The fifteen different 14k #15 nib sizes available for the Pilot Custom 743 and Custom 823 fountain pens offer a rich diversity of choices – whatever your writing style, there is a Pilot #15 nib that will more than meet your needs.
Quick Highlights At A Glance
Fine: best nib for smooth everyday writing and note-taking.
FA (Falcon): best nib (from any manufacturer) for our noted Flex and Super-Fine Super-Flex customizations
Broad: best choice for a nib highly suitable for regrind customizations while still remaining usable for everyday writing.
Coarse: Pilot’s broadest nib, the best choice for regrind customizations such as Architects Point, Cursive Italic, Stub, and Left Oblique.
Complete list follows below:
Extra Fine
Tipping Size: .2 mm
Description: Provides a very fine line for everyday writing. Choose the Regrind To Needlepoint customization if you would prefer an even finer tipping size.
Recommended Customizations: Needlepoint. Can technically be modified for Flex, but a Soft Fine or FA will yield better results.
Posting
Tipping Size: .2 mm
Description: Provides a very fine line – the unique shape to the tipping is meant to optimize this nib for rough or fragile paper.
Recommended Customizations: None – customizing this nib would alter its already unique characteristics.
Fine
Tipping Size: .3 mm
Description: Provides a fine but smooth line excellent for everyday writing and note-taking.
Recommended Customizations: None recommended. The Soft Fine and FA nibs will be better for Flex, and broader nibs better for regrind customizations.
Soft Fine
Tipping Size: .3 mm
Description: Provides a fine line with modest line-width variation. Less smooth than a standard Fine nib.
Recommended Customizations: One of the best nibs for our Flex and Super-Fine Super-Flex customizations – only the FA nib offers more potential for adding additional flex.
Fine Medium
Tipping Size: .35 mm
Description: Provides a fine medium line excellent for everyday writing and note-taking.
Recommended Customizations: None recommended. The Soft Fine Medium will be better for Flex, and broader nibs better for regrind customizations.
Soft Fine Medium
Tipping Size: .35 mm
Description: Provides a fine medium line with modest line-width variation. Less smooth than a standard Fine Medium nib.
Recommended Customizations: Highly suitable for Flex – but the FA nib is an even better choice for Flex customizations.
FA (Falcon)
Tipping Size: .35 mm
Description: Provides a fine line with good line-width variation. Much less smooth than a standard Fine nib. Not to be confused with the hooded nibs provided for the smaller Pilot Falcon and Pilot Metal Falcon pens.
Recommended Customizations: This notched 14k nib is by far the best choice for our noted Flex and Super-Fine Super-Flex customizations.
Medium
Tipping Size: .4 mm
Description: Provides a consistent medium line excellent for very smooth everyday writing and note-taking.
Recommended Customizations: This is the finest nib size we can recommend for regrind customizations such as Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique, but the effects will be very subtle, with just a hint of line-width variation. The Soft Medium provides a better starting point for Flex modifications.
Soft Medium
Tipping Size: .4 mm
Description: Provides a medium line with modest line-width variation. Less smooth than a standard Medium nib.
Recommended Customizations: Suitable for Flex, but will provide less line-width variation than the FA nib. Can be provided with regrind customizations, but with the same caveats indicated above for the standard Medium. In addition, regrind customizations on a soft nib can result in a scratchy and difficult to control tip – only choose that combination if you are sure that is what you want.
Waverly
Tipping Size: .4mm
Description: A gently upturned tipping point meant to provide a smooth writing experience at differing writing angles. Please note this is not a soft or italic nib and does not provide for line-width variation.
Recommended Customizations: None – customizing this nib would alter its already unique characteristics.
Broad
Tipping Size: .6mm
Description: Provides a consistent broad line with a very smooth writing experience.
Recommended Customizations: An excellent choice for regrind customizations such as Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique – will provide significant line-width variation while still being suitable for everyday writing. Can be provided with added Flex, but this will add to the nib’s feedback without providing much additional line-width variation.
Stub
Tipping Size: .7mm
Description: Provides a broad line with a very modest amount of line-width variation.
Recommended Customizations: Just slightly broader in average tipping size than the Broad, this stock Stub nib provides very little line-width variation in unmodified form. However, it does provide an excellent basis for regrind customizations including Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique. Not as suitable for Architects Point as the more rounded Double Broad and Coarse nibs. Not recommended for added Flex unless you simply want a nib with more feedback.
Double Broad
Tipping Size: .75mm
Description: Provides a very broad line with a very smooth writing experience.
Recommended Customizations: This is an excellent choice for regrind customizations such as Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique, and one of the best Pilot nibs, along with the slightly broader Coarse, for our Architects Point customization. Not recommended for added Flex unless you simply want a nib with more feedback.
Signature
Tipping Size: .8mm
Description: Provides a very broad line with modest line-width variation.
Recommended Customizations: Just slightly broader than the Double Broader and just slightly finer than the Coarse, the Signature nib is very similar in providing very little line-width variation in unmodified form. However, it does serve as an excellent starting point for regrind customizations such as Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique. Choose the Double Broad or Coarse for better results with Architects Point. Not recommended for added Flex unless you simply want a nib with more feedback.
Coarse
Tipping Size: .9mm
Description: Provides a very broad line with a very smooth writing experience.
Recommended Customizations: Misleadingly labeled as “Coarse,” this is really just a very smooth Triple Broad nib. It is an excellent choice for regrind customizations such as Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique, and one of the best Pilot nibs, along with the very similar Double Broad, for our Architects Point customization. Not recommended for added Flex unless you simply want a nib with more feedback.