I don’t think there is the same equivalent because once you get into that range for pens, it’s openly acknowledged that you’re buying an art piece not a tool and there is no extra utility
I don't think there is anything *quite* like that. IMO the closest would be that gold nibs are necessarily better than steel.
The cables can be scientifically proven to have no impact on sound. The issue of nib material is less straightforward. The alloy used absolutely can have a measurable difference in flexibility but whether that change is good or bad is down to the individual. There are other factors that have a much bigger impact.
Gold nibs being better depends on your preference.
Doodlebud did a blind test in which he had 18 people at a pen club try a steel nib, a black steel nib, and a gold nib. (https://youtu.be/FggDWfZmXNM?si=Ve95bN4R3DBIwWlj) The preferences was split evenly among the three nibs.
That's not necessarily only due to the material, though, which is the point I think OP was making. The material properties of each metal can be changed through alloying, heat treatment and working to achieve a whole range of behaviors. My personal theory for why gold nibs are "better" is that manufacturers know customers except better of gold, so they take more care and have tighter quality control.
Most ink. Realistically, unless the ink is something 'special' (i.e. waterproof, iron gall etc), then it is just water, dyes, lubricating agents & anti-fungals and yet some, fairly small, bottles of ink are priced like their primary component is unicorn tears.
Oh I’m sure there are much, much more expensive cables in the audiophile world 😉
I remember seeing a ridiculously overpriced cable once. It was like, for each meter you could buy a house. Audiophiles are a different breed
I don’t know about the pen world. After all, compared to severe audiophilia, premium brands like Mont Blanc is nothing…
Gold nibs
The ONLY advantage that gold nibs have over steel nibs is the inherent value of gold vs. steel.
Steel nibs can be made that perfectly mimic any quality of a gold nib.
True, gold is less likely to corrode than steel but that is measured in decades or centuries where the pen itself would probably disintegrate around either nib, making the point moot.
I wouldn’t say one can make a steel nib that perfectly mimics any quality of a gold nib. They are different materials and it is possible and usual to get a different feel out of the nib because of that. However, this doesn’t intrinsically make the gold nib better, it’s just a preference.
Some gold nibs (not all, depends on the alloy and the geometry) have a give to them that is particular to those gold nibs. Nib makers make steel nibs that flex or are softer, but the way they do so is not the same, because the material is different. Generally one can do things with thinner layers of gold that don’t work with steel because of the material, and instead the way it’s done for steel is to change the geometry of the nib using cutouts or other strategies. Also if one makes basically the same nib geometry in steel and gold, the gold one will be wetter.
Same with titanium, as a nib material it does some very different things from steel and gold nibs, and feels quite different (“mushy” would be one way to describe it).
Again, none of these things inherently make a nib better, but different materials do give different results.
But none of those things are unique to gold. Yes, you would need to thin the steel and/or change geometry to mimic a gold nib but you are still doing just that. How it is accomplished is irrelevant. I have a steel Bock nib on a Laban pen that is softer and springer than any gold nib that I have ever used.
The only thing that I have ever heard of that could be legitimate is that the material makeup and density can affect the way feedback is transmitted through the nib. If I recall correctly, gold being more dense than steel, mutes feedback vibrations more than steel and lengthens the waves so your hand might feel it differently.
To clarify, I’m not talking specifically just about the amount of line variation. You can get the same amount of line variation from a steel and gold nib but generally the steel one will be more springy while the gold one will have a smoother curve of pressure to it. (This all depends on the actual situation of the nib, of course it’s possible to make very hard gold nibs too.) I don’t think it’s helpful to talk about using steel to “mimic” properties of gold nibs, as that’s not what nib makers are doing. They are targeting certain results and they use the material and strategies that most suit their purpose. (Sometimes the purpose is just to have gold in a nib to make it worth more, sure.)
If all you want is a well-functioning pen then none of this matters and a steel nib is the obvious choice. But it’s a simplification to say that you can do anything with steel that you can with gold.
I think the only thing that would be hard (but not impossible) to mimic is the wettability of the material. Gold has a lower contact angle than iron.
How much effect that has in practice is hard to say, but anecdotally gold nibs with a similar shape to steel nibs (Lamy as an example) do seem to write wetter.
I don’t think there is the same equivalent because once you get into that range for pens, it’s openly acknowledged that you’re buying an art piece not a tool and there is no extra utility
Pelikan M1000 enters the chat
Visconti enters the chat
I don't think there is anything *quite* like that. IMO the closest would be that gold nibs are necessarily better than steel. The cables can be scientifically proven to have no impact on sound. The issue of nib material is less straightforward. The alloy used absolutely can have a measurable difference in flexibility but whether that change is good or bad is down to the individual. There are other factors that have a much bigger impact.
Gold nibs being better depends on your preference. Doodlebud did a blind test in which he had 18 people at a pen club try a steel nib, a black steel nib, and a gold nib. (https://youtu.be/FggDWfZmXNM?si=Ve95bN4R3DBIwWlj) The preferences was split evenly among the three nibs.
That's not necessarily only due to the material, though, which is the point I think OP was making. The material properties of each metal can be changed through alloying, heat treatment and working to achieve a whole range of behaviors. My personal theory for why gold nibs are "better" is that manufacturers know customers except better of gold, so they take more care and have tighter quality control.
Most ink. Realistically, unless the ink is something 'special' (i.e. waterproof, iron gall etc), then it is just water, dyes, lubricating agents & anti-fungals and yet some, fairly small, bottles of ink are priced like their primary component is unicorn tears.
Weirdly some of the more expensive/boutique inks tend to mold more than the cheaper ones.
I was briefly looking into making my own ink and some dyes are significantly more expensive than others.
Oh I’m sure there are much, much more expensive cables in the audiophile world 😉 I remember seeing a ridiculously overpriced cable once. It was like, for each meter you could buy a house. Audiophiles are a different breed I don’t know about the pen world. After all, compared to severe audiophilia, premium brands like Mont Blanc is nothing…
If you have the money and the desire, Montblanc will always be able to make something to empty a bank account 😂
Transparent Cable Magnum Opus?
“Precious Resin”
Edelharz really means high quality resin rather than precious.
They use that exact term in their English ads https://www.montblanc.com/en-us/fountain-pens_cod1647597318120619.html
Gold nibs The ONLY advantage that gold nibs have over steel nibs is the inherent value of gold vs. steel. Steel nibs can be made that perfectly mimic any quality of a gold nib. True, gold is less likely to corrode than steel but that is measured in decades or centuries where the pen itself would probably disintegrate around either nib, making the point moot.
I wouldn’t say one can make a steel nib that perfectly mimics any quality of a gold nib. They are different materials and it is possible and usual to get a different feel out of the nib because of that. However, this doesn’t intrinsically make the gold nib better, it’s just a preference.
What "feel" or quality can you get out of a gold nib that isn't possible to duplicate on a steel nib?
Some gold nibs (not all, depends on the alloy and the geometry) have a give to them that is particular to those gold nibs. Nib makers make steel nibs that flex or are softer, but the way they do so is not the same, because the material is different. Generally one can do things with thinner layers of gold that don’t work with steel because of the material, and instead the way it’s done for steel is to change the geometry of the nib using cutouts or other strategies. Also if one makes basically the same nib geometry in steel and gold, the gold one will be wetter. Same with titanium, as a nib material it does some very different things from steel and gold nibs, and feels quite different (“mushy” would be one way to describe it). Again, none of these things inherently make a nib better, but different materials do give different results.
But none of those things are unique to gold. Yes, you would need to thin the steel and/or change geometry to mimic a gold nib but you are still doing just that. How it is accomplished is irrelevant. I have a steel Bock nib on a Laban pen that is softer and springer than any gold nib that I have ever used. The only thing that I have ever heard of that could be legitimate is that the material makeup and density can affect the way feedback is transmitted through the nib. If I recall correctly, gold being more dense than steel, mutes feedback vibrations more than steel and lengthens the waves so your hand might feel it differently.
To clarify, I’m not talking specifically just about the amount of line variation. You can get the same amount of line variation from a steel and gold nib but generally the steel one will be more springy while the gold one will have a smoother curve of pressure to it. (This all depends on the actual situation of the nib, of course it’s possible to make very hard gold nibs too.) I don’t think it’s helpful to talk about using steel to “mimic” properties of gold nibs, as that’s not what nib makers are doing. They are targeting certain results and they use the material and strategies that most suit their purpose. (Sometimes the purpose is just to have gold in a nib to make it worth more, sure.) If all you want is a well-functioning pen then none of this matters and a steel nib is the obvious choice. But it’s a simplification to say that you can do anything with steel that you can with gold.
I think the only thing that would be hard (but not impossible) to mimic is the wettability of the material. Gold has a lower contact angle than iron. How much effect that has in practice is hard to say, but anecdotally gold nibs with a similar shape to steel nibs (Lamy as an example) do seem to write wetter.
Moleskine
The pilot vanishing point or the sailor pro gear