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FairDinkum
57
Oct 12, 2014
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Any idea which nib to pick? I read reviews that the F nib is like western Extra Fine, and that the medium is like western medium. Also read that the F nib can feel scratchy depending on ink and paper used. What do you think?
Oct 12, 2014
jhopps
92
Oct 13, 2014
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FairDinkumI've seen that about the sizes (F=EF, M=M), but I've heard that the fine is very smooth as far as fine nibs go; I guess if you're used to M or B, F will give more feedback and that may seem scratchy in contrast. If it really is scratchy, it probably needs work. To me size selection depends on the intended use. When I'm mobile, I like fine nibs because I'm much more likely to be using it on cheap paper and medium nibs are often too much for that. Personally I got a fine to carry around, but if I were getting it for my desk, I'd get a medium to use with good paper.
Oct 13, 2014
HeyMatthew
105
Oct 13, 2014
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FairDinkumI've had VP's in EF, F and M (as well as custom-ground nibs). The EF, in my opinion, was really, really fine and not all that suitable for daily use (unless your handwriting is very small). The benefits of the super-fine line were outweighed by the additional feedback on paper. I did enjoy it for doodling and drawing though.
The fine was more like a Western Extra-Fine and would be good for general use if you have small or normal-sized handwriting. The Medium is kind of weird as it sort of falls between a Western Fine and Western Medium (F-M if there were such a thing in Western nibs, which I have yet to see). I bought the Medium for this drop as I find a Medium to be a bit more useful for everyday tasks on good paper (which I tend to stick to).
If you're writing on cheap copy paper a good bit, get the Fine and a bottle of Iroshizuku ink or Noodler's X-Feather and you'll be good to go. For me, my fine VP is just a bit too fine for general correspondence on Tomoe River, Rhodia or Clairfontaine Papers. You can always buy replacement nib units from somewhere like Goulet Pens and swap them out depending on what you'll be doing. They're not terribly expensive and they would allow you to experience all that Pilot offers in their standard lineup without buying multiple pens.
I will say that of all the Japanese pens I've used (Sailor, Pilot and Platinum), Pilot's nibs are among the very best. They're much nicer than the nibs offered by Platinum and are on-par or slightly better than some of Sailor's offerings (Sailor offers some pretty sweet stuff, too so it's really hard to pick a favorite there).
Oct 13, 2014
tr4656
4
Oct 14, 2014
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HeyMatthewWhich nib do you use for the Tomoe River or Rhodias then?
Oct 14, 2014
Jamerelbe
93
Oct 14, 2014
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tr4656For what it's worth, my advice would be to head over to Gouletpens.com and check out their 'nib nook' (in the 'Comparison Tools' drop-down menu near the top of the page) - what's available there is a series of writing samples from the entire range the Goulets sell. Where it gives you the option to "Select a pen to see all nib sizes", choose the Pilot Vanishing Point - it'll show you writing samples from EF, F, M, and B; then look and see if they have any other writing samples from pens whose nib sizes you're familiar with.
For me, I have a TWSBI Mini with an EF nib; a couple of Goulet nibs in EF and F (these are made by JoWo, which is used also by a variety of other pen manufacturers) - so I've made a visual comparison, and am satisfied that I'll prefer the Fine nib over the Medium, and over the EF (which isn't available in this drop anyway!). But then, my handwriting is fairly compressed, and a fine nib enables me to write smaller. You may prefer a slightly broader line - again, I'd suggest checking out the Goulets' Nib Nook to see if it helps make the decision any easier!
Oct 14, 2014
tr4656
4
Oct 14, 2014
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JamerelbeMy main concern from his comment was mainly that he said it was a bit too fine with Tomoe River and Rhodia as those are my main paper I use with fountain pen and I ordered the F nib VP rather than the size of the lines themselves.
Oct 14, 2014
Jamerelbe
93
Oct 14, 2014
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tr4656Yup, but I think that was just a personal opinion being expressed, rather than a warning that the Fine is a problem on these papers. Tomoe River and Rhodia papers are both very versatile...
Oct 14, 2014
HeyMatthew
105
Oct 16, 2014
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tr4656Sorry for the WAYYY late reply here. @Jamerelbe is correct in that it's my personal preference to use a bit broader nib on fine papers like Rhodia or Tomoe River. Those papers tend to be a bit less absorbent so the lines tend to stay fairly fine as opposed to cheaper papers that cause feathering. So, for me, I can actually go up a size when writing with Japanese pens on those types of papers.
In Western nibs like Lamy, TWSBI (even though they're made in Taiwan) and Edison (or other US Boutique Pen Shops), I tend to stick to EF (or F at the max). My one exception is a Broad nib tuned by Renee Meeks from Scriptorium Pens on a custom-made pen I got from her recently. I wouldn't touch a piece of copy paper with it, but it just floats across Tomoe River and, even with my small writing, works very well.
If you have very small handwriting or you do a lot of intricate drawing or sketching, the Fine will be just right. If you're looking for more general correspondence and you prefer a bit more control over your handwriting, I think the Medium would be great.
What's good is that both the Pilot Fine and Medium are beautiful writers in that they're very smooth with just a hint of feedback and they're slightly soft which makes for a great writing experience. I own both for a reason. If I had to pick just one to own, of Fine or Medium, I'd go with Fine so I think you made a great choice.
I'm just glad I don't have to choose. :)
Oct 16, 2014
Jamerelbe
93
Oct 17, 2014
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HeyMatthewThanks for dropping back in - I opted for the Fine nib, and my only real concern was that it may be a little scratchy. Not having seen a Vanishing Point pen "in the wild" , it's reassuring to hear your experience with it. (Especially since I'm now locked in...)
Oct 17, 2014
HeyMatthew
105
Oct 17, 2014
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JamerelbeI've owned the VP, Custom Heritage 91, Custom Heritage 74, Justus 95, Custom Heritage 92 and Custom Heritage 823 all in Fine nibs and none of them were even the slightest bit scratchy. Feedback, yes, but not scratchy. And all were perfect writers out of the box.
The few Pilot EF nibs I had, did have a little more feedback, almost approaching scratchiness, but given how incredibly fine they were, I was shocked to feel how smooth they were. Definitely more feedback, especially on toothy papers, but really wonderful.
You'll love the Fine nib.
Oct 17, 2014
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