What Pen Has The Best Stub Nib You've Ever Used?

[SomethingWicked]

I'm interested in buying a stub nibbed pen to compliment my collection, but I don't know whether I should vintage or modern. Also, which pen has a history of being the best, smoothest stub writer?

 

Your experience, please.

[EclecticCollector]

As a recent convert to stubs, my experience has been that Montblanc's vintage M and B nibs are very stub-like and wonderful to write with. Pelikan's now-discontinued IB nibs are also very nice, though a bit too wide for me. Visconti's palladium stub is wonderful after some fixing up, but tends to be problematic out of the box.

[Uncial]

Out of the Lamy, Italix, and unknown brand and a Twsbi, I would have to say the Twsbi. Surprisingly (to me anyway) the Italix was the least impressive.

[lahlahlaw]

My favorites are vintage stubs, they can be elusive in the wild and demand a pretty penny.

 

To get your feet wet, why not try a Nemosine Singularity with a 0.6 stub? xfountainpens.com sells them for under $20. They also have Diamine-made ink sold under the Chesterfield name, very reaonably priced. I've ordered from them and they are excellent.

[mirosc]

modern: any stub ground by J. Mottishaw (that's the way I would recommend)

vintage: MB OBB

Edited September 6, 2014 by mirosc

[lwc]

Pendleton Brown Butter Line Stub. Great feel and very smooth.

[Blue_Moon]

Out of the Lamy, Italix, and unknown brand and a Twsbi, I would have to say the Twsbi. Surprisingly (to me anyway) the Italix was the least impressive.

 

I have Lamys, TWSBIs, and four Italix stubs/Italics and the Italix in my experience are the smoothest of all. They are, in fact, some of the smoothest stubs that I possess.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Blue_Moon

[CoolFool]

Richard Binder (Richardspens.com) will customize any (I believe) of the nibs on pens he sells. This makes for a good one-stop shopping experience. I once bought an Edison Hudson from him and had him modify the nib so that it was .6 mm stub (it was also 15-degree left oblique!). The nib writes with a fine line and still shows plenty of line variation. I really like this nib, and would recommend taking a look at his site before buying anywhere else.

[jar]

Sheaffer Ft. Madison stub nibs by far.

[_Stormin_]

Visconti's palladium stub is wonderful after some fixing up, but tends to be problematic out of the box.

God ain't that the truth...

 

I would say that out of the box I was shocked at how nice the TWSBi stub is. I was using a friend's pen and it's convinced me that my future TWSBi pens will all have it.

[brewsky]

My esterbrook dollar pen that I personally ground to a crisp cursive italic. It rivals gold nibbed pens.

[Joe in Seattle]

A 1930's factory Sheaffer stub!

[serpent]

for those who like the TWSBI's are we talking 1.1 or 1.5?

[AllenG]

Richard Binder (Richardspens.com) will customize any (I believe) of the nibs on pens he sells. This makes for a good one-stop shopping experience. I once bought an Edison Hudson from him and had him modify the nib so that it was .6 mm stub (it was also 15-degree left oblique!). The nib writes with a fine line and still shows plenty of line variation. I really like this nib, and would recommend taking a look at his site before buying anywhere else.

According to his website, Mr. Binder is winding down his retail sales.

[EclecticCollector]

According to his website, Mr. Binder is winding down his retail sales.

Where did you see this information? I just took a quick peek and didn't see anything to this effect.

[Blue_Moon]

Where did you see this information? I just took a quick peek and didn't see anything to this effect.

I didn't either. If you are talking about the note that says he's not adjusting any more pens that are sent to him, but only those he sells, that's been the case for a year or two now, maybe longer.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Blue_Moon

[JordanLH]

I can wholeheartedly recommend an Edison Collier with a 1.1 stub. Best stub experience ever.

[seanruss]

Estie 9314-F or M, they work MUCH better than my Parker or Mabie Todd ones.

[AllenG]

Where did you see this information? I just took a quick peek and didn't see anything to this effect.

His Nib Noise newsletter.

 

"As we approach our seventies, we're changing our direction, and this means

that we will be gradually discontinuing retail sales."

 

He is going to keep going to shows and the monthly pen tray are to remain as I understand.

[j.a.j.]

I have not yet had any experience with more expensive golden factory stubs. In my limited experience the difference between a factory stubs and nibmeister grinded stub has been huge.

 

+1 for Pendleton Brown Butter Line Stub.