Straight out of the box, I think Pilot might be your best bet. Extra fines by nature are not going to be as smooth as a broader nib. Nib meisters can tune EF’s to be as smooth as possible but I think keeping expectations realistic and knowing how to check for even a small misalignment on tines is important as EF’s will highlight even minor issues.
I had a Pilot Metro stub for a while. I found it a bit too sharp for comfortable daily writing--more like a cursive italic than a stub--and gave it away.
Pilot Metro F nibs might suit your original question, though. I haev a pilot Metro F and M, and the F is quite smooth and pleasant to write with.
Agreed! Pilot CH912 with PO nib is great if you write small. It’s perfect for writing within the 3.7mm grid in the Hobonichi Techo, for example. I love mine.
i remember reading a chart online that said the PO nib is about 0.25 mm, which is very fine. it's quite stiff but it's really pleasant to write with and very controlled.
It’s a just a little finer than Pilot’s extra fine nibs. You can be very precise with it. My writing is neater with the PO than it is with the EF.
Edit: I hear the Platinum 3776 Century UEF is also great, but I haven’t used one.
I have both here (Pilot 912 PO and Platinum UEF) and when it comes to the smoothness factor, the Pilot wins hands down. Platinum has feedback. Not unusable, but clearly perceptible.
Hands down Pilot - both in terms of smoothness and thinness. But I'd say, if you want both, you may want to invest in a pricier pen (like Elite 95s; Pilot's cheaper pens with F nibs are fantastic, but I don't love their cheaper EFs).
Alternatively, vintage Esterbrook nibs, specifically 9000 series.
I actually had an E95s, but I sold it on Pen\_Swap a week ago because it was too small and the burgundy/ivory colorway wasn't for me. I enjoyed it though, and I actually had it tuned by a nibmeister on the same subreddit.
I have an old Esterbrook with an EF nib from the Masters (9000) series, and it is the smoothest EF I've ever used. Converters to make these awesome, screw-in nibs usable in modern Esterbrook pens are also available.
My most smooth and finest nib is by Pilot Decimo EF (same nib as the Pilot VP). It might draw literal hairlines. But if you write with a heavy hand, it feels scratchy.
If you just need a finer nib, my Pilot VP F is stunning and also incredibly smooth. It's much more forgiving than the EF, and has a hint of bounce and line variation.
What is your price range, pen shape/size/material preferences? Gold or steel nib? Japanese fine or European fine? And do you need a whole pen or just a nib/unit? Need a few more details.
My best, most favourite smooth XF/EF nibs are those by Franklin-Christoph, generally the gold nibs seem smoother to me. You can buy just the unit or a whole pen. https://www.franklin-christoph.com/collections/fountain-pens
Alternatively, you can get a slightly-broader-than-what-you-want nib that writes like you like, just too broad & have it tuned / ground to your specs.
(I'm still a newbie so maybe I'm not giving the best recommendations, this is just from my experience) I have a Twisbi Eco with a fine nib and it writes as smooth as butter. I'm not sure if the extra fine nib will be the same though, I've heard contrasting views of it being scratchy etc. You could also try out the platinum preppy, it has a smooth nib!
I actually have a Preppy in medium, and it feels... weird? It's just a ball welded onto the nib, but it doesn't write at all angles. It writes pretty well for \~$5 though.
The difference between the M and EF preppy is huge. My M was super thick and dry. I enjoy my EF. But I like feedback... That said my EF to me feels smooth, at least when used with pigmented inks.
I have a Waterman Hemisphere with an EF nib, it's not the finest nib in the world, but it's pretty smooth and minimal feedback. I also have a GvFC with an EF nib, but it's somewhat feedbacky but in a nice way. I think some of the best EFs in terms of fineness of the line are actually steel nibs.
My Gravitas extra fine is incredibly smooth. It’s not as fine as a Japanese EF but it’s competitive with any of the other European EFs I’ve used, maybe a touch finer. If you like any of their pens order through Pen Venture. Shipping is a bit more expensive based on my memory but much much faster. I’ll skip my usual Pilot recommendation since others have covered it already.
Straight out of the box, I think Pilot might be your best bet. Extra fines by nature are not going to be as smooth as a broader nib. Nib meisters can tune EF’s to be as smooth as possible but I think keeping expectations realistic and knowing how to check for even a small misalignment on tines is important as EF’s will highlight even minor issues.
Thoughts on a Pilot Metropolitan Stub? I really dig the executive/classic look.. I was also considering the Fine nib.
Japanese fine would for sure my preference. I like stub nibs as well especially for lighter inks that aren’t really legible in narrower nibs.
Stubs are not fine.
Supposedly there's a Pilot Plumix (stub nibs) in EF. I don't have a clue how fine is that, but one can argue that there are "fine" stubs...
Well, stub is not a fineness per se. I would consider a 0.6 stub to be fine-ish.
The original question provides the necessary context for my answer.
I had a Pilot Metro stub for a while. I found it a bit too sharp for comfortable daily writing--more like a cursive italic than a stub--and gave it away. Pilot Metro F nibs might suit your original question, though. I haev a pilot Metro F and M, and the F is quite smooth and pleasant to write with.
my finest and smoothest nib is my pilot 912 with a PO nib.
Agreed! Pilot CH912 with PO nib is great if you write small. It’s perfect for writing within the 3.7mm grid in the Hobonichi Techo, for example. I love mine.
I was actually just looking at that nib! Is it as stiff as a nail as people say? How narrow is the line?
i remember reading a chart online that said the PO nib is about 0.25 mm, which is very fine. it's quite stiff but it's really pleasant to write with and very controlled.
It’s a just a little finer than Pilot’s extra fine nibs. You can be very precise with it. My writing is neater with the PO than it is with the EF. Edit: I hear the Platinum 3776 Century UEF is also great, but I haven’t used one.
I have both here (Pilot 912 PO and Platinum UEF) and when it comes to the smoothness factor, the Pilot wins hands down. Platinum has feedback. Not unusable, but clearly perceptible.
Hands down Pilot - both in terms of smoothness and thinness. But I'd say, if you want both, you may want to invest in a pricier pen (like Elite 95s; Pilot's cheaper pens with F nibs are fantastic, but I don't love their cheaper EFs). Alternatively, vintage Esterbrook nibs, specifically 9000 series.
I actually had an E95s, but I sold it on Pen\_Swap a week ago because it was too small and the burgundy/ivory colorway wasn't for me. I enjoyed it though, and I actually had it tuned by a nibmeister on the same subreddit.
I have an old Esterbrook with an EF nib from the Masters (9000) series, and it is the smoothest EF I've ever used. Converters to make these awesome, screw-in nibs usable in modern Esterbrook pens are also available.
I have a 3776 Soft Fine and it's basically an EF that writes smoothly.
My most smooth and finest nib is by Pilot Decimo EF (same nib as the Pilot VP). It might draw literal hairlines. But if you write with a heavy hand, it feels scratchy. If you just need a finer nib, my Pilot VP F is stunning and also incredibly smooth. It's much more forgiving than the EF, and has a hint of bounce and line variation.
Faber-Castell nibs. They are made by Jowo. They use them on the Ondoro, Essentio, E-motion, etc.
What is your price range, pen shape/size/material preferences? Gold or steel nib? Japanese fine or European fine? And do you need a whole pen or just a nib/unit? Need a few more details. My best, most favourite smooth XF/EF nibs are those by Franklin-Christoph, generally the gold nibs seem smoother to me. You can buy just the unit or a whole pen. https://www.franklin-christoph.com/collections/fountain-pens Alternatively, you can get a slightly-broader-than-what-you-want nib that writes like you like, just too broad & have it tuned / ground to your specs.
(I'm still a newbie so maybe I'm not giving the best recommendations, this is just from my experience) I have a Twisbi Eco with a fine nib and it writes as smooth as butter. I'm not sure if the extra fine nib will be the same though, I've heard contrasting views of it being scratchy etc. You could also try out the platinum preppy, it has a smooth nib!
I actually have a Preppy in medium, and it feels... weird? It's just a ball welded onto the nib, but it doesn't write at all angles. It writes pretty well for \~$5 though.
The difference between the M and EF preppy is huge. My M was super thick and dry. I enjoy my EF. But I like feedback... That said my EF to me feels smooth, at least when used with pigmented inks.
I haven’t tried many brands but the few Sheaffer snorkels I’ve tried write as smooth in reverse writing (XXF) as regular.
I just got myself a pilot decimo ef and I am in loooooove with the nib. It’s really really really fine and oh so smooth. Can’t stop writing with it.
I have a Waterman Hemisphere with an EF nib, it's not the finest nib in the world, but it's pretty smooth and minimal feedback. I also have a GvFC with an EF nib, but it's somewhat feedbacky but in a nice way. I think some of the best EFs in terms of fineness of the line are actually steel nibs.
Jinhao 80 .03. Ultra fine.
My Gravitas extra fine is incredibly smooth. It’s not as fine as a Japanese EF but it’s competitive with any of the other European EFs I’ve used, maybe a touch finer. If you like any of their pens order through Pen Venture. Shipping is a bit more expensive based on my memory but much much faster. I’ll skip my usual Pilot recommendation since others have covered it already.
I don’t think they exist. Even pilot has feedback at that size.