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Noodler's Ink Piston Fill Pen Review


themax

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Do you have any info on the other Noodler's FP you mention as the more expensive one, I am not seeing anything on that anywhere and also nothing on the Noodler's web site (which I found interesting).

 

Sure, I read about the more expensive one in this information at the New England pen show site (the first news item on the page).

 

http://www.vintagewriting.com/new_england_pen_show.htm

 

They were also described in a post on this forum that someone wrote after attending the show and seeing the, and I'm sorry I can't find in my searching tonight.

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maybe you can use the section from an old sheaffer cart pen like i did in my wality.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm not sure the "section" comes apart from the barrel on this pen. Maybe I just haven't tried hard enough to break it yet.

 

AAHH!! DOH! I meant the nib and feed. shoot. that makes me sound dumb. :roflmho:

 

But that's great you got it writing better. It's a shame to get a new pen and then have to work on it so you CAN use it.

Edited by watch_art
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I have had a Blue pen since the Boston show and the smell has faded considerably. I only notice it if I hold the pen directly under my nose.

 

Thanks for the info, Truppi327. I picked up the pen at the Raleigh show to see if it'd be a good choice as a starter pen for friends and family who express interest in using FPs. The price is definitely attractive for something like that, and the piston fill + ink windows are a big plus. I was just afraid the smell would turn people off. If it fades over time, though, that shouldn't be a problem.

 

Okay, I'm curious - so what do they smell like? I wouldn't mind a couple of these pens but I'd like to know what they smell of just in case.

 

I have a couple of pens that smell a bit like sick (vomit) and I've always wondered what sort of plastic-looking material smells like that. One is an old Platignum and the other is a Wality one on which the cap smells that way. The Wality smell is gradually going away but the Platignum pen is quite old and it still is quite stinky. It makes my fingers smell while I am using it but it goes away after a while.

"Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light." - Groucho Marx

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I have had a Blue pen since the Boston show and the smell has faded considerably. I only notice it if I hold the pen directly under my nose.
Thanks for the info, Truppi327. I picked up the pen at the Raleigh show to see if it'd be a good choice as a starter pen for friends and family who express interest in using FPs. The price is definitely attractive for something like that, and the piston fill + ink windows are a big plus. I was just afraid the smell would turn people off. If it fades over time, though, that shouldn't be a problem.
Okay, I'm curious - so what do they smell like? I wouldn't mind a couple of these pens but I'd like to know what they smell of just in case.I have a couple of pens that smell a bit like sick (vomit) and I've always wondered what sort of plastic-looking material smells like that. One is an old Platignum and the other is a Wality one on which the cap smells that way. The Wality smell is gradually going away but the Platignum pen is quite old and it still is quite stinky. It makes my fingers smell while I am using it but it goes away after a while.

 

I am having trouble describing the smell. The first things that come to me are industrial, plastic, and chemical. It had a certain tangy-ness to it. I don't like the smell. Others however seem to associate the smell with positive sense memories so it is very subjective I guess. It definitely goes away hugely and I like it enough to not mind the smell. Although it was a little bit before I carried the pen in my shirt pocket, I do so now almost daily.

Best,

Mike Truppi

 

<img src="http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/5673/inkdz2.png" border="0" class="linked-sig-image" height="60"/><img src="http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/606/letterji9.png" border="0" class="linked-sig-image" height="60"/><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qVJOiluU9_4/THoFdqPGYOI/AAAAAAAAA1w/gmV637q-HZA/s1600/InkDropLogoFPN.jpg" border="0" class="linked-sig-image" height="60" /> 8/24/10

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... and the other is a Wality one on which the cap smells that way. The Wality smell is gradually going away but...

I am probably off-topic:

 

Hi Karin, I have asked the Factory about this smell in the Wality marbled acrylic pens. The acrylic comes to them in the form of granules. The granules are made from "re-cycled" plastic, hence the smell. This material is used to keep the costs low. Of course, virgin plastic granules are available aplenty but the cost is correspondingly higher. I have some Walities made out of this top class virgin material and those pens are odor free and quite different even in the tactile feel. I wish I were able to order bulk quantities specifying this higher grade.

 

Best Regards,

Hari

Edited by hari317

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The biggest issue I see here is that you can buy a Reform 1745 or P120 from smeden for around the same price. The Reforms in my experience blow these pens away. That's not to say that I'm sorry Nathan has moved in this direction -- it's a positive development that should benefit fountain pen users over the long haul. I'm just noting that frugal FPN users currently have an even better opportunity out there.

 

 

I hadn't thought of Reforms, probably because I haven't gotten my hands on one to try yet. Are they still being made? That would be a benefit that these Noodler's pens have over Reforms.

No, they're long since done. I haven't seen more than one piston filled black Reform, either (that would be a Classico model I own). That means you can have the Reform in any color scheme you want -- as long as it's green and black.

 

I support these Noodler's pistons and hope they do really well precisely because I know we'll eventually run out of the massive stock of old Reforms that apparently exist and the next generation will need a good, affordable piston (aside from the excellent Dollar line).

<a href="Http://inkynibbles.com">Inky NIBbles, the ravings of a pen and ink addict.</a>

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May I ask where you found them, not seeing any out there except Swisher, who has been out of stock on them.

 

I ordered two from Swisher. The burgundy one was shipped when I ordered it, but the black one was back ordered. It just arrived yesterday.

 

Where the burgundy pen (reviewed above) arrived in a cellophane tube, the black backordered one arrived in a cellophane tube, in a white paperboard box printed with "Noodler's-esque" black graphics, and included an instruction sheet. This sheet explains, in Noodler's style, some of the thinking behind the pen and how to fill it. Interestingly, it also gives some direction on replacing the nib and also straightening the nib with a pair of fine tweezers (if the pen should be dropped).

 

This speaks to what I think I like most about this pen: it is made available with someone like me in mind-- I am going to tinker. It is "maker friendly." This pen doesn't require batteries, but the philosophy is like this: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/12/the_makers_bill_of_rights.html Maybe I like making vintage pens working again because it is easy to "get under the hood" on these and fix them.

 

Other pens are sold, like almost everything else sold these days, using the current philosophy of: "If this pen breaks, send it back to us to replace the part or, alternatively, you can buy a whole new pen. There is nothing on this pen that you are qualified to repair, and if you try to fix it yourself, you will break it and we will no longer help you."

 

Plenty of instructions are provided in the instruction sheet for fixing the nib, replacing the nib, and taking the piston apparatus apart to replace and maintain the piston seal. It notes that piston seals will also be available from Noodler's. This is one other feature that makes this new pen feel like a new-in-box vintage pen.

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now THAT sounds really cool. any way you could scan that sheet and stick it up here? or email me a copy, please? I agree with you about the tinker-philosophy. that describes me to a T.

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Thanks..........they came back in to Swisher and I have two that arrived at my UPS Store drop which I'll pick up today. I went with the burgundy and turquoise.

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Other pens are sold, like almost everything else sold these days, using the current philosophy of: "If this pen breaks, send it back to us to replace the part or, alternatively, you can buy a whole new pen. There is nothing on this pen that you are qualified to repair, and if you try to fix it yourself, you will break it and we will no longer help you."

 

 

This was too harsh (written before coffee got through). What I should have written is that this pen is not sold like other modern pens and consumer goods with the expectation that all users will be uninterested and incapable of performing simple maintenance or modifications - maybe even for fun.

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I was wondering if Jetpens was going to be carrying the Noodler's pen. And if they are, when??

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We have seen an indication (perhaps in a JetPens email?) that they will be selling them. I'd guess Nathan rushed to get this done for the NE Pen Show and that Swisher became his launch partner mostly because Swisher was there at the show. I know last year Swisher bought up the remaining stock (from the NE show) of VMail ink and brought it to Raleigh, just like he brought Noodler's pens to Raleigh this year.

 

I would speculate based on the news of there being boxes and instructions now is that the product is nearing the status of full launch and that JetPens, as a frequent and terrific collaborator, will likely be one of the next few merchants with the pens.

 

That's all tea leaf reading on my part.

Edited by Jimmy James

<a href="Http://inkynibbles.com">Inky NIBbles, the ravings of a pen and ink addict.</a>

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I know some people have mentioned liking the smell of these pens, but I don't. Is there any way to get rid of the smell? Will it eventually fade over time?

 

I hope that they do not smell like Wality pens! I was never able to get rid of that odor, not even over time.

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I checked on Swisher's and these pens do not appear. JetPens does not seem to be selling them, either. Are there any other vendors for these pens? I'd love to try one.

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I checked on Swisher's and these pens do not appear. JetPens does not seem to be selling them, either. Are there any other vendors for these pens? I'd love to try one.

They're listed at Swisher. Click on the rectangular Noodler's Ink banner and go to page 2. I know the Swisher site isn't the easiest to navigate...

<a href="Http://inkynibbles.com">Inky NIBbles, the ravings of a pen and ink addict.</a>

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I checked on Swisher's and these pens do not appear. JetPens does not seem to be selling them, either. Are there any other vendors for these pens? I'd love to try one.

They're listed at Swisher. Click on the rectangular Noodler's Ink banner and go to page 2. I know the Swisher site isn't the easiest to navigate...

 

Right you are! Thanks. In the Swisher photos, they rather remind me of older Pelikanos or Gehas...Looking forward.

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Thanks for the review! Blue one on the way with a bottle of Eternal Hunter Green!

"Don't bother to just be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." -- William Faulkner

 

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George, a.k.a. GreenMan508 on eBay, has these Celluloid with Piston Filling, as well as the Ebonite with Aerometric and/or Eyedropper Filling. In reference to the smell of these celluloid models, mine from Swisher have lessened considerably in just five days of airing-out. I mean that I left them high on a shelf, un-capped and un-inked and they are not at all noxious now. (I just couldn't stand the smell on them right out of the box!) Today I loaded the blue with La Reine Mauve and have been writing, doodling and carrying it around in my pocket all day. Great pen. Worth a little air time, I think. Now, I must load the burgundy one with Whaleman's Sepia.

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For me, much of the smell was gone after washing it with soap in the sink. It's been a week now and I can't smell it unless it's right under my nose, and even then, it's tolerable.

 

I did notice my normal ink (Bad Belted Kingfisher) coming out darker and more oily than I was used to. Turns out I didn't flush the pen enough after filling it for the first time. I've since thoroughly flushed it and the ink color matches what I'm used to.

 

I slightly adjusted the tines after getting the pen. They weren't bad but I'm a perfectionist. It writes very smooth. Smoother than my Lamy Vista with a fine nib. Maybe that's to be expected since the Noodler's pen is a medium-fine.

Upward, not Northward!

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