Choosing the right nib

This article is intended to give you an overview of the most common nib sizes currently available. The nib is the heart of every fountain pen and therefore decisive for how much pleasure you will have with your writing instrument. Please take your time and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We will be happy to help you.

Material: The vast majority of nibs today are either gold (usually 14K or 18K) or stainless steel. Both types of nibs have in common that they have a carefully welded iridium grain as a writing tip. This counteracts wear and tear. Gold is known to be a very soft metal. When writing, this advantage comes to the fore: the fountain pen is not only more valuable, but also writes softer and gives you more feedback from the paper. The thickness of the

material also determines the flexibility of the nib. Steel nibs are cheaper to buy.

Size: This characteristic is quickly answered. The larger a nib, the more flexible it is. So you can achieve more line variation. A good example is offered by the nibs of the Pelikan Souverän M1000 series. It is the manufacturer's largest nib and is made of 18K gold. This makes it one of the best nibs you can buy and it is extremely popular. Even the nib size EF (extra fine) still writes wonderfully soft.

If a nib is smaller, such as the one of the Pelikan Classic M200, it remains stiffer when writing.

Nib size: In general, there are the four known nib sizes:

EF (extra fine)

F (fine)

M (medium)

B (broad)

In addition, some manufacturers offer

further choices. For example, in countries where a lot of asian calligraphy is done, you will find EEF (extra extra fine) nibs. So, if you have a very fine and small handwriting, we recommend fine nib sizes. It should be noted that the finer a nib is, the less it will forgive mistakes. Wider sizes from M (medium) are more suitable for quick notes or signatures. If you are not convinced of the beauty of your handwriting, we

recommend wide nibs, as they do not reveal every detail.

A few decades ago, there was a much wider range of nib sizes, as writing by hand was still a necessity. Today, in the vast majority of cases, we write because we want to, not because we have to. For the widely known LAMY 2000 fountain pen, in addition to the standard nib we offer the following nib sizes:

BB (extra broad)

OM (medium, slanted to the left)

OB (broad, slanted to the left)

OBB (extra broad, slanted to the left)

These nibs are beveled on the left side when viewed from above. This makes it easier for people who have a slanted pen posture to capture their thoughts. In the past, there were also nib sizes such as BO. Depending on the position of the "O", you can see on which side the nib is beveled.

Furthermore, there are nib sizes like:

IB (italic broad)

S (stub)

These two nib sizes are very similar. The stub nib is the extension of the BB nib and therefore even wider. The Italic nib is not rounded at the edges, but sharp-edged and therefore almost exclusively suitable for calligraphy. They do not have a specific size and there is no standardization between manufacturers. So the widths of the stub and italic nibs vary.

Conclusion: Choosing the right nib for you can be difficult but it is also an exciting journey! Start with low priced pens and try some different nibs. If you're new to the fountain pen world, we recommend the classic nib sizes F (fine), M (medium) or B (broad).

Have fun writing!