This is SUPERB WORK! Finally, a colleague gives useable solutions to users of F and EF nibs. THANK YOU! We need well-behaved inks with good saturation. This research is REMARKABLE!!! I am WOW-ed! 😮
Loved this! Great job, Cathy! Given that 85% of my pen collection is comprised of Japanese fine and Western extra fine nibs, it was great to see all these inks in one place. I truly appreciate you taking the time to put this together!
As someone with a "large" channel, I cannot give enough praise to your video. From its structure to the presentation, it is a superb example of why subscriber count does not indicate quality of content. Not only so, but your helpfulness was real-world and thus beyond that of the syndicated and well-known fountain pen channels/companies. Thank you so much, gadgetstop.
If you are interested in Purples, I strongly recommend Diamine Imperial Purple if you haven't tried it already. It is a beautiful color and I love it in my fine nibs!
If you want some real punch to your black ink collection, add Pelikan 4001 'Brilliant Black' - it has enough shading to outdo all the blacks featured here, Cathy; it is also incredibly inexpensive (which come in 30ml & 62.5ml, respectively), & is perfect for EF & F nibs; in a flex nib...well..it's outstanding. Of all the bottles of ink I possess, that is one of only three that are on permanent re-order from the stockists. Thank you for the overview :)
What a fantastic video! This is getting bookmarked for myself and to pass along anytime someone asks about inks for very fine nibs. The information here will be useful for years to come. Thank you so much for sharing! 🧡🖋
I appreciate your hard work and kind-thoughtfulness. This demonstration was very helpful. My own „go-to“ ink in a fine Japanischen nib is Iroshizuku AsaGao. Thank You again. Salomè (Live in Peace) und… Mögest Du in der Wahrheit und dem SEIN der Schöpfung leben.
Very fun to watch; lots of good info…what I liked about the last green ink-vinta-was the color itself; I like the greens that have more olive/brown tones; thanks!!
You're welcome, Huckleberry! The only green Iroshizuku ink that I have any experience with is Chiku-rin, and it's too light to be legible in an extra fine nib. However, I'm sure any of the darker green shades would perform just fine.
@@gadgetstop321 that's funny, I was actually thinking that you may have only had experience with Chiku-rin as I was writing and was like, that def wouldn't make any EF list! haha
+1 for the Oxford Blue. Even in extra fine nibs, even through it gets very dark, it is still identifiable as a blue unlike many blue blacks. It is my everyday dark blue in extra fine nibs.
Thanks Tim! Oxford Blue is one of my all-time favorite inks. It was only recently that I bought a bottle of black ink. Before that, Oxford Blue was my work ink. My fondness for EF and F nibs can be credited, in part, to Oxford Blue's good behavior.
Thank you so much for this! I was going to start searching for suitable inks for my EF. You saved me alot of time and effort. And a Merry Christmas to you and anyone watching this on Christmas day.
I have many of these inks, but almost no nibs (I prefer mediums, broads and stubs). It's interesting how the various tones are somewhat more exaggerated in wider nibs. For instance the purple-ish leaning in asa-gao. Thanks for video. It was useful for me, since I have so little experience with EF nibs.
Thank you for this video! I have a Pilot Kakuno with an EF nib, and I use Noodlers Borealis Black and Noodlers Lexington Grey exclusively in this pen because they spread so much in wider pens, but do really well in this nib. This was a fantastic video and I love the way you do your ink reviews.
Thank you for this. I'm considering switching to fountain pens, but the combination of extra flowy water-based inks and my small handwriting have been keeping me aprehensive. Seeing how different inks work with the same extra fine nib is very helpful.
I really enjoyed this so thank you! I already use a couple of these in my fine and extra fine pens (Aurora Black, Kon-Peki, and the Monteverde inks) and now I have a few more to consider.
You're welcome Susan! Oxford Blue and Sailor Jentle Black have always been my go-to inks for these types of nibs. I was surprised by how many of these inks were just as good or better.
This was great! Thinking about trying Lecoule but I hesitate since I love shading, sheen and shimmer inks. But with this list of yours I see what kind of inks I can use in a Lecoule. Thank you! 😇🩷🙏🙌
Just what the doctor ordered, thanks. Now I know why everybody loves Kon-Peki - it's gorgeous. Duh. This is effectively a list of the best wet inks, wouldn't you say?
It's not enough that the ink be wet. The low saturation inks that are so popular these days are usually scratchy and are to read in an EF nib. It think it takes a certain balance between wetness and saturation to to perform well in this type of nib. I'm still not good at predicting which inks will work best without actually testing them. Several of my favorite dark inks didn't make the list.
Thank you so much for your effort. I use a Platinum Bourgogne #3776 in UEF, with Mont Blanc Royal Blue. This combination gives me all the benefits of a Japanese Ultra Fine Nib minus the strong feedback. It almost feels effortless and buttery.
This was great. I have several Pilot 78g pens in EF. They are one of my all-time faves, so it was wonderful to see your ink pairing tests. TY so much, Cathy!
New to the channel. Great vid. LOVE extra fine fountain pens. My MB 149 and all my twsbi's have custom EF grinds similar to maybe a Japanese EF. EF is my fav. thanks !!~
I found this when I was looking for inks to use in an EF nib. So two and a half years later it is still relevant! Going with Asa-Gao as I have a bottle already. I susepect this video will be relevant for quite a while longer :) Thank you for a great video!😃
I used Vinta Malayan Apple “Markopa” 1938 in a Yiren EF nib because it matched the AB or rainbow nib so nicely. I used it for over a year, but I moved and unfortunately the pen ended up in storage. I finally found the same model again and am currently waiting on my order. So, I’m gonna try this color again in the Yiren fountain pen. The ink even sheened on the right paper when writing with an EF nib. I have some very nice fountain pens and yet I was crazy about my very inexpensive Yiren fountain pen. Hopefully this next batch (I ordered 10 of them cause I tend to give stuff away) will be up to par… I like the specificity of your review… Sorry, I’m a little late to the party. Lol…
Thanks for the video, I work in an office so I prefer F and EF nib for quick drying times. It's hard to find colours which I love that are still saturated when it comes out of those nibs.
This is an excellent video. Thank you for the time you put into your research. I journal everyday and go through a lot of paper. What would be a good inexpensive notebook sized paper?
Hai Cathy, what a great approach. I am not long into fountainpens and love writing with fine en extra fine nibs. Thanks for your tips. I live in the Netherlands so I am curious which inks I can buy here
very nice Cathy ..I like you to make the same but you write every ink with 3 sort nibs ( ext fine,fine,medium). In this way one can chose the ink which suite the nib. Thans very much.
super helpful! ive got lots of inks and usually prefer big juicy nibs, but the other day i got my first really fine point and was wondering what to try out with it. thanks!
Thank you. Older video, but I was looking specifically for this information. Have a new Sailor XF that is scratchy and very dry. Will try the Sailor Gentle black, and see if that writes better. The pen came with cartridges, but I don't know what the black ink is.
Thus was very helpful to this EF and F fan. I recently got a small bottle of Diamine Pansy and found it great in my finer nibs. Wet, smooth, and quite a bit of gold sheen even in a fine or EF nib! Diamond Monboddo's Hat is equally wet and smooth in them but no sheen. Both of these inks have been called good substitutes for Lamy Dark Lilac. I've also heard a mix of the two is even more like it. I like both inks in broader nibs too.
I've never tried them, but I like the look of both of those inks. I recently ordered a bunch of ink samples and noticed that I'm drawn to saturated purple inks. I'm curious to see if the purple inks that I ordered are as prone to bleeding through paper as the few purples that I've already tested.
The Monboddo's hat is more saturated but doesn't bleed on TRP or Midori or Rhoda, only papers I use, with F or EF nibs. The Pansy good saturation, but less, no problems whatsoever for me. Pansy is I believe only available from Cult Pens in UK but not pricey even with shipping and pretty quick too.
Thank you Joshua! Sometimes it seems like broad nibs get all the attention, but extra-fine nibs can be just as fun if they're paired with the right ink.
As a color nerd, I have to say that Noodler's seems to be my go-to for always interesting and unique colors. I forced myself to try Iroshizuku inks and I find them lacking in something; I give them a Larry David "eh."
I know what you mean Belinda. I think it's because Noodler's inks tend to be more concentrated so they are more opaque on the page than Iroshizuku ink.
I loved this video! I only use fine and extra fine nibs, so this video gave me some new ideas. I recently got Diamine Earl Grey which is a bit of a darker grey. So far I've only tried it in my stainless steel Pilot fine nib, but I think it will work really well with extra fine nibs too.
Diamine Macassar (nice neutral brown) works great in EF nibs, while Rome Burning makes every nib I use it with seem 2 sizes bigger. I wonder what the difference is between Sailor Jentle black and the regular Sailor Black in the square bottle. I have to use black ink only at work, and Sailor black is my favorite.
I've never heard of Diamine Macasszar. I'll have to check it out. I think Sailor Jentle Black might be the same ink that they sell as their regular black ink. I think it might also be the same ink that's in the cartridges that come with the pens.
This is incredibly helpful, thank you so much! Will you be doing similar videos for other nib sizes? I’m asking for a Pilot Metropolitan F for Christmas. Would these inks work well in it? I’d love to hear your favourites for the Metro if you have the time to share (or point me to a video where you discuss it. I’ve been working through all of your fountain pen videos.😊)
Hi Ellie! These inks would work great with the Metropolitan F. In fact, all of the steel nib Pilot pens that I use in my writing samples have the same style of nib as the Metropolitan. So when I'm using a Pilot Prera F or a Pilot 78G F, they will write the same as a Metropolitan F.
Utterly brilliant vid: right up my street! - given that I pretty much only use XF nibs, will take your suggestions of Aurora green and Aurora black and make recommendations of J Herbin Eclat de Saphir and Diamine Imperial Blue; also, Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun is a great grey:)
Lovely list of EF inks. I think I need to get Baystate Blue after a decade of avoiding it.... I also have Asagao in my collection that I should probably give a fresh chance to. I will say it you are looking for an EF red that doesnt trend pink or orange, the Australian brand Van Dieman's has one called Firetail Finch which I really love for its true redness in my EFs.
Lovely video! Just got my first Japanese fine nib and will have to try these that I own (and check out the Sailor Manyo line. I only have their jentle line (including some four seasons) and Bungubox inks.
Noodlers BsB. I was quite surprised by the slip even after a lot of good ink from Sailor - the pen just flies. But I don't like the fact that this ink is created in a pen (it's just like napalm) and quickly fades in the sun.
Some fountain pens come with converters that allow you to draw ink into the pen. However, you can also use a blunt tipped syringe to refill empty cartridges.
You need to try Noodler's Hunter Green Eternal. I accidentally bought a Kakuno with an EF nif that was so dry I could barely see the line, even with my wetter inks. I put Hunter Green Eternal in it, and it wrote like a wet fine nib. I can't even use Hunter Green Eternal in many of my pens because it comes out of the nib so fast I can't write well with it. But it's great for dry EF pens.
I bought a Sailor PGS in F nib as per your vid , and surprisingly you had published a video for a suitable ink... lol.. but I am using Waterman Serenity blue which is much better than basic pilot & lamy's blue ink offerings ,for now ;)
@@gadgetstop321 Got it in a brick & mortar store vs Platinum 3776 F It was much smoother than 3776 F .... It is a very good writing experience on wet / neutral wet inks , Flow is just perfection.. mine seems to have a smooth spot at the centre else gives a pleasant pencil like feedback when not in sweet spot... I am in love with Sailor now
Thanks for the list; I’ll be trying out a couple of those greens. Regarding Sailor Jentle Black, do you know if Sailor Basic Black is the same (or very similar) the Jentle? I missed out on Sailor Jentle Black, but have been fairly happy with a bottle of Sailor Basic Black. I just wanted to know if the two are essentially the same. Thanks again for the list.
Goldspot and Anderson Pens have a picture of Sailor Black but the title says Sailor Jentle Black. They are both dye based inks so I think they're the same.
I can understand that. When I first started using fountain pens, I had no interest in using black ink. But I've discovered that a nice black ink is quite satisfying to use in a very fine nib.
Excellent video. You must try Diamine Cool Green. As with all Diamine's it is wet, but it shades really well in my Pelikan M200 EF. I mean really well.
Great! I have a bit of a scratchy Decimo in EF I need a smooth but bold ink for, I'll try the sailor jentle black edit: apparently the jentle inks have been discontinued, hopefully 'Sailor black' is the same?
I was looking for a nice journal and discovered Goulet Pens. After watching some of their videos, I asked my dad if I could borrow some of his old pens, then I started buying my own.
I had a lot of different Rhodia / Clairefontaine papers and had a strong opinion - that this brand does not like thin nibs. It is heavily glued and resists the ink, making the thin line even thinner. My opinion - Rhodia for generous feed and Japanese nibss from MF.
I was wondering if anyone can recommend an extra fine nib that is REALLY extra fine - in a pen that doesn’t cost $300? Or am I going to have to spend more to get a truly EF nib? My priciest pen is a Twsbi Diamond EF, and to me, it writes like a 0.5.
Yep, your TWSBI uses a JoWo(German) nib which will put down quite a broad line try Diamine imperial blue: it will help that pen put down the finest line it’s capable of; as far as affordable Japanese EF’s go, try Pilot78g+: they will put down a nice fine line with pretty much any ink but avoid extra wet inks like Monteverde:)
I am getting a Diamine Majestic blue which some say it has a sheen to it when it dries, and will have it on my EF nib. If you do have the ink, can I please know how it writes?
I've never used Majestic Blue, but it looks like a more saturated version of Oxford Blue. If your pen is a Japanese EF then I'm not sure how Majestic Blue will perform, but most other EF nibs should work well.
It's pronounced "Soo-me-ray", not "Soo-meer". Great video otherwise and as a fine nib lover you gave me a tone of great info on what I should be looking into!
Hi, i write small, hence EF to F nib are the best nibs for me, but whatever ink I use in my Lamy 14K EF nib creates an inconsistent shading. Is this normal? I also use the same ink in my Montblanc F and Visconti F, the results in both pens are consistent, i get a good consistent shading.
I've never used a Lamy 2000, but I do have a Lamy Studio with a 14k EF nib. I think the nibs in those two pens are basically the same except that since the Lamy 2000 nib is hooded it's not as springy as the regular one. My regular nib is a nice wet writer.
@@gadgetstop321 i don’t have Lamy 2000. I use my Lamy Z55 EF on my Vista currently. But doh....it creates different shading. For example: Toffee Brown ink using that FP gets other result than if I use other FP with the same ink
@@gadgetstop321 that might be the case, yes. I just realised this. Or I don’t know how to use it. The point of the nib looks so different that other nibs
@@FreyaVal I've noticed that the tipping on my Lamy 14k EF nib is not round. It looks almost like an architect grid - it makes narrow down strokes and wider side strokes. But unlike many architect nibs, my nib is very smooth.
Argh. It's not Sailor Su-meer. It's su-mi-reh. If you want to hear how it's pronounced, try this video clip from a Japanese show with a character who has the name Sumire: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vTv3aYDdV0A.html
