What kind of nib is this? Any pens with this nib geometry? Help needed...

[neptunium]

Hello everyone,

 

I have been using a Herlitz Tornado XL for about 20 years now and I am looking for its replacement these days. My Herlitz is by far the fountain pen which allows me to produce the most beautiful form of my handwriting. I have been trying to understand why this is so and came to the conclusion that it has something to do with the nib geometry of this pen. What is significant about the nib of this pen is that it tends to bend towards the longitudinal axis of the pen towards its tip. I wanted to illustrate my point in the image below. My questions to the FP community are is there a name of this kind of nib geometry and do you know of any fountain pens which would have a similar nib geometry in the side view?

 

Thank you all for your valuable answers.

 

-neptunium 

[A Smug Dill]

Source: Pilot Corporation

 

This is the nib on the Pilot Elabo (aka Falcon, in Western markets) pen. I doubt it will produce the same kind of mechanical behaviour and writing outcomes as your Herlitz, though.

 

The nibs on some models of Rotring fountain pens show varying degrees of different aspects of your Herlitz nib's geometry, but it's probably a moot point since Rotring has long exited the fountain pen market.

[robmorrison]

Don't know what it's called, but that's what I always liked about '20s Moores

[loganrah]

Almost all of my vintage flex nibs have a curve like this, though generally not as pronounced. I also very much appreciate it. 

 

Modern pilot flex nibs have something similar to varying degrees. The falcon as you can see above. But also the FA nibs in 743 and 742 pens. 

 

Unfortunately I don't know of any non-flex nibs that have this shape. But I suspect that a nibmeister could modify a nib for a similar curve, feed allowing.

[robmorrison]

Speaking just from my own corner of the vintage pen world, the pens with this distinctive downturned-nib shape doesn't seem to have anything to do with the flexibility of the nib. The Moores that have it can have firm nibs or flex nibs. It seems to just be a matter of the model or the era.