Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 20 conversations about:
dedalian
94
Apr 2, 2018
bookmark_border
The nib on these pens is not the one shown in pictures, it is a smaller sized steel nib. I have the nib in the pictures on another pen and it is superior to the one that is actually on these pens. This is the nib that is installed-
Triaed
93
Jun 10, 2018
bookmark_border
dedalianI respectfully disagree. It is a matter of opinion, unless you got a bad nib (which does happen).
I find the new "high performance" steel nib far superior to the old one. It is firm, but smooth. It makes a great daily writer, especially with inks that offer good lubrication.
Of course, it is a far cry from the Dream Touch nibs
I find the new "high performance" steel nib far superior to the old one. It is firm, but smooth. It makes a great daily writer, especially with inks that offer good lubrication.
Of course, it is a far cry from the Dream Touch nibs
dedalian
94
Jun 10, 2018
bookmark_border
TriaedLet me elaborate on my point. I dont know if or how these are "high performance" nibs, but what I can definitely say (and this is easy to check) is that these are smaller in size especially when it comes to the tines compared to the older steel nibs. The tines on the new nibs being shorter make these stiffer and a bit "cheap feeling". If you know what I mean. All that said these are not bad per se but I just expected better.
When a something doesn't improve over time it is actually going backward.
CraigLewis
260
Jun 10, 2018
bookmark_border
dedalianLook at the price point.
I have an older Van Gogh somewhere...I think it's in the bigger pen case. The cap never worked that well for me, as someone else noted, so it's never been high on my list of users. I'm pretty sure it cost me more than the list shown for this one...and that was a LONG time ago. At least 20 years, I believe.
Many makers have switched from gold to steel.
That's the price of gold, from GoldPrice.org, for the last 15 years. That huge spike in prices in a 5 year span strikes me as a BIG problem for most pen makers...IIRC, at least some of the Japanese makers actually own some mine resources.
And what's the least expensive gold-nibbed *European* pen? Looks like it's the Lamy 2000, and one reason its cost is mitigated is, it's got a very small nib. Hooded nibs have that advantage. nibs.com shows quite a few nib units for sale...a Pelikan M200 steel is about $50, whereas the M400 gold is $200. They're interchangeable, so the difference is the metal. So there's considerable price pressure, particularly for any secondary brand. I'm still on Fahrney's mailing list, and see *quite* a few pens...quite often higher priced than this...with steel nibs.
There was even a brief exchange on the Zoss pens list a couple years ago on this point.
I have an older Van Gogh somewhere...I think it's in the bigger pen case. The cap never worked that well for me, as someone else noted, so it's never been high on my list of users. I'm pretty sure it cost me more than the list shown for this one...and that was a LONG time ago. At least 20 years, I believe.
Many makers have switched from gold to steel.
That's the price of gold, from GoldPrice.org, for the last 15 years. That huge spike in prices in a 5 year span strikes me as a BIG problem for most pen makers...IIRC, at least some of the Japanese makers actually own some mine resources.
And what's the least expensive gold-nibbed *European* pen? Looks like it's the Lamy 2000, and one reason its cost is mitigated is, it's got a very small nib. Hooded nibs have that advantage. nibs.com shows quite a few nib units for sale...a Pelikan M200 steel is about $50, whereas the M400 gold is $200. They're interchangeable, so the difference is the metal. So there's considerable price pressure, particularly for any secondary brand. I'm still on Fahrney's mailing list, and see *quite* a few pens...quite often higher priced than this...with steel nibs.
There was even a brief exchange on the Zoss pens list a couple years ago on this point.
dedalian
94
Jun 11, 2018
bookmark_border
CraigLewisI was not talking about gold nibs at all. I have never used a Visconti gold nib only steel or Palladium. I was only referring to two different steel nibs - the one shown in the photos here and the one I posted- both steel but different designs
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop