Time To Update: "the Best Fountain Pen For Artists".

[TREBFPN]

I read through the previous articless regarding this topic and I realize that in today's market there are too many new fountain pens that emerge within a two year time span. In this search for THE BEST FOUNTAIN PEN FOR ARTISTS, I am looking for an extra fine nib with a great deal of flex. I have the original Namiki Falcon Fountin Pen and I know there are a lot better pens out there that can give a very fine line that can end in a very broad stroke. The pen must be the all in one and the stroke has to be with that one pen. Can anyone introduce their new fountain pens that can draw by this nature - various line widths (no obliques or italic nibs - this is for the best flexy extra fine nib)?

[playtime]

Not new but undoubtedly the benchmark. Waterman Artist Nib. Found on a safety pen. From hairlines to at least BB. stunning stunning nib.

Edited August 27, 2014 by playtime

[andymcc]

Like you I've been looking for a flex pen to draw with, Noodler's pens are more hassle then they're worth and I have both a Namiki Falcon & Pilot Falcon that are decent for drawing. I've also tried a Platinum Century #3776 with a soft fine nib that isn't too good and creates darker lines rather than thicker ones. I bought a Pilot Custom 74 with soft fine nib on a whim as I like the design and was pleasantly surprised as the nib matches or possibly betters the Flacons, it cost around £60 to import from Japan via Amazon and has become one of my favourite pens to draw with.

 

The only other new pen that I've found that can give line variation is not a flex pen, the Sailor Calligraphy pen has a bent nib that you use like a paint brush, it can get hairline thick lines and lines that are at

least BB thick (if not more), it takes a little getting used to at first but you can get really expressive lines with it.

http://www.andys-pens.co.uk/sailorcal.shtml

You can buy a cheaper version with the same nib called a Fude pen too.

[TREBFPN]

Thank you. I was looking at the Noodlers - I will definitely steer away from those now and save much time and money. With all of the high praises I have been looking at the Pilot Custom 823 and I read it is more for writing? I will definitely take a look at the Custom 74. This is why I need the update on new pens. I get stuck on old reviews and my chopped up knowledge of fountain pens. The Waterman Artist Nib - I will look at these too. I insensitively left Waterman since my ex took my only one I ever received. I really appreciate the help. There are so many pens pouring into the market and it is a bit tough finding the ones that give a nice and fluid line variation...at a good price. What do you think about the Sailor Profit? I know the Realo Sailor pens are quite new and may pull the price down on some of Sailor's former collection lines. I have been looking at the calligraphy fountain pens and of course I have found myself lost - I purchased a Pilot Prera (Italic) since I wanted to own a demonstrator and I had to push away from my endeavor on getting another fine point nib just to rationalize on getting myself another steel pen. I like the history of Sailor pens. On the contrary, one calligraphy pen that sparked my view is the Duke Compound Art Fountain Pen, it is made in China. I am mostly at the mercy of ratings because the fountain pen stores are 1-2 hours away from me. The good thing is I am surrounded by forrests, rivers and mountains - nature has her influence on art - at least I don't have to travel to here. I will read up on the Sailor pens and check my wallet. I am hoping to look at these pens recommended to me and get back with any decisions that are made.

Edited August 28, 2014 by TREBFPN

[dspeers58]

I too bought a Custom 74 with a soft fine nib and it flexes better than the Falcon I have. I also tried a Custom 74 with a Soft Fine/Medium and it is not near as flexible. it all depends on the pen, but the soft fine that i have is great.I did try a soft fine of a Platinum 3776 and it was not near as flexible as any of the above.

[Uncle Red]

nothing new is like a vintage nib or a dip pen. You can get a Falcon's nib modified to flex more than it did from the factory. Also look at a Fude nibbed pen or Richard Binder's Condor modified nibs

[dspeers58]

I would say that the Watermans that I have from the 30s, 40s and 50s, some well-used commandos, thoroughbreds etc, lady patrician, are somewhat similar to the Custom 74 SF nib. There is not that much difference. They are flexible to a point. Some are much softer than others. While I know that there are few or maybe no pens that flex like wet noodles of the past, many of the flexible pens of the past are like some of the soft pens of today. Waterman Commando nibs flex and snap back quite nicely, like the Custom 74 or even the Falcon. They both seem to need a bit of pressure to spread the tines, unlike the wet noodles, (and I have had a couple of these, e.g. an old Aiken Lambert, Waterman no. 2, and a few others). I just picked up a Geha Boy, a pen that is very much similar in shape and size to the Pelikan 140, and it flexes a lot. The Pelikan 140s and 400s of the 500s are supposed to be flexible and yet, those that I have tried that are flexible, tend to be much firmer than a wet noodle and much more like the custom 74 and falcon and therefore, the Watermans.

[TREBFPN]

Transfixed on ebay I chanced the winning bid on a new Duke (Confucius) Compound Art Fountain Pen. It is a Fude nibbed pen that is made in China. I won it at half the price that it is currently being sold on Amazon. Unfortunately, it is in Japan and I will not receive it until September 10 (my B-day ). In the mean time I am looking at the Pilot Custom 74 Soft Fine and I am looking around for a vintage Waterman as prescribed to me by wonderful Gold members above. I recently scored on a Wahl Fountain Pen - #2 Ring Top, Gold Filled Greek Key Design with matching pencil in original box...I just have not the nerve to test it because it is near mint (I'm not worthy) it has initials inscribed on it and it does not look like it has been used. I plan to get the sac replaced and hopefully sell the pair inorder to afford a pen more my type. I have no idea what they will go for (anybody know)? The reason i bring them up is because I do not know if that Eversharp fountain pen can be a possible soft flex nib (I guess I will attempt to scribble something out this laborday weekend). Yes, I am a fountain pen noobie. My noobishness is highlighted by the fact that I am hoping for a Soft Extra Fine demonstrator with piston fill capability. The Falcon Pen I own is an old Namiki - can anyone tell me if the Soft Extra Fine Pilot Falcon is any different? Well, if anyone can answer any of these questions or further broaden my understanding of that uber pen I am looking for I will very much apreciate the help.

 

Note: Okay, I just noticed that I am straying away from the original topic: What is the best fountain pen for the artist given the last couple years? I will open a couple of new topic headings and stay on point since my questions are branching off. I will definitely revisit this page after I am able to look at a few soft and flexible fountain pens and add further information to this subject. The information given here is invaluable to me.

Edited August 31, 2014 by TREBFPN

[TREBFPN]

So far, I have ordered a Duke (Confucius) Compound Art Fountain Pen and a Sailor 1911s (Profit) "Zoom". I hope I can make a nice comparison between these two as art pens. I chose these because they seem to fit the idea of a more spontaneous line expression. I am thinking along the root of using twigs for drawing and obtaining a controlled yet spontaneous texture along a line or stroke. I really wanted to get a Soft Fine Nib Pilot Custome 74 but I think my Namiki Falcon Soft Fine and the Extra Fine and Fine Vanishing points I have will just be redundant along that root to creating a new type of line variation. This Fude Nib suggestions helped trigger these two new pen purchases (as well as my budget). I have also heard that there are new Pilot fountain pen designs with the soft flex nibs that will be coming around the corner soon. My coin jar will be ready by the time they arrive. In respects to the wet noodle I am hunting for a decent purchase - - I am sure it will take a few decades but i will find one.

 

Has anyone found any new Fountain Pens that will fit in an artist's hand?

 

BTW: I tested my Wahl Eversharp - Fountain Pen - #2 Ring Top and it is a semi flex (I think); the lines are EF to M. If anyone has had the chance to compare an Extra Fine Rhodium Pilot to a Soft Fine Pilot/Namiki could you please let me know which one is better?

Edited September 3, 2014 by TREBFPN

[TREBFPN]

I cornered three different pens on the market that seem to be a good choice for an artist. The three pens I selected: DUKE - CONFUCIUS with FUDE NIB, PILOT - 823 with FA NIB and SAILOR PROFIT 1911 with ZOOM NIB. I took a picture of the three next to eachother and they are all quite different. The Confucius pen by Duke is quite heavy and large; my hands are on the large size but I am unable to post the cap and use the pen better than with it off. I think because of the weight the cap is not for posting when drawing/writing with the pen. It is sold as an artist's pen and I can see why. I can make a EEEF line (thinner than an average hair) and change it immediateley to a BBB or 5/32" (measured with a pair of calipers). I ordered the Pilot pen with an FA nib because I wanted a demonstrator that would flex quite well and have that EF line capability. It is easier for me to see the color of the ink filled and register when I will need to refill it. This is important because I need a pen that I can trust while out on the field and sketching trees and rivers and shrubbery. Right now, it is filled with Private Reserve - Orange Crush. This is the closest ink I could find on the market that matches the color sanguine. I would appreciate a Noodler's Ink for its bullet proof permanence but there is no true sanguine in that brand, yet. I took some of the recommendations about the Pilot 74 and realized that the FA nib is something I could not beat. The true flow of the pen when making fast strokes is quite good here. Gesture drawing is definitely important: the artist's way of note taking. I enjoy the variation in line width when making more comic/cartoon like images. It helps keep the drawing more vibrant and more interesting. The third pen I chose is the Sailor Profit or 1911 Standard with the Zoom nib. This nib is a bit easier to control than the DUKE - Confucius fude nib by making the immediate line width required/desired accessible in any stroke. The line thickness seems to extend from EEF to a BB. Since I just invested in these pens it will take some time before I can work the nibs in and truly give the best results for each one. I have a feeling that my workhorse will be the PILOT 823 with the FA nib. My mistake in purchasing the standard sized SAILOR Profit is that it is quite small for my hand and while having it posted it feels slightly awkward or fragile. The pluses outweigh the bad at this point but there is so much more to experience and identify with in a few weeks of using these three pens. I did look at some vintage Safety Pens but they quickly shot from under $50.00 to $500.00 on the final bid over on Ebay. They look very sweet but they are not easy for me to find. That is the reason I spilled my wallet out on the Pilot FA nib - it seems to need some working in but otherwise the overall pen design feels quite comfortable in the hand and I can see using it for an hour or more in one sitting. I purchased the DUKE from ENGEIKA on Ebay (a trustworth kind fellow), the PILOT is from JAPANSHOP-QUILL.COM (they are super reliable and pleasant to work with) and I got the SAILOR from AMAZON because the price was too hard to beat (I did get this from a third party seller on Amazon -- Amazon does not sell this pen via PRIME -- and I realized that my pen did not come with a converter while another reviewer claimed they did get one - - there are about 30 sellers on Amazon for this particular pen and I suggest asking a few sellers what is to be expected prior to purchase). The pens were all purchased new with shipping near the following prices, DUKE for $30.00 (winning bid on EBAY) but they sell around $60.00 on Amazon (beware of those selling fakes with straight nibs), PILOT for $300.00 (it has the FA nib and I was unable to find this at any other store. The Japan Quill Shop does offer an overall nice experience with their service and packaging - - it was very pleasant dealing with them) and the SAILOR I found for $105.00.

Edited September 21, 2014 by TREBFPN

[TREBFPN]

I know I asked for the difference regarding the Namiki Soft Fine vs the Pilot Extra Fine and there is actually a video I discovered about it. If you are curious as well this is the clip:

[TREBFPN]

I am still looking for a demonstrator fountain pen with a gold nib and a large ink resevoir. Sadly with all the suggestions to fix the skipping and railroading of the FA nibbed Pilot 823 I have given up on it and I am now in the process of exchanging or returning it. The large FA nib just does not want to make a drawing happen. In related reviews of the Pilot 823 with the FA nib I share the user's frustration - - those articles have been hard to find and I have sadly read them after my experience with my FA nibbed Pilot 823 pen. I believe the FA nib has a sweet spot when given its overall size - - a smaller FA nib seems to be a lot less jumpy and just as giving in the creation of a fine to wide line. Recently, I discovered both the Pilot 91 and 74 on Amazon Prime for $96.00 and $91.00. I am currently using the Pilot Heritage 91 soft fine nibbed pen (it is the exact same nib offered on the Pilot Custom 74) - - I just appreciated the design of the Pilot 91 and the new CON 70 converter better. Although the Pilot Heritage 91 comes with a free CON 50 converter I went and purchased the Pilot CON 70 converter to use instead. The only difference is the CON 70 fills via a new button type pump vs the old piston fill way of the CON 50 and there is a slighty larger ink resevoir on the CON 70. When drawing I appreciate all the ink I can get - - I hate being disturbed in the midst of creating a drawing just to ink up my drawing instrument. I think it helps to be darn picky, in the long run with all the little added bonuses the art making experience really becomes much more enjoyable.

 

 

(CON 70 AND CON 50 with the PILOT HERITAGE 91 and the PILOT CUSTOM 74)

 

 

Edited September 29, 2014 by TREBFPN

[TREBFPN]

Hi. I have been in touch with a few persons regarding the Pilot 823 FA nib including Pilot itself. It seems there is a solution to getting a very nice flow and a real nice flex that will surpass any soft extra fine flex pen out on the market! I was given a video showing a Pilot 823 FA fountain pen writing without any railroading or skipping: I will need a couple of weeks to have my pen adjusted and sent back to me. When I get my pen back and receive permission to show this video I will update this topic ASAP. Thank you for your patience.

 

 

 

(Sample of the adjusted Pilot 823 FA fountin pen.)

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2014 by TREBFPN

[TREBFPN]

The only solution to get a decent flow (a "wet noodle") from the FA nibbed Pilot 823 is buy removing the feeder tube. I have seen this on youtube and it is not a clean solution. There is too much of an ink flow and the pen will have to be cleaned after each use to avoid ink build up in the gills. Pilot is no longer manufacturing the FA nibbed Pilot 823 model and there is only one new FA nibbed pen left at the Tokyo Pen Shop Quill, a.k.a. Asahiya Kami Bunguten Co., Ltd. It was created for a limited time only. This pen shop in Tokyo worked overtime on the nib and feed to try and create a viable solution. The owner's pen works very well and has been used over some years. It will not take to very fast writing but when it does write it is quite impressive. Unfortunately there is no instant match to his pen. Theoretically a FA nibbed 823 might work best given time for the pen to adjust but there is no promise to the overall performance one might find.

 

This topic is left open here in the regards to the best Artist's fountain pen. Limited to the above pens mentioned, my personal preference goes to the DUKE - CONFUCIUS with the FUDE NIB.

[TREBFPN]

I am discovering that there are the other two fountain pens I have noted above that are being used quite often in completing a few of my drawings, the Pilot Heritage 91 with the Soft-Fine nib and my old Namiki Falcon with a Soft-Fine nib.

 

Pilot Heritage 91: After some time I can now safely say that I really like my Pilot Heritage 91. I purchased this with the suggestions of the FPN members above in getting the soft-fine nib version. As I mentioned before the Pilot Heritage 91 and the Pilot Custom 74 both have the soft-fine nib option. This nib beats using a #2 or #3 sable brush, it is very smooth and I don't have to dip it or worry about cleaning it after each use. This pen has a very nice flow and I can make 1.5" long lines without any railroading - - a fast diagonal stroke with a BBB thickness. Although the nib is defined as a "Fine" the softness of the nib tends to make more of a medium wide line.

 

Namiki Falcon: I have been using the Soft-Fine nib "Namiki" Falcon vs the new Extra-Soft-Fine Iridium nib "Pilot" Falcon and I can easily say the Soft-Fine nib Namiki Falcon is better. The Extra-Soft-Fine nib on the Pilot does not flow too well and railroads quite often. Unfortunately, I am without a Pilot Falcon with a Soft-Fine nib; thus, I am unable to tell if it is directly the new Pilot nib design (size and material) or if it is just the Extra-Fine nib being unable to carry a decent flow given by this pen. My new appreciation for my old 14k Soft-Fine Namiki Falcon is quite clear, I can write at any speed without any railroading at all. This particular pen allows more accuracy when it comes to controling the line width and placing a more varied and defined texture down in a drawing than any other pen I have used. The nib is shaped to where I can hold the pen at a comfortable angle and see the line being made. Given that the nib is from Japan the size of the line width it can make seems to span from an extra fine line to a nice BB line. In addition to lines, I have used the back of the nib and the face with the split between the tines to creat an extremely fine line and a big .5" mark.

[PrestoTenebroso]

You know, there is this:

 

[TREBFPN]

You know, there is this:

 

Everyone has their own preference and that is what makes a topic rich with information. The pens I have will never leave the paper without making a line of ink. I notice the pen being used in this video is amplified by the high quality and professional style penmanship. I also note that many of the strokes made there are absent of much ink. The "flow" is an important feature for a fountain pen and a fountain pen with a good flow will never "skip" or "railroad". In my using the Pilot 823 with an FA nib I discovered that there is a lack of flow quality; the reason that this certain nib pen can exist via Japan is that in Japan the strokes are often very short when creating different Japanese characters; and in the Western culture the stroke is much longer and cannot accept a Pilot 823 FA nibbed pen. Every artist has a poetic license to use any writing instrument they need inorder to create a certain effect - - In the video it just may be so. I prefer a pen that can make longer lines and that will leave a defined ink mark whenever the nib touches the paper, whether it is in a fast horizontal stroke or a fast vertical stroke. It is an advantage to be able to draw a long line without having the ink flow stop when creating the stroke required, this along with the speed (the quicker the better) the pen is moving across the paper is quite important.

Edited November 12, 2014 by TREBFPN

[dedalian]

I sketch a lot myself but I feel that a large sweet spot and even ink flow is a lot more important for me than any flex. I guess it comes down to what you use your pen for. I do architectural and landscape sketching btw. For you I would suggest a vintage Waterman Ideal no. 7 I saw recently, though I cant seem to find a link to it.

[inkstainedruth]

The pen I have used the most for sketching with has been a Rotring Art Pen with an EF nib, courtesy of FPN member Uncle Red. I suspect that I will like using my Pelikan m400 as well -- it's a juicy F nib with some spring (if not actual flex).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[TREBFPN]

I sketch a lot myself but I feel that a large sweet spot and even ink flow is a lot more important for me than any flex. I guess it comes down to what you use your pen for. I do architectural and landscape sketching btw. For you I would suggest a vintage Waterman Ideal no. 7 I saw recently, though I cant seem to find a link to it.

That would be great if you can send me a link. I just started reading a book about vintage fountain pens and any actual experience regarding a particular pen will be great help. I have come across some older pens that have a reputation for being soft and flexible - only to find out that their actual attached nib is not and that incorporates an entire new story. I would love to get some ideas on what to look for when it comes to vintage fountain pens. Right now, I am hunting for a large nib with an extra fine line to start while ending in a BBB. Some of the nib structures have longer tines and seem to be made to flex while some others have the kind of structure that look very stiff but are actually the wet noodle. My only limitation comes to the type of pen that is equal in price to my getting a new computer.

Edited November 14, 2014 by TREBFPN