Best Steel Nibs

[InkingBishop]

As I read more about nib material, it seems the consensus is that steel nibs can be just as good as gold ones.

 

That being the case, where are the best steel nibs to be found?

 

I'm finding if you're looking for a pen with a gold nib, you're already likely to be looking at pens expensive enough to expect a pretty good writing experience.

 

So I guess I'm asking what pens have steel nibs of the same high quality.

[WilsonCQB1911]

Diplomat has gotten praise for this but I've never tried. I am interested though.

 

Faber-Castell has nice steel and gold nibs

[jabberwock11]

Visconti and Faber-Castell are the ones that you hear about most often.

 

Pilot's steel nibs are pretty good too, although their higher end pens all have gold nibs.

[FOUR X FOUR]

Visconti and Faber-Castell are the ones that you hear about most often.

Pilot's steel nibs are pretty good too, although their higher end pens all have gold nibs.

Winner, winner. Chicken dinner. Deltas steel nibs are nice, as well.

[Azuniga]

This thread reminded me of the publicity used by the Platgnium pens (manufactured in Englad by the early 20's last century) that was based in the claim than 'other metals could easily replace gold to produce nibs' Steel among them of course...

Most 'war time' nibs are in steel and they are still working as new... there is several threads in the forum comparing nibs steel versus gold and so on...

[jar]

My Caran d'Ache Ecridor nib is great and so are my Sheaffer steel nibs. My Pelikan M200 steel nib is pretty nice.

[ac12]

Let's take this one step further.

It is the tipping that is in contact with the paper.

If the quality and shape of the tipping is poor, it does not matter gold or stainless steel, the writing experience will be poor.

Within my own pens, I have some Parkers from about 1950-1980 (on both gold and stainless steel nibs) where the tipping is not a nice smooth sphere, but something of various shapes; a cylinder on its side, a wedge, a slab, etc. I do not have enough of the other brands to compare to, so I cannot say if this might be common to the industry at the time. Now, think about writing with a tipping of the shapes that I mentioned. The writing experience will NOT be smooth. I had to round off all of the tippings on these nibs, to smoothen the edges which would scratch on the paper.

 

The tipping technology of today seems to be much more advanced than that of 40+ years ago, that even low cost pens have better tipping and a smoother writing than some of my old pens with gold nibs.

Edited April 25, 2016 by ac12

[carlos.q]

Pelikan M200/205 steel nibs are great!!! A lot better than modern Pelikan gold nibs.

[Bluey]

Let's take this one step further.

It is the tipping that is in contact with the paper.

If the quality and shape of the tipping is poor, it does not matter gold or stainless steel, the writing experience will be poor.

Spot on!

 

I don't have many steel nibs such as some Twsbis with both Jowo and Bock nibs plus a Jinhao. There isn't much between them but I'd give the nod to the Jinhao.

[alaskazimm]

Pelikan M200/205 steel nibs are great!!! A lot better than modern Pelikan gold nibs.

 

This.

 

If you're looking at custom pens, eg - Franklin-Christoph or Edison, they use Jowo nibs which are very good nibs. I have five nibs ranging from them and they're each good enough to make me not even consider upgrading to gold nibs (on those pens anyway).

[ENewton]

I have a few pens with steel nibs.

 

The Schmidt nib on my Levenger Galaxy Aurora pen is the smoothest. The nib on my Platinum Balance pen is the most interesting.

[Arkanabar]

There are two reasons typically cited for seeking out a gold nib. The declaration is either that it is less prone to corrosion, especially by iron gall inks, or else that it will flex better than steel.

 

The former I will provisionally accept. The more pure a gold alloy is, the less susceptible it is to attacks by acids (though the practical difference may be moot, especially with good pen hygiene). The latter, I don't know if I could be so sure. Flex tends more strongly affected by nib shape, thickness, and geometry than alloy (presuming, of course, that one is using a relatively flexible alloy in the first place). My steel M200 nib has always had more flex than my .585 gold M400 nib.

[fabri00]

I think first you have to define what mean "best".

 

One example: I like very rigid still nibs, more than gold flexible nibs, while the majority of people's prefer springy/flexible gold nibs.

What is the best for me could be very different for others.

[roklpokl]

Pelikan M215 and Faber Castell are the best steel nibs I've tried. Lamy and TWSBI steel nibs are ok but really not in the same class as Pelikan and FC.

[inkeverywhere]

I have a couple of Waterman Phileas FP's with steel nibs.

 

Cheap pens but both have nibs I really enjoy writing with and are quite smooth.

 

 

Greg

[owend]

For me, Pelikan M200 (both M and F) just beat the Faber Castell M as the best steel nibs I've tried, and both are better than most gold nibs.

 

Fabri00: these cover most needs, the Pelikan has slight springiness and the FC is rigid!

 

Owen

[aderoy]

Staedtler Lignum should also be added to the steel nib collection, very nice writing.

Caran d'Ache Ecridor (as already mentioned)

[samba]

Best steel nibs are Pilot 78g,Pilot AM 82g[aka Pilot Superior],Sheaffer Prelude,Parker 45,Pelikan M200,Waterman Expert,Waterman Hemisphere and Lamy Safari.All these pens are affordable and very good writer.But the steel nibs are less flexible than the gold nibs.

[ultarior]

I love my Cross ATX M steel

[Totl]

can confirm the Diplomat steel nibs are really good. low pricing but the writing experience is exquisite.