Sailor Nibs

[SkyCyclePilot]

I have to write on cheap paper and even index cards quite a bit, and fine nibs just don't handle that very well - they feel cheap and "grabby". I know Japanese nibs are narrower, but how does a Sailor medium 14k gold nib compare to a medium Jowo, for example. I know the Sailor is going to be narrower, but is the fact that it is of better quality, and made of gold going to make it feel more like a Jowo medium? How about the Sailor broad nib? Is it any broader than a Jowo medium?

Your thoughts, please...

[Jon Szanto]

The Sailor nibs, in any given width, will be narrower than the Jowo. We're talking very small amounts, but that would be what you would find if you measured the width ot the tip.

However, beyond that is ink and paper, and you are setting yourself up for the biggest change of wide, bleeding lines with those paper choices. And if they have roughness and you go F or EF, you are going to have a harder time getting a 'smooth' experience. If I were you, I would consider Pilot - among the three Japanese makers, their nibs have the reputation for having the least amount of roughness and feedback. Lastly, a gold nib is not going to be intrinsically smoother than a steel nib, for the simple fact that they are both writing on the tip which has been plated with a deposit of iridium or other hard tipping material. The nibs themselves may have other performance characteristics, depending on the nib design, but the actual writing tip are extremely similar.

[SkyCyclePilot]

The Sailor nibs, in any given width, will be narrower than the Jowo. We're talking very small amounts, but that would be what you would find if you measured the width ot the tip.

However, beyond that is ink and paper, and you are setting yourself up for the biggest change of wide, bleeding lines with those paper choices. And if they have roughness and you go F or EF, you are going to have a harder time getting a 'smooth' experience. If I were you, I would consider Pilot - among the three Japanese makers, their nibs have the reputation for having the least amount of roughness and feedback. Lastly, a gold nib is not going to be intrinsically smoother than a steel nib, for the simple fact that they are both writing on the tip which has been plated with a deposit of iridium or other hard tipping material. The nibs themselves may have other performance characteristics, depending on the nib design, but the actual writing tip are extremely similar.

Thank you. I have a Pilot Metropolitan medium, and it is considerably narrower than my TWSBI medium. The Pilot is smooth, but it just doesn't feel quite right - I can't explain it. I should probably go broad if I go Pilot or Sailor. I just wouldn't want the nib to be any wider than a Jowo or TWSBI medium.

[Sandy]

The Sailor nibs, in any given width, will be narrower than the Jowo. We're talking very small amounts, but that would be what you would find if you measured the width ot the tip.

However, beyond that is ink and paper, and you are setting yourself up for the biggest change of wide, bleeding lines with those paper choices. And if they have roughness and you go F or EF, you are going to have a harder time getting a 'smooth' experience. If I were you, I would consider Pilot - among the three Japanese makers, their nibs have the reputation for having the least amount of roughness and feedback. Lastly, a gold nib is not going to be intrinsically smoother than a steel nib, for the simple fact that they are both writing on the tip which has been plated with a deposit of iridium or other hard tipping material. The nibs themselves may have other performance characteristics, depending on the nib design, but the actual writing tip are extremely similar.

Thank you. I have a Pilot Metropolitan medium, and it is considerably narrower than my TWSBI medium. The Pilot is smooth, but it just doesn't feel quite right - I can't explain it. I should probably go broad if I go Pilot or Sailor. I just wouldn't want the nib to be any wider than a Jowo or TWSBI medium.

The two inks that I find work really well on thn paper are Parker's Quink, and Platinum's black.

The inks don't ghost so much and seem to dry pretty quickly, so I don't get quite so much feathering.

My Parker 45 (fine) nib and Platinum #3776 (medium) work well in this regard.

I have 2 sailor medium nibs, and they write on the fine/medium side.

[Jon Szanto]

Thank you. I have a Pilot Metropolitan medium, and it is considerably narrower than my TWSBI medium. The Pilot is smooth, but it just doesn't feel quite right - I can't explain it. I should probably go broad if I go Pilot or Sailor. I just wouldn't want the nib to be any wider than a Jowo or TWSBI medium.

Please note that the nib on the Metro is an inexpensive stamped steel nib with no tipping on it at all. Comparing it to the other nibs is a bit of a side issue.

You may find the chart below helpful, as it gives exact measurements of the size of the tips of many of these pens. Even in light of that, nib size and the line that is put down on paper is a VERY inexact part of the fountain pen experience. If at all possible, you should try out some of these nibs before purchasing.

Nib Tipping Sizes (at nibs.com)

[Jaguarish]

Sounds like you might want to try a fine fude nib (available widely from various Chinese pen makers) or a pilot posting nib. As for cheap paper, avoid those inks known to feather (Noodler's tends to feather, for example). Depending on your writing preference you might enjoy a lubricated ink (such as Monteverde). Conversely the "dry" inks (such as private reserve) may also perform better on cheap paper.

[Cyril]

Sailor nibs are fantastic. They are hard but writes beautifully ( Manifold Nibs are nails like nibs and writes only mono lines ) Jowo nibs are like Manifold nibs no flexibility.
I have 6 sailor pens and the worst sailor nib is the MUSIC nib. It is different than any Music nibs and not a "three tine" Music combination. I found it is just a BB Broad nibs .
I tried to grind it but it did not work. So I found it to use it up-sige down for thing lines.
Platinum, pilot and sailor nibs are fine writers and they are 14- 22K Gold nibs they have a different character on fine paper and matching Ink combinations.

[calamus]

My Sailor 1911 is one of my favorite go-to pens. One thing about Sailor nibs, though, is that they tend to have a “sweet spot.” Unless you position the nib just right, odds are that you will get a little more feedback than you prefer. Of course, if you like feedback, it may not be a problem for you. Also, from what I’ve heard, not all Sailor nibs have the same size sweet spot. YMMV.