Bock #6 Blue Stainless Steel Nib Review: A Funky, Mirror-Finish Nib Unit Worth a Look

Introduction

Some nib upgrades are about performance. This one is mostly about looks, and it is perfectly honest about that. The Bock #6 stainless steel nib unit with a blue coating is a screw-in nib unit that caught attention for one simple reason: it is stainless steel with a very reflective blue finish that looks almost like a mirror. For anyone bored of plain silver and gold nibs, it is a genuinely different visual.

The idea behind this overview is simple: show what the nib unit is, what it costs, how it writes straight out of the packaging, and whether the small quirks are dealbreakers or easy fixes.

What You Get: The Nib Unit Itself

This is a number six size Bock nib, sold as a complete unit with a nib collar and feed. It screws straight into any pen that takes standard Bock #6 nib units, which makes installation about as simple as a nib swap can get. There may be some possibility of adapting it to a Jowo-style collar and feed with a bit of fiddling, but that has not been tested here and is not the intended fit.

The finish is the headline. It is a stainless steel nib with some sort of blue coating and a very reflective, almost mirror-like surface. The Bock branding is visible on the nib face. To date, only the blue version has been spotted, with no other colors confirmed. Styling-wise, the blue leans toward a high-tech look, so it would pair naturally with more modern pen designs, though it can be an amusing contrast on traditional materials too.

Price and Availability

The nib unit was purchased through AliExpress and shipped from China, at roughly CAD $23 to $26 including shipping. There are almost certainly easier ways to buy a Bock #6 nib unit, and they may well be available from retailers closer to home, but this particular blue-coated version was hard to find elsewhere at the time. Under CAD $30 for a complete nib unit is a modest outlay for something a bit different to experiment with.

Writing Performance: Broad That Leans Medium

The tested unit is the broad. Out of the box, it writes noticeably narrower than the “broad” label suggests, closer to a medium by most standards. The grind is quite round, with little difference between downstrokes and upstrokes, so do not expect dramatic calligraphic character from the tip geometry alone.

Ink flow is the main quirk. The nib runs on the drier side, with a very tight slit limiting flow. This is not a dry-to-the-point-of-unusable nib; it writes reliably, just lean, even paired with a fairly wet ink. Applying slightly more pressure opens the tines a touch and the flow immediately gets wetter, which confirms the tight slit is the culprit. A simple adjustment to spread the slit slightly would likely make it wetter, and that is an easy tweak for anyone comfortable with basic nib tuning.

Line Variation and Flex

While this is not advertised as a flex nib, some gentle line variation is available with light pressure. Pressing a bit more opens the tines and produces a wetter, wider line. It is a bonus rather than a feature, and it should be treated carefully rather than pushed hard.

Reverse and Upside-Down Writing

Two pleasant surprises for nib tinkerers. Reversed writing is fully possible, and it turns this broad into something closer to an extra fine nib, which is a fun trick in its own right. Writing upside down also works well, and unlike some nibs, it does not turn scratchy when inverted. For a drier nib, the reverse performance holds up surprisingly well.

Likes and Dislikes

The main draw is the appearance: a blue mirror-finish nib is rare, distinctive, and adds a bit of personality to any compatible pen. The price is reasonable for a complete Bock #6 unit with collar and feed, and installation is a simple screw-in affair.

The downsides are minor but real. The flow is on the dry side out of the box, likely due to a very tight slit, so some tuning may be wanted. The “broad” rating runs closer to a medium. And the look, while striking, will not be for everyone; it is a bold, funky accent rather than a classic finish.

Buying Advice

This nib unit makes sense for a specific kind of buyer: someone with a pen that takes Bock #6 nibs, a bit of curiosity, and a modest budget. If the blue mirror finish appeals to you, it is a low-risk way to add something visually distinctive to a rotation. Be prepared for a leaner flow and a line width closer to medium, and either accept the dryness or be willing to open the slit slightly. If you want a genuinely wet, true-broad writing experience out of the box, other options will serve you better.

Conclusion

The Bock #6 blue stainless steel nib unit is a fun, affordable way to change both the look and the character of a compatible pen. It is not a technical marvel and it is not for everyone, but for around CAD $25 shipped, the combination of a distinctive mirror-blue finish and decent, tunable writing performance is an easy recommendation for nib enthusiasts who enjoy a bit of variety.