Appalling Quality Control By Noodler's

[Ego Id Veto]

Has anyone else been a victim of noodler's poor or non existent quality control?

 

I have purchased three noodler's pens off the Goulets (not their fault, excellent company), and all three arrived with at least one defect.

 

My Ahab had a nib so sharp it literally cut through even thick paper.

 

My Konrad's piston knob was so stiff that even gently turning it caused a crack in the join between the knob and the barrel.

 

The Konrad Ebonite's nib had an unidentifiable defect that prevented ink from flowing between the tines.

 

I complained, and received two replacement nibs for my Ahab and Ebonite. One of them had the same strange defect as before, and so I was sent a 6th nib.

 

Finally, I had three working nibs, until a few months later (i.e tonight) the Ebonite's nib gave up the ghost, and refused to have ink flow through it.

 

I have tried heat setting, flushing, soaking in water, cleaning with ammonia, and flossing the tines.

 

These damn nibs just won't work.

 

Has anyone else been given grief by noodler's pens? I'm really annoyed that I spent 80 dollars on pens that seem to have more defective parts than working ones.

 

And more importantly, how can I fix those nibs that appear to hate ink so much that they won't write even if dipped in ink?

Edited November 12, 2013 by Ego Id Veto

[Pelikan Vera]

I am not surprised, they are a waste of your cash in my opinion......

[WirsPlm]

I've had no problems with my Noodler's pen. I understand it's frustrating, but you knew there was the risk of this when you ordered the pens (or if you didn't, you should have, because this has been covered a million times on FPN). If you're not prepared to really delve into the details of what makes pens work and spend a long time tinkering and possibly fail, you shouldn't order Noodler's pens, it's that simple.

 

[ziptrickhead]

I gave up on Noodler's flex pens and went the vintage flex route. I still have 3 Nib Creapers but I got tired of the poor nib performance and the inability for the feeds to keep up with the writing. I don't want to have to play around with the feed and nib alignment and placement whenever I change inks or paper, etc. Granted I don't mind the experience of the pens because I learned a lot about how pens work, but I'm glad I didn't drop as much cash as you did on the pens. Nothing against Nathan though, I love his inks and I think it's great that he is trying to make flex pens more available to the public. You just have to realize they're inexpensive pens and you'll really have to tinker around with it quite a bit to get it to do something close to what you want.

 

Instead I just put down $135 and got myself a vintage Waterman 92 and since then my Noodler's pens have gone untouched. The Waterman just works with no problems and the feed can keep up with whatever speed I want to write with even with flexing. Don't see myself buying another one any time soon.

[grainweevil]

Well, so far I've had greater fortune with Noodler's than I have with my forays into vintage pens, so I dunno. I'm increasingly coming to the conclusion that fountain pen purchasing is an extended adventure in answering the question "Do you feel lucky?" Some pen purchases are a dead cert., some are more like putting your money on black or red, and some are like putting your chips on a specific number. The odds with Noodler's seem to be on the long side and I guess you just have to be prepared to lose your stake.

 

It's still incredibly frustrating though, yes, and you have my sympathies. A disappointing pen experience is never a pleasant thing.

 

Cheers, Al

[xwingrox]

Hmm. Definitely the luck of the draw with the Noodler's pens. I do not think you are paying for quality control with these pens. I mean, I would understand your frustration if this was a Namiki Falcon, but not really for the Noodler's pens. They are so cheap for a reason.

[mikehodgman]

I have purchased 4 Konrads and although all of them are kind of fussy, I have only had 1 that is really frustrating. For the money spent and the overall performance, I think they are a good deal but definitely not for everyone.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I'm surprised to hear this experience. I've had very good experiences with Noodler's. I love the brand.

[ndw76]

All of my Noodler's pens have worked fine out of the box and great with a little tinkering. Although I don't use Noodler's for flex. Great pens.

[Ego Id Veto]

Just got a Nib Creaper today, and it works like a dream. Smooth nib, no skipping, very little railroading, and excellent flow.

 

I think it is a quality control issue, as otherwise this one would be bad too.

[amk]

I have an Ahab and a creaper and haven't had too many problems with them, though they're not in my top ten.

 

They're pretty cheap - well, so is the Lamy Safari, which is a more out-of-the-box experience. But they're made so you can pull them about and fix them yourself, so I would class them as the Lego of the fountain pen world - and there's a LOT of material available online both from the sales channel and from individuals showing how to tune them up.

 

I will take my Ahab to calligraphy class. I won't take my Waterman 92. :-)

[GClef]

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Tutuguans/1116130649-1_zps891febbe.jpg

[Ego Id Veto]

Haha, to be honest, gclef, I don't really mind the smell, as long as the pen works! My two best performing Noodler's pens are my two smelliest ones! The Ahab and the Nib Creaper. The latter has worked like a dream.

[Keyless Works]

I only have one Konrad. Mine doesn't have any defects but it took quite a bit of patients to get writing properly. It's and enjoyable pen.

[Runnin_Ute]

All of my Noodler's pens have worked fine out of the box and great with a little tinkering. Although I don't use Noodler's for flex. Great pens.

This has been my experience as well. Flushed it good with warm water and loaded it with ink. Although it does work better with some inks than others. I have Diamine Blue Black in my Konrad right now and it seems to be better than even Noodler's inks. (or at least 54th Massachusetts)

[maksim]

A 10 cent bic works close to 100% of the time.

 

As a newbie, it bothers me to see folks say.... Well, it is a $35 pen, so it is ok that it does not work well.

 

If you are spending more than $2.50 for a pen, it damn better well work 99.9% out of the box unless I messed something up.

 

To me, it's like guys who spend $2500 on a competition gun and say... It is ok that I bought it new and now I have to spend more money to make sure it is reliable , when a $250 cheap smith Wesson will work near $100%, or guys spending $50,000 on a BMW saying it is ok it breaks down regularly, it's the cheap bmw.

 

Has anyone confronted Nathan about this?

[WirsPlm]

A 10 cent bic works close to 100% of the time.

 

As a newbie, it bothers me to see folks say.... Well, it is a $35 pen, so it is ok that it does not work well.

 

If you are spending more than $2.50 for a pen, it damn better well work 99.9% out of the box unless I messed something up.

 

To me, it's like guys who spend $2500 on a competition gun and say... It is ok that I bought it new and now I have to spend more money to make sure it is reliable , when a $250 cheap smith Wesson will work near $100%, or guys spending $50,000 on a BMW saying it is ok it breaks down regularly, it's the cheap bmw.

 

Has anyone confronted Nathan about this?

The thing is (and it's even stated earlier in this very thread) these pens are sold as tinkering pens. They aren't guaranteed to work out of the box, they are not expected to work out of the box, they are supposed to be an exercise in learning the ins and outs of how pens work, and Nathan has been very clear about that. It's not that it's ok for a pen to not work below a price point (as you clearly point out, that's not ok), that argument completely misses the point. It's that these pens aren't sold as fill-and-write pens (or at least, Nathan doesn't market them as such, if a certain store does that's a problem with the store) and people keep willfully forgetting that when they buy these pens and then being upset when the pens fulfill the description of 'tinkering pen'.

Edited November 17, 2013 by WirsPlm

[WirsPlm]

Has anyone else been a victim of noodler's poor or non existent quality control?

 

I have purchased three noodler's pens off the Goulets (not their fault, excellent company), and all three arrived with at least one defect.

 

My Ahab had a nib so sharp it literally cut through even thick paper.

 

My Konrad's piston knob was so stiff that even gently turning it caused a crack in the join between the knob and the barrel.

 

The Konrad Ebonite's nib had an unidentifiable defect that prevented ink from flowing between the tines.

 

I complained, and received two replacement nibs for my Ahab and Ebonite. One of them had the same strange defect as before, and so I was sent a 6th nib.

 

Finally, I had three working nibs, until a few months later (i.e tonight) the Ebonite's nib gave up the ghost, and refused to have ink flow through it.

 

I have tried heat setting, flushing, soaking in water, cleaning with ammonia, and flossing the tines.

 

These damn nibs just won't work.

 

Has anyone else been given grief by noodler's pens? I'm really annoyed that I spent 80 dollars on pens that seem to have more defective parts than working ones.

 

And more importantly, how can I fix those nibs that appear to hate ink so much that they won't write even if dipped in ink?

It sounds like you kind of weren't prepared for a pen that needs work. Here's some things you haven't mentioned trying:

 

If the nibs are cutting paper, get a nib smoothing kit (try Goulets or Binder's site) and guides on how to smooth nibs (http://www.richardspens.com/pdf/workshop_notes.pdf and also there are some good guides on FPN) and gently smooth the bad nibs (it's good that you have backups, because you can make the nib unusable, but if they're already unusable it's all up from here, just don't overdo the smoothing trying for 'perfection'). Also, try changing how you're holding the pens, because a too-vertical pen could be (or could be contributing to) the problem.

 

Piston cracking sounds like it was wound too tight originally or the pen needed some lubricant, I think people use silicone grease to lube pistons (try searching on FPN for how to lubricate a piston-filler), or there was a genuine manufacturing defect or problem with the pen when it was sold. I would say that out of all the issues you've mentioned, this is the only one that sounds like a genuine defect and not something that an experienced user should be able to handle.

 

The feed that doesn't flow probably needs to have channels cut deeper or more channels cut open. There's many threads on how to do that on FPN, here's one I know about: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/210763-noodlers-ahab-setup-for-beginners/ especially section 7 Fin Enlargement, but the whole thing is pretty useful.

Edited November 17, 2013 by WirsPlm

[maksim]

The problem is... Nowhere does it say you must adjust the pen to make it work.

 

http://www.gouletpens.com/Noodlers_Ahabs_Pearl_Flex_Fountain_Pen_p/n15043.htm

 

The only part says that the pen is designed so that at you can take it apart and adjust it.... Not that adjusting it is required.

 

I do agree that it might be well known to the forum people in the know, but it would assume most knew people would not have a clue it is not a beginner pen, or the fact that when you buy it, it is not ready to go, or that it will even work with the inks you may already have.

 

I doubt this forum represents .001% of all fountain pen users or that any size able percentage of fountain pen owners are guys who want to buy a pen and adjust it themselves.

 

Look at it like shaving.... Most folks now use fusion etc blades, while most of us grew up on old safety razors, (fountain pens). You buy a razor, and replace the blades, you do not have to adjust your safety razor when you buy it. Folks who really want to mess around with their shave, buy straight razors, that you sharpen to your liking. You can't sell a straight edge to a safety razor person telling them it is ready too go day 1, but you can sharpen it later.

 

Maybe dealers should make a better effort to say in bold... This is not a newbie pen.... Instead of saying... " it is a pen for those who may want to adjust and play with it."

 

Completely different from... "Warning , this pen is for people who are experienced with fixing stuff, and this pen will likely not work out of the box with what you have, and in all likely hood, you will need to mess with it to make it run.

 

I was close to buying one because I like some noodlers inks, but unless I came here to research, I would be let down.

[85AKbN]

Even after being here on FPN for less than two weeks, I have figured out that some posters have an agenda against Noodler's, which is sad, as the main reason I come here is to get unbiased reviews on pens (FP) and ink.