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View Full Version : New nib poll question doesn't have my answer!



axolotl66
April 24th, 2012, 07:00 AM
Hi all
In answer to the latest poll question: "What do you do when your brand-new pen has a nib that doesn't write well?" I said "I scowl in frustration and go back to a favorite pen." This isn't strictly true. What I actually do is keep perservering with the new pen trying to convince myself that it is actually alright, and that the scratchiness, poor flow, skipping or hard starting are just figments of my imagination and simply usual behaviour for that pen/nib/ink combination. When I finally give this up, then go back to my favourite pen, which now has flow issues due to being left inked for a while without use and which now feels somehow disappointing. This disappointment in turn leads me to buy another pen to cheer myself up and so the cycle starts anew...

I don't usually have work done on my nibs, but I have recently started to after the realisation that if I can have a nib made to write the way I want it to, then I should! So I get "new" pens that I know I like with nibs that do the job for me! How did I not see that before!!!
Graham

KrazyIvan
April 24th, 2012, 08:57 AM
I think the problem is that even on high end pens, you are going to have to do some adjusting of the nib. The manufacturer cannot anticipate everyones likes or dislikes in a nib so it is reasonable to expect some form of adjustment or customization will be needed. That in essence is the beauty of the fountain pen that a gel, rollerball, or ballpoint will never be able to duplicate.

The one thing I find inexcusable in high end pens is a pen that skips out of the box. It has amazed me to see someone post about their Visconti whatchamahusit (that was the first brand that popped in my head, not a shot at Visconti but yes, I have seen threads on the Homosapiens) that skips. Maybe it is just quality control? I thought that is why you want to get a high end pen, craftsmanship, quality and the like. Personally, I have not spent more than $175 on a single pen and I don't even have it yet. That is a lot of money for me. I am expecting it to write out of the box. If I have to do some adjustments to meld it to my style of writing, that is fine. It just better write. :p All I am saying is that if Lamy can write test their Safari and it sells for $30 USD or therabouts, why can't pens that go for more than $200 be write tested? I know there is a scale volume relationship there but I'm just saying.

axolotl66
April 24th, 2012, 02:11 PM
Oh I agree completely! I have three Safaris and they all wrote well out of the packaging (they don't even HAVE a box!) so I guess I just expect that from all my new pens too! Not had any major issues though, to be fair, just had big expectations, perhaps! - my £140 pens (only two, both special occasion treats, one Pelikan m405 and a Worcester Pen Co Sentinel) both wrote really well out of their very nice boxes!!
Graham

etoyoc
April 24th, 2012, 04:15 PM
I agree, the correct answer wasn't there and the answer really depended on the pen and its cost. For a $5-$30 pen I would probably try to fix it myself. On a more expensive pen, if it comes in and won't write, I am contacting the seller/manufacturer.

I am guilty of throwing away a $2 Zebra FP that even after weeks of tinkering wouldn't write.

caribbean_skye
May 2nd, 2012, 02:16 PM
Oh I agree completely! I have three Safaris and they all wrote well out of the packaging (they don't even HAVE a box!) so I guess I just expect that from all my new pens too! Not had any major issues though, to be fair, just had big expectations, perhaps! - my £140 pens (only two, both special occasion treats, one Pelikan m405 and a Worcester Pen Co Sentinel) both wrote really well out of their very nice boxes!!
Graham

My first/only Safari I bought didn't write well at all initially, it was quite scratchy. I was actually quite upset but after writing with it it's gotten a lot better. It's not as smooth as I would like, but that's to tackle for a future date.