Are gold nibs better than steel?

This is a question that gets asked a lot in the fountain pen world and I’ve given it some thought and seen a few really good explanations, so I thought I’d summarise them here. 

Some background

Gold nibs come at a real premium and a basic 14k gold-nibbed pen, like a Pilot Custom 74, will come in at just under £140 (Amazon) while you can get a similar steel one for £10, so why pay the extra? I mean, those gold nibs must give you something really much better than steel for people to pay the extra, right? 

I’ve heard many people claim that gold is “softer” and so it gives a “smoother” writing experience – but is that actually true? Certainly you might think so because gold is a “soft” metal and it sounds fair for it to make a smoother nib … but, hang on, nibs have tipping (a harder metal) that actually contacts with the paper, not the gold. In fact yes, both steel and gold never actually touch the paper because all nibs are tipped with iridium and other very hard alloys. 

Yes, but what about the natural “flex” and “softness” of gold – doesn’t it make the nibs more springy? Well, yes and no. The FPR UltraFlex nib is one of the most popular flexible nibs and it’s made of steel so it shows that steel nibs can be incredibly flexible while many gold nibs are as hard as nails. So it can’t be that. 

So what else could matter? Gold has inherrent value of course, by the gram. It looks really pretty and doesn’t corrode too. It’s true that back when fountain pens were at their hay-day gold nibs were actually used because they didn’t corrode like the early, uncoated steel nibs often did. A fountain pen was also considered an essential item of jewellery like a good watch, so the carrier would be showing off their status with a gold nib that didn’t corrode and let them down. 

So, let’s look at the facts

So, it isn’t writing smoothness … and it isn’t softness/flex … it might be because it’s pretty but, really? Is that all? Well, yes … and no. So here is what I think: 

  1. Cheaper pens will always have steel nibs because steel is cheap and on the flipside gold nibs cost more and so manufacturers tend to fit them to their higher-end products to justify the higher price which also corresponds to higher quality materials, more attention to quality control and better presentation. You often can’t get steel nibs on pen models that also have gold but it is possible with some manufacturers.
  2. Most manufacturers tend to make harder nibs on entry-level pens because they are easier for beginners to write with – they mimic the hardness of common ballpoint and gel pens. Softness and flex are desirable though if you are an accomplished fountain pen user and you want your writing to have a certain pizazz but these nibs are harder to write with. But enthusiasts and committed fountain pen users are likely to want to have softer/flexible nibs and they will pay a premium for something special. 
  3. The smoothness of a nib is harder to explain because many very cheap pens write beautifully – but they can also be a bit rough because the quality control on them is minimal. However, higher end pens are much more reliably smooth and are renouned for being good writers. But that could be just because the nibs are finished to a higher standard by a highly qualified nib master in the factory. But you only get that kind of attention to detail if you pay a bit extra.  

Conclusions

So should you pay extra for gold? Here are some things to consider if you are looking at a gold-nibbed pen:

  1. Smoothness: Does the manufacturer also offer a steel nib?
    1. If they do then the steel nib will probably be as smooth a writer as the gold ones. The only exception would be if the maker of the gold nibs finishes them to a higher standard, and that can only be judged if you try them both side by side. 
    2. If they don’t then you should just buy the pen if you really like it. 
  2. Softness/spring or flex: This is going to be harder to judge remotely so it’s best to try one of their steel nibs and a comparable gold nib on the same pen and see if you can feel any difference because it will just depend on the way the nibs were made, not the metal type. 
  3. Prestige: If you want the luxury then you’ve already made the choice – get gold. 

So, I hope that’s made your task easier and you better understand the differences.

My own view

I have 2 strategies depending on whether I’m buying a new pen or a vintage one:

  • New: here I just choose the pen I like the look of and if it has a choice between steel or gold then I choose steel because I don’t want to pay the premium for gold. I just work on the principle that there’s very little difference in the writing experience between steel & gold and that’s mainly what I’m interested in.
  • Vintage: here I tend to buy gold nibbed ones because I know the nib won’t have any corrosion problems and the price has usually depreciated massively and is less dependent on the gold nib. 

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