Looking To Buy A New 1.1Mm Nib

[jabberwock11]

I am looking to buy a new 1.1mm nib for my Aldo Domani two tone pen. I had a Knox nib in there, but have since switched that nib out to a Jinhao X750, leaving my poor Aldo Domani with its plain old factory nib. I'm having a difficult time choosing a new nib for this pen...most of the available nibs are made by JoWo (Franklin-Christoph, Gouet Pens, Anderson Pens, Edison Pens, Monteverde) and are likely more or less the same (although I do wonder if the nibs made for F-C or Edison might be made to more exacting standards or with slightly different specs than the standard JoWo nibs), so I am not sure that spending more for a nicer looking version of the same basic nib is really worth it. Bock and Knox are another option, but the only Bock retailers that I have found are overseas and Knox nibs are a little less crisp than I would ideally like.

 

Ideally what I want is a fairly crisp, smooth, true 1.1mm nib that also looks nice. The JoWo made nibs that I have come across are fairly crisp and smooth, but overly broad. Bock nibs are VERY smooth and crisp, but all of the ones that I have come across are overly broad (even more so than Goulet/Anderson Pens JoWo made nibs). Monteverde JoWo made nibs and Knox nibs are nice and smooth, thin writers, but not as crisp as I would like. I'm not bad at grinding and could grind a nib myself, but I am still getting this skill down, so I usually prefer a factory made stub/italic. I could also get a nib professionally ground, but I really don't want to pay $40-$50 for a nib.

 

So, here are the nibs that I am looking at:

 

--Goulet/Anderson Pens 1.1mm

Pros: Inexpensive, nice looking, smooth Cons: overly broad (more like a 1.3mm)

 

--Knox 1.1mm

Pros: Least expensive, consistent, smooth Cons: not as crisp, only available in brushed steel

 

--Franklin-Christoph/Edison Pens 1.1mm

Pros: Nice looking, reportedly smooth and reliable, comes with nib unit Cons: more expensive, possibly overly broad

 

--Bock 1.1mm

Pros: Crisp, smoothest that I have used Cons: longer wait for delivery, only available in brushed steel, overly broad

 

--Monteverde 1.1mm

Pros: cool looking, consistent Cons: not as crisp, more expensive

 

Any opinions on my current options or suggestions for other options that I am overlooking would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Here are some pics of my Aldo Domani (with a Nemosine 0.8mm nib)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KellyMcJ]

I don't know, but that is a gorgeous pen!

[jabberwock11]

Thanks, I like it. They used to be available in pen sets at one of the office supply places (Office Depot, I think). You can still find them on eBay every now and then.

 

I think that I will probably end up going with a Franklin-Christoph, but I still haven't decided.

[gopool]

I would try the cheap Knox nibs first then upgrade later if you like it. Knox stub nibs are quite lovely and work great for costing only $6

[jabberwock11]

I have a couple of Knox nibs already and even had one on this pen previously. There aren't many italic or stub nibs that I haven't tried, so my dilemma is NOT which nib would I like to try, but rather which one would be best to place on my Aldo Domani. I am leaning toward a Franklin-Christoph because it looks nice (and because it IS one if the few that I have not tried), but if it is identical to the Anderson Pens/Goulet Pens/JoWo factory nib, then I would rather pay a bit less and get a Goulet 1.1mm. I am considering a Knox because it is inexpensive and I am familiar with it, but I would prefer something a bit more crisp.

[Randal6393]

Think I would call/email Franklin-Christoph and explain that you want a fairly crisp italic, more than the usual stub but less than a dip pen that has been freshly sharpened. See what they want and if you have to spend twice what you did for the pen to get it. They might have some ideas and items that would be helpful.

 

Best of luck.

[FrankB]

I love stub/italic nibs and I have been returning to this thread to see if there is any update. I am curious whether you chose a Franklin-Christoph nib and any comments you might have about the nib's performance.

[jabberwock11]

I did not buy a Franklin-Christoph, I talked with them and they confirmed that they use factory JoWo nibs. I considered a custom grind, but in the end I just stuck with the least expensive factory JoWo, an Anderson Pens 1.1 nib.

[JaysonHarrington]

I was given the same pen years ago as a birthday gift... I like the pens feel and looks but the nib has gotten very fussy... What size nibs does it take?

[Honeybadgers]

Take a knox nib, take some 1500 grit sandpaper and micro mesh, and make your own crisp cursive italic. It's really. REALLY. easy.

[siamackz]

Take a knox nib, take some 1500 grit sandpaper and micro mesh, and make your own crisp cursive italic. It's really. REALLY. easy.

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