Gold nib or Steel nib

[goodguy]

No this isnt another descusion what nib is better.

I just want to know what nib YOU like better.

 

I will take anyday gold nib over a steel one and thats why almost all my pens carry gold nibs.I got ride of most of the steel nibed pens.

Why ? because I just like gold,I like to feel like in the old days that gold was the preffered material to make nibs-even to cheapper models.

 

Today I use my Paragon with its irridium covered 18K gold BIG nib and I love it.

Edited December 30, 2006 by goodguy

[sexauerw]

Although I voted "mostly gold", I have some pens with steel nibs that are amazingly good. I'll put them up against almost any gold nibbed pen. Examples: Pelikan M200; Sheaffer Triumph Imperial; Cross Verve; Parker 45; Platinum Stealth (PTR-5000B); Sheaffer Targa; and even a Parker Frontier. My collection currently includes 112 pens with gold nibs and 43 with steel nibs.

Edited December 23, 2006 by sexauerw

[RyanL27]

I have mostly gold nibs - party because I have a lot of vintage pens.

 

But if your question really is asking what I prefer, I don't have much of a preference. My Filcao Columbia and Pelikan m215 write just as well, if not better, than any of my gold nibbed pens.

 

And if I were to choose a favorite nib from my collection, it would be my PdAg nib on my Sheaffer PFM, which fits in neither category.

[kissing]

Here's an interesting article on the Steel vs Gold nibs by Mr Binder:

http://www.richardspens.com/ref_info/nib_steel.htm

 

I always find it a refreshing read

 

Gold nibs are great - but I like steel nibs better when I want a durable workhorse I don't have to worry too much about scratching or accidental damage

[Macuser]

kissing,

 

Thanks for posting a link to Richard's article. It is very informative.

[Phthalo]

No preference for me.

 

The Steel nib on my $25 Pilot 78G is every single bit as good as the 14K Gold nib on my Nakaya. Both give a beautiful ride.

[Mary P]

I voted mostly gold because most of my pens are vintage. However, my Pelikan and Filcao modern steel nibs are as good or better than any number of my gold nibs and are a real joy to use.

[bbrovold]

I voted 50/50 mostly due to my Esterbrooks but I think that will swing toward more gold in the future.

[*david*]

Gold nibs tend to come on nicer pens that get more care in the factory, so it isn't a fair contest.

 

If the choice is between the best possible steel nib and the best possible gold nib, I don't care. The level of engineering, manufacturing, and quality control are what counts.

[Richard]

I voted "Mostly gold" but that's not a reflection of which I prefer. It's a reflection of the fact that my collecting focus is on vintage, and all but half a dozen or so of my vintage pens have gold nibs.

[mholve]

I don't any pens with such a nib yet, but those that I have been exposed to - the titanium nibs - are really nice in the pens I've tried. For example, the Omas Emotica. You would think that titanium would make for a nail... Hardly - I was surprised! Quite flexy, very smooth writing.

[PaulK]

I remember when first joining this 'site a posting about the effects some inks had on steel nibs (corrosion, discoloration, etc.). I guess my mind was made up at that time that I'd stick to gold nibs. My only steel nibbed pen is a Waterman Phileas (nice writer and truly a "best buy" for anyone). Otherwise, I've stuck to gold nibs (mostly because the pens I truly liked happen to come with gold only).

 

As mentioned by mholve, I'd like to try a titanium nib but the "22" model had mixed reviews -- so I didn't try picking one up on auction.

 

My best,

 

Paul

 

 

(edited for spelling)

Edited December 23, 2006 by PaulK

[Richard]

I'd like to try a titanium nib...

IMHO, it's not worth the bother. Other Stipula pens with titanium nibs write okay, but they're not anything to write home about (so to speak). Titanium just isn't a very good nib material; it's like 18K gold in that it's stiffish until it bends too far, then it's soft and more difficult to get back into alignment. The tipping material on these Stipula titanium nibs has a rather grainy texture, and it's impossible to make it write as smoothly as something like a Bexley or a Pelikan or a Signum.

 

(Edited for typos)

Edited December 23, 2006 by Richard

[southpaw]

I voted mostly gold also for the same reasons -- mostly vintage pens with gold nibs. OTOH, I don't find a difference, in general, between the writing quality of steel versus gold nibs. Some of the pens many on this site talk about being great writers right out of the box have steel nibs: Waterman Phileas, Lamy Safari & AL-Star, Rotrings, some Signums, Pelikans, etc.

[jsonewald]

Until I discovered FPN, I made a point of buying only gold nibbed pens, thinking they were superior. A few steel nibs showed up, a Lamy Safari, Rotring 600, e.g., but they were usually left home in preference to the "better" pens.

 

Since FPN, I have bought several steel nibbed pens based on favorable comments from members, Hero's, a Phileas, several Safari's e.g. Knowing that so many inexpensive decent steel nib pens were available, I've started introducing my daughter to the pleasures of fountain pen use.

[LapsangS]

I am a modern pen fan, so I have mostly steel nibs as gold nibs are a bit too expensive to fit in my budget. I have 3 gold nib pens: Hero 100 and 2 Parker Sonnets and they write just fine, but some of my steel nibs write even better... My current fave nib is "Iridium Point Germany"

[sonia_simone]

I have mostly gold and I really enjoy the feeling of gold, but a few of my favorites have steel. Different feeling but they can certainly be every bit as good or better. (My favorite steel nibs are my Phileas and my Safari, and although I'm not yet used to the grip, I have to say the nibs on my Rotring Cores are excellent.)

[OldGriz]

My most common writers all sport gold nibs... that is because my most common writers are Parker 51 and Sheaffer Triumph Snorkels...

HOWEVER, I have 2 Parker 21Supers with octanium nibs that you will be hard pressed to tell apart from my smoothest 51. The same with a palladium Triumph nibbed Snorkel....

Of course these are vintage pens, built in the day when the manufacturer took more care with the nibs than I think they do today.

[marklavar]

No this isnt another descusion what nib is better.

I just want to know what nib YOU like better.

 

I will take anyday gold nib over a steel one and thats why almost all my pens carry gold nibs.I got ride of most of the steel nibed pens.

Why ? because I just like gold,I like to feel like in the old time that gold was the preffered material to make nibs-even to cheapper models.

 

Today I use my Paragon with its irridium covered 18K gold BIG nib and I love it.

I always use gold nibs. I used steel nibs in my youth because I couldn't afford expensive pens, but I much prefer the yellow metal, and not just for appearance.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I write mostly with gold nibs, but I have a few steel nibbed pens like my Omas My First Omas Pen, my M200s, and my Pilot Petit1.

 

Dillon