Posts filed under Nibs

Ranking 15 Pilot Fountain Pen Nibs

I had the pleasure of testing all 15 of Pilot’s #10-sized 14K gold fountain pen nibs recently, and wanted to share my thoughts on them as a group.

For starters, I am thrilled that Pilot made these nibs available in the US market, via the Custom Heritage 912 lineup. The basics were always available here - Fine, Medium, Broad, etc. - but the specialty nibs - Coarse, Stub, Posting, and so on - were traditionally only available in the Japanese market. That changed a couple of years ago, and Pilot fans, such as myself, rejoiced.

When thinking about reviewing these, I had several thoughts. Should I do one review per nib? Should I group them in use-case batches? What about videos? Pictures? It was a lot to consider! My friend Mike Matteson at Inkdependence review this entire set a few months ago, so be sure to check out his great videos on these nibs.

For me, I decided on something different, and specific: How would I rank these nibs for my own use? Do I worry this is too specific for a broader product review? A little. In the end I think it is going to work out, as I’ll be able to discuss my specific preferences, and the pros and cons that go along with those preferences. Nibs that don’t work for me may be perfect for you, and I hope to be able to explain that throughout this list. They are all good nibs, Brad!

A few notes before we begin:

  • I write in a block print style, never cursive or script. I prefer fine lines, or wide lines with an edge that benefit my writing style. Needless to say, those nibs will be near the top of my list.
  • Pilot requested that I only dip test these nibs. I don’t believe that is the best way to give you the most accurate commentary on nib performance. That said, Pilot’s nibs and feeds are so good that I am able to get good results from only dipping the nib.
  • All nibs are tested on Maruman Spiral Note Basic A4 Dot Grid paper, and with Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi ink.
  • Once I dip the nib, I wipe the bulk of the ink off on the bottle edge, then write several lines on scrap paper to even out the flow before testing the line.
  • The lyrics used are from the start of ODB’s verse on “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” by the Wu-Tang Clan.
  • Wu-Tang is for the kids.
  • If you have any questions if a certain nib is for you, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, or get in touch.
  • Thank you Pilot USA for loaning me these nibs!

On to my rankings:

15) Coarse

Someone has to finish last, and for me it is the Coarse. It is a marker tip, so if you are looking for that type of line, then take a look at this one. There is no line variation, just a bold, round, line. I will say that given the size and shape of nib tipping, the Coarse is a perfect platform for big and interesting nib grinds.

The Pilot Coarse Nib, perfect for big nib grinds.

14) Broad Broad

Similar to the Coarse, but with a little more ink application on the page. The Coarse nib seems to spread the ink thinner on the page, while the BB just unloads it.

Left to right: Broad, Broad Broad, Coarse.

13) Soft Medium

There is a group of nibs with no true home in the list, starting with the Soft Medium. I think it is the worst of the “Soft” group, offering less line variation than the other options. That’s what you want with a nib like this, but it is too similar to the Medium.

12) Fine Medium

Ditto here, but with a little more line variation. I will say that even with the Soft designation, the speed at which I can write is great. This is a fun one, but there are better choices for my style.

Pilot SU, left, and Music nibs.

11) Music

This traditional two slit, three tine Music nib setup is fantastic, I just prefer the Sutab (SU, aka Stub,) so much more that I knocked this one down the list a bit. It is much wider than the SU on both vertical and horizontal strokes. Think 1.5 mm vs. 1.1 mm. I prefer the narrower on both accounts.

The upturned Pilot Waverly nib.

10) Waverly

This was my first time with the Waverly nib, and I expected more from it. The idea is that it is great for writing at any angle, so if you hold the pen in a non-traditional manner, this nib could work well for you. For me, there was no benefit to it, although I wouldn’t mind spending more time with it to see what I could sort out.

9) Medium

An excellent stock writing experience. Japanese Medium nibs are the recommendation sweet spot for every day writing. I prefer finer lines, as seen below, but there is no arguing with this one.

8) Soft Fine

It’s fine, but not fine enough. This is a good example of expectations when choosing a nib. Japanese Fine nibs are very fine, and the Soft style makes lines wider due to the tines spreading further than on a standard nib. I’d rather have a standard Fine.

7) Soft Fine Medium

But the Soft Fine Medium is great! My expectation is that it would be wider, given “Medium” in the name, and it is. It is also finer than a stock Medium, and has more character on the page.

Pilot Posting nib, left, and Extra Fine.

6) Extra Fine

Why so low? It’s mostly the PO (Posting) nibs fault, but maybe more so that Pilot’s Fine nib is my favorite all day, every day writer. The Extra Fine is great, but I don’t see a place for it given my fondness of other nibs. Now, if those nibs didn’t exist, this one could top the rankings.

5) Broad

Surprise, surprise, surprise! Something happened to me when I tested this nib out, and no, it wasn’t an alien abduction. I want to be able to control my lines in wide nibs, and most nibs I’ve tested in this category have been too wide, too wet, too rounded, or all of the above. I thought I would easily prefer the Medium nib over this one, but it wasn’t that close. Again, the Medium makes for a great recommendation, but the Broad is more enjoyable.

4) Fine

My favorite pick up and write nib. Yes, the line is very narrow, but not too much. It remains legible for all types of writing, and the nib feels more stable and stronger than the Extra Fine.

3) SU

I’ve owned a Sutab nib previously, but didn’t get on with it that well. Testing this one out made me wonder if there was something wrong with mine, which I no longer own. With any stub-type nib, you want to see line variation. My old SU had very little, and I found it boring. This one has a wide range from thick to thin, and I think I’m going to need to buy a new one.

The unmistakable Pilot FA nib.

2) FA

This is the most fun Pilot nib. The flexible FA nib has more bounce than most other modern flex nib pens, while retaining a great standard writing line if you aren’t actively pushing the nib. It gives my standard block print writing a ton of character. I wouldn’t mind having this nib inked and in the rotation on a permanent basis.

1) PO

Do not buy this nib without trying it first. That’s how I acquired my Posting nib. I raved about the loaner I reviewed, a reader went out and bought one, instantly hated it, and sold it to me. 10 years on, I’m still in love. PO nib fans refer to this nib as nail-like, and that is accurate. The line is finer than the stock Extra Fine, while also being firmer due to its turned down tip. I wouldn’t be surprised if Pilot sells less of this nib than any other, but it is the one nib I own that I can’t live without.

That’s a wrap! My biggest takeaway from this experience is that Pilot makes amazing nibs. I already knew that, but it is nice to have that confirmation across the board. If you have a fountain pen writing need, Pilot as a nib for you. My thanks to Pilot North America for loaning me this set of pens for review.


Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on August 28, 2023 and filed under Pilot, Nibs, Fountain Pens.

Monoc Monoc: Schon DSGN Monoc Nib Review

Monoc Monoc: Schon DSGN Monoc Nib Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Sorry not sorry about the earworm but if you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, Mahna Mahna. Anyway, read on...

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib
Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

When I first saw IG stories and teasers about the in-house nib that Ian Schon of Schon Dsgn was making, I knew that I wanted one. Now, let’s be clear, I’m less of a “nib person” than others. I am not too picky as long as it writes out of the box and doesn’t write like pants. I am also not usually an early adopter. After a career in Quality Assurance in software, I came to the conclusion that it isn’t always the best to be the first to market, nor to be the first to own it either. But then you throw in the fact that Ian and his team make some absolutely great products and I changed my tune!

I pre-ordered the Monoc in December and picked it up at the Philly Pen Show two weeks ago. After immediately inking up the pen and writing with it for a while, I wanted to chat with Ian to better understand his latest creation. And since pictures are worth a thousand words, I decided to handwrite this review so you can see writing samples.

Schon DSGN Monoc Nibs

What is the Monoc?

The Monoc is the name of the in-house nib and feed system designed and created by Schon Dsgn. The nib is cut from a rod of titanium and the feed is made from Ultem, which is an extremely durable engineered plastic. Making the nib from a rod of titanium versus stamping from a sheet means that you can have the nib and housing as a singular piece, so there is no need for a separate housing to hold the nib and feed as a unit.

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

You can unscrew the nib and feed for use in any Jowo 6-compatible pens.

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

Why “Monoc”?

The name “Monoc” is derived from monocoque construction which is more common in car racing and airplane manufacturing. Basically, it means that it is made from a single “shell” of material which provides strength, giving it a technical advantage from being single piece versus being constructed from multiple parts.

Why make this nib?

While known mostly as a machinist and engineer, Ian is also a designer and an artist of sorts. Maybe not in the Van Gogh kind of way (although this nib is a work of art), but in the way he approaches product ideas and designs. The Monoc is not out to solve some nib or writing experience problem; it’s about “bringing something new and different to the pen world.” The whole process around coming up with a new design, workflow, cutting out the nib from a rod of titanium versus sheets, figuring out how to angle the nib and feed so that it flows well, making something unique, even if it is extremely difficult, expensive and time-consuming - this is what gets Ian jazzed up. While he loves all the products that he makes, the Monoc is really his passion project.

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib
Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

Inking up the pen.

If you use a standard international converter, you just dip the nib into a vial or bottle of ink and use the converter to draw up ink as usual (which I just had to do because I was writing the pen dry at the bottom of the previous page) and you’re ready to write as the feed is already primed with ink. If you’re using a cartridge, however, you will need to get the ink to flow to the feed and saturate it so it can start writing. To do so, orient the pen nib down after inserting the cartridge until you see ink flowing to the tip of the feed and nib, then invert it nib up for about 5 seconds. Repeat a few times, blot and you should be good to go. More detailed instructions are included with the nib.

How does it write?

The Monoc is a wet and smooth writer, with just a hint of feedback; not wet like a fire hose but definitely not a dry writer. Widthwise, I would describe it as a “wet medium”, almost broad. Ian designed this nib to give you “a consistent, predictable writing experience.” Traditionally, titanium nibs (most notably by Bock) were bouncy and prone to being sprung if you bounced them a little too hard. The Monoc is made from a different grade of titanium, which is stronger, and the nib is also thicker than stamped nibs. This makes it a much stiffer nib than gold, titanium or even steel nibs, such that when you put it to paper, you won’t get as much tine movement (at the microscopic level), resulting in a more consistent writing experience for a wider range of writers. Because it is a firm nib, do not expect it to be bouncy or flexy. If I had to compare it to something already on the market, I would say it has the stiffness of a Jowo steel nib, with the wetness of a Pelikan gold nib and the slight feedback of a Platinum gold nib.

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib
Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

Here are some writing samples with nibs of different nib sizes/grinds.

Is it easy to clean the nib?

Yes! You can use a bulb syringe or converter to clean the nib, like you would with any other cartridge/converter fountain pen, but Ian and team have included a specially-drilled syringe since most syringes don’t fit on the end. You don’t have to use it, it just helps with cleaning if you don’t already have a bulb syringe. Because the nib and feed are hand-set and tuned, do not try to take the nib and feed apart. For this reason, I would advise against using shimmer inks with the Monoc.

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib
Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

How much does the Monoc cost?

Right now, there is an introductory price of $400 for the nib, which includes a black, full-size aluminum Schon DSGN pen. You can also get a different pen body and apply $100 towards the purchase of that (please read the website for more details on the offer). I picked the black Ultem feed and blue anodizing for the nib engraving. At some point, the nib will be offered separately, but right now, this is a good deal since this price includes a pen. Lastly, the nibs are made to order, so you won’t get your nib & pen right away. There is a limited number of nibs that can be made each month, so you will need to select a month for future delivery (currently, February and March are available delivery options).

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

Wait, how much?

Yeah, $400 for a nib. It is a lot, but why so much? Nibs like this aren’t easy to make. Designing and engineering a new nib and feed system is a lot of work, requiring a lot of design and manufacturing time, making and testing prototypes, not to mention taking away resources from making other products. In addition to the R&D and manufacturing time, each nib is individually (and manually) inspected, assembled and hand-tuned - does it even write, do all of them write correctly, are the feeds delivering ink properly? Once it is put together and all tuned up, every nib then needs to be cleaned, polished, anodized, and all of that takes a lot of time. Each nib takes countless hours post production to make. To put it into perspective, Ian said they can only make hundreds of these nibs each year, not thousands.

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

So, should I get a Monoc?

First of all, this is definitely not a product for everyone. It is an expensive purchase. It will not miraculously make your handwriting stunning (though with regular practice, it certainly could help). You would get this not only because it writes well, but because it is a gorgeous nib. Because it is a technical marvel. Because titanium is cool, but also because this titanium nib won’t spring on you. And I’ll be honest, because it is sexy as heck. It’s like the Pilot Myu or Murex - people don’t love them because they are necessarily the best writers out there, but because they look and feel amazing. And while I really like how the Monoc writes, I love how it looks even more. This is definitely an emotional purchase as opposed to a functional one and I have zero regrets.

Schon DSGN Monoc Nib
Schon DSGN Monoc Nib

If you are looking for a Fine, Extra Fine or Needlepoint, the Monoc is not for you, though one can hope that other nib sizes will be offered in the future. Ditto if you’re looking for a flexy nib or an inexpensive “instabuy” product. But if you value creativity and ingenuity of this project, the pushing of boundaries of what one man and his team can do, the inevitable “holy crap, that’s gorgeous” or “oh wow, this is nice!” responses that you’ll get when you bust it out at a pen meetup, as well as a really nice writing experience, the Monoc just might be for you.

(Disclaimer: All products shown were purchased by me, at regular prices. I preordered the Monoc from the website in December and picked it up in January.)


Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on January 27, 2023 and filed under Schon DSGN, Nibs, Pen Reviews.

Nemosine 0.6 mm Stub Nib Review

Nemosine 0.6 mm Stub Nib Review

One of the turning points in my fountain pen journey was realizing how important the nib is. Not simply nib material or style, but shape and size. And not only that, but specific shapes and sizes that improve my handwriting by just … existing.

My writing style is particular, but not totally unique. It’s a block-print style, which on the page translates to all-caps writing. There is no cursive, no joined up, no lower case. I truly embody the MF DOOM lifestyle.

When I discovered that there are nibs that make by handwriting better, it was open season on my wallet. What nibs, specifically? Stub nibs first, followed later by cursive italics.

The shape of those nibs is flat across the front, as opposed to more rounded nib tipping in a stock Medium nib, for example. So this is why my handwriting looked like a boss when I used chisel tip markers in the before times!

Nemosine 0.6 mm Stub Nib

My block print looks best when the edges of the letters are sharp. Stub nibs got me there first, primarily due to their availability. I don’t recall my very first one, but it could have been a TWSBI, who offers them in 1.1 and 1.5 mm widths. The 1.1 mm is more my style, seeing as I write small to begin with. As I learned later, I could have other standard nibs modified by a nib grinder to even finer widths. I won’t tell you how narrow I’ve gone (pretty narrow!) but I will say I’m always excited to find loose stub nib options finer than the usual 1.1 mm.

That’s where the Nemosine 0.6 mm Stub comes into play. I was late to the game in picking one of these up to test, but I’m glad I’m here now. An 0.6 mm stub is nowhere near micro-sized in relation to regular sizes (again, 1.1 and 1.5 mm mostly,) but it is finer, which works even better for my handwriting.

This nib comes in the standard #6 size, and is made from steel. The nib is sold alone for $27, without a feed or housing, so you will want to have an existing pen to swap this into. Bock feeds are the natural fit, although I’ve had followers tell me they can make them work with Jowo feeds and housings with a bit of manipulation.

Nemosine 0.6 mm Stub Nib

From Left to Right: 0.6 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.5 mm.

I went for the Bock swap out with my latest Tesori Venezia, and this nib has found its permanent home. It is wildly smooth, and provides good line variation. As much line variation as a wider stub nib? No. The finer the stub, the less line width variation you will have between your horizontal and vertical strokes. This 0.6 mm hits the sweet spot for the way I write. You may prefer wider.

You may prefer stub nibs in general if you have a mostly print-based handwriting style. Plenty of cursive writers use them, too, adding some wide and narrow line variation as they work down the page. It’s a beautiful visual either way.

Nemosine 0.6 mm Stub Nib

That’s the stub nib benefit for me-it makes my handwriting look nice! I don’t have to write faster or slower to get the most from it. My normal pace with a normal ink on a normal page leads to better than normal results.

Thank you, stub nibs!

If you are looking try your own stub nib, these Nemosine 0.6 mm nibs are an option for a slightly more experienced user. They are simple to use, but you need the right kind of pen to fit it in to. For your first stub nib, TWSBI is one of the more widely-available options in a variety of pen models and price points. Some, like the SWIPE, are essentially the same price as the stand-alone Nemosine nib.

Testing and experimentation is the key to finding the proper nib fit for your handwriting style. Give a Stub nib a try the next time you want to change the look of your letters on the page.

(I bought this nib from Birmingham Pen Co. at regular retail price.)


Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Nemosine 0.6 mm Stub Nib
Posted on November 14, 2022 and filed under Nemosine, Nibs.