Is Gold Really Better? The Surprising Truth About Gold vs. Stainless Steel Nibs

It’s easy to fall into the ‘gold is best’ trap in the pen world. Once you hit a certain price level, it is simply expected that a pen will have a gold nib. But in the low and mid-price range end of the market, gold nibs are not the norm.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to try a variety of pens with gold nibs from stock to hand-made and with that has also come the ability to try some truly exceptional stainless steel nibs.

When it comes to exceptional steel nibs there are three paths:

  • Nib tuning/customization
  • Interchangeable nib units
  • and Proprietary pen and nib combinations
Matthew Chen at the Atlanta Pen Show in 2023, photo taken by Zeitlan Kozan

Nib Tuning & Customization

The easiest way to get the gold feel without spending the money on gold is to just get nib work done on an existing steel nib pen in your collection. Sometimes all a nib needs is some tuning or even flossing the tines to greatly improve the writing experience. If you have the opportunity, book an appointment with a nib grinder at a pen show or at a pen store to get specialty nib work done. Gold nibs tend to come in more stock sizes and grinds then steel nibs and several of the stock options available on gold nibs work as grinds on steel nibs.

 

Specialty Steel Nibs

Another option is buying specialty steel nibs. Retailers like Franklin-Christoph, Esterbrook and some nib grinders sell stock steel nibs that can be fitted into your existing pens by simply replacing the entire nib, feed and housing and sometimes by pulling the nib. This offers you the ability to customize your writing without actually committing to a nib change permanently.

If you have a pen that uses a Jowo #6 nib unit, these are often the most compatible with customized replacement nib units on the market.

Proprietary Pen and Nib Combinations

There are also a few pens on the market which, due to the quality of stainless steel nibs they come with, I find to be superior to pricier gold nibs.

Sailor 1911 / Pro Gear Casual

I first tried this pen before it was widely available and I was instantly in love. It has a nearly identical nib feel to the Sailor gold nibs and the line width looks identical. These nibs aren’t cheap by any means but if you want a Sailor with the feel of a gold nib without the Sailor gold price tag, these pens are definitely worth a look.

Visconti Mirage Mythos

I received this pen for Christmas in 2024. It was the first time I had ever tried a pen in this series and it continues to wow me. The coated steel nibs write spectacularly and are a lovely reminder that a high-end pen brand can sometimes also pull off the mid-tier well.

Monteverde Titanium Innova

This isn’t steel but also doesn’t come with the same price tag as a full gold nib pen. In my experience the pen is a lovely and smooth writer, plus it is incredibly comfortable for long writing sessions. Monteverde also sells the Titanium nibs separately so with a bit of work, the nib can be fitted into other JoWo compatible pens. Plus, the Grade 9 titanium gives a small amount of bounce when writing which does help to mimic the gold nib experience.

But, I still want a gold nib...

If you are still wanting a gold nib here is my advice:

  • Don’t buy into the hype, a gold nib isn’t suddenly going to make your writing perfect or neater. Writing more and more deliberately will improve your hand writing but suddenly acquiring a gold nib will not fix your issues overnight.
  • Try before you buy. Different brands and different grades of gold can feel very different in the hand depending on how the nib is finished. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) even some pens from the same brand can feel totally different making them a harder pen style to buy without testing them first.
  • Start one size larger than you think you want. I find gold nibs tend to write more finely and Japanese nibs even more so. By starting one nib size larger, you give yourself the ability to have the nib sized down if needed, by a grinder.

About the Author

Alexandra Richardson is a Canadian watercolour and fountain pen content creator. She can be found on Instagram and Youtube under @alexandrasartinsanity.

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