Replacement Nibs and Which Pens Use Them

When it comes to fountain pen nibs, most fall into four categories; JoWo, Bock, Schmidt, or proprietary. Bock, JoWo and Schmidt are all german made nibs and, over the years, some pen brands have changed what nib styles they use based on availability. The information in this blog will be about pens on the market in 2026 but if you have a pen from a different year there are helpful YouTube videos on how to identify a pen nib based on its feed.

It is important to note that while nibs may be swappable, some brands do have proprietary feeds and housings so it is important to keep the feed and housing with the pen if you swap nibs.

A closeup photo of the different thread standards on different nibs, on a wooden surface

JoWo No. 5 & No. 6 Replacement Nibs

As long as a pen isn’t proprietary, the majority of pens on the market in my experience use JoWo nibs, feeds and housings. The tricky thing about JoWo nibs is that they make special feeds and housings for some brands. For example, all three of these nibs shown are JoWo nibs but all three use different housing and one uses a different feed. JoWo is actually the only brand I can think of that has this many variations of housings with the far right one (Esterbrook) being the standard housing & feed you will receive on unbranded stock JoWo nibs. Branded JoWo stock nibs that are the same brand as your pen should always be compatible so you shouldn't run into issues with having to switch feeds and housings. For those who are curious, the nibs from left to right are Ferris Wheel Press, Monteverde & Esterbrook. All use JoWo nibs but side by side you can see the differences in feeds and housings.

The good news is, Esterbrook (or any JoWo) specialty grind can go into a Monteverde pen if you use the Monteverde feed and housing instead of the Esterbrook feed and housing.

If a pen says it takes a JoWo nib it is most likely a JoWo No.6. While JoWo does make No.5 nibs, they are not very common in the pen world though some brands do use them on their pocket pens. While a nib won't be branded size 5 or size 6, when you look up your pen model it should be listed in the item description. The great thing about JoWo nibs is that they are easy to find replacements for and if you aren't picky about the nib branding matching your pen brand, lots of fun options exist to personalize your pen.   Currently, Goldspot has rainbow Jowo nibs branded with the Goldspot "G" logo.

 

Four types of replacement fountain pen nibs resting on a wooden surface

Other than the brands mentioned above, here are some other brands that use JoWo stocked at Goldspot:

- Leonardo (some nibs in house but mostly JoWo)

OPUS 88

Conklin

Laban

Waldman

Diplomat

Montegrappa

Faber-Castell

Retro 51

Edison

 

Brands that offer custom stock JoWo nibs for pen personalization (feeds and housing may have to be pulled):

Esterbrook

Franklin Christoph

 

Bock Replacement Nibs

I always think of these nibs as ‘maker pen nibs’ but while researching for this blog post I discovered that a LOT of brands in the world are actually using these nibs, far more than I thought. I only have one of these nibs in my collection so no comparison photos unfortunately but these nibs vary just as widely as JoWo if not more between brands. Between that and how many brands use them, it probably explains why these nibs are so hard to come by as spare nibs for pens.

Some brands that use Bock nibs stocked by Goldspot:

Kaweco

Tom's Studio

Graf von Faber-Castell

Caran d'Ache

Otto Hutt

Opus 88 (select models)

Pineider

Schmidt No. 5 & No. 6 Replacement Nibs

These nibs are so underrated in my opinion and I can’t understand why they aren’t used more. Schmidt makes both No.5 (small/pocket) nibs and No.6 (full sized) nibs with, in my opinion, an unmatched quality. When it comes to consistency, Schmidt consistently knocks it out of the park and I have never had to tune or adjust any of my nibs from them.

The small but mighty list of brands who use Schmidt No. 5 or No. 6:

Benu

KOLO Tino

YStudio

Proprietary Replacement Nibs

As a rule of thumb, if a nib is proprietary to the brand they probably don’t offer spare nibs. And if you do find a nib to swap, doing so yourself, probably voids the warranty. If you do have an expensive pen you want to swap the nib in, it is best to contact the distributor and see if they offer the service.

Proprietary nibs:

Sailor

Pilot

Nahvalur

Pelikan

Montblanc

Sheaffer

OMAS

As always there are some exceptions to every rule and there are a few models that have spare nibs available. Some of the exceptions are:

Pilot Decimo & Vanishing Point (VP)
Lamy
Noodler's
Cross

Figuring out and swapping nibs can be incredibly intimidating but if you decide you want to, it can open the door to so many fun possibilities. From steel, titanium or gold nibs to custom grinds, pens can become an even more personal writing experience. This is definitely a section of the pen world where reaching out to a pen shop and pen groups on the internet will be your friend for instructions on how to swap your specific nib and what are the correct replacement nib options.

Search all replacement fountain pen nibs available at Goldspot.

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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