The Best Ef Nib

[aayban]

Am newbie in the group. so please forgive me, if this question was already asked. I read somewhere that an EF nib has a higher possibility of getting "scratchy". May I solicit advize on the best (or even popular) extra fine nib fountain pen. Thank you in advance.

[beak]

Don't worry about asking anything - we were all new once.

 

I don't know about the best - that's always hard to answer because people's tastes and wants vary, so best for what, but very popular are Lamy and their EF nibs - I have a couple and they are both very smooth - no problems at all.

 

You can look under pen reviews,and get to know how to search for what's already been talked about recently, but if a subject is old, why not ask again - things may well have changed.

 

No good quality nib should be scratchy - even if it's an EF. Good luck.

Oh, and

Edited February 24, 2011 by beak

[aayban]

..Yes I was initially adamant to use the word "best" as it could mean different things to different people. I guess, what i meant was the most widely use and/or less likely to be "scratchy". Put it the other way, what EF brand that is less likely to be scratchy. Will look into Lamy EF then, thanks for the lead.

And thank you for the welcome.

[Sleepy]

Sailor are often mentioned in threads pertaining to fine smooth nibs.

[impossiblebird]

My smoothest EF nib is in a Pilot VP, but I have a moderately-priced Pilot L (Lauréat?) and some cheap Hero 343s which all have smooth nibs which would qualify as a European EF.

[Penache]

Sailor are often mentioned in threads pertaining to fine smooth nibs.

 

My Sailor Sapporo Mini with EF nib is wonderfully smooth and skates across the page with ease. It is my favourite pen with EF nib from my collection. Highly recommended.

[mongrelnomad]

The best EF nib is the one tuned to you by a nibmeister.

 

Out of the box, I'd say the Pilot Fs are the most likely to be the best, but after being tailored, I'd add Conway Stewart, Montbland, Pelikan, Lamy, Nakaya, Sailor etc etc to that list...

[rwilsonedn]

Welcome! Another vote for Sailor here. And a caution on Lamy: according to reports, their F and EF nibs vary a lot. Some are more like a Japanese M than like a European F. And a comment on scratchy. The paper and ink are factors here, too. Some inks form a more effective lubricating layer under the nib than others, and having a tiny nib surface on the paper means you really feel that difference. That same tiny point means that as the nib moves over the paper, it doesn't ride over the surface of the irregularities in the paper like a hovercraft: it hikes down into each depression and climbs up the other side, stumbling over any sharp spots. So while the nib may be wonderfully smooth--and may feel that way on fine-finished papers--it will still tell you about every little blip on the surface of a rougher paper.

ron

[ethernautrix]

For what I consider true extra-fine nibs -- they write very, very fine lines -- while there might be good results with most pen manufacturers, the Japanese have perfected it. Sailor comes to mind first. But Pilot and Nakaya/Platinum are in the same league.

 

For fine (not very, very fine) lines, I like Pelikan steel. I'm sure that I like others, but these are the first answers to pop into my head.

 

Vintage Sheaffer. See? Other brands are coming to me now...

[Jared C]

My vote would also have to go to sailor, and depending on how EF you want it, the Naginata Sai-bi Togi comes to mind.

For a standard EF, I would say pilot F just like a few others, especially the one in the VP.

I have a Lamy 2000 with an EF nib, but it writes more like a medium.

I also have a Pilot Penmanship with an EF nib, and it is very very fine while still being tolerable in the scratchiness department... I wrote my wife's name (Vanessa)on a grain of rice.

[Silvermink]

I've used the Platinum UEF and it was really nice to write with, so it seems like they've got the extra-fine thing pretty much down.

[French]

My experience has been that Japanese pens really have mastered the fine/extra fine nib smoothness. I have a Sailor fine (which writes like a western extra fine) that is amazingly smooth, as well as Platinum and Namiki extra extra fines (that write very thin lines) that are also smooth. Maybe not the same buttery smoothness as a big fat medium, but still a huge pleasure to write with.

 

 

 

 

[cubic archon]

Yes, I would also say Japanese pens. My two best fine nibs are a Pilot VP and a Sailor Sapporo. They're both smooth and reliable with pretty much any ink.

 

Be warned, though, that nibs of that sharpness are rarely going to be _completely_ smooth on the paper - they're much more likely to dig into the paper even if they're the smoothest of smooth. One does have to be careful about using pretty much any pressure at all. You want a combination of nib and ink that you can just drift over the paper and leave a nice strong line with. I use Kiwa-Guro with my Sapporo - carbon inks have good regularity of colour.

[Pensfan]

I just received a new Lamy 2000 EF and I LOVE it. It is so much smoother than either of my Parker 51s of that size. Amazing nib.

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Vintage of course...well I'm limited.

 

In Semi-flex I have a Superb Osmia EF and a great little Geha OEF, that I like a lot.

 

I don't care for my MB 320 nail.

My Reform 1745 is a nice regular flex EF nib. I like it better than my MB nail, and decided to keep the pen, instead of sending it to my God kid.

 

I sort of slid into EF with out half trying.

 

The main thing is the nib is fun to write with.

[ecksdog]

TWSIBI ef and Lamy ef are similar in size. Pilot 78G in fine is definitely finer than both.

At 10 bucks the 78g is a cheap and smooth introduction to the fine nibbed world.

[King of the Road]

I'll add my 2 cents and agree that a Sailor nib is very trustworthy right out of the box. I have a sterling silver with an EF nib and it's smooth. Outside of that, I have an EF M1000 from Richard that's a dream to write with, and a 0.45 mm Nakaya from John Mottishaw that's just as sweet. So I guess I'd say that if you want one out of the box - Sailor. Otherwise, get one from Richard or John. It'll be perfect. There are of course others that will send you a perfect EF, but I've only dealt with those two.

 

KoR

[Silvermink]

In Semi-flex I have a Superb Osmia EF and a great little Geha OEF, that I like a lot.

 

I don't care for my MB 320 nail.

My Reform 1745 is a nice regular flex EF nib. I like it better than my MB nail, and decided to keep the pen, instead of sending it to my God kid.

 

I love my OMAS Paragon EF as flexible fine nibs go, though I think it's EF in name only (even completely unflexed I'd call it an F).

[aayban]

..wow..lots of informative reviews and leads...thank you ALL for the insights..i will be looking for sailor and lamy, and others as well...

 

My father in law handed me (before he died) an FP without any brand but has the following marking on the nib "IRIDIUM POINT GERMANY". I thought the nib was fine, thus i ordered a fine nib. But i think this is an EF, still writes so smootly, the gold rings hasnt tarnished.

 

I just got my M400 white tortiose pelikan F nib, i feel its not fine enough for my penmanship. But it writes so very smoothly, and feel so good.

[caligatia]

I love the Lamy EF nibs so much that I have four of their pens in daily rotation. :embarrassed_smile:

 

The Pilot fine is also very nice.