What Are the Smoothest Fountain Pen Nibs? - Q&A Slices
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- Which fountain pens have the smoothest writing experience! Big question, but Brian and Drew do their best to cover it, while discussing whether or not smooth is always best! From Episode 23 of the Goulet Pencast.
Full episode here: • How to Penable Like a ...
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 The question
0:57 Brian's answer
3:52 Drew's answer
6:24 Regional nibs
7:26 Variables
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I've found that across all brands the nibs may be inconsistent. I have a few Pelikans, some with steel, some with gold nibs. Almost every one came with a smooth, well-adjusted nib out of the box. However, my M700 Toledo, an expensive pen, would barely write; it was extremely dry. I sent it back to Pelikan, and they fixed the problem. But I feel that expensive pens should never leave the factory with nibs that need to be adjusted. My best experiences with properly adjusted, smooth-writing pens have been with Pilot. For that reason, I own quite a few of them.
I like the pilots also
Pilot pen always write no matter what...great stuff
Funny, and I'm not trolling, but I have never owned a single Pilot pen that worked properly, let alone well. I include the 823 at the high end, two 74s that were terrible, and two Metropolitans I bought for my stepdaughters that were impossible to adjust.
@@p1ranesi wrote: " .... I have never owned a single Pilot pen that worked properly, let alone well ....." ....... I'm sorry that has been your experience. I own many brands of pen; and I rarely have had problems with any of them. It's just that the Japanese Pilots, Platinums, & Sailors have all proven most reliable in my experience.
I know. Pilot's reputation is so stellar that I realise I've been unlucky, and most people do very well with them.
1. The ink that you use matters a lot. Pilot and Sailor are known as "pen smoothers", but there are many other examples.
2. There is no need to sacrifice smoothness in order to be able to put ink to paper.
3. The more you'll use the pen the smoother it will be - but this is a very long process.
Agreed. I couldn't believe it when I heard him defending rough nibs as necessary to put ink down. Saying that demonstrates an obvious lack of understanding of the principles of fountain pens and makes me question everything else I have heard them say in this video and others. If needing to "scratch" the paper was a requirement, then rollerballs wouldn't work at all. The ink simply flows down the channel in the nib via capillary action and is deposited on the paper.
Also, if you're brave, you can rapidly smooth a nib for a few dollars worth of micromesh and mylar lapping film. No need to write with it for years waiting for it to smooth out.
Lastly, I haven't tried them, but I know Noodler's makes their "Eel" series of lubricated inks that are compatible with rollerball pens, but also work fine and are used in fountain pens. I wonder if those write especially smooth thanks to whatever lubricant is included to make them work in rollerballs, or if it doesn't impact fountain pens. Just an idea for someone chasing the smoothest possible writing experience, which I came to realize was foolish. A little feedback helps my handwriting, I dare say there is such a thing as too smooth.
I found that odd indeed. A rough nib won't help with coated glossy magazine paper! You could use a brush to put down ink on any acceptable paper.
To a great extent, smoothness of nibs depends upon ink and paper as much as upon the nibs themselves.
This is especially so with fine/extra fine nibs. A paper that is not hard and smooth will "snag" the fine nibs in the texture of the paper.
An EF nib on cheap paper will be a terrible writing experience, with the nib snagging on the paper and actually getting stuck in the fibers.
Put the SAME nib on hard smooth paper, and it could be a pleasant writing experience.
My Pilot Vanishing Point EF's smoothness depends a lot on how I feel at the moment of writing. If I'm stressed I tend to write faster and with more pressure and it feels scratchy, but if I'm relaxed, I use almost no pressure at all and it feels smooth. So I have a pen that tells me how I'm feeling and if I should take a break.
Same with my VP EF lol. Sometimes I feel like the nib is misaligned and then i realize i am being forceful.
What a fantastic response to a tough and fairly controversial question!! You hit all the right notes.
1. Smoothness ain’t just a factor of the nib, it’s also about how you hold the pen
2. Smoothness ain’t the golden measure of writing experience. For instance, I enjoy a hint of feedback which is why I don’t enjoy Lamy nibs as much as Sailor.
3. Need for smoothness also depends on your handwriting style and the specific writing you need. I prefer finer nibs for regular writing but broads and above are go tos when I have to label or write flyers!
Couldn’t agree more.
Agree. Another advantage of fine nibs is that somethin writing on crappy paper, the ink will 'blot' and makes the lines broader. So I adjust to write bigger. But a medium nib will put out a board line. And that will be impractical for normal writing. Not every paper is a Rhodia...
@@1968gadgetyo Of course, very much paper dependent. On crappy paper must go Japanese fine.
Thanks for saying that! We debated on even trying to answer this one - I'm glad to hear it didn't come across as a cop-out answer. We eventually decided that it was important to speak to how dependent it all is. Thanks for watching! - Drew
I’m not much of a cursive writer, so I tend to look at nibs that still feel buttery but with that 2B pencil kind of feedback. I find that a fine pilot custom 823 and any Sailor pen with a King of Pen nib tends to fit my tastes. They’re also smooth enough that if you want to do cursive, it’s still a pleasurable experience. But in general, I feel like with my writing style, a super smooth nib tends to do more harm than good.
I had to buy an 823 to learn that this is true for me as well!
I never even thought about why nibs from Japanese brands may be more precise and less “smooth” than European nibs! Very interesting point, and it makes a lot of sense when I think about the Sailor Compass versus a Lamy Al-Star or a TWSBI Eco to name a few. I really like the Compass for print writing, but I dislike writing in cursive with it, although I enjoy the precision of it in a very different way than I enjoy other similarly priced nibs from other brands.
Thanks for the answer! Quite popular question. I think the author of the question mean the examples of particular models with the same nib size (in mm more or less similar, not precisely M/B because american, european and japanese are quite different). As I recall, Brian mentioned previously that Pilot MR has one of the smoothest nibs in low price range. It would be interesting to hear somekind of ranking in every price-range. Thanks!
The smoothest I have experienced is my sons Pilot 823. As my son says, 'Its like writing on oiled glass'. That assessment is right on the mark.
Very interesting opinions. I like the way you get into the questions. I love you both, guys. Greetings from Spain 🇪🇸.
In general, of the brands I've tried, I've found Pilot's gold nibs to be the smoothest out of the box. Even their fine nibs are very smooth compared to other brands'. I have a medium Custom 74 that writes like butter.
The Diplomat Pen company is famous for their well tuned and smooth steel nibs. Both of mine with (fine) steel #6 nibs wrote perfectly out of the box.
Diplomat nibs are soooo nice! - Drew
Thank you so much for your insight and opinions. Very informative, especially since I’m a beginner and learning more about the differences. I’m a customer and absolutely appreciate your awesome videos. Thank you
I am shocked that you didn't mention Faber Castell. They have, in my opinion one of the best steel nibs. I still remember the first time I inked up the E-Motion. I literally said, "WOW!" You never forget the first and only time.
Gold nibs trumps steel nibs.
@@1968gadgetyo That may be, but the E-Motion was one of my earlier pens before I purchased a gold nib, so the "Wow" factor was already stolen. When it comes to gold nibs there are many, but OMAS and Pelikan are top of my head. I should really try a GVFC.
Why?@@1968gadgetyo
@@GrahamJRowe
Because the person is a snob. The steel nib on my Faber Castell Loom might be the smoothest of any pen I own. The Pilot Metropolitan steel nib is very smooth, as is the fine nib on my Pineider Avatar. The steel nibs on Bexleys and Edisons are also pretty darned smooth. On the other hand, I find the 14k fine nib on my Pelikan M600 to be closer in feel to the descriptions I've read of Sailors: it feels more like writing with a pencil than does the actual Sailor I own.
I have a Faber Castell ambition at it has a lot of feedback. My Pelikan M200 is a completely different world in smoothness. My Kaweco Liliput is much smoother, too. My Lamy logo is smoother, too. (all F nibs)
Pilot Prera in F.
Never had a problem and they still put down a really fine line.
An extremely interesting topic well-dealt with by both of you. Very smooth nibs I’ve personally experienced: Lamy 2000, Visconti Palladium, Pelican Souveran M 600 and upwards. But I’m with Drew. I don’t like really buttery nibs. My ideal feel of a nib is a Platinum#3776 Soft Fine or Medium, a Sailor PG full size M and yes, the steel nib of my Pilot Myurex μ90.
Thank you for answering my question! I appreciate it!
Thanks for the question! I hope I didn't butcher your name! - Drew
@@Gouletpens No need to thank! Haha you didn't, no worries even if you did!
I agree with Drew on the Lamy 2000. I've got a medium nib and it writes really smoothly and has very reliable ink flow even with some of the more difficult inks. I have found, however, that some of the smoothest writers are pens with Schmidt steel nibs. I have a few Benu pens and a Muji pen, all of which have these Schmidt nibs. The Muji in particular writes extremely smoothly, which is something because it's a fine nib. I've also had good luck with many of Pilot's nibs. I have a Pilot Metropolitan with a medium nib that's pretty buttery smooth, and even their disposable Varsity pens are pretty smooth writers. On the bizarre end of the spectrum, the Noodlers Tripletail is a pretty smooth writer if you're looking for some flex. But the Schmidt nibs and the Pilot nibs stand out in my experience.
I can agree with the Lamys being generally smooth. The smoothest I've used are the Safari and the 2000; even though they are both with fine nibs, I can definitely feel the nibs "hydroplaning" and refusing to touch the paper like an air hockey puck.
the smoothest nib i've ever written with was in the pilot custom urushi. it's a huge nib and has some flex/bounce and it feels like writing on air. it's such a wonderful experience unlike anything else i've ever written with
Can I ask what nib size you use on that one?
What if we narrowed the question...what's the smoothest EF nibs you've written with? (I ask this question with the understanding that pens within the same brand, and models of the same brand, have different personalities)...
This is also what I need to know! I like EF nibs due to my writing style. I want the smoothest writing experience possible with an EF!
I agree! I'd like to know about EF's and Fs. In my experience, I've been very happy with Pilot/Namiki nibs (less so Sailor when I go to EF but F is wonderful on my 1911 Large) -- those are all gold nibs. As for steel nibs, even in EF/F I've been QUITE impressed with Diplomat and Faber Castell
Well, my XF Pelikan m600 is very smooth but it lays down a thicker line than my platinum Fine...
To extend complexity, it's also important what ink is used and if feed is tend to be on the dry or wet side. Generally speaking the wetter the nib, and the more lubrication comes from the ink the smoother the feeling, so if ink isn't lubricating enough and the feed is on the dry side, you most likely will have pretty solid feedback despite how well the nib is. Plus the paper really matters a lot.
The Twsbi Eco's extra fine nib is amazingly smooth for the price point. This is also my favorite pen. I have several expensive Pilots and their nibs are quite scratchy in comparison.
TWSBI SQUAD. I completely agree. Started off on an Eco, and my experience with plenty other pens just don't give me the same enjoyment, especially at freaking $30. I love TWSBI ✍🥺❤
Love my Twsbi as well!
@@erikalise2256 AND it holds so much more ink than most other pens. It's well designed demonstrator pen.
Twsbi broad was my smoothest nib until l2k broad:)
My first fountain pen was a Twsbi broad. It doesn't come close to my Pilot Custom 724 for smoothness.
I am gradually becoming less interested in pens and inks and paper and more and more fascinated by these amazing shirts! Just to be clear, not the plaid, Brian, although I am a huge plaid fan (my favorite color and it would be great if they made a plaid ink) but the bold styling of Drew! Every one of your cool shirts would upset my wife no end if I wore them. I know because I have a closet full of shirts she hates. You are my fashion hero.
By far the smoothest I've ever tried is Yardoled broad. It's amazingly smooth without being overpolished, so a good balance too, u can use sightly drier inks if you like a bit of feedback. Honestly, for me, nothing even comes close to my yol with a slightly wet ink. But, the steel nib Faber castells are REALLY GOOD, definitely second (the gold ones aren't too much better, and have a bit of a 'singing nib' thing going on, which I don't like)
Lubricity is the word you’re looking for. Also, Pelikan M1000 BB is the smoothest nib on the planet, bar none. Second place to the MB 149 BB. Third has to be the Lamy 2000 BB.
Totally agree that smoothness is not the pinnacle of a good nib - Aurora Ipsilon has the most satisfying nib I ever owned, it's super reliable, provides great feedback and even a bit of flex, but it's also plenty smooth. Absolutely stunning writing experience
@4:36
The one thing they could discuss is consistency across brands. For example I have a few Kaweco products that use about the same nib size. The smoothness varies greatly between nibs, and many of them are the same size.
Quality = Consistency.
Nothing beats the pilot nibs for me especially the mediums and broad. And the lamy gold nibs are in a different league as compared to their steel nibs. My lamy scala with a gold medium nib is one of the smoothest nibs I've used.. so does my Pilot 823 medium. A great paper helps the smoothness too.. i don't know where i am going with this now.. LOL
I agree on the balance of the nib smoothness. Lamy 2000 M and a Pelikan M is a good balance and at the same time buttery smooth. I have a Caran d'ache leman slim fountain pen, which has a 18 k M nib, the smoothest nib I ever use, which I feel is too smooth sometimes, difficult to control the nib on paper and depends on the paper I use, it could skip sometimes due to the overpolished nib.
Oh wow nice! I've been thinking to get caran d'ache leman slim because I love the color and I love slim fountain pens which are hard to find nowadays. Where did you buy yours?
Left handed writing changes the writing dynamic by pushing a nib across the paper, rather than drawing it along. Nib angles may not be optimal in that regard.
I must be using bad paper because even with a broad nib (twsbi) it seems to grab quite a bit. But I have a Goulet stub nib I really like. This is why I like going to pen shows (when you are allowed to touch stuff) because there are usually pens to check out and use
No matter how scratchy your nib is, you can always sent it to a nibmeister to smooth it out and get it to write how you want. I had a vintage montblanc 146 that I bought off ebay, had terrible baby-bottom and was pretty scratchy. sent it to marc bacas, and after 4 weeks and 25$+shipping (if i remember correctly) I got my pen back and it was smooth as glass! Now I have really dove off the deep end into custom grinds... Would definitely recommend trying one of the nibmeisters, It's very affordable and adds a whole new dimension to your pen-experience.
I really like the Visconti HS palladium nibs, really smooth
Great point on eastern vs Asian writing flow! 👍
Kaweco's rhodium plated 14k nib is scary smooth. I'm a flex nib writer. Using the rhodium nib was like ice skating for the first time. I don't know why, but I tend to write smaller with smoother nibs.
I love a very smooth (buttery) nib. I find that Diplomat, Pelikan, TWSBI, Lamy gold, and Pilot Broad and medium nibs are the smoothest.IIn that order smoothest to less smooth). Yest there are lots of variables. But Sailor and Aurora nibs have some toothiness. Edison even has a bit of toothiness, but just a bit. If you want a super smooth nib, try a Diplomat steel or gold Broad nib. It's the smoothest Iwith which I have written. Pelikan steel and gold are a very, very close second in Broad and Medium.
The Sailor pens I have in medium nibs give feedback and that’s just Sailor and I accept it. Nothing wrong in my mind there. On the other hand my 800 series Pelikan pens in fine nibs are totally smooth but are wet and produce broader lines. The smoothest pen I have is an inexpensive Pilot E95S which writes as well as the Pelikans without feedback of thee Sailors. My recommendation is don’t buy from a retailer that is not willing to tune the nib prior to shipping. Saves a lot of headaches! 👍
What is the nib size in pilot e95s you are referring to?
I find that most nibs will become super smooth… with a bit of work. I pretty much tune every nib I buy myself until it feels the way I want it to. I have had a few that I’ve not been able to get feeling right. (A couple of Schmidt fines). But some of the smoothest nibs I have are Lamys (esp a 14k one) and cheap Chinese Jinhao mediums that are just beautiful.
Yeah some Jinhao cheap pens indeed do have buttery nibs. I had one professionally tested before buying, and it was a dream to write with the medium nib.
Although I have to say that when you write Chinese/Japanese characters (I can't speak to other Asian languages) a lot and are beyond student-level, you're writing quite fluidly with longer strokes as well, as writing every day probably pushes you to write in the cursive version of any language.
Good discussion. RS. Canada
I have a Lamy 2000 with extra fine nib size which was previously purchased from your company. My handwriting is small in size and I write slowly. So I decided to buy Lamy 2000 with extra fine nib size. But this nib size is less smooth. Should I go for Lamy 2000 with Fine nib size? Please suggest.
i had a rotring calligraphy ef that i used while at art college & somehow just continued using as my go-to pen for almost 12 yrs after graduation. that nib was incredibly smooth by the time i decided to get a « proper » fountain pen instead. my initial hunt was such a constant disappointment because every single pen i tried was scratchy compared to the rotring, & it took an advisor at a penshop to explain that my rotring was seasoned with years of consistent use for me to realise that any pen i get will have to undergo a similar consistent use to respond to my specific pressure, angle and style & smoothen in time. interestingly, perhaps as it was a calligraphy pen to start with, having an extra fine nib did not stop the rotring from allowing smooth fluid strokes from first use.
I have a Rotring Art Pen with a medium Italic nib which I bought in 1991. I have used it for decades, and it is one of the smoothest nibs I own.
@@patriciaforbes129 art pen !! that IS the name indeed ! believe mine was also purchased in 1991 ! amazing to find a pen twin …! 😍
@@angelinegiselle Ha ha! There may be others out there too! I have bought other, more expensive pens since, but 31 years (yikes!) of constant writing makes this super smooth, there really is nothing like it.
My Edison Ascent w a medium nib, one smooth puppy, especially for a steel nib. Lamy 2000 M is pretty smooth, now I want a BB.. I want to try a Pelican M 605, or 805.. I have a Franklin Christoph M nib which is smooooooth.. really a subjective topic. My Pilot E95S M is super smooth. Fun vid.
how smooth will be a pilot falcon Medium? Is it something comparable to the ones I bought from you Pilot 823?
What does grip have to do with putting ink down? If medium and broad are smoother, and medium and broad also put down more ink by virtue of the nib size, where does grip come into play? Now I am vey confused 🤔
I want my fountain pens to write themselves. In other words, I want the nib to be so smooth that I don't even feel the nib on the paper. There are very few nibs that can deliver this kind of smoothness, especially right out of the box. My Lamy 2000 in medium nib is one of them, as are my Montblancs (mostly 146s and B or BB nibs). Recently, I purchased several Pineider pens with the 14k quill nib (M, B). All of them are exceptional. Also, I purchased several 14k gold nibs (OB and B) for my Lamy Studios and Lamy Scalas - all of them are nicely smooth. Conversely, I have not been able to find one Pilot nib that is smooth - all have too much tooth for me. The same with Platinum. But I haven't tried Sailor yet. So, next year, a Sailor 1911 or Pro Gear is on my list.
It seems that you like nibs that write on paper with no feedback and just glides without feeling the nib on paper.
I would not recommend Sailor H-MF and H-F nibs , Visconti (F) for you. These pen will give you the writing experience on paper of a dull #2 HB pencil feedback as I call it. The pens are smooth writing but the pen personality lets you know the you are writing on paper where you feel the nib is in contact With paper as you write.
It's just a matter of preference as how you define SMOOTH. The *don't feel the nib to paper smooth* or *tactile feedback nib to paper (HB pencil) smooth.
P.S.
Since Platinum and Pilot are toothy for you, don't buy the Sailor pro gear of any nib (gold nib ) and Taccia pens that uses Sailor made steel nibs. Both brands have toothy feel as you write on paper across their nib sizes..
If you want to try a Sailor out and still be able to return the pen to the retailer, I would recommend Pen Chalet, Goleta Pen, Goldspot and other online fountain pen stores. As for Endless Pens , even though their prices are cheaper than the other authorized pen stores; they most likely are selling gray market new pens by not being an authorized dealer. ( PenBoyRoy has a podcast exploring the topic with Tom from Goldspot)
Been curious to what brand the one in the thumbnail picture is. Looking around what brand has 14k in a circle.
I look around have seen pictures but no brand there is too much too look at and I gave up. However am still curious.
Thank you for addressing this topic - one of my favorites. You make many good points. However, one of the biggest surprises of my FP experiences is that I've found incredibly smooth steel nibs, ones that often beat out the gold ones I've bought. Without a doubt, Platinum's steel nibs are consistently, exceptionally smooth, especially when compared to their gold 3776. Diplomats and Faber-Castells also are quite smooth. And I have to tip my hat to TWSBI #6 for its smooth with some feedback appeal. I have a Pelikan Souveran M800, and I've even had to have it smoothed by Kirk Spear, but I can't get quite as good a writing experience as with a number of my steel nibs. You're right that the Lamy 2000 is a standard-setter... that is, if you can find the sweet spot. Forget Lamy's steel nibs, though. Pilot pens like the VP are ok, but I wouldn't rave about their smoothness. As for the rough Sailor, I have to take issue with having a nibmeister smooth it to make it fit into the smooth category. I have a 14K M nib that I had Marcus Bacus smooth and reshape into a stub 1.1, and I still found the feedback to great. In fact, Bacus told me specifically that I'd never be able to push a Sailor into the smooth category. It's just not what Sailor has designed its pens to do. Perhaps it's the gold vs. alloy balance. But enough. I could go on about nibs and smoothness all day.
@6:12
Cushion. More ink on the paper creates a cushion between the nib and the paper.
After reading the comments, and my own experience, I guess nibs are hand tuned. So there is a bit of different 'feel' on the nibs, even it's on the same model. An example is the Visconti Dream Touch palladium nibs. It's either you stuck gold (perfect nib), or it's back to the shop or a nibmister for tuning.
Makes me think of a guitar: in the hand of one, isn’t the same as another.
Where did you get that shirt from, looks awesome. Great content btw
Lamy Persona 14K is the Smoothest pen I own, definitely much smoother than any Pelikan, and I have 6 of those.
In my opinion
P1 is the Visconti Homosapiens palladium nib
P2 Parker sonnet 18 k gold nib
P3 Sheaffer lady 14 kt gold nib
P4 Sailor KOP
Note- any nib is going to get smoother and looser as you write with it more. And I say that with proof
I have had a Sailor Pro Gear for about 5 years and when I had bought it , it had a lot of feedback but when I kept on writing with it it has become the smoothest nib I've ever written with. The only reason I did not include that in the list is because i was listing these nibs as stock
Question, if nibs vary so within a brand etc what makes a pen really, really expensive? What are you getting for your money??
Pretty much just the name sometimes. And quality workmanship, but even then, you can get that with cheaper pens.
Smoothest winner: Pilot Prera M (mine anyway)
Very Smooth: Visconti Homo sapien, Leonardo 14k, pilot metropolitan, Asvine P20, Asvine v169, Hongdian n8, Pilot Custom 845, Pineider steel nibs F models, Lamy 2000. Pelikan m205
Minor feedback but precise: Twsbi eco/580, Leonardo steel F models, Lamy Al-star/ Safar, Pelikan M4xx/6xx
Solid gold Medium nib MontBlanc 149, and Lamy Safari EF.
I own a Sailor Pro Gear with a 21K Gold Medium nib. Candidly, I enjoy using the Sailor because it is a stylish looking, elegant fountain pen. I don't think it is smooth at all, it is reminiscent of using a hard drafting pencil. My TWSBI Diamond 580AL with a Broad nib is very smooth, incredibly smooth. The TWSBI Broad nib glides with aplomb across Rhodia paper whereas the Sailor Pro Gear presents more scratchy feedback. The TWSBI fountain pen costs less than $100 and the Sailor costs $310. The Sailor Pro Gear did not include a converter and the TWSBI well...it is a piston filler pen. The workhorse is definitely the TWSBI Diamond 580AL, easier to use and service, great performance, and it allows your super cool inks to shine with a broad nib.
I have silky smooth Montblanc 146,149 and Namiki Emperor in my collection. However I find myself reaching for that Sailor King of Pen 21k nib more than anything else, I love that feedback and the precision of the nib, I feel connected to what I am writing.
In reality . Each individual nib of the same make and size can vary . For instance a mm edium gold nib of one brand can be much much smoother than the same medium nib of the same pen make . The more expensive pens in general have smoother nibs . That is why trying a four in rain pen in a retail shop is really your best option in my opinion.Having said that one of my favourite nibs is on a Pilot France medium . It is so smooth . matched by only by a medium on my Souveran m600. by Pelikan.Brian Goulet I consider despite his young age is an expert . He is humble enough to deny this but it is true.
I'd like you to discuss what constitutes the best writing experience...I think smoothness is definitely an important component but not the whole story...its that undefinable factor that makes you pick that one pen out of the others when you have to write....probably a personal thing.
That was a cop out answer by Brian. I took the question to mean; "with all else being equal, what is the smoothest nib for a
fixed width?
A great great Q !!!!
Paper is a big factor, as well as ink viscosity. Composite & alloy nibs is certainly an area of R&D in the industry, as well as geometry of the nib. Also Roughness Factor (engineering term) is needed to measure smoothness of surfaces.
I have a few Waterman’s and they’re all smooth.
my own opinion/experience: Lamy 2000 Medium: not as smooth as I hoped, Pilot Custom 823 is very smooth but the shop in Japan did some nib tuning on it. It also comes down to paper, I'd rather write with a cheap Parker Vector or Pilot Metropolitan on very cheap paper. My Lamy 2000 on cheap paper sounds so scratchy I get goosebumps.
Restating the question in a way that might yield some insight: "out of the box" which brands tend to deliver a writing experience that YOU might enjoy. some folks like wet writers that glide across the page, some like a little "toothiness" in the ink laydown... I have found that Japanese nibs tend to deliver on good ink delivery with a little feedback and that Omas, Leonardo, and Aurora nibs also tend to deliver wonderful nib performance with almost no feedback.... my suggestion, buy whatever model strikes your fancy and have a nibmeister customize it to your tastes...
The M800 Pelikan Extra Fine nib and the Custom 743 with a Soft Fine nib are in the "writes like butter" category.
Surprisingly, the Luoshi Labyrinth with it's Medium steel nib is extremely smooth.
Being a vintage lover, my thoughts might be irrelevant. Parker (UK) Duofolds from the 1940s and '50s have firm nibs, but all are impeccably smooth writers, as are most Sheaffers; Conway Stewart invariably came with smooth, slightly softer nibs. As for more current nibs, I really liked the Goulet 1.1 stub, but found the Noodlers art set excruciatingly scratchy.
You just turned on a lightbulb...thank you.
I would use the word hydroplaning of the nib on the broader nibs.
My Lamys have proven to be inconsistent of late :( As a big Lamy fan, I got both the special edition terra and savannah Safaris last year. I then separately bought a broad nib to swap out since, at time of purchase, only M was available. It wasn't as smooth as I'd expected. Okay, if I'm being fair, I am comparing it slightly with a pen I bought and used almost exclusively and daily when I was in university. That pen has over a decade of wear on it and is AMAZING, whereas now I have many more pens in rotation so the use will be more limited. But I'm finding Lamy's QC to be not what it once was.
👑PARKER 51👑, 45......whenever, wherever, forever
Danger, Will Robinson! Most people here and in the pen community in general are great. This one though, is as dangerous as saying Windows is better than Linux in certain places on the Internet. I wouldn't have blamed either one of you for not answering this one...And, if anyone is bored, all of the Lost in Space episodes are free here on TH-cam. I just looked that up. Good for a laugh.
Yeah, this is a tricky one! It's soooo dependent on sooo many variables. That's really the message here - it all depends! - Drew
Pilot Custom Urushi & Pelikan M1000 are the smoothest nibs I’ve experienced
Lamy 2000 on Rhodia paper. Cannot be beat. But, not all Lamy 2000's are created equal. I've got an extra fine that only needed two refills to get to be buttery smooth. I read about many cases of people having troubles with broader Lamy nibs. It's hit or miss even with the most reputable companies.
What's with Drew's asymmetrical headphones adjustment?
My, my…this depends on *so* much: years ago, when I was a strictly-Lamy guy, I had both a 2000 (M) and a Persona (also M). The Persona (neé Imporium) was so smooth that I actually found it frustrating to write with, as the near-total lack of feedback made it tough to maintain a proper line on a page. The 2000, by contrast, offered much more control, although it could be a tad scratchy, depending on the ink. Since I jumped to Pilot some ten years back, I've had quite the education: using the 823 in both F and M nib sizes helped me delineate between proper feedback/tooth and the kind of scratchiness that defines badly-tweaked tines, especially when writing for an hour or two straight. Took a while to find my happy place in this regard, but I've pretty much hit the mark now
There should be more videos made where more reasons are given to people to stay interested in pens. I mean not the luxury element or pens, I mean the utility’s and at least some reasons why people may concern themselves with what nib feels like and ink looks like.
Why should people basically stay interested in pens?
Faber Castel Loom
EF
Butter smooth
I haven't tried loom specifically but the steel nib Faber castells I've tried are REALLY GOOD, definitely second best (behind yol for me) -the gold ones aren't too much better, and have a bit of a 'singing nib' thing going on, which I don't like though
Yeah but you have to hunt down for the *old batch* of the Looms, not the ones that come with gumnetal. The older batches are simply the very definition of buttery smooth and my baseline for what I consider a pleasant experience with a pen, smoothness-wise. If the pen was better in handling and lighter (yeah, I am in the non-heavy camp), had some demonstrator features etc, I would probably start a collection of them. All in all, the Loom is an excellent pen and should be considered as a *very good* introductory pen for most people - this is my experience on a piano version, Medium nib.
Faber Castell makes the best steel nibs out there. I have an E-Motion (B) and a Schulfuller (M).
Short answer: ST DUPONT line D in Broad or Medium sizes.
Can you pls talk about fude nibs also. Sailor makes them.
We've never had the opportunity to carry a fude nib from sailor, so at this point we don't have enough context to offer any confident points. Perhaps one day! - Drew
Try TWISBI eco & faber castell loom
Have they ever listed smoothest fine-extra fine nibs? That’s where things get interesting imo
Pizza slices of QnA
I have gold nibs from Pilot, Sailor and Platinum, and while one can argue that Pilot M are the smoothest of the bunch, they are my least favourite.
I prefer Sailor Fine and MF, and Platinum F and M.
Pilot M are smooth but to me they feel like they are just gliding uncontrollably around the page, and I don't "feel" what I am writing, they give poor sensations. Pilot F are toothy on the verge of scratchiness in the best of cases.
Sailor FM is my favourite, it gives the nicest feedback, like writing with a pencil.
Of course everything is totally personal, and someone else will feel differently.
Lubrication seems the right word.
Very interesting to hear that an overly smooth nib has a downside with respect to getting the ink onto paper.
Feedback is underrated.
Isn't it true that you can tune most nibs to be really smooth?
Can *y'all*
As cheap as they are, the Jinhao 992 is unbelievably smooth.
Faber Castell steel nibs are the most smooth for your buck that you can get in my opinion.
My very smoothest are:
Caran d'Ache Ivanhoe with M 18K Rhodium coated gold nib.
Additive Pens Double Helix optioned with 18K-750 M nib. This is an eyedropper.
Mabie Todd Blackbird Fountpen eyedropper with a little MT 14 carat flexible nib, a delight to use. This one is over 100 years old.
I have formed the impression that having a really wet inkflow is half the solution, so simple, vintage feeds and eyedroppers may be an advantage.
Nothing about Montblanc?
They do not sell it) So discriminate a bit
It's more of a lack of context - since we don't sell it, our firsthand experience is very limited and we don't feel like we could offer an educated opinion on the brand's performance. - Drew
i have my father old 1200$ monthblanc and my own first jinhao 149 copy have lot lot better and smooth write than genuine expensive monthblanc. i think why waste ower 1000$ pen if same can do 5-10$ pen, same experience same good smooth write but price lot cheapen. idiot waste money if cheap can do all same.
I have a Narvhal pen that has so smooth nib that I even don't like it 🤣
Just to add to Omer's comment, my Sailor with a 14k nib wrote horribly scratchy on all papers using Noodler inks, but is quite smooth with Lamy ink. If the ink matters that much, regardless of paper, then there is definitely an issue with lubrication. That said, I have Waterman pens that are silky smooth with Noodler ink.
Wait, George Clooney is in pen business now?
Drew I love you but sometimes let's not record in 4k. Some yellowing of teeth is considered healthy but you look like you're from the 16th century. Again I say this out of love. It's all I could focus on once I noticed. Keep up the great pencasts!! ❤️❤️❤️
Have you tried the Lamy LX, it's very smooth; if you ask me. Much different from the Lamy AL-star. None of them is gold.
mediums and broads guys. no fine is smooth.
Smoothest, gel pens. LoL