Great video. How I settled on my nib size is by looking at how I write “e”. If you can’t make a legible loop and it just looks like a closed blob, go finer.
For me, another point to consider is the characteristic of the ink I plan to use - I'd want a broader nib to show off sheen, or to prevent shimmer particles from getting stuck in a smaller nib! If it's just a standard ink, then using a smaller nib makes sense.
I started on a Lamy Medium as it felt like a "safe bet". A year later and my small collection is composed of posting, EF, F, and M nibs. I like to write small, and at work I write on very feather-prone paper.
There are also two factors in my mind. First, consider if you are going to use the FP for writing, or drawing, as a broad nib will allow the pen to lay down thicker lines for illustration. Second, you might want a broad nib if you plan to have a specialty grind that the pen maker does not supply, a broad nib gives more material for your nibmeister to refine.
I think it should be mentioned ink wetness/dryness may influence the choice of nib since a wet ink in a fine nib will be thicker than a dryer ink in the same nib.
My first fountain pen, I got Lamy and I thought the store that went to, allow testing so I didn’t get to try it out but she said medium is the usual nib size, so that’s what I got. I just realise when I tried it out in my journal, I realized my handwriting is big and it makes it more bigger with medium nib 😅.
What paper most resembles the previous Tomoe River paper? I hate the new Sanzen paper. With my 2023 Hobonichi cousin the experience with fountain pens was beautiful. Now with the Sanzen paper all of those pens drag so hard. Makes even the gold nibs seem so damn scratchy. I used to love my sailor medium fine pens and now I hate them. Seems that all my fountain pens suck on that new paper. I have tried kaweco sports plastic and aluminum, twisbi 580 and eco, sailor pro gear slim in mf and medium , lamy 2000, vanishing point. Seems that my sarasa gels pens feel better than fountain pens on the Sanzen paper.
As someone who writes in all those languages, yeah getting the tiniest nib possible is a must. It's even worse that even in Eng, my handwriting is 2mm. I was just destined for the ef hahaha So far, the smallest I've personally used is the curidas? There may be more finer nibs among the more expensive pens, but I'm too poor to ever find out 😂😂
I can definitely recommend Platinums UEF nib on the 3776, as I write painfully small myself even with standard writing my entire first and last name could fit inside a 25 cent piece
The three Lamy Safaris I bought at the beginning had all fine nibs, which turned out perfectly, as my writing is small. I also use 60 to 100 gsm writing pads from various affordable brands, as I write a lot daily, making the customarily recommended brands of writing pads too expensive for my needs. Since the first fountain pens, my collection has increased considerably, but I still stick with either Western fine nib or Japanese fine and medium nib.
This was so incredibly helpful. I wish I would have known some of this before purchasing some fountain pens recently. I didn't even know some questions to ask. Ty for this 💜
Another factor I've found when choosing a nib and I don't see get brought up is the size of the nib itself. I have found the smaller nibs like #5s write smaller than a #6s almost like comparing Japanese nibs with Western nibs.
I'm still trying to decide what nib size is my preference, I've been using fountain pens since the end of last year, I have EF, F, M, a Lamy LH nib and two fude nibs. I definitely want to try a broad.
Very nice review. My handwriting is naturally pretty small, bur I've trained my hand to larger writing when sending a letter to my parents or parents in law -- so, broad is good for their letters! Medium to broad for shimmer inks, as others have noted.
I know the way ink soaks into different papers affect line with, but I still think manufacturer should also add a millimeter size to their descriptions. We don’t all have the luxury to try the pens out in store.
Thanks for another informative video, Daisy! You're always so articulate and helpful with your videos! I have a question. I'm interested in venturing out into the more specialized nibs, like cursive italic. But my handwriting is smaller and I'm partial to extra fine nibs. Would you happen to know of a pen with an extra fine cursive italic? I realize it won't give me as much line variation, but I would love just a bit of extra character in my writing. :) Thank you!!
Unfortunately for us with tiny handwriting there's almost no options, that's why I grind my own ~0.5 stubs and needlepoints. The only commercially available, which in fact is not available anymore, calligraphy fine nib I've ever found is the Visconti Rembrandt Calligraphy set, it includes 0.7 (I believe) and 1.3 stubs, I never use the later, but the finer has been continuously inked for almost two years, it's just wonderful.
Franklin Christoph has an in-house specialty nib grind that might work for you. Check out their “SIG” (Stub Italic Gradient), which does come in EF. I write smallish and use mostly Japanese fine/Western XF pens, and the SIG is the only stub/italic type nib that I can use for regular writing.
@@manuelsalazar3938 Wow, how did you learn to grind your own stubs and needlepoints? That's so cool. Too bad the Visconti Rembrandt Calligraphy set isn't available anymore. The finer version sounds great!
@@FooDog11 Thanks for your reply! I checked out the Franklin Christoph website. Is it the 6HPSteel S.I.G. Extra-Fine option? Do I just get any of their pens and select this nib if it's available?
🙋♀️.Do you have any suggestions for shading and shimmering inks for a fine nib lover? This is such a thorn in my side! A fine suits my handwriting style best, but it doesn’t show off the beautiful properties of inks the way larger nibs do. Has anyone cracked the code on this? Any magical pen brand🔹nib size🔹ink brand combos that show off shading and shimmer? I would be so grateful for any tips! Thank you for the video! You guys are always so helpful!
Great video. How I settled on my nib size is by looking at how I write “e”. If you can’t make a legible loop and it just looks like a closed blob, go finer.
I got this advice a couple years ago. I also took it as good handwriting advice - if I’m writing with a B, I make the loops on my Es bigger.
For me, another point to consider is the characteristic of the ink I plan to use - I'd want a broader nib to show off sheen, or to prevent shimmer particles from getting stuck in a smaller nib! If it's just a standard ink, then using a smaller nib makes sense.
I started on a Lamy Medium as it felt like a "safe bet". A year later and my small collection is composed of posting, EF, F, and M nibs. I like to write small, and at work I write on very feather-prone paper.
There are also two factors in my mind. First, consider if you are going to use the FP for writing, or drawing, as a broad nib will allow the pen to lay down thicker lines for illustration. Second, you might want a broad nib if you plan to have a specialty grind that the pen maker does not supply, a broad nib gives more material for your nibmeister to refine.
I think it should be mentioned ink wetness/dryness may influence the choice of nib since a wet ink in a fine nib will be thicker than a dryer ink in the same nib.
My first fountain pen, I got Lamy and I thought the store that went to, allow testing so I didn’t get to try it out but she said medium is the usual nib size, so that’s what I got. I just realise when I tried it out in my journal, I realized my handwriting is big and it makes it more bigger with medium nib 😅.
Same for me. 🙂
What paper most resembles the previous Tomoe River paper? I hate the new Sanzen paper. With my 2023 Hobonichi cousin the experience with fountain pens was beautiful. Now with the Sanzen paper all of those pens drag so hard. Makes even the gold nibs seem so damn scratchy. I used to love my sailor medium fine pens and now I hate them. Seems that all my fountain pens suck on that new paper. I have tried kaweco sports plastic and aluminum, twisbi 580 and eco, sailor pro gear slim in mf and medium , lamy 2000, vanishing point. Seems that my sarasa gels pens feel better than fountain pens on the Sanzen paper.
As someone who writes in all those languages, yeah getting the tiniest nib possible is a must. It's even worse that even in Eng, my handwriting is 2mm. I was just destined for the ef hahaha
So far, the smallest I've personally used is the curidas? There may be more finer nibs among the more expensive pens, but I'm too poor to ever find out 😂😂
I can definitely recommend Platinums UEF nib on the 3776, as I write painfully small myself even with standard writing my entire first and last name could fit inside a 25 cent piece
The three Lamy Safaris I bought at the beginning had all fine nibs, which turned out perfectly, as my writing is small. I also use 60 to 100 gsm writing pads from various affordable brands, as I write a lot daily, making the customarily recommended brands of writing pads too expensive for my needs. Since the first fountain pens, my collection has increased considerably, but I still stick with either Western fine nib or Japanese fine and medium nib.
This was so incredibly helpful. I wish I would have known some of this before purchasing some fountain pens recently. I didn't even know some questions to ask. Ty for this 💜
Thank you very much for this terrific explanation!
So many tips, I love it ☺☺
Another factor I've found when choosing a nib and I don't see get brought up is the size of the nib itself. I have found the smaller nibs like #5s write smaller than a #6s almost like comparing Japanese nibs with Western nibs.
I'm still trying to decide what nib size is my preference, I've been using fountain pens since the end of last year, I have EF, F, M, a Lamy LH nib and two fude nibs. I definitely want to try a broad.
Thanks for your comment! I think most of us actually love a range of nib sizes in reality haha
Very nice review. My handwriting is naturally pretty small, bur I've trained my hand to larger writing when sending a letter to my parents or parents in law -- so, broad is good for their letters! Medium to broad for shimmer inks, as others have noted.
I know the way ink soaks into different papers affect line with, but I still think manufacturer should also add a millimeter size to their descriptions. We don’t all have the luxury to try the pens out in store.
Thank you a lot for the video! It was helpful and interesting. :)
One day when I visit America, I would definitely visit your shop!
Thanks for another informative video, Daisy! You're always so articulate and helpful with your videos! I have a question. I'm interested in venturing out into the more specialized nibs, like cursive italic. But my handwriting is smaller and I'm partial to extra fine nibs. Would you happen to know of a pen with an extra fine cursive italic? I realize it won't give me as much line variation, but I would love just a bit of extra character in my writing. :) Thank you!!
Unfortunately for us with tiny handwriting there's almost no options, that's why I grind my own ~0.5 stubs and needlepoints. The only commercially available, which in fact is not available anymore, calligraphy fine nib I've ever found is the Visconti Rembrandt Calligraphy set, it includes 0.7 (I believe) and 1.3 stubs, I never use the later, but the finer has been continuously inked for almost two years, it's just wonderful.
Franklin Christoph has an in-house specialty nib grind that might work for you. Check out their “SIG” (Stub Italic Gradient), which does come in EF. I write smallish and use mostly Japanese fine/Western XF pens, and the SIG is the only stub/italic type nib that I can use for regular writing.
@@manuelsalazar3938 Wow, how did you learn to grind your own stubs and needlepoints? That's so cool. Too bad the Visconti Rembrandt Calligraphy set isn't available anymore. The finer version sounds great!
@@FooDog11 Thanks for your reply! I checked out the Franklin Christoph website. Is it the 6HPSteel S.I.G. Extra-Fine option? Do I just get any of their pens and select this nib if it's available?
@@justmejus you may want to join “Mike Matteson” live, Fridays @5pm eastern. Audrey grinds SIGs for FC. Hope it helps.
Nice video 😃👏 what about stubs and flex nibs? 😃
Hi, just wondering on the line width between Japanese Broad and western Broad, which one writes broader?
Western broad usually is always a thicker line :)
🙋♀️.Do you have any suggestions for shading and shimmering inks for a fine nib lover? This is such a thorn in my side! A fine suits my handwriting style best, but it doesn’t show off the beautiful properties of inks the way larger nibs do. Has anyone cracked the code on this? Any magical pen brand🔹nib size🔹ink brand combos that show off shading and shimmer? I would be so grateful for any tips!
Thank you for the video! You guys are always so helpful!
My first nib size happen to be a "F" fine!
I’m 2XL in physique, penmanship and demands for ink characteristic demonstration. That means B, BB, Stubs, etc for me. 👍🖋️🔏