Someone please tell me that they are as good as the
writeup in Stylus this month.
Pete

. . .and I mean that in a good way .

As fondly as one might wish for a return to the days when nibs were not outsourced it is an inevitable feature of the modern pen landscape. Bock makes nibs to the specifications of the brand purchasing them and they write quite well. The ubiquity of Bock nibs may not make all that much difference to the end user as the writing experience is a complex equation involving nib width, grind, pen weight, ink viscosity and feed capacity, adjustment of nib to feed, weight, length and thickness of the pen, paper, etc. etc. etc.

Jack

feel and emotional attachment to a pen.
Thanks for your input jack. You shine as usual.
I was gifted with two vintage Parker pens back in
the late 1970's.
In keeping with my character, I gifted them away to
my first cousin who was left out of my Grandparent's
will. Then I gave the other to my best friend as
a gesture of thanks for helping me in ways un-imaginable.

Jack, please tell me if you can what is your most alltime
favorite pen that you ever owned, past or present.
Parker 51 ???
Thanks and Regards,
Pete

I find it sad to see so many brands that used to make great nibs with character decide to have Bock make nibs for them. Even if Bock makes the nibs to the companies specifications,I find that all the Bock nibs I have tried all felt the same way. Firm, smooth, with good flow, but no character. I haven't tried all that many Bock nibs, so it could just be my experience. I recently bought a Pelikan m605 since the Levenger's deal was too good to resist, but it only stayed with me for a few days. I just didn't like to write with it. The nib had no character. Sure it had steady flow and a good line but it was a rather emotionless writing experience.

Luckily, there are still a few brands that make their own nibs. The nibs I have tried from these companies all seem to have a unique character to them. Sailor nibs have an extremely soft and smooth feel to them. Aurora nibs are pleasantly toothy. Waterman nibs are smooth and as firm as nails.

My favorite way to get around buying outsourced nibs is to buy pens from the time when most companies made their own nibs. Vintage Parkers, Watermans, Sheaffers, Wahl/Eversharps, Conway Stewarts, and many others all have wonderful nibs with their own special traits.

Just as I find the movement of my Lange 1815 a lot nicer than the Valjoux 7750 in my Sinn 756, I find the unadorned nib of my Parker Challenger much nicer than the beautiful looking nib of the modern Pelikans. Vintage Pelikans are a different matter though...

Of course these are just my personal opinions and emotions. I have found that I mainly look at pens through my emotions since their main purpose is to make me happy. If you are happy with Bock nibs, you are in luck since they are in no short supply.
-Jesse

and they are quite wonderful.