Nib Width Comparison with 47 Pens: From Extra Fine To 1.1mm Stub 

Seems like a huge amount of work to make this video. Much appreciated. Also: 47 pens in one video, I suddenly don't feel *that* bad anymore about the amount of pens I have hoarded over the years :-)

wow amazing work! Being a scientist/engineer and a beginner to the fountain pen world, one annoying thing to me is the inconsistency of actual nib size across all different manufacturers. This video is indeed a good reference for my next purchase!

As others have commented, the most frustrating thing is inconsistency within one brand. I had a bunch of entry-level Pilots, which ran rather narrow as expected. But when I took the plunge and got a Custom 74, it was super wide for a Japanese M and extra juicy. It shouldn't be rocket science to make sure their nibs are the same widths at least within the same brand.

I understand the frustration of having inconsistency in nib sizes but nib making is as much art as it is science. So I am perfectly ok with companies having their own nib sized if they provide adequate writing samples of the pen.

This is incredibly valuable and serves a totally different purpose than the nib nook and other resources. Thank you so much!

I appreciate the work that you did regarding nib sizes. It makes you wonder when is a fine a fine and a medium a medium. I wonder if the fountain pen companies will listen. It would be nice to have an international standard. Thank you, DoodleBud.

This was an amazing video! Thank you so much for going through all of the extra work. This is truly a labor of love.

Great job. Wonderful work for a comparison. Truly a 'Doodlebud' way. Keep it up.

Great work, my friend. This will be a reference video that will get much use from our community. I believe I speak for all of us , that we appreciate your taking the mega time and effort to make these comparisons. Carry on!

Beast mode engaged on this one! Thanks for all the work!

I really appreciate your time and effort Doodlebud. I hope you have a lovely day.

Much appreciated for all the work Doodlebud!

That's dedication! Thank you. Nobody, well, nobody else is willing to put numbers on the letter designations because they're open to interpretation. Even though your results came down to ranges with some overlap, it's still helpful! Hope you caught up on your sleep...

I subscribed in appreciation for all the work you did in this video. Thank you! My Kaweco 1.1 mm stub is VERY wide. I was surprised to see that you got a 0.6 mm downstroke from your Kaweco stub.

Hey Doodles, thanks a bunch for the fine work you do. Just an aside - the video title should probably read 'Nib Width Comparison' and not 'Nib Size Comparison' to avoid confusion for those just joining the hobby. Cheers!

I think there are two main issues with nib grades these days. Ever since manufacturers stopped making double broads(and triple broads for that matter), it seems like broads and mediums have become thinner and thinner because there is no longer any reference for the maximum nib width they can achieve with a blob of tipping. Second is that only the Japanese manufacturers actually make extra fines these days, unless you get a unicorn from a Western manufacturer. Both of these points combined have caused the grades to become smooshed together to the point where it's simply impossible to grind thousands of them within the allotted margins for each grade. And then there's the simple fact that ink flow massively influences line width in extra fine and fine nibs... which is why 80% of manufacturers need to pay more attention to tine gap consistency. The solution? Widen the gap again and tell customers to go to a nib meister if 0.1mm is really that noticeable to them. I think if you're that picky, it's normal that you would have it tailored to your needs by a professional, much like a suit.

Thank you so much for this video, a few days ago I ordered my first Jowo #6 Architect Broad and Jowo #6 Left Oblique grinds. Looking forward to these custom nib grinds. Currently using Fine, Medium and Stub nibs on my pens. Awesome Video!!🖋👍👍

This was GREAT!!!! I can only imagine how many hours you put into this. There should be a way to sticky this for anyone that browses fountain pens. There is just so much useful comparison going on here.

Thank you for all your work on this. I am considering a Nahvalur and you have saved me some heartache as I now know to go with a finer nib. Thank you

Truly appreciate your efforts because this is one of the most bewildering aspects of acquiring fountain pens.Thank you ever so much!

Very helpful, DB. Appreciate your precision. More effort, certainly, but more useful. Anyone can eyeball, but DB measures. Bravo! This vid should be standard reference for the community.

WOW...... Massive amount of work. Thank you for such a detailed information video!

Hi. Jim from Madrid, Spain (a New Yorker living abroad!). All I can say is... WOW! THANK YOU for sharing all of your Fountain Pens (or those chosen by you) for this review... Very helpful to have them all together, so thanks! Cheers from Sumny Spain! 😁😎👍

Great vid man. Very informative. I'll be using this as a selection guide in the future. Thanks for putting in the time and effort.

This is an excellent video. I keep sending people to your channel. Thank you all the time and effort you put into the making of this video.

Thank you so much. 😊 Now that I’m retired I have to spend my fun money only on pens that really call my name. So, I can’t buy different size nibs on the same model pen, but I want a specific size line. This video will be a great help since you are showing line widths of various brands all together. Extra fine, fine, stub and italic nibs are what most of my pens have. I’m looking forward to using some oblique nibs though. I like my handwriting to have some character when I write letters and thank you cards.

Thank you doesn’t seem enough. This is a great resource for the community. I’ve always thought my Narwhal fines laid down a more medium line. Wish they’d make an EF.

As a new fountain pen enthusiast, thank you for this informative video.

Thank you for spending the time to do this, really helpful.

Thanks. Very cool time spent. The results did confirm my anecdoctal thoughts.

Thank you very much for the video and the time you spent on it. A very useful video and I put it in a playlist for futur reference.

Great video super helpful. I was hoping someone would do a video like this.Thank you doodlebud.

Wow, tons of work, but super helpful. I just went through this mental process recently in choosing a nib tipping size for a Pilot E95s. Seems like from watching reviews the E95s is generally a wider / wetter line compared to other pilot nibs. Just another example of how there are lots of variations, even a variation within the same brand!

Thanks so much for doing this huge amount of work for us!

Oh this was useful and I am already subscribed, great job!

Thanks a lot. This is very helpful. Now I would definitely try a TWSBI 1.1 Stub nib. 😁

Thank you for doing all this work! This is very helpful. The one foolproof way to see if the nib is what you’re looking for is to actually test it on paper you typically use. But this is not an option if you are buying online, which is where this really comes in handy. When I look at nib comparison charts, I compare my line results to those on the chart (if I have one in my collection), to get an idea of how the chart compares to my results with the pen/nib. This lets me gauge how a particular nib might work for me if I can’t actually test the pen before buying it. When I think about it, the variables that might come into play would be: the ink used, the paper tested on, pressure applied when testing, variation within a nib brand and across their widths, variation between brands, how the pen is held (low to steep angle, is the pen held straight, canted to the right or left, etc.). The gadgets you used in your video would be very useful. Thanks again for sharing this with us. Appreciate all of your efforts!

As always great job DB! Very helpfull for buying next beautiful pens. Also great thanks for answering my mail about Pelikan 140.

A good rule of thumb with Parker nib sizes: compared to the more standard size of a Sheaffer's, they're more broad. Deliberately to have difference from Sheaffer, which was the #2 manufacturer pre WWII (Parker was #3 then.) And with the Sheaffer's Lifetime pens being lever fillers early on, Parker released their lowest end pens as lever fillers. Because "their highest priced pens are equal to our lowest price pens." And they keep doing it.

Awesome! Very excited for this. Nib lines/variation is very frustrating, as you said.

something else that may be helpful for newbies, is comparing these to like a standard bic ballpoint or pilot g-2 in the different sizes or something like that - some standard pens anyone can find anywhere for a frame of reference.

Yay! What an effort! Thank you very much!

Thanks! This was a lot of work, I'm already a subscriber. I almost feel guilty to wish you had done more on Italics. When I ordered nib grinding work, I can't really visualize the difference between EF, F, M, B and BB in Italics and Obliques.

Looking forward to your review of the microscope attachment, in particular what the image quality is like and your assessment of the actual magnification.

Love this measured comparison! You need a website to have this info out there. That's a lot of work!

Glad to see your collection ❤.

I absolutely love the way you store your pens! It looks like the real deal.

Very well done video! Utterly useful and informative and exciting to watch!

Very cool. I had no idea our eyes were that far off. I hope you and your family are doing well. Its spring here in Southern Missouri where I recently moved to, I hope spring comes to your home quickly!

Yeah, quite a bit of work but VERY appreciated! It's nice to see some validation for my experiences!

This is the kind of fiddling-detail content I'm here for. Also, the geek in me wonders if you chose 47 pens as a Star Trek reference...

Great video, man. Appreciate all the work. Good Job 👍

This would have been amazing to have when I was starting in the hobby! Hopefully this becomes really visible so that people can find it!

That’s a cool video. Good amount of work too. Some beautiful pens.

So much work!!! Much appreciated! The conclusions are very appreciated. I look at writing samples and see very little difference in some cases so the writing experience is the deciding factor. But, how do you get that without purchasing a bunch of pens. I love pens so, there you go. Thank you so much for the technical data. I’m a Tech-y girl so my impressions have been confirmed. ❤

My favourite nib is the pilot B stub nib on my Pilot 78g+ pen. Very hard to find now. I have ordered a Pilot Pluminix with the B stub nib to swap on to a Pilot Kakuno. Also on Mr Pen's UK website he lists about 25 different grinds available for his pens including for lefthanders.

I applaud your effort, sir. I've even mustered up the effort to login and subscribe, although I've watched all your great content for a good while longer (I'm usually not logged in).

I’ve had a fountain pen or two in the past but only for the novelty. Decided to start researching more and have had a hard time choosing between different brands and nib sizes. This is an AMAZING resource for everyone including a complete newbie like myself.

Very helpful. I feel that your brain must be exhausted from all of those precise measurements I hope you get more presents and presence.

You are so awesome! So much work.

So cool! 😎 With that calibration slide and all. I bought a Pelikan a few months ago. A fine. Should have bought an EF. This one writes like a medium.

A lot of work, but I appreciate that you did it. Cheers!

Bless you for all this work! This makes me insane bc I like mediums but clearly YMMV depending 😊

thank you for the testing.

Great video! Thank you for putting it together. I found the music a tad distracting during the voice over though.

I also gravitate toward F, but that's using standard paper. If I used paper like Rhodia, I might bump to M. That makes the purchase of an expensive pen complicated, should I change paper! And these days a Rhodia pad is almost 15$ (CAD) for a mere 80 sheets, so pass. Another measurement idea: Different papers, same pen. How much does thickness shrink or expand? One batch with a "very wet" ink, one batch "very dry".

This is super useful data. I was very excited when you said you were going to measure all the lines! Now that I know how thick western M nibs are, "doodlebud style", l won't be afraid to order one!

Fantastic resource... Thank you ❤❤❤❤

Thank you for your hard work!

There is inconsistency in the nib sizes across brands but the most frustrating thing is when the same brand has inconsistency in their nib sizes. I have experienced it with lamy the most, i have two lamy 2000's one F and one medium both write exactly the same no difference at all. The least inconsistency in my experience has been with Japanese pens mainly Pilot which has been very consistent with all the pens i have from pilot. Just sharing my experience.

Doodlebud just made my day Because he did it the Doddlebud way! Man - that took a lot of work. Anytime, anything he does not shirk. So useful is all his stuff. Never will there be enough. Medium, architect, stub, and broad - Doodlebud is such a god. His videos will never flop So keep it up and never stop. Shower Doodlebud with lots of praise And do everything with Doodlebud ways!

Great work, thanks!

Thanks for putting in all that work!! Very helpful

This was really useful! thank you! I was looking for some fountain pen that can match the line produced by Dip Pen Nikko Maru pen!

Thanks a lot for this well made video containing so many useful informations about so many diferent pen brands and nibs. E.g., the Kiwi... Jumbo was something completly unknown to me. And I think now about to get an OBB #6 nib. Most probably I have to order it from an European/American dealer as I'm sure I won't find them on Aliexpress, which I use frequently as I'm living in Thailand and so far no extra customs were charged Which will happen as soon as a parcel from the western world arrives here.. Anyway, another big thank you for this timeconsuming work.

Your efforts were not done in vain, it is clear that all fountain pen enthusiasts will return to this video time and again to check if the pen they want to buy is really writing with its advertised nib width!

Your sacrifice is noted. Will there be a video of you cleaning the pens now? 😆 I like your calibration slide. Handy bit of kit.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that, it helps me a lot to choose my second pen ❤

The analytical side of my brain really enjoyed this video - I am definitely going to save it as a reference. Thanks for all your hard work! *subscribed*

Great video as always. Yes nib sizes are funny things to work out. It’s often pot luck unless like you, one takes a scientific approach. In my very limited experience the hardest pen to guess at is the original Parker 51. The medium can veer between fine to pretty much broad. No two nibs appear to be the same. Equally with its younger and brilliant sibling the Parker 17. Thank you Doodle Bud. You really help the FP community. D

Massive! What a reference encyclopedia. I know for a FACT That I wouldn't have anywhere near the patience, nor the consistency to do anything like this. Impressive obsession. 3 days?

Thanks for the hard work.

THANK YOU FOR THIS AMAZIN VIDEO!

3 days ...wow you the man! 👍

Brilliant idea for a video!

Incredible!!! Thank you thank you thank you

From my own experience, Jowo nibs run narrower than Bock. Also, I believe the Fuliwen is made by Asvine and yes the Fuliwen nibs run wide. I found the same with Nahvalur/Narwhal nibs. Very smooth (the recent releases) but wider than stated on the nib.

What a lot of work. Thanks. Our pen collections seem to be opposite, with, probably 95%+ of my pens M,B or Stub -- Maybe 40% M and B,, and 15% stub. I have also almost no F or EF, except for a few Chinese pens, which I have often worked on to make them much more juicy. But if everyone liked the exact same things, then the world would be much less interesting.

Since I’m already a subscriber, thought I’d help a little this way.

I am so glad that you have done this!! Thank you! I purchase based on multiple reviews and by pen material/colour afterwards. I don't have a pen club nearbye, and have a plan if I have the right wheelchair by the next Toronto, Canada Scriptus Pen Show God willing I will go and try all the makes, to know what I like. This is very very helpful! Thank you so so much!!

That's a beautiful pen collection! ❤

You always put a lot of work into your video but here you've gone the extra mile... Of maybe the extra millimetres. Wonderful as always. I have to say I had the same experience with my 18k capless nib where I ordered an F but it writes more like a pilot steel M especially with a wet ink. I wish I had gone for the ef instead. Pilot actually points out with their parallel nibs on the leaflet provided that there is a difference between the nib size and the mark it makes at 90° eg. 1.5mm nib gives you a 1.3mm line. I'd be curious to see how close platinums preppy measurements that they include align with the on paper measurements.

Thanks for all this! Also, thanks for the links to other resources. I try using a Binder chart, but it won't print out full size, so I always have errors. (Though, for brute comparisons, it works. :-) ) Again, thanks a lot!

Doodlebud. I just found you this week and I love your content. But I must know. The that XL syringe you had in the opening sequence, I must have it. Where did you get it? Again love you, love your content.

Great video !

i remember my shock when my majohn a1 wrote the roughly same width as my waterman allure fine, which i soon discovered wrote the same width as my parker urban medium, which wrote the same width as my nahvalur original plus! it was literally just wetness and line variation that set them apart

You sound like Ave! Awesome video!!

Thank you so much. I’m a MB fine guy but really want a Visconti Homosapien. From your research I think I’ll stay with a fine. Thanks again.

Damn, awesome video 👍

I just need to take a second to appreciate how succinct and concise your videos are. You don't spend 2/3 of the video fidgeting with boxes and I'm extremely grateful. Subbed.