Hi all! I'm fairly new to fountain pens (and Reddit, made an account today to post for the first time) and was wondering if anyone could give recommendations for a fountain pen with a smooth EF nib.
I have the Pilot Kakuno (EF) and Pilot Metropolitan (F). My handwriting is quite small, so the fine nib makes my writing look feel/look cramped; I much prefer the width of the extra fine nib, but the Kakuno's is so scratchy. I'm looking for something smoother, but around that width.
I've been eyeing the Pilot Vanishing Point / Decimo and the Sailor Pro Gear Slim (not sure which nib sizes)... Someone recently recommended me the Kaweco Supra EF. Would love to hear others' recommendations and/or input on these! Recommendations can be any price as I'm trying to get a sense of the general best options.
Thank you all in advance!
Obligatory: PayPal G&S, please comment here before sending a DM. I have chat disabled so you’ll have to send me a private message. I can only ship to PayPal confirmed addresses and cannot ship to a PO Box or forwarding service. We aren’t covered by Seller Protection if we do, so thank you in advance for understanding!
Welp, my “one in, one out” rule has caught up to me. Not too long ago I was trying to fill my pen chest and now it hath runneth over. With the exception of exactly one pen which has escaped me, I’ve refined my collection down to the pens that spark joy. That means some of my dearests will need homes where they will spark joy for someone else.
Important disclaimer: Many of the pens in this lineup are vintage and therefore I make no warranties or guarantees about them other than what is mentioned here. Some of these pens are older than 100 years old. All of these pens are in the condition describe, they are fully operational and do not contain any cracks or chips, or any other defect which would impair the look or functionality of the pen.
All prices will have handling and insured shipping added to the invoice. Happy to calculate those costs for you in advance.
$1300 - Watermans No5 Red Ripple with Pink Nib (Vintage Flex XXF to BBB) Condition: D (vintage)
I’ve gone back and forth with whether not I want to sell this one for some time. I purchased it originally when I gave up hope of finding her bigger sister (No7 with Pink Nib) and of course, was offered one a short while later.
This pen is in incredible condition considering it’s age. It is a lever filler and the sac was replaced and pen restored in 2021. While you see many of Waterman’s color bands being replaced, this is the original band which is why it looks more brown than pink.
$495 - Watermans No 7 black celluloid red keyhole nib (Condition D: Vintage)
Another grail pen, acquired on my quest to obtain Waterman’s color nibs. This stunner comes from the late 1920’s, after Waterman’s succumbed to the pressure of switching to celluloid. The nib is divine and writes from M to BB with little pressure but isn’t a wet noodle as the red nib was intended to be less flexible than the pink.
$195 - Watermans Ink Vue with semi flex nib (Condition D: Vintage)
I forget which of the “Ray’s” this wa
... keep reading on reddit ➡I have a lot of pens and most of them have some amount of feedback, so I'm wondering what the smoothest pens/nibs on the market are right now. For example, I hated my Lamy EF nib, but I love my TWSBI Swipe and Conklin Endura.
Edit: Thank you everyone! I went to sleep and woke up to a ton of replies, so I'll just update the OP to say:
Top choices tend to lean Pelikan M205, Pilot Decimo, Lamy 2000, and many urushi pens.
I got a gift card for Christmas to Goulet Pen. I’m deciding between a Sailor Pro Gear Slim or a Pilot Custom 74. Seeing as it would be my first 14k nib I’m looking for advice, pros and cons, and any kind of help. If there is a pen that might be better I’m willing to look into that as well. I do have a $250 limit for this pen. I also have small hands, and saw that the size between the pens seems significant. I’m comfortable with a fine or medium fine nib. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I am planning on sending multiple pens to a nibmeister toget nib work done. I am a little afraid of whether the post to or from may get messed up or lost in the mail since the total worth of the pens could easily reach over $500.
Is there any precaution I should take ? How has your experience been posting pens?
I just received the pilot custom 823 fine nib and it's nice. I saw a ton of reviews saying how amazing this pen was so decided it was the right choice for my first Gold Nib pen. I wanted something that had a dramatically different feel to my steel nibs.
This pen is nice like I said but it's 3 times as expensive as any other pen I own and it's a little scratchy. My kaweco steel nib honestly feels smoother. There aren't any starts/stops or anything like that just I don't know that it's so special....
Is this a problem? It's a fine nib so I assumed it would be less smooth than a broader gold nib, but I hoped for something special with this pen.
I got a pilot custom 823 but the nib dry starts. I know to open the back of the pen so that the ink reservoir isn’t sealed off from the feed and nib, even then it still has hard starts. It’s an expensive pen so hoping to have a professional/someone who knows what they are doing fix it rather than me trying to mess it up. Thanks in advance.
I like adding nibs rather than pens because i dont particularly like having loads of pens. Im pretty utilitarian that way. Are there other brands that do nib switches? When i write with a lamy it always untwists the barrel and its quite frustrating lol. TIA
FIRST OF THE YEAR PEN AND ACCESSORY CLEANING SALE! Timestamp and verification
- Sailor 1911L Bungbox Mangata EF nib - used once for about 20 minutes total. Just don’t grab for it as much as I thought I would. Comes with Bungbox Mangata special packaging. $640 OBO
- SOLD
Pilot Vanishing Point 18k M nib - brand new, never used.$68 - SOLD
Kaweco ART Sport Metallic Green - used twice for maybe 30 minutes total. Tend to grab for my other ART Sports more so this needs a new home! Comes with brand new gold clip, mini converter, and premium storage box. I have EF, F, or M nibs, so it’s the buyer’s choice.$170 - Thick straight nib holder - brand new, never used. $19
- Rickshaw Duo 2-pen sleeve, camo x-pac, size short - used once and never kept pens in very long so it isn’t stretched out. $22
- Rickshaw Duo 2-pen sleeve, purple, size medium-ish - one of the very first 2-pen sleeves by Rickshaw prior to him coming out with different sizing. Closest to the Medium sized sleeves he makes now and comfortably fits a Retro 51 with a bit of room to spare. Used maybe twice and again, never kept pens in very long so it’s not stretched out. $16
- Franklin-Christoph 6-penvelope - purchased from the LA Pen Show a few years back, used for maybe a week total, and has sat unused since. Made with one of their prototype denim materials, soft to the touch not like true denim. $47
- SOLD
Hobonichi Weeks Parachute Pouch - brand new, never used.$58 - SOLD
Grobet USA LED Loupe triplet 10x-21mm - used but has a lot of life left! Comes with case and key to replace battery.$17 - JoWo rose gold 18k #5 nib w/ Bacas EF CI grind - like new, only dip tested. $115
- JoWo #6 steel EF nib x3 - brand new, never used. $20 each
- TWSBI Vac 20A blue ink bottle - brand new, never used. $17
- SOLD
Pennonia Copper ink bottle - only dip tested for color, 98% remaining.$14
All prices include PP G&S and CONUS shipping! Thanks for looking!
I have the S7 FE, and while using it, my S Pen's nib has shown signs of wear and tear by using it constantly. Do Samsung sell any nibs that I can replace them with or do I have to look at other 3rd party options?
Many Thanks in Advance.
I've been curious about trying out an architect nib for a while but I'm not sure if I want to invest in putting it on a specific pen of mine yet, so...
I'm interested in seeing what architect nibbed pens you all have that you're willing to let go of. My only true requirement is that it has to have a fairly decent architect grind - I'd like to avoid getting something that isn't representative.
I'd prefer to have something that I'd keep if I like the nib, so demos are preferred and I'd like to avoid pinks and purples if possible, but otherwise I'm fairly OK with whatever. I'd even be open to a little more expensive of a pen if it was the right one.
Located in CONUS, payment with PayPal G&S as per sub rules.
While I have several fountain pens and have been into fountain pens for years, I have not yet acquired any gold nib pens. One reason is that I like a heavy pen. I have not seen a single pen that is heavy and has a gold nib. So I'm assuming that I'll have to do do this little combo myself. Looking for some guidance in this area. Any recommendations.
Hey there, I'm looking to trim my collection a tad.
1.) Pilot Custom 823 FA nib - what's to say, the /r/fountainpens favorite with probably the best nib - FA. Flexy nib in a superb pen, writes perfectly without any issues and a bit of feedback. Bought from Tokyo Pen Shop Quill a few years ago. Price: 310€ Paypal fees and shipping with priority and tracking included. EDIT: Price edited based on help below. Comes with full packaging like new.
2.) Pelikan M400 brown tortoise IB nib - a bit of a catch and release for me. Not even 2 months old, bought as new old stock. Great pen, beautiful and highly sought after brown tortoise finish, with a rare italic broad nib. Like a "screwdriver head", it writes broad vertical lines and hairline thin horizontals. It goes through ink like there's no tomorrow, but it's a great joy to use. Price: 360€ Paypal fees and shipping with priority and tracking included. Comes with full packaging like new.
3.) Galen leather molded pen case with insert tray for 3 pens. I think everyone knows how amazing their products are, and this one is no exception. Barely weeks old, hasn't even left my desk. It's like new. Price: 45€ Paypal fees and shipping with priority and tracking included.
4.) Lots of ink...prices are rough guidelines without shipping, as it depends also on how many you take and where to. Let's discuss.
-Akkerman Shocking Blue - I'm keeping the bottle, though :P 100% full. 5€
-Montblanc Mystery Black - 1 drop missing. 15€
-Montblanc Permanent Black - 90% full. 15€
-Montblanc Irish Green - 65% full. 12€
-Montblanc Midnight Blue - 99% full. 15€
-Montblanc Amethyst Purple - 99% full. 15€
-Montblanc Toffee Brown - 100% full, still sealed. 18€.
-Montblanc Toffee Brown - 95% full. 15€
-Iroshizuku Shin-Kai - 100% full, small bottle. 12€
-Iroshizuku Take-Sumi - 100% full, small bottle. 12€
-Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo - 40% full. 8€
-Iroshizuku Yama-Budo - 99% full. 18€
-J. Herbin Perle Noire - 99% full. 5€
-Aurora Black - 50% full. 5€
-Galen leather tools to live by - 30€. The ink is blue-black and it's preserved in entirety. You buy this one for the bottle really, which is beautiful and hand blown (glass).
Pictures are here with verification: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
There are so many unique, beautiful pens out there. But how many times have we seen a beautiful $400 pen brandishing a shiny Jowo #6 nib?
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Jowo nibs as much as the next. And perhaps there’s no use in reinventing the wheel (“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”). But if I’m spending hundreds of dollars on a beautiful unique pen, I want a beautiful unique nib to come with it!
I love beautiful pens as much as the next. But, at the end of the day, I only get so much satisfaction from looking at my pens (and don’t get me wrong, I could ogle over pens all day long). Ultimately pens are meant to write with, and they are even more beautiful in virtue of their ability to write. So, to me, there is value in a pen that write uniquely and beautifully.
I’m tired of Jowo nibs. Give us something new! We’ll spend money on it (c‘mon pen companies!)
You could make the top an extra fine or a broad and the bottom a fine/med.
Why do they just leave the top as is?
I sanded the top is My kokuno and now it's a good although dry extra extra fine :p
Hey all, been wondering if this FP exists:
Demonstrator with a gold nib but has a snap cap instead of a screw cap
-or-
Does anyone make a gold nib for the Prera? Would the stargazer/ Stella 90s nib fit I wonder
Thanks!
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