Looking For The Ideal Pen For Japanese Ef Nib - Advice Please!

[julia239]

I stumbled across this thread looking for something else, but as it is something I'm interested in...

The PO nib from the 912 can't be switched to the CH 92. The 92 takes a #5 nib and the 912 a #10, so not only are the nibs different sizes but the feeds are very different as well. I'm including a picture of the nibs without the feeds (don't mind the ink - I pulled them out of my pens ) .

 

I really like the Posting nib. I tend to use a lot of pressure when I write, so even EF or the UEF nibs will spread some. The PO stays nice and tidy. If you want to see a writing sample of the PO, you can look at my most recent ink review of Robert Oster Copper here. I also have a Platinum 3776 UEF; the line is probably about the same as the PO, but it is significantly scratchier. The tipping on the PO makes it so much smoother, plus

it has a bit more weight to it.

If you're interested in a 912, try cool-japan on eBay. Normally I'd shy away from international purchases without knowing the seller. But, he has a good reputation & sells a lot of limited editions and inks that are only available in Japan. I bought my 912 PO and a 912 FA (Falcon nib) from him; each was pen $75 less than it is from a US vendor & the shipping was about $25 (I upgraded so I'd have a tracking number.) I received them in less than a week with boxes and COA.

 

Also, there is a difference between the Falcon nib and the Falcon pen. Someone at Pilot obviously has a sick sense of humor. A Falcon nib or FA is only available on a few pens, including the 912, and is extremely flexible. The Falcon pen has a "soft" nib that comes in the standard size options; they all have some flex, but they are much easier to control than the Falcon nib but don't give as much line variation. The Falcon SEF (Soft Extra Fine) has some flex but not that much, but it will have significantly more flex than your Decimo EF, which in my experience has very little. The Falcons also come in 2 options - the resins, which are much less expensive (and lighter) and the metals, which are heavier (but also about $90 more).

 

 

 

[bellsbells]

Thanks for the very information post, Julia. Sounds like the PO might be right for me! The seller you mentioned does have the best prices, but I noticed he also sells the CH 742 with the PO nib. I wonder if the nib is the same? The pens look nearly identical.

Edited March 29, 2017 by bellsbells

[onetwothree]

Hi.

I also want to point out that for your rather generous budget I think a custom grind Franklin Christoph Needle point (not extra fine, needle point is even finer) would be a nice option as it can literally fit thousands of pen bodies.

I have a Franklin Christoph Needle point (Masuyama custom grind) and it is by far the finest (in terms of thickness) point that I have. I don't currently have it but I used to have a Platinum "Ultra Extra Fine" which was comparable in thickness to my Franklin Christoph Needle point.

Here is a writing sample that I did months ago. It is comparing the Needle Point with a Pilot E95S Extra fine which is a very fine point to begin with (Japanese Extra fine), ignore the third pen as it does not matter for the present discussion. Notice that the Needle point is actually slightly finer than the Japanese Extra fine of this comparison.

The reason that I think this is the most versatile option is that in this way you have access to a multitude of pen bodies. You can have a single nib unit and 10 different bodies if you want to switch them as you please (off course your budget will only allow for 1 body depending on price, but in the future who knows). Also there are not many metal pens produced in Japan (only one I can think right now is the Pilot Vanishing point) while there are many many metal pens compatible with #5 and #6 nibs.

For instance, one of my favorite metal pens of all times is the Italix Pearson's Essential. If I am not mistaken, you can simply unscrew its stock nib and replace it with a #5 Needle point. If you like larger pens, the Italix Captain's Commission takes #6 instead.

Anyhow, good luck!

[ManofKent]

BellsBells - if a Platinum extra-fine is fine enough for you the Platinum Standard/Vicoh PTL-5000a is worth a look. Slim, unostentatious with a push on cap. It's mainly resin but the grip has a metal core and barrel threads so it's nicely balanced. 14k gold EF nib that's pretty smooth for such a narrow tip, but with a fair bit of feedback - with a non-feathering medium flow ink you'll get very fine lines. Oh, and you can get them for under £40 / $50 shipped from Japan.

[Lloyd]

Buy a Parker 51 with XF nib (there's even one currently for sale for $70). If it's still not fine enough, send it to Mike-it-Work to make into a needlepoint (he'll make it as fine as you want). Your total cost, even if you pay Mike's 50% expediting charge so you can get it back in about 2-3 weeks, will be way below $200.

[julia239]

 

Thanks for the very information post, Julia. Sounds like the PO might be right for me! The seller you mentioned does have the best prices, but I noticed he also sells the CH 742 with the PO nib. I wonder if the nib is the same? The pens look nearly identical.

 

 

I think the difference between them is the trim - the 912 has the silver trim with a Rhodium plated nib and the 742 has the gold trim and nib. It looks like the main difference is aesthetic - the plating to match the trim versus the all gold coloring. The nibs are the same size.

Here is a link to a site that compares the Pilot Custom pens:

http://kmpn.blogspot.com/2011/06/pilot-custom.html.

[bellsbells]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! It's hard to decide... I'm leaning towards the Franklin-Christoph with the custom grind needlepoint, but it's a bit more than I can afford to spend at the moment. I still wish I could find the perfect body for the Penmanship nib which is just the ideal nib for me and so inexpensive. Does anyone know what size # nib it is?

[LizEF]

.... I still wish I could find the perfect body for the Penmanship nib which is just the ideal nib for me and so inexpensive. Does anyone know what size # nib it is?

 

It's a custom nib design to Pilot (not just size, but it's cut special to lock into the feed), so you're limited to Pilot pens which take that nib style. To my knowledge:

• Penmanship
• Prera
• Metropolitan
• Plumix
• Kakuno

[Calabria]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Sailor PG EF.

It's minimal in design, and Sailor makes the ultimate "razor sharp" EF point. Sure, it's not metal and has a screw cap - put plastic sits better in the hand and a threaded cap closes much tighter to seal the nib so it doesn't dry out.

My Sailor PG EF is pretty much the gold standard for a true extra fine.