I'd like to try a flex nib, and understand the Pilot Falcon is a "semiflex". It's easier to buy that one then the 742 FA pen (FA stands for Falcon nib and is described as a flex nib) from a Japanese dealer, but is the 742 FA a much more flexible nib than the Falcon? In other ways, which is a better pen?

The Falcon nib should not be confused with the Falcon pen. It's confusing, but there you go.

The Custom 742 is much flexier than the Falcon. The Falcon's nib will provide a little give, but not a lot.

My understanding is that John Mottishaw will customize a Falcon to make it more flexible, and that the modified Falcon is comparable to the Omas Emotica. My 742 has about twice the range of line weight that my Emotica does.

Other than that, I don't remember that much about the Falcon; I only tried it once several months ago. I remember it being lightweight, and the 742 is on the light side of medium weight. My scale says 23 grams but my scale has been pretty wonky lately and that's not a number to be trusted. I think that makes the 742 about twice the weight of the Falcon.

According to my notes, the Falcon I tried out was an SM (Soft Medium) and my notes don't show much line variation at all. If there is an SF it might show the flex more.

I found the unmodified Falcon (fine soft nib) to be quite firm. However, it could safely flex out and snap back to a thin line given enough force. OTOH, my 743's FA is soft; it takes a very light hand to generate flexion.

Hmm. Does anyone know where a Pilot Custom 742 with a flexy nib can be acquired, and for how much? I was going to buy a Falcon, but the Custom 742 sounds much more interesting. I've been wanting to try flex nibs for a while.

Thanks,
Lisa

Ujuku's got 'em. (link is to their eBay auction)

Thanks!

Lisa

I got my 742 from Ujuku. Their replies are not super fast, probably due to the time difference, but the service is top notch. By the way, the 742 is the only off the shelf, contemporary nib that could compete with vintage flex. You'll not be disappointed.

Recent reports elsewhere on FPN say that the Pilot Custom 743 is flexier. That makes sense since the #15 nib is longer than the #10, but I haven't used it myself. If I'd known, I'd have gotten a 743 instead, though I adore my 742 so I can't really complain.

I got my 743 FA nibbed baby from Richie at http://www.cyberpens.co.uk and he made me a very satisfied customer. Email him at sales@cyberpens.co.uk for a quote.

Splicer, Lloyd,
How does the 742 FA flex compare with vintage Waterman flex?

Without pressure, my Waterman writes a slightly scratchy hairline while my 743 writes a smooth Asian fine. The flow on my 743 is more controlled (no "blobs") but is more likely to not keep up with heavily flexed writing.

I'm thinking of having Richard B. reduce the tipsize of my 743 to a smooth Asian XF or finer. This should increase the widest/thinnest ratio of that pen.

I can't answer that with any authority. My only vintage Waterman's is a Dauntless EF semiflex which ranges approximately from a 0.25mm line to a 0.50mm line. That gives me about twice the thick:thin ratio of a "smooth nail" like my Rotring Initial or Parker 51. By comparison, my Estie 9128 (EF flex) nib gives me a range of 0.35mm to 0.80mm. The 742 FA ranges from less than 0.20mm up to 0.80mm... twice the ratio of the Dauntless semiflex and a significantly greater range than the Estie.

I've heard that the Estie 9128 is not as flexible as the vintage Waterman's flexies. How much more so, I don't know. I'd be very surprised if the 742 FA was in the ballpark with the Waterman's "artist nib" but I'm guessing it's comparable to the "regular" vintage flex.

One thing I haven't mentioned thus far is that the 742 FA is a very manageable nib. It's smooth as pick your favorite simile, and the amount of pressure that brings you from minimum to maximum is easy to modulate. It's easily the most responsive flexer in my stable. I can't say the same for the Dauntless or the Emotica. I can say the same for the Estie, but the 742 FA still beats it on responsiveness.

Hope that helps

Thanks, Splicer, it does help!

Thanks, Lloyd
Pep