com kaigelu 316:

宝珠笔 (literally “precious bead pen”), is a rollerball pen. Ballpoint pen would be 原子笔 (literally “atomic pen”) from how the product was originally marketed in the East.

Just to confuse things a little more, Kaigelu only offers rollerball pen refills in 0.5 and 0.8 ‘sizes’, but they're listed as having line widths of 0.5 and 0.7 respectively in item listing titles.

[Antlab]

Really interesting.

So, if I understand correctly, the Orb nib should be a Rollerball “precious bead pen”?

Looking better at the image posted by SaraL, I noticed that the third one is actually a Rollerball Refill by Hero: