I picked up five nibs at the 2021 DC Pen Show. Of those, one was a standard Jowo #6 with a horned skull engraved on it from Carolina Pen Co. While it’s a fun nib, since it doesn’t have any modifications beyond the engraving, I’m not including it in this review. But here’s a fun picture. 🙂
Cursive Italics
Before the DC Pen Show, I sent Damien of All in the Nib two #6 Jowos, one F, one M, to grind down to cursive italics. The plan was for me to pick them up at the show.
Thankfully, all went according to plan. Damien had my nibs ready for me, and I installed the M in my new Mythic Pens Aeschylus and the F in the Opus 88 Demonstrator that got left without a nib when I moved the Spencerian to my new Iron Feather Creative pen. They’re great nibs — a little different than whoever did the Sailor cursive italic I bought secondhand, but that may be the difference between gold and steel.
Damien’s M cursive italic is wet without being sloppy, and crisp without snagging paper. What I especially love is the large, flat surface on the reverse that’s perfect for underlines or coloring in areas.
The F cursive italic seems to be even wetter, showing some good shading. The flat surface on the reverse, however, is significantly drier than the medium. But, since this is hardly a nib made for reverse writing, I can’t complain. UPDATE: Turns out the angle for the F reverse is just lower than the angle for the M reverse. See the writing samples below. 🙂
Honestly, they’re both 10/10, would 100% recommend.
Spencerian
Back in the mists of time — maybe 4.5-5 years ago — I discovered the Zebra G dip nib. That was the start of my search for a similar-performing fountain pen nib.
I tried many over the years, but it wasn’t until the 2020 Baltimore Pen Show that I tried the Stylo Suite Spencerian nib that I found what I wanted. It was love at first flex. But, I’d already expended my budget.
“No problem,” I thought, “I’ll buy one at the 2020 DC Pen Show.” Humans make plans, and the gods laugh. *sigh*
But now, 1.5 years later (ish) I own one of Les’ Spencerian nibs. And it is EVERYTHING I wanted it to be. It’s perfection. The line variation is magnificent, going from hairline to about 1.5mm with ease. It’s also surprisingly smooth considering how fine the point is.
Even writing quickly, the nib keeps up, both without pressure and flexing some. Granted, it’s virtually impossible to flex much when writing at my normal speed, but take a look at the writing sample. I like it so much, I’d 100% buy another.
Extra Fine X Wing Harpoon
After writing with my Spencerian and fondling my ARTUS a bit on Pen Show Saturday evening, I decided I wanted a nib that was more special than the standard 14K it came with. So, I went back to Les, and re-tested his nibs.
The Extra Fine X Wing Harpoon was my favorite after the Spencerian. The line variation isn’t as impressive, but it’s still pretty good, ranging from about a Japanese EF to about 1.2mm with ease.
It’s a better nib for lighter colored inks, since it’s a bit wetter. The X Wing is capable of keeping up with fast writing, and more easily offers light flexing. It’s a tad softer than the Spencerian.
There is a teensy bit of feedback, but nothing uncomfortable, or anything close to what I’d consider scratchy.
Like the Spencerian, I think the X Wing is proof that Les is a genius. 10/10, would recommend to flex nib lovers.
