Poll: Best Nib Ever Made

[DRP]

First, let me agree with Ubuntu in saying that the best nib ever made is the one we haven't bought yet ... which is why we keep buying pens!

 

I also agree with those who point out that "best" depends upon your personal preferences. What you may consider top performance may not correspond with what I prefer.

 

Thus, let me offer my criteria and my nominations:

 

Straight, plain, reliability. Always works, ink always flows evenly (assuming even the most minimal maintenance in terms of cleaning; even the very best won't work if clogged):

 

My nominations are (not necessarily in any order than what comes to mind first):

 

Sheaffer inlaid gold nib (Fort Madison made only) used on numerous pens such as the ever-trusty Targa.

Sheaffer inlaid steel nib (Fort Madison made only).

Sheaffer 14k gold nibs used on the Balance II models.

Bexley gold nib.

Danitrio gold nib - semi flex.

 

All of these nibs have positives and negatives. The Sheaffer inlaid nibs offer little flex, so people liking a bit more flex will be less enthusiastic.

[camoandconcrete]

I don't know but I'm getting tired of people posting pictures of the boring 149!!!!!!!!!Thanks

 

You know how I feel about MB, MidnightBlue, but I still think the 149 has one of the best nibs out there.

 

If I had to choose my favorite nib I would have to say three. My Conway Stewart Nelson in medium, Pelikan M400 in broad and Montegrappa Symphony with a fine and rare full flex nib.

[kwinana]

Let's share opinions on our favourite nibs !!!

 

My favourite is an extrastub (18K) Sheaffer Triumph type nib from a Sheaffer Crest (1991-2). Smoothest nib I ever had, quite a wet writer, it hasn't experienced a single skip in its whole life.

Did I mention I run out of ink every other (A4) page :roflmho:

 

Parker 88 M (circa 1990), Parker Duofold International M (circa 1990), Waterman Carene M; all 3 the smoothest writers, however the Medium Points are too broad for me and I now gravitate toward fine points. My Sailor Pro Gear F is a good writer. Can anyone recommend their experience of a fantastic writing fine or extra fine?

[tonybelding]

My most preferred type of nib, generally speaking, is the Sheaffer Triumph (conical) style, including both the original 1940s striped Triumphs and the later Snorkels. (I haven't owned an Imperial II, but I've heard they are likewise good.) They look sleek and distinctive. They are a bit more convenient to wipe down after filling than a traditional open nib. They usually have an upturned tip that makes them extra-smooth. Quality standards were high, and almost all the ones I've seen were excellent writers.

 

However. . . If I had to pick a single favorite nib, it would probably be the small (size 2A) and plain-looking full-flex nib on my tiny black Waterman Thorobred. mmmm. . . Flexy! Honestly, I'm not too skilled with a flex nib. I fare better with a stub, and I have several stubs that I like. However, writing with the Thorobred is a joy.

[Rose Nibs]

searcher18, you have ten Kroutl pens! My Ripet nib is in a post-war Centropen. It is so soft and a little springy but not flexy. Whenever I write with it I am acutely conscious of the contact with the paper, it is like brushing a baby's skin with the tips of your fingers. Other pens can do this for me but not to the extent of this nib. I suppose the sad fate of the Kroutls adds to the aura of the Ripet. Perhaps there is a better nib than this but I am not looking for it.

[RayOski1]

We say in Cardiology, that the best stethoscope is yours. To each his own. The best nib I own is the one on my Agatha Christie - F. I would have that pen in my pocket everyday but it attracts toooo much attention. Doesn't the pen help or hinder nib performance?

[Ulsterman]

I have a late 1950s 149 that my mother brought back from Germany for my graduation from high school with an impressive 14C medium that makes the word "nib" not seem long enough, and that years later was given a bit of flex by John Mottishaw, and I have a lovely black Mabie Todd torpedo with a Swan #2 that I set so deeply into the section that you can no longer read that it was made in London so that it now it not only responds to the slightest pressure, but it also lays down what some refer to as a yummy wet line.

 

Then there's my M200 Pelikan, nearly the bottom of the line, but with a wonderful 1.1 mm cursive italic gold-on-steel nib cut by Richard Binder that makes brilliant sharp-edged strokes, and getting near the end of a lifetime of keepers, an almost manditory bunch of 51s, vacs and aeros,with buttery smooth mediums on hunky iridium.

 

But as much as I like all these nibs, I am consistently blown away by the stock BB stub that came on my Pilot 78G. And although I'd like to say that the price of the pen mattered in nib quality, that's simply not the case with this under $20 dollar pen, which has the best nib I've ever had or ever tried.

 

I keep trying out my other pens with different inks on different paper in hopes that maybe I'm wrong, but nothing matches the effortlessness of flow and impact of line of this plain, untipped nib.

 

They weren't kidding when they stamped it "Super Quality" in small caps.

 

Maybe I just got a lucky one, but I doubt it.

[Pippin60]

Too subjective, but I'll add my fine M1000, has some flex and is a joy to write with.

[pelman]

In my limited experience vintage montblanc and pelikan. I also think modern Waterman nibs are pretty darn good.

[searcher18]

searcher18, you have ten Kroutl pens! My Ripet nib is in a post-war Centropen. It is so soft and a little springy but not flexy. Whenever I write with it I am acutely conscious of the contact with the paper, it is like brushing a baby's skin with the tips of your fingers. Other pens can do this for me but not to the extent of this nib. I suppose the sad fate of the Kroutls adds to the aura of the Ripet. Perhaps there is a better nib than this but I am not looking for it.

 

I also have a small collection of Centropens which are superb writers. Another superb writer is the Smaragd which is another Czech fountain pen and one of my frequent writers.

I think that Czech engineering before WW2 was better that German. The Czech`s were the ones who developed the Volkswagen or at least that is what a pen dealer in Prague told me.

I love Kroutl-Ripet fountain pens but the history is so meaningful it probably blurs my ability to judge. I have stopped telling people about Ripet nibs because the price keeps going up and is 3 times what it was 2-3 years ago.

[MidnightBlue]

Amongst my lot Edison and Bexley are dreamy. Thanks

[Blade Runner]

MB 149

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/jelb/IMG_7014.jpg

[searcher18]

searcher18, you have ten Kroutl pens! My Ripet nib is in a post-war Centropen. It is so soft and a little springy but not flexy. Whenever I write with it I am acutely conscious of the contact with the paper, it is like brushing a baby's skin with the tips of your fingers. Other pens can do this for me but not to the extent of this nib. I suppose the sad fate of the Kroutls adds to the aura of the Ripet. Perhaps there is a better nib than this but I am not looking for it.

I have a picture of some of my Ripet Nibs. All but one pen are Kroutl.

[tortswon]

I'm very partial to the King Eagle nib on my Sailor King of Pen. At various points in my career I have served in a quasi-judicial capacity and signing an order with that pens leaves no doubt that it is an order and not a suggestion. :roflmho: Best, Sam

[nowzen]

MUSIC... is music to my eyes.

[Joe in Seattle]

Sailor, best I've ever used - 3 different nib widths.

[dsatco]

Pilot Varsity.....

[79spitfire]

Pilot Varsity.....

*snicker*

 

I have several that fit in MY best categories:

 

Best modern 14K:

My "Binderized" Pilot Vanishing point in M

 

Best vintage Flex 14K:

My Waterman #2

 

Best Stainless flex:

Noodler's Auto Vent Flex nib in Green Ebonite.

 

Best Modern Stainless:

Dantrio

 

Best Hooded:

Parker '51' (like their was a doubt!)

 

Best Workhorse (ATM)

Online Vision.

 

Best is at best a subjective term anyway! Of those listed my current favorite is a toss up between the Noodler's, the Online, and My Pilot VP

 

Of Course I want a Lamy 2000 and if it lives up to it's hype it will become my new "favorite" and therefore, "best" at that moment!! :roflmho:

[Silvermink]

I really like the nibs on the Pelikan M10xx and the Lamy 99.

[razr]

Ok, I've changed my mind. In my previous post I said Pelikan M1000/broad. Now it's my latest & greatest acquisition, MB 149/double broad :thumbup: