Which Noodler's Flex Pen?

[Icywolfe]

 

@icywolfe: Yeah, I have lost pens to cracking and piston-filler-failure. Never a Noodler, though. But, to do justice to the Konrads and Ahabs, you should learn to dismantle and relubricate the pen. Also, how to heat-set the nibs, along with pulling and reinserting nibs. Brian Goulet has videos on the Noodler pens, well worth taking a look at them. Nathan Tardiff made the Noodler pens to be worked on, taken apart, and adjusted to a user's preference. I find it a lot of fun to work with the pens.

 

 

I might have gotten a dud. But so far out of 4 Noodler's pens I got 1 perfect pen. And another semi perfect as in it drops ink on the page ever so often.

 

I can disassemble it. Cleans it. Lubed it up. From opening up I only noticed there was some broken plastic in the piston mechanism so I'm guessing there are some bump in the piston mech that I can't see. I basically watched almost every video on GPC + Shrebrown and a little videos on the Pen Habit. (I just can't stand that guy bashing Pilot converter on every video he talks about converters.)

 

I find adjusting the pen to not drop ink about every other day made me waste ink. I was using Konpeki ink (nice shading)

 

But I will still continue recommending the Noodler's pens as they worked great for the price. They pretty good value for the price just doesn't match up in quality. On my creaper I had carve up the feed channel because mine had a curve in it.

 

Edit: I happen to fix it. At the same time I broke it too. Some type of Jury Rigging needs to be in place now.

Edited August 29, 2014 by Icywolfe

[BookCat]

Icywolfe: have you tried heat setting the feed of the one which leaks? Brian has a vid about how to do that, as does Nathan Tardiff.

 

Tinysnail: great minds! It's a lovely colour isn't it? At least on the computer.

Is that Hero 269 supposed to flex or did you really force that? Intriguing.

[Icywolfe]

Icywolfe: have you tried heat setting the feed of the one which leaks? Brian has a vid about how to do that, as does Nathan Tardiff.

 

Tinysnail: great minds! It's a lovely colour isn't it? At least on the computer.

Is that Hero 269 supposed to flex or did you really force that? Intriguing.

Yup. I used a small flame like what Nathan said to use.

 

The only fix was just pulling the feed and nib out and cleaning it and inserting it back in then the whole day will be fine.

[AZBennett]

To the OP:

 

If you are in CONUS shoot me a PM with your address. I will send you a Konrad Demonstrator and an Eversharp Skyline with a M semi-flex nib that I just put a fresh sac in. The Konrad has only been used a few times and was not to my wifes liking. The Skyline is cosmetically rough (mismatched cap and barrel, scratches, etc) but writes nicely. My only issue with Noodlers pens is the upkeep on setting the nib correctly to get the flow right. My Nib creaper has some issues with the nib being slightly too loose. Anyway, let me know if you are interested.

[tinysnail]

@BookCat Yeah, it's stunning! I'm really excited.

 

I am pretty sure the nib is supposed to flex. It's a weird pen- there is NOTHING about it anywhere online. The eBay seller came across a box of NOS from the 80s or 90s, sold them, and that's it. It's a fun pen. It is really bad about hard starts, unfortunately. It is more reliable when writing "upside down" on the nib. When I can get it to write, though, it flexes BEAUTIFULLY.

[AZBennett]

Just saw you ordered the Konrad already, my bad. If you are interested in the Skyline let me know.

[PenUpGirl]

That's hilarious, I also ordered a Red State Konrad last night..... there must be something in the water.

[PenUpGirl]

I found the Ahab and added one more to the mix so you could see a complete-ish comparison of Noodler's. What you have here is:

 

 

 

Noodler's Rollerball, Nib Creeper, Konrad (reg), Ahab, Acrylic Konrad and finally the Ebonite Konrad. Followed by a ruler and the ubiquitous Lamy Safari for reference.

 

 

 

[ScienceChick]

The Ahab is a chunky monkey. I think my hands are average size (I'm 5'8 and far from a delicate flower) and have been pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it is. Enjoy your Konrad; it's a good looking pen.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I have a rather disgusting number of Noodler's pens. I started with the Creaper. I tried the Ahab, and mostly own Konrads. Here is my experience:

 

You will be told that Noodler's pens are not true flex nibs. That may or may not be true. I like mine, and they compare decently to my Pilot Justus 95. The Pilot is a nicer pen, of course, but it better be at that price premium!

 

I used to own a number of Creapers. They were a bit small for my taste. The Ahab was a bit large for my taste. The Konrad was perfect. I found that the ebonite and acrylic versions were just a little bit better. The Konrad is an attractive model and it seems to me that this model got right what the other models did not.

 

In my Noodler's experience, I found one pen that required work before it behaved. The rest were decent pens though some were improved with work. Don't expect a perfect writing experience with a Noodler's pen. But, I have been very happy with them, and several of my pens are years old. I usually carry a Noodler's Konrad as a daily writer pen.

[oshizemi]

I've tried all three. I prefer the Konrad of them all.

[ailevin]

I am a fan of Noodler's inks and pens. I have an Ahab and a couple of "regular" Konrads. I find the Konrad much more comfortable in hand than the Ahab and it reminds me quite a bit of the Pelikan 400, one of my favorite pens--not too bad for $20. OTH, I think of it as a tinkerer's pen, which for me is a feature, but it is one of the reasons that the Noodler's pens are not for everyone. The pen is designed to be taken completely apart with out any special tools. The ebonite feed and steel nib are friction fit and it is an opportunity to learn about making adjustments without risking an expensive nib or pen. I did have some frustration at first, and there was a definite learning curve, but once I got the hang of adjusting the nib and setting the feed I've been very happy with how all my Konrads write.

 

The flex is mostly a novelty to me as I am not a calligrapher. The nib takes quite a bit of pressure to flex deeply, though the feed is quite capable of keeping up. With a light touch the nib writes a nice fine line and the variations in flow due to small pressure differences or stroke speeds can enhance shading with the right ink. The pens write quite wet, which I like, but I'm not sure I'd know how to dry one of these pens out.

 

To the OP: be sure to run some mildly soapy water (liquid dish soap) through the pen and perhaps brush the feed; then rinse out thoroughly with water before filling with ink the first time. The feeds seem prone to retaining oil used in machining them.

[BookCat]

I chose the Konrad because I have smallish hands (I can write with a Dinkie) so I might find the Ahab's girth a bit tiring. It's nice to know that others have made the same choice.

 

ailevin, thank you for the advice, I'll give it a good flush with soapy water, then a rinse before inking up. I don't mind the tinkering as long as it's productive. I'm trying to improve my handwriting and a flex pen's emphasis on the down stroke will help. I can't wait for it to arrive.

 

Thanks everyone for your help; any advice regarding viscous inks which are good for flexing? I mostly use blue and blue-black but don't mind branching out. My main ink of choice is Namiki blue.

[Tas]

I have all three.

 

Two Nib Creepers although I broke one fiddling about with it too much.

Two Ahabs - one who's nib is now modified.

One Konrad - who's piston mechanism I've had to superglue to stop it coming apart from the pen every time I refill it.

 

I love them all to bits and despite their flaws wholeheartedly recommend them. One or more nearly always accompany me on a sketching trip.

 

If I'm honest, I like the Nib Creeper the most. Mine gives a finer line than the others when needed and flexes almost as much given the right ink choice.

It''s comparatively small ink capacity may be an issue for one fill trips but I often take a small vial to fill up from in case.

[TMac]

I have 2 Ahabs, 2 Konrads, and 2 Konrad Acrylics.

 

I love all of them. If forced to choose just one, I would go with a Konrad Acrylic.

[oshizemi]

I have 2 Ahabs, 2 Konrads, and 2 Konrad Acrylics.

I love all of them. If forced to choose just one, I would go with a Konrad Acrylic.

How does the acrylic compare to the standard? I've been considering purchasing one, but I already have 4 of the standards haha.

[BookCat]

How does the acrylic compare to the standard? I've been considering purchasing one, but I already have 4 of the standards haha.

 

I don't know about the Konrad specifically, but I have another acrylic pen which has an iridescent glow which changes according to its aspect to the light. Acrylic pens are often more colourful and vibrant than those in most other materials. I don't know if there are any other differences regarding the acrylic Konrad.

[PenUpGirl]

I don't feel the writing is different at all, the acrylics are a tad bit longer which is nice for me (bigger hands) but it isn't so big as to be unwieldy. The biggest difference is the level of distraction, like BookCat said, the light catches those acrylics and I find myself forgetting to write......

 

"Oooh, shiny"!

Edited September 1, 2014 by PenUpGirl

[zchen]

Ebonite or Acrylic Konrad > Ahab > Konrad > Creaper. (I have multiples of all models)

 

The Ebonite or Acrylic are more expensive but has way better qc in my experience. I had 2 regular Konrad that I had to return due to piston issues.

[Fox Point]

Argument for the creapers, here! I have two and a Konrad brush pen, which is thick enough that I don't think I would like it as a pen, as I really prefer slimmer pens. It is a great water or ink brush, though! I also find the proportions of the creaper nicest; the regular Konrad seems too short and thick. But that is all aesthetics.

 

My real argument for the creaper is that my nibs are fantastic. I get tons of flex in them quite easily and can write an A4 page of 3 mm swells before tiring - and that is about my non-flex limit, too, for writing which takes a bit of thought (as opposed to notes). It handles very, very wet and very dry inks equally well, while maintaining that flex. With one particularly wet one, there was about 8 mm between the end of the feed and the tip of the nib but the feed still kept up with full flex at moderate speed. One of them I don't tinker with, as the nib:feed position is so perfect for so many inks. As such the other one gets to play with all of the pigments and other inks which take some dismantling to really clean out. I actually want a small test tube cleaner to make cleaning easier... Max flex for both is 4-4.5 mm.

 

My try-anything creaper came with an unbearably scratchy reverse of the nib, but all it took was a couple of alignment sessions over a couple of months for it to even out. The reverse sides of the creapers are nice western fines and are perfect for scrawling pages of notes without having to worry as much about the angle of your hand. My keep-it-the-same creaper is glassy front and back.

 

The pistons still work fine, though they can be a little stiff and creaky and it is easy to lose your grip if you have wet hands. The brush pen is new enough that I can't comment on how it will last, though it was perfect out of the box.

 

Ink capacity.. If I am completely in love with the ink I can flex it away in one day. Generally a fill lasts me a week, using a few pens. I prefer smaller ink capacities for more frequent colour changes, anyway. Evaporation gets to be an issue around the two week mark and you may want to top it off with a bit of water, ink depending. My creapers were once left full for a month+ and I came back to find no ink in them at all. Cleaning them thoroughly gave up only a little bit of reconstituted ink, and they worked as per usual afterwards. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with ink moving from the feed to the nib as it dehydrated, or the reverse or some other option.. Regardless, they performed like tanks and cleaned up completely very easily.

 

The biggest advantage of the other models has to be the number of other nib options. Sourcing vintage nibs is too difficult for me currently, and even once you find them you will probably have to hear set the feed and sacrifice the original utility. I wish spare feeds and nibs were offered so that you could keep a nib/feed pair together!

 

Here endeth the ode to the creaper.

Fox Point