What nib width do you prefer?

[marklavar]

This may have been asked before, but I'm interested to know what nib width is favoured by most board members.

 

I generally go for a standard medium or fine, depending on the pen and also my mood. I can write with either. But, if pushed, I would probably say that my most suitable nib is a Japanese medium, which is roughly halfway between a standard medium and fine. The nib width defined as 'medium' by Namiki/Pilot is the closest I have yet found to the perfect width for me.

[umenohana]

There was no super-needlepoint, so I voted extra fine.

 

-Hana

[Arkanabar]

I prefer fine. I think about a 0.6mm line would probably be perfect, based on my former usage of mechanical pencils. Much wider, and my miniscule 'e' is too often filled, and much finer, and it's hard to get as much smoothness as I like.

[marklavar]

I prefer fine. I think about a 0.6mm line would probably be perfect, based on my former usage of mechanical pencils. Much wider, and my miniscule 'e' is too often filled, and much finer, and it's hard to get as much smoothness as I like.

I don't actually mind my character loops being filled - as long as the word can still be clearly read. Broader nibs are smoother and can enable faster handwriting, while finer nibs are essential for precision. It's a matter of personal taste, ultimately.

[Sharkle]

Nib width can be a sore spot for me. I like a true fine, but I also notice how the look of my handwriting changes with different nibs, and have to take that into consideration. So sometimes a not-so-fine fine pen will be preferred if it has a positive effect on my writing. And different papers can turn a fine into an extra-fine or a fine into a medium--this is, of course, a great excuse to have a lotta pens!

[georges zaslavsky]

Usually medium but I write with fine nibs too.

[Phthalo]

I chose Extra Fine.

 

For example, I have a 0.2mm (XXXF) Needlepoint and 0.3mm Italic from Richard - they are perfect sizes for my writing.

[Blacksheep95]

I switch back and forth between medium and fine. I think I'm starting to prefer the fine nib more though.

[J-san]

There was no super-needlepoint, so I voted extra fine.

 

-Hana

LOL! My thoughts exactly. If only they could split the tip of an X-acto #11 blade edgewise to turn it into a nib....

[marklavar]

Those who prefer needlepoint please use the extra-fine as your choice. Thanks.

[marklavar]

I started off being very much a fine nib person, but latterly I am being drawn more and more towards broader nibs. I fine that a lot of fine nibs are toothy, even scratchy at times, which I don't like. Let's also not forget that a lot of the time line thickness does not depend on the nib type itself but the wetness of the ink being used and the type of paper.

[Bill_D]

I am a recent convert to broad nibs. I bid on a Sheaffer Legacy Heritage on eBay without realizing it was a broad nib. [it should be noted that I suffer from a common disease called bidzophrenia which involves loss of all judgment and reason when viewing a fountain pen on eBay.]

 

When it arrived, I loved it. I like the look of the thick line and couldn't believe how smoooooth it wrote. I also purchased a Levenger True Writer with a broad nib and that one is also incredibly smooth. So, for now, broad nibs are my preferred width, even though my new addiction to Parker 51s, courtesy of Dr. Baugh, does not allow writing with broad nibs exclusively.

[psfred]

I was discussing this very topic with the aquaintance of mine who is responsible (we have to blame someone, eh?) for my recent overpurchasing of pens on eBay Friday.

 

He has used FP for quite a while, but has recently begun writing extensive journals, and has changed his nib preference from medium/broad to fine/extra fine, and is having trouble finding a modern pen that suits him -- most are both too wet and to broad. He is having trouble finding proper size journals (sewn binding, 500 pages) where the ink doesn't go right through. I don't know what he is writing, but he also wants acid free paper (one does not ask such questions, eh?).

 

I have come to the conclusion that most people who actually keep journals or write by hand for buisiness reasons (as opposed to taking rapid notes or signatures mostly) begin to prefer finer nibs for a couple resons:

 

Less paper -- finer nibs permit finer and smaller handwriting, so more goes on a page. Legibility often increases, too, although that is handwriting specific -- mine does, but it's horrible.

 

Less ink used -- a fine or extra fine nib will use less than half the ink per page that a medium or broad does, and this means fewer fills. If you are writing a dozen or so pages a day (or more, as I have done once in a while) it's nice not to have to fill back up in the middle.

 

With extensive practice, one begins to lose the tendency to push down too hard on the pen (a habit developed from ball points and hard pencils which require too much pressure). One can then write for extended periods without getting knots on the side of one's middle finger, and the resulting low writing pressure on the nib "cures" the fine nib of scratchyness -- I've discovered myself that "scratchy" fines often write much more smoothly if I let the weight of the pen do the work instead of pushing. Lightening up the "death grip" on the pen helps too -- I still have a bump on my right middle finger from my dissertation writing -- my finger was sore for years! Wish I'd used a FP then.

 

I do use an italic fine sometimes for letters, though, I like the character it gives my handwriting. Regular daily use, though, I almost always end up with a fine nib.

 

Peter

Edited January 7, 2007 by psfred

[davidmigl]

Fine. I usually don't have the luxury of having an entire blank page to write what I like (gotta stay between the lines!), so my handwriting doesn't get that big.

 

Plus, the nib size standards for FP's are an utter mess. That means ordering a M runs the risk of the M writing like a B which is too large for me. So, by ordering fine, I get a nice assortment of what I consider to be mediums, fines, and extrafines.

Edited January 8, 2007 by davidmigl

[Emlee]

I voted for fine. I prefer fine for most of my work. I can cope with medium (a trait i acquired from my similar preference in the insipid BPs) and i have a fine point italic pen i like playing with for my quote journal.

 

Being a newbie, however, i just acquired a Pilot VP (holiday gift) and it has a fine nib. I did not know about the "Japanese-pen-nibs-are-finer-points-than-US-pens" thing when it was purchased. It may be a bit too fine for me. I'm trying to decide whether i want to acquire the medium nib or whether i like the somewhat EF/XF that it has.

 

So... i feel firmly in the fine camp but willing to deal with life!

[Green Maned Lion]

I like the line variation of fine or medium italic nib. I am not writing for utility, so I do it for pleasure and beauty.

[jd50ae]

Different situations and different pens and different inks require different nibs.

[gylyf]

I voted for Medium-Fine, but less for the typical Japanese M than for the typical Italian F, which are in my experience broader than a F should be. I've been writing with an OMAS and a Delta almost exclusively the past few weeks, and that is what I prefer. However, I also love a .6mm stub. Best,

David

[Doug Add]

I started ten years ago with medium nibs exclusively. At the time I despised fine nibs. Of course I went through broad, stub, oblique, italic, flex, etc. as I had to try all the different sorts of writing experiences.

 

Now I have settled in on what I like. I have one italic nib and one stub nib, and the other dozen or so pens are just about evenly divided between fine and medium. Those run the range from a 1962 English Junior Duofold and a modern Waterman Phileas with medium nibs that are almost in the broad category to a Hero 329 with a fine nib that is nearly in extra fine territory, and everything in between.

 

Different nibs for different tasks. Stub/italic and flex nibs see the most use for letter writing. When it comes to extended writing at a single session such as taking notes while I am studying, or writing lessons, I almost always choose from the following three pens.

 

1928 Parker Duofold Junior - 14k fine

Namiki Impressions - 14k medium

Hero 616 - steel fine (slightly modified by a friend)

 

My other favorite writing nib is a 14k fine in a 1924 Sheaffer oversize Flat Top, so I guess I have come around to fine being my nib of choice. Probably has a lot to do with moving from exclusively favoring modern pens to now predominantly choosing vintage pens.

[maryannemoll]

i can't make a legitimate vote since i use only medium nibs, but i would like to explain why i like it. the medium nib is perfect for all my everyday writing needs, and when i need a finer line for a partcular word or an actual physical line, i just write with the nib in an upside-down position.

 

of course sometimes the widths of the lines i write are dependent on the ink. the penman always writes with a thinner line as compared with the waterman inks when used in the same pen. that way, i also get much variety out of just one nib width.

 

i suppose eventually i will be using the other nib widths, but for now, as i do not have much resources (time and money) to actually build a decent collection of fountain pens, the medium will do.