A Namiki Falcon (medium nib) from Richard Binder will arrive in my mail box next week. It's my first Namiki. Is there anything I should know about ink - any particular inks I should avoid? Will it do OK with saturated inks like Noodlers and Private Reserve?

Judybug

I have a Falcon with Binder .5mm cursive italic. It's only had PR and Noodler's in it so no cautions from me. Dimensionally, the Falcon seems similar to Pel M200 and M600, but it "feels" very different to my hand. Dunno why. Let us know your impressions of the Falcon when you get some time.

Doug

I've used Noodler's Legal Lapis in it and I think it's a perfect ink for it. The Falcon has a semiflex nib, so it provides for the interesting shading to come through.

Erick

Post # 600!!!

My Namiki Falcon pretty much always has Noodler's BB in it. I've tried a number of other inks and liked them - PR Chocolat, Noodler's Mata Hari, Polar Blue, Aircorp Blue-Black, Lamy Blue, etc - really it works well with everything. I mostly tend to keep BB in it because I like using it for sketching.

Noodler's Bulletproof Black is the only ink I feed my medium nibbed Falcon. It's makes the thin lines thinner and it doesn't feather (on any paper) when flexing.

I have a Namiki Falcon, but with a fine nib. Haven't had trouble with saturated inks.

I have a Falcon fine nib. I've used Namiki cartridges (black) and PR DC show blue, purple mojo, and Naples blue and all have been fine.

I use Waterman Florida Blue in mine, and it works wonderfully.

The Falcon is a great pen, and I think you'll be pleased. Having said that, if nib creep bothers you, avoid PR Black Cherry. I liked the way it looked, but couldn't live with the creep, and ended up changing. Right now, I'm using PR Midnight Blues, and it's working fine.

Jon

I have two Falcons, and I've used both Private Reserve Copper Burst and Noodlers Golden Brown in them. Both seem to work great - start right up, no roughness.

Hi, Judybug -

I use Noodler's Black in my Falcon in the summer, Polar Black in cooler weather (PB tends to feather a bit when the temp is over about 70). Never a problem.

One of my two fine nibbed Falcons has been filled with Sailor Brown for at least a year or so. That one has been a good match all the way around. The other ink that gets high marks is Noodler's Apache Sunset particularly for its shading. The Falcon shows that property off beautifully.

Thanks for all the suggestions. My Falcon arrived today and for the time being I've loaded it with Sheaffer Blue/Black, but I'm glad to know that it does well with Noodlers and PR because I'll want to try some of those more saturated inks.

The Falcon is definitely different. I can feel the flex in the nib. Since I've only been writing with my left hand for a little over a year, I'm not sure I have the control to take full advantage of the flex. However, I'm delighted with the way it feels and the shading it gives my handwriting - it's hard to explain. Sheaffer Blue/Black ink is pretty dull in my other pens, but in this Falcon the shading goes from very dark blue to a bluish gray. I can tell I'm going to have a lot of fun with this pen - and I think my left hand may benefit from the exercise it will get with this flexy nib.

Judybug

Mine works with everything I've put in it.

I'm a little confused... I understand that there is a "Falcon nib" and then a Falcon pen model. The falcon nib I've seen has cuts into the shoulders of the nib to give it pronounced flex, whereas the Namiki Falcon pen nib does not sport that nib. At least, that's what I've seen for sale. Is the case that the Falcon nib can be had with and without the extra flex?

Also, Judy, what nib work did you have Binder perform on your Falcon?

I guess 99% of the time, people are talking about the Namiki/Pilot Falcon which has a semi-flex.

Since the 742/743 with the FA (Falcon) true flex nib is only available in Japan, not many have it - and it's about 3x the price!

I didn't have any nib modification done. My Falcon is just the factory medium nib. I didn't mean to give the impression that it's a full-fledged flex - I guess semi-flex is a more accurate description. But it's definitely a noticeable amount of flex compared to my all my other pens. At any rate, it's a pleasure to write with.

Judybug

I'm so much in the habit of hearing pens coming from Richard with modifications, I just assumed you'd had some nib work done.

It's good to hear that the standard Falcon pen nibs have some flex to them. I had my heart set on a full flex Falcon nib, but I'd be happy with semi-flex at 1/3rd the price.