PenBBS calligraphy nib sizes

[The Elevator]

This morning I was shopping Etsy looking at PenBBS products, and J stumbled upon their 14K gold nib line. At just $115 for a whole nib/feed unit that’s almost as swappable as a TWSBI it looks pretty enticing, but I cannot figure out for the life of me what the numbered calligraphy sizes mean.

There are calligraphy nibs numbered 1, 2, 4, and 15, but no real explanation for what that actually means. (The others I understand, F, EF, and RF). 
 

Finally, if anyone has experience with one of the gold nibs, how does it compare to the standard steel ones?

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, The Elevator said:

I cannot figure out for the life of me what the numbered calligraphy sizes mean.

 

There are calligraphy nibs numbered 1, 2, 4, and 15, but no real explanation for what that actually means.

 

They're neither nib sizes nor width grades on any sort of scale. They're just numbers, in the same way PenBBS pen model numbers 308, 309, 355, and 494 don't tell you anything meaningful in themselves about the types, design characteristics, or relative price points of the particular models. PenBBS could have named those nibs Peter, Paul, Mary, and Lamb, and convey just as much and as little information.

 

You'll have to look at the seller's product image photos, as well as perhaps reviews and/or writing samples voluntarily contributed by other users on FPN, reddit, etc. to get some idea of what they are and how they perform.

[MalcLee]

I’ve found Daniel Chang’s excel spreadsheet on the various PenBBS calligraphy nibs (includes photos of the various hand carved 14k PenBBS gold nibs) is an excellent resource on their calligraphy nibs. Do note that this spreadsheet is subject to updates. If you’re on Facebook, the “Taste The Rainbow” Facebook group is an excellent resource for information.

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1XBh0iu9Qv-ABtJSI_qg2Wud2tFAdzPaW/htmlview#gid=1663487424

[Thinkpad_maven]

17 hours ago, MalcLee said:

I’ve found Daniel Chang’s excel spreadsheet on the various PenBBS calligraphy nibs (includes photos of the various hand carved 14k PenBBS gold nibs) is an excellent resource on their calligraphy nibs. Do note that this spreadsheet is subject to updates. If you’re on Facebook, the “Taste The Rainbow” Facebook group is an excellent resource for information.

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1XBh0iu9Qv-ABtJSI_qg2Wud2tFAdzPaW/htmlview#gid=1663487424

Thank you for the link.

[The Elevator]

18 hours ago, MalcLee said:

Daniel Chang’s excel spreadsheet

Thank you very much—I was hoping some enthusiast had already documented the nib sizes 🙂