Parker Sonnet M Vs B Nib

[Marten]

Good day to all of you.

 

I was hoping that someone might be able to assist me with this please?

 

I have just received a new Parker Sonnet Cisele fitted with a medium 18k nib. After inking this up (And trying two brands of ink) I feel that the line width is just a tad on the narrower side for my liking. Now I understand that the Sonnet medium nibs are a bit "thinner" than say for instance the Centennial medium nibs. This is significantly thinner than my Pelikan M400 and M800 medium nibs which is fair enough.

However, my only obvious choice then would be to swap this out for a broad which the local Agents do have available.

 

My question therefore would be if the Sonnet broad nib is comparable in line width to the Centennial broad? Or would this also be a slightly thinner line width as well?

 

I would really appreciate ANY assistance! I have had a look at a few online comparisons such as this one, but really difficult to discern true line widths and also no idea if this refers or is applicable to the Sonnet nibs...

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

Kind regards,

 

Marten.

[whych]

The Pelikan gold nibs in the m400 are broader than the steel nibs in the M2xx range.

Unlike Pelikan, Parker's steel and gold nibs are pretty much the same width.

I have found that the Sonnet Italic medium is slightly thicker than the plain medium. The steel Parker OM is thicker than the Italic. The only Parker braod nib I have is in a Parker 45 and it is quite thick, The Parker 45 Italic I have is also thicker than the Sonnet Italic, as is the 45 medium compared to the Sonnet medium.

Based on this, I would say the Sonnet broad may be just what you are looking for and should be a similar thickness to the Pelikan M400 medium.

 

If you are close enough to the Parker agents, perhaps you should go in and try the nibs first.

[Marten]

Hi whych.

 

Much appreciated and thank you very much! Fortunately the Agents are fairly close so I check if they are willing to allow me to test the broad... Actually, I was a bit dumb. Should have thought of that. It is just that I have had a less than pleasant experience with the same Agents pertaining to a Parker Centennial.

[Joane]

While the Sonnet Medium writes finer than the Duofold Medium (Centennial here), the Broad Sonnet and Duofold (International here) nibs are closer in width.

[Marten]

Ahhhh! Thank you so much Joane!

That was EXACTLY what I was secretly hoping for. That some kind Soul would have pity on me and post a handwriting example of both...

That is a great help. I was assuming that the difference in line widths was mainly between the medium Sonnet and Centennial as opposed to the broad nib Sonnet and Centennial.

As I already have a broad nib Centennial, maybe I should simply stick with the medium Sonnet. But I really wish that it was just a tad thicker line width...

I have mailed the Agents now to ask (beg?) them to allow me to "test" the broad nib so let's see...

 

Much obliged to you Joane!

[Joane]

You are welcome. Maybe a flowier ink might «widen» the Sonnet Medium nib a bit. Personally, I love that nib. Mine has a lot of line variation and nuance.

[Marten]

Yes actually it does and I do like the nib. Have not had any hard starts, dry-outs nor skipping and is fairly smooth. I have tried out a few inks in the hopes of also widening the line width a bit.

Iroshizuku Take-Sumi (Widest line width thus far), J. Herbin Rouge Grenat and Sailor Oku-Yama (Narrowest line width) With the two last mentioned inks, as you have said as well, I also have had good line variation and shading. So yes, a very interesting nuance from this nib as you so eloquently put it... (So why am I considering a broad as this is certainly a "fun" nib I am asking myself now) Alternatively I could potentially purchase a broad I suppose as pricing locally is actually not bad at all. The Agents are willing to sell me a broad for roughly the equivalent of about $ 55 / 42 GBP so there is that I suppose.

With the weekend ahead I plan on possibly also testing with MB Toffee Brown which I found to be a wetter ink and maybe that hits the sweet spot...

[Joane]

Well, here is an interesting characteristic of Sonnet Broad: it is possible to get a narrower line with the Sonnet Broad nib by adjusting the angle in the hand. The more upright you hold the pen, the narrower the line. The only concern is it may not be comfortable writing for long periods at an unusual hand angle.

[Marten]

Now that is rather interesting yes? Thank you for sharing that and going to all the trouble Joane. Certainly something to consider I believe.

But I suppose that with the Sonnet being more of a "petite" pen, maybe medium is the way to go? I am however seriously considering the purchase of a broad nib as opposed to an exchange. Maybe. I don't know... So many decisions.

[Joane]

Individual need all depends on one’s intended usage. Whatever the outcome, I wish you enjoyment of the choice made!

[Kolektor]

I got XF Sonnet nib that was tad thinner than Pelikan M nib. It was equal F Pelikan nib.