Dippity doo dah, dippity yay - A Dip Nib Comparison

(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!.)

….my oh my, what a wonderful day! Sorry, not sorry, for the ear worm but I decided to play with some dip nibs cuz it’s swatch time in December, AKA Inkvent! Even if you aren’t joining in Diamine’s Green Edition Inkvent for 2022, chances are good that you still want to swatch your inks at some point, right? So I thought it would be fun to do a little dip pen showdown - are you ready? Let’s go!

Methodology

Ok, this isn’t rocket science but I wanted to make sure the different dip nibs were on the same playing field, so here are the ground rules.

1. Ink - I used Waterman Serenity Blue as a baseline for the swatches/writing samples. This is most nib grinders’ preferred ink of choice as it has consistent flow, does not stain and is good for vintage pens. I also picked a shimmer ink to see if it behaved differently. I capped and shook the vial between each test.
2. Paper - I used a combination of a 68 gsm Tomoe River notebook, a 80 gsm Rhodia graph pad, and the standard sized Col-O-Ring cards made from 160gsm paper.
3. Cleaning - Since I have used some of these for a long time and others I just got last week, some have been cleaned many times and some have not. I will make a note of which ones were cleaned prior to usage and which ones needed extra cleaning, if any. I will just use tap water to rinse between uses.
4. Writing - Aside from the name of the dip nib, I tried to write the same text on the different papers so you can see how much writing I could get out of one dip. The exceptions are the Sailor Hocoro Fine Dip Nib and Kakimori Pen Nib where I wrote the first line without first cleaning the nib and then I did a quick water rinse/dry before rewriting the line again.
5. Swatches - I made a broad line swatch for some but not all of the nibs. The finer dip nibs/ones without feeds aren’t really designed for depositing large amounts of ink.

Short Drillog holder with 0.5 nib, Long Drillog holder with 1.2 nib, Glass Dip Pen, Brass Kakimori nib in a Tachikawa T36 holder, Stainless Steel Kakimori nib in an Aluminum Kakimori holder, Kakimori Pen Nib in a Speedball Marbled holder, Sailor Hocoro Fine and Fude Dip Pens.

Not all of these holders have caps, though you can get a Tachikawa holder with a cap which is handy for travel. Also, the length of the Kakimori is, of course, dependent on whatever holder you buy.

Dip Nibs/Pens

1. Drillog Dip Pens/Nibs - The nibs and holders were sent to Brad for review by Drillog. They currently cost 16,280 Yen (currently ~$120) for the nibs - the holders are sold separately starting at 14,080 Yen (~$103).
2. Glass Dip Pen - I purchased mine on eBay years ago (so the brand/name/price might be different) but you can still find them on eBay, like this one
3. Kakimori Brass Dip Nib - I bought this from Yoseka - it is currently $54.50.
4. Kakimori Stainless Steel Dip Nib - I bought mine new from someone on Instagram, but you can get the Kakimori Steel dip nib from Yoseka for $54.50 and the holder for $72.00. These Kakimori nibs are more widely available now than a few months ago.
5. Kakimori Pen Nib - The Pen Nib for $28 as well as the Tachikawa Nib Holder were sent to Brad from St Louis Art Supply.
6. Sailor Hocoro Fine Dip Nib (without feed) - I bought the Sailor Hocoro Fine in Grey from Stilo e Stile for 12.30 EU (~$13), but it also comes in white. The feeds were out of stock but are now back in stock here for an additional 2.05EU (~$2.15).
7. Sailor Hocoro Fude Dip Nib (with feed) - I bought the Sailor Hocoro Fude in White from Stilo e Stile for 13.11EU (~14), but it also comes in grey. The feed was already part of the pen.

The Drillog 0.5 (left) and 1.2 (right) nibs - I am referring to the 0.5 as “Fine”.

Drillog Fine writing sample - It writes similar to a Japanese Medium Fine or a Western Fine.

Drillog 1.2 writing sample - This didn’t write as much like a stub as I expected. Not surprising that the bigger tip means you don’t get as many words per dip.

Considering how expensive the Drillog nibs are, as well as their nibs being proprietary to their holders (though a couple of makers have figured out how to make their own Drillog holders), I was surprised at how poorly they performed. I had tried them a few times when I got them from Brad a few months ago and I couldn’t get them to write, so I set them aside for future testing. I was actually shocked that both of them wrote immediately with Waterman Serenity Blue but the Fine 0.5 did not want to write with the Robert Oster shimmer (the first line at the very top of the shimmer test page) until I dipped it again and the 1.2 was quite the gusher as well. The Fine also felt very scratchy. Writing on the Col-O-Ring was quite unpleasant as nib would catch on the subtle texture of the card. The Drillog Fine was probably my least favorite of them all and the 1.2 was kind of fun but a bit too wet/broad for me to use for swatching/writing samples. Lastly, because I hold my pens close to the nib and have a steep writing angle, I did not love how long the nibs were, as well as how far back I had to hold the pen due to the taper on the barrel. This is obviously a personal bias, but is something to keep in mind.

Glass dip pen writing sample - You can see when I rotated the nib to get more ink to the tip.

I have had mixed success with glass dip nibs over the years with some writing well, like this one, and others giving me inconsistent lines or having sweet spots that would only write if I rotated it just so. The other thing about glass dip nibs is that they are, well, made of glass, which makes them more fragile than all the other nibs that I tested which are metal. But they have traditionally been fairly inexpensive (though you can also get fancy glass dip pens from Japan for several hundred dollars) and I particularly like that this one has a cap, which can be screwed to post - I keep mine in my pen accessories case which I pack in my suitcase.

Kakimori Brass writing sample - Compare the line width to its Stainless Steel sibling below.

I was able to get significantly more writing with the Steel Kakimori because it didn’t make thicker/wetter lines like the Brass one.

My first experience with the Kakimori dip nib was with the brass one, since the steel one was sold out. I had a heck of a time getting it to write at all, and despite washing it several times with soap and water and a gentle toothbrush, it would either not write, or would blob ink. I even asked several folks to see if this was normal, but most of the others had the steel one. I was almost ready to call it quits but decided to just keep trying and then out of the blue it started working. I had been using that for swatching/writing samples for several months. When a steel one came up for sale on Instagram, I pounced on it and this one wrote right out of the box with no fuss. The Brass one seems to have much more flow and gives me a much broader line than the Steel one. I have been using the Kakimori Steel dip nib ever since I got it a couple months ago. I like that they can be used at a shallower angle to provide nice wide lines, which I use in one of my ink swatch journals.

Wider lines of ink are easily made with either of the Kakimori dip nibs.

Like the Brass and Steel dip nibs, the Kakimori Pen Nib can also be fitted into any nib holder that has a ferrule. The Pen Nib has a nice fine line but because it does not have a feed or reservoir or channels to hold ink, it isn’t meant for a lot of writing between dips. Still, if I didn’t have a need for making wide lines in my ink journal, I could see using this for the writing sample part of ink swatching.

I mistakenly wrote “Fountain Nib” instead of “Pen Nib” because it looks like a fountain pen nib.

The Sailor Hocoro Dip Pen in Fine had an even fewer number of words it could write before running out. I first tried writing without cleaning the nib and then again after a water rinse and wipe. The lack of feed or channels makes it difficult to hold much ink. The Fude, on the other hand, wrote quite nicely and for a decent amount of lines. This is because there is an included feed which holds a bit more ink. I suspect the Fine will be much better when I am able to order the feed.

Not a lot of words with the Sailor Hocoro Fine nib - but this could be good for swatching where you are writing a few words.

No feed means nothing to hold onto the ink means fewer words.

Sailor Hocoro Fude writing sample.

You can get more words on the page even with the added line width due to the presence of a feed.

A few things I really like about the Hocoro Dip Pens: (1) they come in different sizes - Fine, Fude, 1.0 and 2.0 stubs, (2) there is no cap to lose because the nibs can be stored in the pen barrel so they don’t get damaged and (3) there is a flat bevel on the barrel so that it doesn’t roll around - I literally had to corral all the other dip pens on the table because they kept threatening to jump ship. And they are reasonably priced too.

Left shows the nib inserted into the barrel for storage. The grip section and nib unit are beveled so there is only one way to install or put away the nib. Right shows the other end of the barrel, which is also beveled.

Lastly, I thought I’d try something that wasn’t a tried and true ink like Waterman Serenity Blue so I picked a shimmer ink from my shimmer samples bag. I knew that Robert Oster Glistening Orange Rumble had a fair amount of shimmer, so I wanted to see if the shimmer (1) would cause any flow issues and (2) if you could see the shimmer on the page or if would it get stuck in the channels or immediately get dumped onto the first few characters.

You can see the difference in line widths and as a result the difference in color/saturation.

Angled so you can see some of the shimmer - All but the glass dip pen deposited the shimmer without any issues. The glass dip pen had very little shimmer and a couple of skips.

All of the nibs cleaned out pretty easily - I blasted a syringeful of water after using Waterman and also rinsed in the sink after using the RO shimmer ink. The glass dip nib took a little more effort than the others but it wasn’t too bad.

So what’s the TLDR version of all this?

1. Drillog is way too expensive for what it is, and it didn’t behave well enough even if it was a fraction of the price.
2. My favorite is probably the Kakimori Stainless Steel nib because it has a Medium line and can also deposit a wider line for swatches. I had a lot of trouble with the Brass and even now it’s too wet/thick for my preference. This could be fun if I did art.
3. The Sailor Hocoro Fude Nib is my second favorite as it has a little bit of line variation and can write a decent number of words due to the feed. Can’t wait to try the Hocoro Fine with a feed.
4. The others are fine (Get it? “Fine”? I’ll see myself out, lol) - they behave alright. It comes down to personal preference and budget.
5. Dip pens with caps are extra cool.

Anyway, now that I’ve done this research, I’m going to use Kakimori Stainless Steel dip nib and the Sailor Hocoro Fude nib for my Diamine Inkvent swatching and see which one will be crowned the winner! Happy dipping to all, and to all a good write!

Happy Inkvent!

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Gravitas Pocket Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Gravitas Pens, maker of custom machined writing instruments, have been around for over three years at this point. I'm surprised I've still only tried a couple of their pens so far, and I'm excited to see what they're coming up with.

I recently had the opportunity to try out one of their more classic designs — the Pocket Fountain Pen with a medium nib. This all-metal pocket pen is delightfully small while still being surprisingly big when the cap is posted. Similar to a Kaweco Sport in size and functionality, this variation has its own tricks and highlights.

The exterior parts of the pen are all made of aluminum that has been anodized black, though there are several other color options if matte black isn't your style. The aluminum is hefty but still lightweight. The grip section is made of PVD-coated stainless steel, which gives it more weight where it counts. The balance of the pen is near perfect due to this lower center of gravity. With the cap posted, it feels just like a full-size pen. And, to be sure it doesn't roll away when not in use, there's a flat edge on the cap. Bonus points: the Gravitas logo is on the opposite side of the flat edge so that the logo faces up when it's laying on your desk. Excellent little detail.

The cap secures to the pen with threads, and it only takes 1.5 turns to open or close it. The section also secures to the pen body with threads, but there are many more turns involved with removing or installing the section. The number of threads — 11.5 turns by my count — make me think that you can use this pen as an eyedropper (as long as you remember to use some silicone grease on the threads) if you want to increase the ink capacity. I haven't tried this yet, but the thought hasn't left my head since I first realized how secure the section attachment is. One day...

Otherwise, the options are few in terms of ink cartridges for this pen. Compact pocket pens trade off ink capacity in favor of size, and I'm all for it. Just know what you're getting into. International short cartridges fit this pen perfectly, and that still gives you plenty of ink options.

The Pocket fountain pen also features a #6 JoWo nib, which is a wonderfully large nib for such a compact pen. Oddly enough, the large size fits it really well — especially when the cap is posted. Looking at a Kaweco Sport nib after this makes the Kaweco body/nib pairing look comical. The large #6 nib is the perfect choice for this pen. In my case, it's a medium nib and writes beautifully out of the box.

The grip section has machined grooves that provide excellent grip and tactile feedback. It feels really secure in my hand and is easy to write with. The secure grip is also due to the lower center of gravity that the stainless steel provides. Again, once you post the cap, the balance is perfect and this pen is a joy to use.

It's really easy to think that this is just a copy-cat Kaweco Sport or AL Sport. Yes, it certainly borrows some ideas from the form of the Kaweco, but this is a completely different pen in my mind. For one, it feels more substantial in the hand due to the materials. That's not to say that Kaweco AL Sports don't use good materials — the Gravitas Pocket just feels like everything is just a little thicker. Once again, the stainless steel section also makes your brain think that it's high quality due to the small weight difference.

While the Kaweco has faceted edges all around the cap, the Gravitas Pocket only has one that's intended to keep the pen from rolling away. The top and bottom of the Gravitas also has a sharp cone shape that I personally love.

The last similarity is size — the Gravitas Pocket and Kaweco Sport are both pocket pens that look roughly the same size! But I was genuinely surprised when I set them side by side and noticed a difference. The Gravitas is actually a good bit smaller than the Kaweco when closed, but longer when open and posted. This is a wonderful design feature that makes the pen more portable while also being more comfortable when writing. Beautiful.

The Gravitas Pocket Fountain Pen is currently €95. Depending on where you live and how the exchange rates work out, this is probably still an excellent deal. Kaweco AL Sports start at around $75 — not much less than the Gravitas. This is where I'm really torn. I love the design, feel, and usability of the Kaweco Sport line. They're incredible pens and easier to come by. Plus, with the price starting a little lower you can also throw in an extra nib or some ink before you hit the $100 mark. But the Gravitas Pocket is also an excellent pen. It reminds you of the Kaweco Sport design, but it feels completely unique in your hand. I fell in love with it almost instantaneously. That makes it a tough job to compare them side by side when you're trying to make a choice.

For me, it comes down to what you're looking for. Will this be your first pocket pen? Maybe start with the Kaweco Sport to try out the form factor with your writing style. Do you already love the Kaweco Sport style and know that pocket pens work well for you? Then absolutely pick up a Gravitas Pocket. It's familiar, but still unique and so good in its own rite.

The Gravitas Pocket Fountain Pen comes in a variety of colors, materials, and finishes, and you also have the option of Fine Flex, EF, F, M, B, 1.1 Stub or 1.5 Stub.

Good luck deciding!

(Gravitas Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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TLDR: Pelikan Pens 101

(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!.)

Ok, I know what you’re thinking, Kimberly can’t write a short article to save her life and you’re probably right but I did want to do a “quick” post about Pelikans since today is Pelikan Hub for most folks around the world and I heard from a lot of folks that they don’t have a Pelikan or don’t know much about them, so here goes!

First of all, if you wanna know all there is to know about Pelikan, stop reading and go to The Pelikan’s Perch by Joshua Danely. He has one of the best blogs out there about Pelikans, including new, the various models, its history, company, manufacturing and more. Go check it out, you won’t regret it. Also, this is not a be-all-end-all article about Pelikans, just a few things to know about the more common models that might help you in your research and possible purchase of a Pelikan. They are known for their fountain pens but Pelikan also makes ballpoints, pencils and inks. I am going to focus on their modern (post ‘90s) piston-filling fountain pens in this article.

Naming, The Brand

Yes, that’s Pelikan, with a K, not a C, in the middle. It used to be C but now it’s K and if you want to know more - read Joshua’s post about the brand/ spelling. Autocorrect will eventually learn to spell it with a K, lol.

Naming, The Letter

You will often see Pelikans listed as M400, M805, M640, K600, P200 etc. What does it all mean? For modern Pelikans, If you see P or M, they are fountain pens; K is for ballpoint, and D is for pencil. The PXXX fountain pens are cartridge fountain pens. Most of the time when people are talking about Pelikans, they are referring to the M series, which is their piston-filler fountain pens.

Naming, The First Number

Pelikans have a 3 or 4 digit number following the letter, like M405, M620, M800, M1005. There are a bunch of models but here are some general guidelines: M2xx series has steel nibs, the M4xx and M6xx have 14kt gold nibs and the M8xx and M1xxx have 18kt gold nibs. Yes, there are other models as well, but this is a good starting point.

Pelikan M200 Caffe Creme, M400 Blue Souveran (or Blue Stripes), M600 Red Tortoiseshell, M800 Brown Tortoiseshell.

Naming, The Last Number

Yes, I am skipping to the end because this is more frequently different than the middle number. The last number tells you if it is gold trim or silver-colored trim (I use the term silver trim to describe the color not because it is sterling silver). If the model ends in 0, it is gold trim (clip, cap/pen rings, primary nib color); if it ends in 5, it is silver trim.

Some gold vs silver comparisons - (left to right) M200 Caffe Creme vs M205 Marbled Petrol and M400 Blue Stripes and M405 Stresemann.

Naming, The Middle Number

Most of the time, the middle number is 0, but occasionally you will come across a pen with a different second digit, like M215, M620, M640, M815, etc. The second digit tells you that there is usually something special about it. For example, the “1” in M215 or M815, tells you that there is metal “on the barrel”, which makes the pen a little heavier than its non-metal sibling. The M620 is for the M6xx sized City Series pens. The M640s are a bit bigger than the M6xx with metal barrels and therefore are heavier than the M620s, and have more intricate designs. You get the idea.

M215 Rings and Orthogons (things I learn from the Pelikan’s Perch!), M620 Place de la Concorde, M640 Sahara, M750 Jubilee, M815 Metal Striped.

Size/Weight

The M2xx and M4xx are similarly sized and weigh about the same. Their main difference is in the nib (steel vs gold). The M600 is a bit larger and therefore a slight bit heavier. The M800 is a bit larger but feels a lot heavier (compared to the jump from M2xx/4xx to M6xx) because of the brass piston vs plastic in the smaller models.

Comparison with M2xx/4xx: Kaweco Sport, TWSBI Mini, Pilot Prera, M200 Golden Beryl, Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Pilot Metropolitan, Lamy AL-Star, M400 Blue Stripes, TWSBI Eco, Kaweco Student, Faber-Castell Grip.

Comparison with M6xx: Pilot Metropolitan, Lamy AL-Star, Sailor Pro Gear, M600 Red Tortoiseshell, TWSBI Eco, Platinum 3776, M620 Place de la Concorde, Pilot Custom Heritage 92, TWSBI 580.

Comparison with M8xx: Sailor Pro Gear, Leonardo Momento Zero, TWSBI 580, Pelikan M800 Burnt Orange, Gioia Partenope, Platinum 3776, Esterbrook Estie, Pelikan M815 Metal Stripes, Platinum President, Pilot 823, Visconti Homo Sapiens, Montblanc 146, Leonardo Momento Zero Grande.

Swapability

For the most part, you can swap the nib units between several of the models. Just carefully unscrew the nib unit from the pen barrel. For example, you can swap nibs between the M2xx and M4xx series as they are the same size pen and nib length. You can also put an M4xx nib unit into an M6xx nib - you can technically fit the M6xx nib onto one of the smaller pens, BUT there might not be enough room in the cap for the longer M6xx nib. The 600 nibs don’t fit in the 800/1000 bodies (and vice versa). I don’t know if the M8xx and M1xxx nibs are swappable or not (I don’t have one of the latter). For me, to keep things simple, I keep my nibs in the same “series” - so 200 nibs go in 200 bodies, 400 nibs in 400 bodies, etc.

Since the nib unit is easily unscrewed from the barrel, I unscrew it to gently syringe the barrel for cleaning - it gets a majority of the cleaning done. I will use the piston a few times to expel the water from the barrel. Then I will blast the nib unit with a bulb syringe until it runs clear before putting it back into the pen and then using the piston a final few times. Just be careful, as always, when unscrewing nib units, so you don’t damage the feed or cause any misalignment of the tines.

Writing Experience

Pelikan’s writing experience for their steel nibs is a bit different than their gold nibs. I have found their steel nibs to be pretty firm but some have experienced bouncy, almost borderline flexy nibs in their M2xx pens. The steel nib sizes are pretty consistent and what you would expect width-wise from a European nib. The gold nib sizes, however, are all over the place. You might get an EF that writes like a Medium or a Medium that writes like a Broad, while another Medium writes like a Fine. I think my M8xx pens are wetter than the others - probably because there’s just more ink in the barrel. I don’t have any M100x pens because their nibs are too long for me to use comfortably due to my steep writing angle, but they feel a bit squishier to me.

Both the steel and gold nibs write well, with the gold nibs writing more like butter. It is almost too smooth if you get a nib with some baby’s bottom. Most Pelikans write fairly wet, so drier inks are sometimes recommended if you don’t want a super broad line. Pelikan 4001 series inks were designed to be drier so that they’d work well in Pelikan pens. The Edelstein line is overall less dry than 4001. Some of the lighter chromashading inks can be dry, but they behave beautifully in my Pelikans.

I don’t have all the nib sizes for all the models but these are the fairly common ones, except for the factory Italic Broad, which you don’t see very often.

Where to buy

There are lots of places to buy a Pelikan, both new and second hand. To my knowledge, you’re not likely to find fake or clone Pelikans but you may get some frankenpens (nib doesn’t match the body/era, wrong colored cap) if you buy second-hand, especially with some of the vintage models. I have bought most of my Pelikans either from European vendors, where Pelikans tend to be cheaper, or from eBay, so it helps to pay close attention to the listing and pictures.

Alright, that’s my somewhat short primer on Pelikans - hope you found it useful. Now to get me and my flock ready for the Pelikan Hub tonight!

(Disclaimer: all pens pictured are mine. I received no compensation for mentioning or including them in this post.)

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