I looked at the wiki and saw the Franklin-Christoph pens have an option of steel or gold. They seem nice. My question which is probably a very "noobie" question is: Do the 18k Gold nibs write any differently. I know metals react to things, bend, etc. differently than other metals but don't know if it matters in a nib. Thanks!
Looking for my second "medium" priced pen
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They have a different feeling to them, but every manufacturers nibs will differ from one another as well
gold isnt always better, but it would provide a new experience then what you may know with a steel nib, and in some cases for some manufacturers it is a better nib. Ive never used a FV gold so im not sure what they write like
gold isnt always better, but it would provide a new experience then what you may know with a steel nib, and in some cases for some manufacturers it is a better nib. Ive never used a FV gold so im not sure what they write like
Yes, gold nibs offer some spring and softness to the writing experience. Only you can decide whether the price difference is worth it to you, but anyone getting into fountain pens needs to try a gold nib atleast once, in my opinion. If you don't like it, you could easily trade or sell it.
Due to the increase in price of gold in recent years, many manufacturers are putting more effort into their steel nibs. It shows. Some are hard as nails, but many are a real pleasure to write with. I don't have a clear preference as I like and use both. My collection would include a lot more gold nibs if the price was a bit lower, though, FWIW.
Here's Brian Gray's article on steel nibs. I can vouch for his steel nibs being very nice.
http://edisonpen.com/page.cfm/In-Praise-of-Steel-Nibs
Due to the increase in price of gold in recent years, many manufacturers are putting more effort into their steel nibs. It shows. Some are hard as nails, but many are a real pleasure to write with. I don't have a clear preference as I like and use both. My collection would include a lot more gold nibs if the price was a bit lower, though, FWIW.
Here's Brian Gray's article on steel nibs. I can vouch for his steel nibs being very nice.
http://edisonpen.com/page.cfm/In-Praise-of-Steel-Nibs
You can't miss what you ain't had. Stick to the cheap.
Who makes his nibs and what other pens are they on?
edit: After some more research, looks like they're JoWo.
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I am also guessing there is different qualities of 18k gold nibs? My x450 curve claims to have 18k gold. But at $15 a pen, surely it can't be as nice as a $179?
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Ah one is gold plated and one is .750 gold. Sneaky how they do that, not that I expected an amazing $15 pen. lol
Agreed with above. It really varies by nib manufacturer... heck it even varies by individual pen sometimes.
That said... if I had an option between two pens that were the same make, model and price? I'd go gold.
That said... if I had an option between two pens that were the same make, model and price? I'd go gold.
Yes, gold plated is definitely not a gold nib.
I have mostly steel nib pens. They're all in varying levels of nice.
Probably the worst of them is the TWSBI and Noodler's pens. I pretty much give up on these pens and should probably get rid of all three.
They write fine for what they are, just that I have many others that are much better and never use the TWSBI's.
On the better end of steel I have Edison JoWo steel nibs. These are all butter smooth. To be honest, I can't tell much difference between these and gold, aside from springiness. The gold nibs have a bit of spring in their step while the steel nibs are more on the nail side.
Gold nib pens... I have three Pilots (VP, 823, 74), a JoWo gold nib for an Edison Glenmont, a Pelikan M800 and a Lamy 2000. All are fantastic writers and I don't hesitate to use any of them.
I'd say I've had better luck with the gold nibs, but their price is certainly higher and for that they should write better out of the box.
That said, in terms of line and smoothness, the JoWo nibs in my Edison pens (I have 5 steel nib, 1 gold) they all write the same.
Can't go wrong with gold nibs, but don't be fooled into thinking you have to have it. I purchased the pens due to the pen, not the nib. Almost all came with gold nibs by default. The only one I had an option for was the Edison and it was the Stealth Glenmont and I preferred the look of the gold nib to the steel in this case, being a limited edition I didn't skimp on this one for that reason as the nib wouldn't be available again.
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Yep, I ordered my Glenmont with a steel nib as well. Couldn't be happier, really. It also helps a lot that Brian tweaks them all before sending them out. I don't regret the buy at all, even if it's just a $25 nib. Mine's just the slightest bit scratchy in a certain position, but buttery smooth other than that. Brian says, "try my steel nibs, you'll be impressed". I am, Brian
My next Edison will likely have a gold nib, though.
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I know my pelikan Steel nibs are more springy then the gold ones, but then the vintage ones are probably about the opposite. and on Nakaya pens you can order Fines and Mediums in either stiff or springy lol, really there is no real way to say Steel nibs will give you this or gold nibs will give you that
The sailor I had to try out was rock solid
Its kind of like badger vs boar, you will have fans of both, but its brand specific and hair type specific, really look for a quality nib that meets what you are looking for in a nib, and worry a lot less about what its made of, within your budget of course
Have a list of features you would like in a pen, then have a look at what pens offer those within you budget.
The sailor I had to try out was rock solid
Its kind of like badger vs boar, you will have fans of both, but its brand specific and hair type specific, really look for a quality nib that meets what you are looking for in a nib, and worry a lot less about what its made of, within your budget of course
Have a list of features you would like in a pen, then have a look at what pens offer those within you budget.
Like James said, it's hard to say with the modern nibs which will provide more suppleness and line variation -- that's up to the designer and metal fabricator. In my experience, the modern gold nibs don't really offer much in the way of line variation from flex, and I've tried more than a couple. A blind test would be interesting and revealing.
Gold was introduced to make the nib live longer in its corrosive inky environment back in the day and somehow became de rigueur for modern luxury pens. I think that's really it.
And steel is flexible, it is what man uses to make springs.
Gold was introduced to make the nib live longer in its corrosive inky environment back in the day and somehow became de rigueur for modern luxury pens. I think that's really it.
And steel is flexible, it is what man uses to make springs.
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I decided to go with the Edison Beaumont Stealth. Thanks everyone!
Very nice selection indeed
