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Noodler's Ebonite Konrad


mhphoto

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I got my brown ebonite Noodler's Konrad (thanks Goulets!) and I wanted to share my first impressions. I haven't even inked it yet (it's been a ridiculously busy day…), but seeing as how I have three other pens with the same ink/feed, I don't think there are any surprises in store for me. Sorry about the cruddy pics. The iPhone is just too easy to go to sometimes when I think about getting the DSLR out.

 

Here are my first impressions.

 

It's bigger than the regular Konrad, and I find nothing wrong with that.

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/get-attachment-2-1.jpg

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/get-attachment-1-1.jpg

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/get-attachment-4.jpg

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/get-attachment-3.jpg

 

It's not quite as close to Waterman's Red Ripple (though I hear more accurate emulations are in the works) as I was hoping it would be, but it's a VERY handsome pen.

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/get-attachment-7.jpg

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/get-attachment-3-1.jpg

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/get-attachment-2-2-1.jpg

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/get-attachment-1-2-1.jpg

 

Preliminary verdict? I'm really glad I got this pen! :thumbup:

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

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Also worth noting is that the feed on the Ebonite Konrad was very clearly heat-set to the body, tapering in and only going so far in. And the number of turns to take off the cap is many more than the standard Konrad.

 

Also to note is that there are several small chips and imperfections, but for a handmade ebonite flex pen that only costs $40, there's no way I'm complaining about it. :)

Edited by mhphoto

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

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Nice ....

 

I know how you feel about the iPhone. Just too easy to snap of and upload.

 

Great review and I agree. I got mine today as well.

 

$40 for an ebonite pen and hand cut & heat-set feed... you wont find that anywhere. PLUS we all know that the man behind the pen is as fanatical as we all are. The man cares and has enormous pride in what he does.

 

I feel lucky to have been able to snag one of these.

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Thanks!

 

I inked it up with Noodler's Australian Roses and WOW!

 

This pen, presumably because of its hand-set feed, is worlds better than the normal Konrad (and Ahab and Creaper) in terms of "old school" flexibility. Now, I don't mean ease of flexing or the latitude of line variation—it is, after all, still a steel nib. I'm referring specifically to the ebonite pen's ability to keep up with FAST, fully flexed writing.

 

Anyone who has an old Waterman 52 knows that the nib and feed are nothing short of magical in their ability to deliver ink to paper, regardless of how insanely fast you're dragging that flexed nib across the page. The prior six Noodler's pens with flexy nibs don't even begin to think about having that efficiency in their ink delivery. They will railroad if you flex the nib and drag it across the page quickly, no matter how well they're set up or how wet of an ink you're using.

 

This is not to say they're bad pens, but it is, aside from the stiffness of the steel nibs, the major distinction between the two completely different classes of flexible nibs.

 

But, as I said, my new ebonite Konrad keeps up with every Rhodia drag race I put it in against my two wet noodle Watermans.

 

:cloud9:

 

I'll have a scan up shortly demonstrating what I'm talking about.

Edited by mhphoto

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

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One more thing to add:

 

There was a lot more manufacturing debris than with the normal Noodler's pens (I'm talking tiny chunks of ebonite chaff stick in between the nib and in the feed fins), so clean them well before inking! :)

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

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Just cleaned my feed out and I think it got a little too much heat when he set it ... Ill see though as I am going to ink it up now.

 

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/thevaporcafe/konradfeed2.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/thevaporcafe/konradfeed1.jpg

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I got mine in as well. I did the standard Noodler's warmup procedure. Flush with 1 part ammonia, 2 parts water. Remove piston and check for light seeping through around feed and nib. Check between feed and nib for debris.

Everything went smoothly, and I inked it right up with Noodler's Black Eel. It lays down a nice wet line and, I have noticed, recovers from flexing much more quickly than my Ahab (which I was using as a comparison.

 

A few comments on the pen in general:

It has a very pleasant heft to it. It's not heavy, but it is a little heavier than the Ahab. Which is awesome for me, as I pretty big hands and long fingers (10" from thumb tip to pinky tip with my fingers spread but relaxed, just to give you an idea). The clip is also a vast improvement to the Ahab and Creaper both- I cannot comment on the original Konrad, as I do not have one of them. In all probability, I will probably just try and collect all three colors of the Ebonite whenever I can find them. If isellpens is not sold out in about a month, it's so on. But I digress. The clip is sturdy and stays where you put it, no questions, period. The cap adds a pleasant balance, but the pen handles well posted or no, so it's an issue of size preference. For me, I like longer pens as I can then relax my hand. I have to curl my fingers in a bit even with the Ahab, which makes even that pen hard to write more than six or seven pages with. And by hard, I mean pretty much impossible.

 

On the whole, I don't think I've ever been happier with a $40 purchase, nor has my excitement ever been met and justified so totally.

"So all were lost, which in the ship were found,

They in the sea being burnt, they in the burnt ship drown'd."

- A Burnt Ship, John Donne

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Just cleaned my feed out and I think it got a little too much heat when he set it ... Ill see though as I am going to ink it up now.

 

I had a similar feeling with mine, but I can't argue with the results. :) One section of my pen's feed looks pretty warped, but it's the underside main channel, not the main air exchange channel.

 

Here's a scan of what I was talking about, as well as some messily-written thoughts. :thumbup:

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/EboniteKonradImpressions.jpg

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

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Mine arrived yesterday from the Goulets and am I ever pleased.

 

I have smallish hands for a male but the pen fits and balances as well as any pen in my collection (about 30, mostly pre-WWII). It just feels good in the hand, period. Regarding posting, it seems to work well either way but I have a slight preference for unposted.

 

Right out of the box, the nib seems smooth. My previous Model I Konrad took several letters to break in by comparison.

 

Unlike the Ahabs and creapers I've purchased, this one writes beautifully right out of the box (after a flush clean of course). Perfect ink flow using Noodler's Black.

 

The color is old-school beautiful.

 

Nathan, you hit the nail squarely on the head with this one.

first fountain pen: student Sheaffer, 1956

next fountain pen: Montblanc 146 circa 1990

favourite ink: Noodler's Zhivago

favourite pen: Waterman No. 12

most beautiful pen: Conway Stewart 84 red with gold veins, oh goodness gracious

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Gosh !

 

Those are quite a few differences, aren't there ? I'm surprised he didn't give it a new model name...

 

Allowing for camera angles, and how they can change the view, it looks to me, like:

A longer cap

A taller cap jewel

Longer barrel threads on the Ebonite model

Wider shoulders on the original nib

A longer feed on the Ebonite pen

Longer blind cap on the Ebonite pen

A redesigned section, altogether

 

I own one Konrad, (didn't care for it, because of the section) - but this section looks just a fraction smaller in circumference. Does it feel that way, to you ?

 

I'm not sure I'll rush out and try to locate one, since I didn't care for the original (and since this one is twice the price of the one I didn't care for) - but, BUT, it does appear to write better, which is the ultimate aim, isn't it ? Since I already own 8 of the orig. Std. Flex pens, and am quite happy with them, that sorta figures into it, too.

 

I'd like to hear more from you folks, about this one ?

 

Take care,

J.R.

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Krikey!

 

I was not even aware of such a pen. But, if you recommend it, mh, I'm there! Anything to duplicate that flex only YOU get from a Noodler pens. ;)

 

Kidding aside, I jes now ordered mine from IsellPens. They've already run out of stock on one of their three color offerings, so if anyone wants one, they'd better get on it while the gettin's good.

nulla dies sine linea

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In a question that only Noodler's pen owners will appreciate: how does it smell?

 

:roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho:

 

No warm vegetal aroma coming off the ebonite, but I can almost guarantee you the ink window is made from it because it does indeed have the Noodler's smell.

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

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The question I have, given that it appears longer than a "regular" Konrad is how it balances in the hand -- are you using it posted or non-posted, for example?

I ask because I have really liked the size of the standard resin body Konrads (I have smallish hands). Much as I like the look of the ebonite ones, I want to know if they are going to feel the same while writing, especially given the ebonite models are twice the price. And yes, I tend to post all my pens, before anyone asks -- so the extra length of the ebonite pens may be an issue.

Thanks in advance.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstained ruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Well i feel they weigh the same... but posted the ebonite is a lot longer. I dont use the ebonite version posted and I have big hands. Where as the regular version I do post. I like the feel of the ebonite unposted though... very much and very comfortable.

 

Here is a couple more pics.

 

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/thevaporcafe/32887E5A-55EB-477A-8986-FA062F3E6120-1220-000001859660DEA4.jpg

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/thevaporcafe/D1710CAD-9C95-4FC5-9BE1-69F4A99FC438-1220-00000185F8369C9C.jpg

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In a question that only Noodler's pen owners will appreciate: how does it smell?

Two words: happyiness incarnate.

It does have a bit of that Noodler's smell, which I've come to love, but it also has a rubber smell to it from the Ebonite that introduces a whole new lovely kind of stink to the pen.

 

I can't believe I just said "lovely kind of stink" with a positive meaning.

 

As to posting it- I've been writing with mine all day today. I finally finished rigging up a printable seyes pdf that can be printed to both sides, and I broke in my EK on that. It is, to me, a little more comfortable unposted, but not by much at all. I don't see it being an issue for a person with smaller hands.

"So all were lost, which in the ship were found,

They in the sea being burnt, they in the burnt ship drown'd."

- A Burnt Ship, John Donne

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The question I have, given that it appears longer than a "regular" Konrad is how it balances in the hand -- are you using it posted or non-posted, for example?

I ask because I have really liked the size of the standard resin body Konrads (I have smallish hands). Much as I like the look of the ebonite ones, I want to know if they are going to feel the same while writing, especially given the ebonite models are twice the price. And yes, I tend to post all my pens, before anyone asks -- so the extra length of the ebonite pens may be an issue.

Thanks in advance.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstained ruth

 

I use it un-posted, but I don't ever post pens anyway. Nothing against people who do, but I just can't and don't. B)

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

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Here's a more cohesive writing sample.

 

http://i1355.photobucket.com/albums/q712/FiveCatKnittery/EboniteKonradSample.jpg

fpn_1451747045__img_1999-2.jpg

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