# Really good nibs???



## Dalepenkala (Jun 9, 2013)

Ok I am drawing from you fountain pen experts here!  I do make some of these pens but I'm not an expert on nibs!  
I have a retail customer that is in high end pens, and brief cases and I met with him to talk business.  He commented to me that he is more interested in my rollerballs because he doesn't like any of the nibs on the fountain pens I have.  I have pens with Haritance, bock, and the standard nibs that come on the Sceptre, deco, infinity etc...  The nibs in most cases are touched up by my father that has been polishing and reworking nibs his whole life.  The write wonderfully when he is done with them.

So I guess my question is what are the best nibs you can put on these pens?  He didn't even write with them so he doesn't even know how well these wrote.  I also commented to him I use bock nibs too.  He commented back to me that they are all in the same class of lower quality nibs.

Any opinions on this would be great as I'm considering this thread as an educational one for myself.

Also would like to apologize for my ignorance on this subject!

Thanks in advance!


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## mbroberg (Jun 9, 2013)

Daleandjen08 said:


> Ok I am drawing from you fountain pen experts here!  I do make some of these pens but I'm not an expert on nibs!
> I have a retail customer that is in high end pens, and brief cases and I met with him to talk business.  He commented to me that he is more interested in my rollerballs because he doesn't like any of the nibs on the fountain pens I have.  I have pens with Haritance, bock, and the standard nibs that come on the Sceptre, deco, infinity etc...  The nibs in most cases are touched up by my father that has been polishing and reworking nibs his whole life.  The write wonderfully when he is done with them.
> 
> So I guess my question is what are the best nibs you can put on these pens?  He didn't even write with them so he doesn't even know how well these wrote.  I also commented to him I use bock nibs too.  He commented back to me that they are all in the same class of lower quality nibs.
> ...



That he would dismiss our pens without even writing with them first tells me that the problem is with him, not your nibs.  Did he say what brand nib he preferred?


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## Dalepenkala (Jun 9, 2013)

mbroberg said:


> Daleandjen08 said:
> 
> 
> > Ok I am drawing from you fountain pen experts here!  I do make some of these pens but I'm not an expert on nibs!
> ...



Ya that's probably what bothered me the most is he didn't even try one.  

His comment was the manufacturers of the pens he sells (all the high end brands waterman,mont blanc,Visconti etc...) make there own nibs and that is what he wants.  He feels they are the best.  

He and I butted head on another thing but that'll have wait for another thread.  He is the customer so he is always right anyway!

Thanks!


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## avbill (Jun 9, 2013)

If he does not like bock nibs  when;  what nibs does he like to write with?


P.S.  if you are going to sale FTN pen  when start writing with them.  you will learn so much  just by doing this one simple thing. write with them.

I have a collection of seven - 1 for every day of the week.  whatever the color of the pen  is the color of the ink.  A have a sugilite trustone so the color ink is plum. I have a Red Jasper and the ink is Rouge Red.  you get the picture.  people look at the pen and the ink and ask where do you get that.  I give them my business card  if they are really interested they call and then i sell them   show and tell


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## Dalepenkala (Jun 9, 2013)

Thanks Bill!  I do write with them to do special things but its just not my type of pen. However I do agree with you on writing with them, you do learn as you write with them.

Thanks!


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## Akula (Jun 9, 2013)

Sounds like your Father is the expert in this case, why not just ask him?


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## OKLAHOMAN (Jun 9, 2013)

Just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. Bock makes most of the nibs for the pens he mentioned (His comment was the manufacturers of the pens he sells (all the high end  brands waterman,mont blanc,Visconti etc...) make there own nibs and  that is what he wants.  He feels they are the best.) and most high end do NOT make their own nibs, they are made either by Bock or JoWo . At one time I though of having Bock make my nibs with my own design same as Visconte, etc but then though wait a minute the end customer will not know it's a high end Bock nib with my name on it so I discarded that Idea. If he said Bock/JoWo (The Heritance was made by Jo/Wo) in the same catogory as the Asian nibs on the kits he really has no idea what he's talking about.
Here is a list of pen companies that use Bock nibs that I remember:
 Bock Makes nibs for:
DaniTrio
Pelikan
Bexley
Stipula 
OMAS
Visconti 
Delta
Laban
Montegrappa
Conway Stewart
Twsbi and many other have had their nibs made by Bock
Now these are just a small sampling of companies that have had their nibs made by Bock and over the years some of the big name pen manufacturers have switch between Bock and JoWo  many times and some even make some of their own but still use both Bock and JoWo


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## Ed McDonnell (Jun 9, 2013)

Sounds like this customer is more interested in acquiring status symbols than he is in acquiring fine writing instruments.  You have to decide if that is a market you want to try and satisfy.  If it is, then the question you need to be asking is "where can I buy status nibs" instead of "where can I buy the best nibs".

This isn't to say that "status" nibs won't be good nibs, it's just this particular customer may not be able to tell one way or the other.

You can check the websites for the pen companies that your customer likes.  See what they charge for replacement nibs and see what your customer thinks about using one of them.  You might have to buy the whole pen to get the nib.  Maybe your customer would like a Nagahara King Eagle nib.  If he's willing to pay........

Keep in mind that pen company lawyers and law enforcement may consider using a branded nib on your pen (with no branding of your own) as counterfeiting.  You could always salvage the nib / feed from a vintage pen from a company that no longer exists.

If this is a market segment you really want to serve, then maybe talk to somebody like edison or goulet and see what it would cost to get your own branded nibs (hint:  $$$$$).  These nibs won't be any different than the bock / jowo nibs you are probably already using, but they will look different with your brand and that may be enough for your customer.

Or, you could always just sell him rollerballs and save yourself a lot of headaches.

Ed


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## mbroberg (Jun 9, 2013)

Bock makes nibs for many of the high-end pen companies.

Our References » References » Peter Bock AG

There is a post on the Fountain Pen Network that indicates that MB makes their own nibs in-house.  Follow this thread down to post #13.

Montblanc Nibs - The Montblanc Forum - The Fountain Pen Network


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## Carl Fisher (Jun 9, 2013)

That peter-bock website doesn't seem to work.  I was really hoping to get a look at that.


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## mbroberg (Jun 9, 2013)

Carl Fisher said:


> That peter-bock website doesn't seem to work.  I was really hoping to get a look at that.




Hmmmmmmmmm,  works for me.


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## mbroberg (Jun 9, 2013)

Try this


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## Holz Mechaniker (Jun 9, 2013)

Daleandjen08 said:


> ... He is the customer so he is always right anyway!
> 
> Thanks!



MMMmmm  Yes and No.  You have the right to refuse business and say NO.  Just because your in the business commerce, doesn't mean you must give up your dignity.


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## tim self (Jun 9, 2013)

Thanks for the info. Great ammo for the naysayers!


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## Carl Fisher (Jun 9, 2013)

mbroberg said:


> Try this




Site is working now but thanks for the doc as well :biggrin:

Good information to have handy on show days.


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## Dalepenkala (Jun 9, 2013)

Holz Mechaniker said:


> Daleandjen08 said:
> 
> 
> > ... He is the customer so he is always right anyway!
> ...


 
Yes I understand that I was just saying I believe that the customer is always right even if they are not.
Personally like pretty all of you guys I don't believe everything this guys says.

Thanks!


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## Dalepenkala (Jun 9, 2013)

Thanks for all the info from all of you guys!  It just helps me to be reassured that even though he says these things about these nibs I don't think he's 100% right.


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## Dalepenkala (Jun 9, 2013)

Akula said:


> Sounds like your Father is the expert in this case, why not just ask him?


 
Hi Bill
I actually had my dad read this thread not to mention I told him what this guy said. Without going into everything he said I'll just some it up with his last comment to me. 

"Dale I don't care what kinda nib is on a fountain pen as long as it isn't damaged I can make all of them write extremely well" 

A bit about my father: He's been music teacher here at SVSU for 30yrs. He's not a computer kinda guy so a lot of music arrangements he would write himself and that is all he used was fountain pens. He used the fountain pens a lot because he made copies of the arrangements and the dark black ink in the fountain pens he uses had the best contrast for coping. He also likes that fact that he can flip the pen 180 deg's and he gets a finer line. That is what he uses to this day for his private students at his studio.

Thanks!


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