Introducing Karas Kustoms Titanium Nibs!

Hey everyone, I've been getting a lot of questions about the Karas Kustoms titanium nibs. It was announced in early-2016 that these nibs would be coming out. Made by Bock in Germany, I've actually seen these nibs on a few other pen models, but this is really the first time we've had them available as a separate nib unit. So I wanted to answer some of the questions you may have:

What makes them special? 
The nibs are #6 and come in a housing with a feed. They are made to fit the Karas Kustoms Ink fountain pen, but because it is #6 size, you can remove it and put it on another pen that fits that nib. Because of this, I think there's a lot more interest beyond it with the Karas Kustoms model. They come in extra-fine, fine, medium, and broad.

How is titanium different than stainless steel and gold?
Since titanium is a new material, and most people are used to a stainless steel and gold nibs, how does it compare? Some people may refer to it as a 'flex' nib, but it's really not. It definitely has an extreme softness. You can achieve some pretty good line variation with it and it's a lot softer than stainless steel. It'll even be softer than the stainless steel flex nibs you might see on Noodler's pens. It's more comparable to a gold nib, but it is a bit toothier and not as smooth as most gold nibs are going to be. The titanium nib ends up being in the middle of the two, and considering the price point ($60 for nib unit), it's a nice balance between steel & gold nib options.

How do they write? 
Unless you've used one before, you don't really know how they would write. The one thing I can say the most about these nibs is that they are incredibly wet, especially with the medium and broad nib. Even with the extra-fine nib, it'll write closer to a fine or medium. The broad nib in particular writes like a fire hose! Because of the softness, even without trying to flex it, you'll get very noticeable line variation. Plan your paper needs accordingly! Because if you have a really absorbent paper, it'll feather and bleed through.

If you like the softness of the nib, and want to flex it, use caution as it's really easy to spread the tines.

It'll give you a different feeling of resistance than other flex/soft nibs, almost a 'mushy' feeling. It won't give you much resistance when you're right about to spring the tines. So if you're really trying to push the limits on this nib, it's easy to go too far.

The nibs do have some feedback, they are not glassy smooth. I actually kind of like it because having a nib so soft, it's nice to get that feedback to ground you.

What pens do they fit on? 
Because of the #6 sizing, these can be used on other pens. Since Karas Kustoms is offering it, they'll be included in their warranty, but for any other pen, it'll void the warranty for the way the pen writes. Having said that, it does fit on a variety of different pens that take the #6 nib:

• Noodler’s Ahab/Konrad
• TWSBI Vac700/Vac700R 
• Jinhao x450/x750/159
• Tactile Turn Gist
• Many Monteverde and Conklin
• Many Edison
• And more 

Swapping them takes some knowledge of pen parts, so not everyone will be comfortable doing it. Gently remove the nib from the housing, making sure to avoid pinching wings or twisting the tines. Then, insert it in place of the other nib, having the tines aligned, and you're good to go!

It's available in extra-fine, fine, medium, and broad. We offer it for $60 as its own nib unit or a $40 upgrade if you're already buying a Karas Kustoms Ink fountain pen at GouletPens.com.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave a comment! What do you guys think of the titanium nib?

Write On, 
Brian Goulet

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