Custom Heritage 912 - Nib Choices

[fehefarx]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm looking to get a CH912 as my new everyday use pen, but I'm taken aback by the sheer number of nib choices. I have a two main questions:

 

- What is the FA nib like as a daily writer? Is it relatively smooth? I have heard of flow issues regarding this nib. I am not a tremendously fast writer, but regular skipping would be rather annoying.

- How does the Wavily nib compare to the SM, or just the regular medium nib? Is it any smoother?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Cryptos]

Okay, I only have the 912 with FA and I can tell you that based on my experience this nib is exceptionally smooth and has no flow issues when used in the normal way. It only railroads when users try to do things it is not designed to do - seems a bit silly to complain under those circumstances but there you are.

 

I wouldn't recommend the FA nib as a daily writer unless you are willing to take the time to get used to it. Then it is wonderful.

 

You could give us a clue to the size of your writing please.

 

Incidentally, I don't use mine generally at work, even though I am in an academic environment. However, I would consider one of the other nibs for this, and I am toying with the idea of a PO nib for fun!

[Maurizio]

I have a CH912 with a stub nib and it is a great writer; it's a nice wet nib; plus I like the the girth and length of the pen and feel it writes comfortably without needing to post it for balance.

 

I can't speak to how the 912 FA nib writes. But I can tell you that last year I got my first Falcon and liked it so much that I bought 2 more. I now have 2 resin Falcons and a metal one with F, M, and B nibs. Both the M and B nibs are great for regular writing, the F not so much for me but I do use it for special notes and for sketching.

 

My regular pen rotation now is the 912, the M ( metal ) and B Falcons, and a Pilot C74; but I also carry the Falcon F in my bag to have ready if I need it. I also trimmed down my pens last year, selling off a couple to finance my Falcon binge.

[ink-syringe]

I have tried them all (literally, having just come back from Japan. Japanese stores often have displays out of all the nibs on Custom 74s and you can also often try 912s as well. Between all the stores I went to I was able to try out at least one of each). Bad news is that I loved about half of their offerings. heh.

 

The soft nibs (SF, SFM, SM) all were lovely and better for everyday writing and note taking than the FA nibs (to my taste). The FA was nice and one to consider down the line but not the best choice for work.

 

The stub was better than expected if not the equal of any of my Sheaffers or Parkers. Kind of rough when new but more line variation that I expected based on reviews. The nib is a little boxy on all edges (not just sides but the bottom edge too). I think a kiss or two on Mottishaw's grinding wheel would probably have made it great. A surprisingly wet nib and a good size for everyday scribbling.

 

The Music nib was amazing and larger than the stub (oddly, not wetter though). I couldn't justify it but nearly bought one anyway.

 

I was underwhelmed by the Waverly and Posting nibs. But that was only because the bar was already set so high by the soft and stubby nibs.

 

The stock B, BB and C nibs where also fantastic.

 

I ended up with the SFM on the C74 so I went for the stub on the CH912. But if you are only buying one pen, want one for everyday work the SFM or SM are winners.

 

A C74 or 912 with a SFM & a con70 is a heck of an everyday note taker. If I had it to do all over again I might have gone the opposite the C74 with a stub or music nib and the CH912 with the SFM.

 

I tried a TON of pens including lots of oddball Sailor nibs. The Pilot pens were so consistent. It was really remarkable.

 

We can't really get Pilot here so that was really my focus on this trip. The 912 is a cozy pen. The C74 and the Platinum 3776 are probably the best value pens on the market. They really hit a sweet spot for performance, price, quality, etc.

 

First time out? I'd get one of the SF,SFM, SM nibs. They are great. Save the specialty stuff for another day. all IMO, YMMV etc. & co.

[Algester]

I would suggest the standard line of nibs from the 15 nib selections if you want a daily writer while yes a lot of people say the FA nib can be a daily writer as well due to the fine ness of the line it puts out but it has some learning curve

select the EF, F, M, B, SF, SM for your nibs first as these are really daily writing nibs Po and Wa are also there but that depends now on your taste

[Maurizio]

An interesting report ink syringe. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Not having been to Japan and not going anytime soon, I enjoy the vicarious experience from reports like yours.

[ink-syringe]

Also Pilot ink (plain plain old school Pilot and Iroshuzuku) are ubiquitous and shockingly affordable. I am mainly a Sailor ink person but can get that here easily, so I took advantage and got 2 of the 70ml Pilot inks (LOVE those bottles) and an Iro ink and luckily nothing broke on the way home though once again my Iroshuzuku ink bottle cap cracked. But at 1/3 of what I'd pay back home I'll deal with it.

 

Also almost bought a Sailor instead of the 2 Pilots, one of those nibs that write exactly opposite any italic, thin down strokes and thick horizontal lines (can't recall the name). But again a rare chance to get Pilots ... I should have stopped at one pen as two was pushing it. I had $9 in my pocket when I got back to Korea.

 

Pilot was everywhere. Even Tokyu Hands had a full run of C74s. And a display with one of each nib type for you to try.

 

And then there was the paper.... But I have some L!fe and MD access in Korea. Could not find Tomoe River though.

[parnesh]

I have the stub and SFM on the 912, the SM on the C92 and an M on the 823. All their nibs are great! Personally I would get a soft nib or the stub in the 912 size as they are more unique in terms of writing experience while being eminently usable on a day to day basis.

 

In terms of nib width, I find the SM to be a bit too wet and wide depending on ink and paper combination but the SFM is perfect writing a tab wider than a western fine.

[fehefarx]

Hmm.. decisions. I love a springy feel. I can't really get a definitive answer on whether the WA gives a little bounce or not (maybe someone could chip in here?).

 

I do have an SF Falcon at the moment and love the nib. I wouldn't mind it being a little springier. I use it for everyday writing and it works pretty nicely.

[ink-syringe]

  On 1/17/2016 at 7:29 AM, fehefarx said:

Hmm.. decisions. I love a springy feel. I can't really get a definitive answer on whether the WA gives a little bounce or not (maybe someone could chip in here?).

 

I do have an SF Falcon at the moment and love the nib. I wouldn't mind it being a little springier. I use it for everyday writing and it works pretty nicely.

If you want a really nice springy nib get one of the soft nibs. They are genuinely springy in a way that the waverly is not. Again the waverly-esque nibs were nice but not (imo) special. If you have a conical nib Sheaffer then you already have something much better than the Pilot. I suppose you could say that about the stub too but I was tickled by it and generally love stubs above all. Again the music nib was nice too but larger than the SU nibs and the regular round nibs (B, BB, and C) were great too but that SFM really is nice. But you say you already have a Falcon with a soft nib so that's a lateral move. Springier than you are probably looking at a modded falcon or some vintage pen or maybe one of the OMAS extraflessibliosyz jobs. Or a modded 912 FA from Mottoshaw or Minushkin. Personally I'd look for an vintage pen with an ebonite feed. A Waterman, or a Pelikan 400nn or whatever.

[fehefarx]

Your advice is really helpful!! Could you please elaborate a bit on the FA nib? Why might it not be suitable for everyday use?

[ink-syringe]

I do not own one so my experience is limited to the few moments at the pen counter but I found it a little less comfortable and easy to control and while just fooling around it was a gas I wondered if in rapid work related note taking if the FA nib was not maybe too finicky a choice. I suppose one could get used to it but I personally didn't want to chance it and went with the regular soft nib which was easier to use for me and smoother and still nice and springy. The FA nib was fun and made lots of nice sounds on the paper. Fun also to see the nib separate from the feed like that. But I tried to keep my feet on the ground and get something I knew for sure I could use as a daily writer. Hopefully folks who own and use an FA nib frequently and extensively can chime in. I suppose it is entirely possible I made a too conservative pick but I have filled 50 pages with my pair of new pilots (SFM & SU) and like both so far though find the stub is the hardest to use stub I own and is a little unforgiving despite being a less crisp nib than some of my other stubs. I am getting used to it slowly and I found the 912 needed a good cleaning. Perhaps some machining residue in there but after a good cleaning the stub is improved. The SFM has been perfect from go. Astounding workhorse little pen. Been through several fills and is just great.

[Diderot]

What's an FA nib?

[Iollan]

I've used a FA as a daily pen for a good part of the year, and I can attest to having to retrain your hand to the pen in terms of how much pressure exerted, at least. It's probably one of my most enjoyable pens to write with (compared against a steel EF, a pilot SF, and a Justus 95 in fine), but only if I have the luxury of sitting down at a desk and get into a comfortable posture to write; otherwise, it's a lot more finicky to control.

 

When I'm on the go, its usually the Justus and the Steel EF that comes with me, but mainly for ease of use and line consistency of firm nibs. However, that is not to say that the FA cannot be used for daily, fast writing - I've written upwards of 4-5 pages a day with the FA, depending on my mood.

[Algester]

  On 1/17/2016 at 8:57 AM, Diderot said:

What's an FA nib?

Falcon nib not to be confused with the Elabo AKA Falcon in America

[J_MM]

I have the sfm nib and with the con-70 it is an ideal everyday pen. The only nib I like better is the M on my 823.

[Diderot]

  On 1/17/2016 at 2:09 PM, Algester said:

Falcon nib not to be confused with the Elabo AKA Falcon in America

 

Thanks.

I'd pretty much worked out what the others meant but not this one.

[gerigo]

I was very lucky to have been staying next to Mitsukoshi during my trip to Tokyo in November. During one particularly long shopping day, I decided to take an afternoon break to wander the store and spend time at the pen department. They had a nice display and had all the Pilot nibs, I believe 742s, customers could sample. I took the time to try all of them with the exception of the F, M and B nibs since those are easily available anywhere. This is documented in my short scribble attached below.

 

The motive of this particular test was to see how different the SU nib was from the MU nib. I really wanted an SU nib, but at the end decided it was too narrow for me as the MU nib is and will still be my favorite in the entire Pilot line.

 

A little background.

 

After about 3 years of collecting, I now know that italics and stubs rock my world. During my initial phases of collection, like many I got seriously influenced by the the persuasive nature of this board without knowing really my true preferences. Thus I went through a phase of acquisition with biased fascination for flex and music nibs. I DO have the Elabos, which have amazing soft bouncy nibs (NOT Flex), the broads being the real hidden gems people don't talk about a lot, the infamous FA nibs in both the No 15 and No 10 nibs, as well as the MU nib.

 

At the end of the day, if you REALLY want a modern flex nib, the Pilot FA wins hands down. Definitely NOT for everyday writing. The nib is too wobbly to instill confidence for quick trouble free everyday writing. The nib has to be oriented correctly, and you have to have really fine motor control to not be too troubled by the nib. The Soft nibs are bouncy, similar to the Elabo but not the same as the Elabo has longer tines. Much more suited for everyday writing and as you can see from the writing sample not as flexy. I would chalk up the WA nib as being particularly smooth with absolutely no flex at all because of the way the nib curves. The shape of the nib helps to stabilize your writing. The PO nib was just too fine, and reminded me of a Platinum UEF and I am totally not a fan of ultra fine nibs.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited January 17, 2016 by gerigo

[georgeb]

I have the FA, SF, SFM, SM, and SU.

 

I prefer the SFM and the SU, though the SU is a bit rough.

 

The FA runs out of ink and is too soft for me for regular writing.

[Moynihan]

I use the ef, (falcon/Elabo sef,sf,sm,sb), sf, sfm, ms, wa & fa.

 

I think Gerigo's overview is accurate, as to my experience with the nibs i have.

 

If you like the Falcon/Elabo sf; the custom series sf is similar but not as "soft/springy". I have the sf in the 91/74/742/743; and find it to be just the smallest simdgen softer as you climb up in pen size/model.

 

The WA (Waverly) is not a "soft" nib, but it is the smoothest of my pilot nibs. The line width is kinda mediumish.

 

Re the FA; love it!, but i do not use it as a daily writer. I believe for most of us, the flow is issue is real. I find that if i hold it at a high angle though, it works better...but that is not, for me, an attribute of a daily writer.

 

My "daily user nibs are, in order of frequency:

Custom series: WA, SFM, SF, MS

Falcon/Elabo: sf, sef

Edited January 18, 2016 by Moynihan