Options/recommendations for stub nib?

[tm3]

i'd like to try a stub nib. i recently got a lamy oblique that i like very much, and a stub may be even better.

 

can i get some recommendations, as far as reliable performers (no skipping, wet line, etc.) and bang for the buck (realizing that the two may be mutually exclusive )

 

thanks!

[RyanL27]

Two words: Richard Binder

 

Okay, Okay...only one of those is a word, but still

 

RichardsPens.com - You can order any of his pens with a custom stub for $30 extra or you can get already ground Vanishing Point or Pelikan nibs for great prices.

Edited November 23, 2006 by RyanL27

[lefty928]

I highly, highly recommend communicating with him first to see if he thinks a stub will suit your writing style. There's a questionnaire on site for those wanting customized nibs, and it would be helpful to fill that out first, even (or particularly) if just ordering his preground steel stubs for Pelikan M200s.

[Escribiente]

Stipula 0.9 and 1.0 mm, depending on your handwriting, are very reliable and even stubs. It's the only working out of the box stub I have tried. You can probably get a Stipula for around $200, but you'll get a pen that will last for a long while (especially if you get the convertible model).

[BillTheEditor]

Best stub nib out of a box (i.e., not custom ground from another nib): Parker 75, #44 stub. Hard to find, but worth the effort. I also own a Parker Sonnet with stub, and a Bexley Sub Grande with stub. The 75 is better than either of the other two, and I'd put it up against any other manufacturer's stub.

[Mike S.]

Let me put in a plug for John Mottishaw at www.nibs.com. Like Richard Binder, he can make a custom stub for a Pelikan, Omas, Pilot, or Sailor pen. I have several of his custom stubs and a couple of oblique italics and they are fantastic. He grinds them and ships them out the same day you call. The best thing about buying a custom nib from someone like Richard or John is they can also adjust the ink flow to your taste and make sure everything is working perfectly before they ship you the pen. That greatly increases your odds that your first stub experience will be a good one. Be careful, however. Stubs can be addictive.

 

I have one factory stub, and that's the Bexley stub. It's a very broad stub, and very smooth, but not as much line width variation as a custom stub. If you have a Bexley pen, you can buy a stub nib unit for around $80 and screw it into your pen. I personally find it to be way too broad to be practical, but it's a decent performer out of the box.

 

Mike

[Hephaestus]

I have two stubs from Richard plus one in the mail and I love them dearly. I've been known to sit writing nonsense in Legal Lapis just because the line variation and shading looks so beautiful from a stub...

 

If you send your own pen for grinding it can take some time to get one from Richard, though. John Mottishaw is faster (and more expensive), and Dillo also offers a quick turn-around (and reasonable price).

 

-Ryan

[sonia_simone]

I don't know what Richard's queue looks like now, but I emailed John Mottishaw about a month ago asking about a stub for my Omas, and his queue was six months long.44

[RonB]

I don't know what Richard's queue looks like now, but I emailed John Mottishaw about a month ago asking about a stub for my Omas, and his queue was six months long.44

If you buy a pen from Richard with a custom nib, you go to the head of the line. A Pelikan M200 with a stub from Richard is a great value.

 

Ron

[lefty928]

Pendemonium's nib customization prices are very reasonable and might be a good way to test things out. I've been very happy with the ready-ground left oblique cursive italic pens I've purchased there. (usual just-a-happy-customer disclaimer here)

[Inkanthropist]

Stipula 0.9 and 1.0 mm, depending on your handwriting, are very reliable and even stubs. It's the only working out of the box stub I have tried. You can probably get a Stipula for around $200, but you'll get a pen that will last for a long while (especially if you get the convertible model).

Without wishing to disagree with other posters' praise for the various custom-made stubs, I'll second Escribiente's praise for the Stipula out-of-the-box stub. I have the 1.1mm version, and it's a joy to write with.

 

Neil

[london]

I was looking for an off the shelf stub in September. Tried a few but bought a Lamy Studio with a 1.1mm italic nib. I tried a few stubs, but they didn't give the line variation I wanted. In fact, the Parker Sonnet I tried almost gave none.

 

The Lamy is good, but I must admit I ain't lovin' it like I thought I would. I have only used it with Lamy Black in cartridge form, so I probably just need to try a convertor and a different ink.

 

Depending on what you want out of the pen, daily writer, something for fun etc, the Manuscript Calligraphy pens are darn cheap if you just want a plaything. Otherwise, if you want a proper 'stub' and don't mind paying a little more, then the nibmeister or stipula option is the way to go I reckon.

 

- Mark

[ConnallMac]

I purchased an .6mm stub nib for my Pelikan m200 at the Ohio Pen Show from Richard Binder and I have been very happy with it. It is very smooth and gives nice line variation! I have no affiliation with Richard, I am merely a very pleased customer.

 

 

--J. Haney

[FrankB]

I agree that Stipula has great out of the box italic nibs. I am an Etruria fanatic, and all but one of my pens has a stub nib of some size, from 0.9 through 1.3. I am well pleased with all of them. But their pricing is probably on the high side for someone who is experimenting.

 

I also agree that a Pelikan M-200 is an excellent, cost-effective teething tool for someone starting into the world of custom nibs. The steel nibs are very affordable, and with the replaceable nib units one can try various sizes to see what fits his writing style best. There is a choice of vendors, but think I would also go with Richard's pens.

 

Good luck.

[sonia_simone]

As I said in another topic, I think a .6 mm stub is a great size to start with. Much larger than that and I feel like my writing looks like a calligraphy school dropout's. .5 or .6 mm is enough to give some variation, but it's subtle. (.5 is quite subtle, I feel.) I thank (although he is not currently around to read it) Denis Richard for pointing out that option to me, and I've been very happy with my narrow stubs.

 

By contrast, I strongly dislike italic nibs. I have a Safari with an italic nib that Pendemonium ground--perfectly nice pen, smooth and well-behaved, and I just don't like writing with it. I feel like I'm trying to be "fancy." Just my own weird set of personal brainworms. I like other people's writing with italic nibs, but I do not like my own.

[lefty928]

By contrast, I strongly dislike italic nibs. I have a Safari with an italic nib that Pendemonium ground--perfectly nice pen, smooth and well-behaved, and I just don't like writing with it. I feel like I'm trying to be "fancy. Just my own weird set of personal brainworms. I like other people's writing with italic nibs, but I do not like my own.

I have similar, but not identical, brainworms! Using my sharp italic calligraphy nibs and italic hand in casual correspondence felt too "fancy" to me, too (and yes, just about my own writing, not others'), so as a newbie I thought a stub would be a good compromise. When that didn't work out, I then tried out Pendemonium's inexpensive cursive italics (and worked on developing an "in-between" handwriting style) with greater success. I haven't requested a stub nib ground by Pendemonium, but I know it's on the price list, and thought it might be a low-cost way to test the waters. Actually, thanks to FPN, now I'm looking forward to attending a pen show someday, where I'll be able to try a whole slew of pens and inks that right now I'm only reading about and .

[Johnson]

Thought I'd use this thread to say I just ordered my first stub, a 0.6mm from Mr. Binder. Though I already have a Pelikan m200 I could put this thing on, I went ahead and ordered another m200 with a black body to go with it. I have this dream of owning the entire Pelikan line, sans the m300 (too tiny!) in the standard black and gold. How I will ever drum up the courage to drop cash on the m800 and m1000 I'll never know, but I can dream!

 

I've have a Lamy Studio Palladium with a regular italic nib on it, the kind with the sharp corners, but it is difficult to write with. I'm hoping the stub will give me a bit more freedom with nib placement but still provide some line variation.

 

Yay!