Fountain Pen Review: Italix Pens and Reverse Oblique Fine Italic Nib
You are reading the title right! This is a blog about a reverse oblique nib, and I am a RIGHT-HANDED pen user. Before I dive into the details, I want to clarify what I meant by ‘oblique’ and ‘reverse oblique’ using the following picture, as I am aware that different companies use them in the opposite way.
Photo Credit: https://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/media/l_nibbletjpeg.jpg
If you are not interested in reading why I want a reverse oblique nib, please skip to the 2nd part.
Part I:
Honestly, the reason why I want to try a reverse oblique nib was nothing related to being left or right-handed. It was simply because I was using a stub nib and trying to write in cursive. I prefer the direction of thick downstrokes from right-top to the left-bottom in my writing. So, when I try to use a stub nib to write in cursive, I rotate the pen with the feed facing me. And I also rotate the paper in a way that the slant downstrokes are vertical to me. That’s when I ran into the issues of hard starts and skipping because the tip of the slit was not touching the paper. I also figured that the writing angle may cause misalignment if I do it often enough.
There is a way to solve this problem, which is to hold the pen at a higher writing angle so that the tip of the nib is fully touching the paper. However, the writing angle is not very comfortable for me.
That’s when I wished the cut-out of the nib wasn’t horizontal but right oblique. I did some digging and found what this cut-out is called, which is reverse oblique or right foot oblique. Interestingly, reverse oblique was mostly made for left-handed writers. But I am right-handed, I am looking for a reverse oblique! Clearly, right oblique nibs should not be exclusive to left-handed pen users.
Sorry for the lengthy description, I really can’t help myself addressing why I as a right-handed writer want a right oblique nib. I felt it is a stereotype that people think right obliques are for lefties. It is the stereotype that makes this kind of nib a rare find in the market. You should be able to use any nibs you want as long as it fits your writing style.
Part II:
Before I rush into finding a nibmeister and ordering a custom grind, I want to see if there are ready-made reverse oblique nibs on the market and to test how much I will like them. It turned out there is a company that produces such nibs.
The company is called Italix Pens. They produce a wide variety of nibs, up to 24 options including both oblique and reverse oblique nibs in different sizes. Here is a example list of nibs offered at Italix Pens. They also offer spare nibs/nib units at a more affordable price. It seemed like a good starting point for me to try reverse oblique nibs. So I ordered their Parson’s Essential Pen with a reverse oblique italic fine nib, which is called ‘Italic Fine Oblique Right Foot' nib in the picture.
Overall, the Parson’s Essential pen is very well made. There is no defect in the plating or threading. The pen body is made of brass with piano lacquer. The brass material gives some weight to it. I like how the pen feels in my hand. It uses #5 size steel nibs, and it accepts Jowo #5 nib units. I suspect that the #5 nibs are supplied by Jowo. (Sidenote: This makes Parson’s Essential an affordable alternative for people who are looking for a housing body for their Jowo #5 nib units.)
As for the nib, I really like it. The right oblique cut-out is perfect for my writing angle. I can use it for both print and cursive fonts. The italic fine nib feels sharper than a stub nib but it is still well polished that it is very forgiving even if you don’t hit the sweet spot with your writing. The ink flow is on average or a bit over the wet side. So far, I haven't found the need to prime the pen in writing. To see how the nib performs, please see the writing samples below.
#5 Two Tone Steel Nib
Ink: Diamine Violet
Paper: Maruman Loose Leaf (Guidelines are printed by myself.)
I think Italix Pens is definitely a hidden gem in the fountain pen community. Unfortunately, the owner is retired. After all the stocked items are sold out, they will not be restocked again. I hate to see excellent stationery products being discontinued, just like Tomoe River paper, Italix pens and so many others. By writing this blog, I hope people who are looking for reverse oblique nibs or affordable nice pens can grab one before they are all gone.
Parson’s Essential Fountain Pen Comes with a Nice Box
