Looking for Recommendation

[Dadof8]

I currently have a Waterman Phileas and a Rotring 600 both with F nibs. I would like a pen in a similar price range but with a nib more fine than either of these. It is difficult to tell which pens would fit that bill without actually trying them out, so I'm turning to my collective FP community for suggestions.

 

Tonight I was journalling and realized that the Phileas with the F nib is a little too broad. Many of my lower case cursive letters with loops are closed. I have to write a little larger than I want to in order to get clean letters.

 

I've heard that Japanese or Chinese pens tend to have finer nibs compared to the same letter size from other countries. I've kind of had my eye on a Hero 100 but I was wondering if the Hero 100 F nib is finer than the Phileas or Rotring 600 F nibs.

 

If anyone has specific comparisons to the Phileas or Rotring 600, I would appreciate it.

 

As I said, I would prefer to stay in the same price range as Phileas or the Rotring, but if there is something else out there for more money, I would consider it.

 

Dadof8

[Macuser]

I have a Hero 100 and it has the finest fine nib of all of my pens except the Hero 329. You may want to check on pens that have an extra-fine nib. I have an Aurora Ipsilon with an extra fine and it is very comparable to the Hero.

[pvdiamon]

I have a Hero 100 and it has the finest fine nib of all of my pens except the Hero 329. You may want to check on pens that have an extra-fine nib. I have an Aurora Ipsilon with an extra fine and it is very comparable to the Hero.

I have a Hero 187 fine point which writes inbetween fine and medium to me. I have an Aurora Ipsilon Extra Fine, which writes more like that Hero, which surprised me for an Extra Fine. Great pen, but I think a bit broad. My Namiki VP fine point is by far the finest nib I have. It can write in check registers, and definitely fits the bill for a fine point. To me it should be called Extra fine. The other pen with a reasonable fine nib is my Sheaffer Prelude. Broader than the Namiki, but finer than any of the other above mentioned pens.

 

I must say however that the Namiki and Sheaffer are not nearly as smooth as the Aurora or Hero.

[Bill D]

You might consider a Sheaffer Javelin from PenHero.com Mine writes the finest of any of my pens, puts down plenty of ink, and feels good in my hand. Very inexpensive without seeming "cheap", if you get my meaning.

 

Bill

[Slush99]

The rOtring Core has a beautiful fine. Its fine is a bit broader than the Javelin though.

[Goodwhiskers]

For a dry-writing, butter-smooth, very fine point, I recommend the Duke Complete Esteem (Chinese manufacturing, German technology, combined design). Its reservoir is small, and its trim rings brass easily, but it's under $30 USD here in the USA.

 

For a wet-writing, smooth, very fine point, I've heard nothing but praise for the Hero 100. It is smoother than the Hero 329.

[BMWRT]

How about a Pilot Knight?

there is a good review on here (in pen reviews) and if I knew how to link it I would be happy to do so

I really like mine.

[Apollo]

Pilot Knight? Voila! Here's a link https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...=4021&hl=knight

 

The Knight is a superb pen for the money. Although they only come in medium, they lay down a much narrower line than a Waterman or Lamy with medium nibs.

 

I have a Hero 100 Gold with a fine nib and it too is a good pen for the price. Another recommendation would be the Lamy Safari Al-Star with a fine nib.

Edited January 27, 2006 by Apollo

[Betty]

I'm not sure how much a Phileas or a Rotring costs, but if you want cheap and fine line, I recommend the Hero 329. It costs less than $20 and the line is really fine and wet as well, but build quality feels cheap. For a tiny more width, I recommend the Hero 100, still finer than a US fine, but build quality is very good.

 

If you're willing to pay $50, how about a Pelikan M200 in EF? I love EF nibs because I write small and this suits me very well as well.

[French]

for really fine I have a Lamy Al-Star with a fine nib. Using Noodler's Black it writes more like an extra fine.

 

Another comparable pen in my collection is my esterbrook J with a 9550 extra fine nib. it writes a very fine line (you might say extra fine )

 

my rotring core is a great writer, but is more broad, as is my Lamy 2000

 

However, I just got my wife an ebonite pen from ebay (I searched for 'ebonite fountain pen', the pen cost $25 +3.85 shipping and handling. It is a no-name brand, the entire pen is ebonite (gives off a smell if you rub it with your finger), has the ubitiquous "Iridium Point Germany" nib, I believe the nib is a medium but it writes a line with width between the Lamy Al-Star and rotring Core, what I would call between extra fine and fine.

 

I'll try to post a review of the pen if I can pry it away from my dear wife long enough to photograph it, and make a writing sample.

 

french

[Goodwhiskers]

If you go with the Lamy Safari or Al-Star or Vue (all the same innards and nibs), the Fine nib is Safari-smooth while the Extra Fine nib is just a bit less smooth. I still bought the EF for its narrower written line.

 

Edit: the following sentence was completely nonsensical in its first version. Here is the correct version:

The Safari EF is drier than the Hero 329 and wetter than the Duke Complete Esteem.

Edited January 28, 2006 by Goodwhiskers

[Vintage Pens Fan]

I bought a couple of Workhorse Senior at Platimum Stores: (Usual disclaimer)

 

 

http://www.platinumpenstore.com/index.asp?...PROD&ProdID=273

 

Two for $ 49.99. The Japanese Fine writes extra fine compares to US/European mfrs. But they are wonderful writers. They often have sales with their FP.

 

Dave

[Sharkle]

I have a Waterman Harmonie F that writes very fine for a regular fine nib. It's quite smooth, and I love that I can write on a variety of papers (including regular copy paper) without the line ever becoming too broad for my taste. So far I haven't had any trouble using a variety of inks. Good luck; it sounds like there are a lot of good suggestions for you already.

[Escribiente]

If you are journaling often enough, it might be worth to get a Pelikan 200. They sell for less than $50, and used for less than $40. They are very solid pens, with good balance. The M200 uses stainless steel nibs which run a bit narrower than similar Pelikan gold nibs. So, a Fine nib could work for you.

 

My second suggestion is to get a Wality Eyedropper 69L. They sell for less than $18. They have also great balance and hold a ton of ink. The Fine nib is similar to Pelikans in width, and very smooth and with even flow. As a matter of fact, these are probably the only modern pens under $100 with an ebonite feed that you'll ever find.

[Dadof8]

Thanks for all of the advice.

 

I decided to get a Hero 100 in black. I'm beginning to like the "51" looks. That and the F nib that is reported to be on the smaller side of American/European F nibs pushed me over the edge.

 

I also ordered a bottle of Noodlers Black.

 

Again, I appreciate the input and if there is any more to think about, please jump in.

 

Dadof8

[pvdiamon]

Thanks for all of the advice.

 

I decided to get a Hero 100 in black. I'm beginning to like the "51" looks. That and the F nib that is reported to be on the smaller side of American/European F nibs pushed me over the edge.

 

I also ordered a bottle of Noodlers Black.

 

Again, I appreciate the input and if there is any more to think about, please jump in.

 

Dadof8

Please let us know what you think when you get it. I will be interested how fine it really is writing.

[zxc]

Wality 69L...brilliant pen!

[joseanes]

I bought at the same time a Waterman Hemisphere (F) ($40) and a Cross Century II (XF) ($60).

The Cross Century II (XF) was definitively finer than the Waterman Hemisphere (F). I kept the later, and sent the Hemisphere to my brother as a gift.

 

Both are nice pens, for a reasonable price. Acquired at http://www.goldspot.com/

[Dadof8]

The Hero 100 and Noodlers black arrived today.

 

It is just about what I wanted. It seems to write almost as fine as my Waterman Phileas F nib does when it is turned upside down. Once I got ink into it, it wrote really smooth.

 

I had trouble inking it though. This is the first pen I've had that does not have a converter or cartridges. I'm not sure how much ink I am getting in the pen or how deep I need to put the nib and hood into the bottle of ink. Comments are appreciated.

 

Dadof8

[Goodwhiskers]

Hello Dadof8,

 

Richard Binder's website, www.richardspens.com, has an excellent glossary which includes how to use the various filling systems.

 

I use a Hero 329, the cheaper model, and the principle is the same.

 

Dip the pen about twice as far into the ink as the length of the nib/feed hole at the end of the section

(in other words, you don't need to dip it very far).

Squeeze the pressbar fast and hard once, letting go suddenly (good advice from Bill Dodson).

Wait about five seconds for the sac to expand and pull ink in.

Repeat the squeeze four more times, waiting five seconds between squeezes.

 

The ink sac, if it's like the sac in my 329, should be transparent enough to see ink through the metal cover's squeezebar window. If you see only ink in the view window, gently squeeze a few drops of ink out and let air in until you see some air inside too (that's what I call the "starter bubble," and it helps keep operations smooth).

 

Wipe the nib and feed (the parts sticking out of the section) against the inside of the lip of the bottle to catch any bubble from that part of the pen, wipe the section, put the barrel back on and off you go!

 

(Edit: fixed formatting and an inexcusably poor choice of a word. Sorry if you saw it!)

Edited February 4, 2006 by Goodwhiskers