A Newbie's Foray Into The World Of Flex

[vibeinfinite]

So I about a month ago I realized that I liked to write. Not that i'm any good at it but its fun. I grew up with computers and after the age of 9 its all i've ever known. I entered the world of FPs about two weeks ago and took a crash course in all-things-FP whilst unemployed.

 

I wanted an expressive flex pen to write letters, draft designs, and maybe... to write poems [when i'm feeling especially emotional and vulnerable].

 

Three weeks later and i've concluded my search for an ideal flex fountain pen... and as it turns out that the ones I like most are all from obscure brands that aren't widely familiar to everyone. I've taken many gambles on Ebay because the best prices are to be had from sellers that know absolutely nothing about FPs and provide vague descriptions along the lines of -- "Functionality unknown. Lever does not work. See pictures for reference. Sold as-is no returns accepted."

 

I've come up with four candidates -- the first two of which I am selling on ebay to fund my next foray into the world of modern/stiff nibs. But I need to honor them all by reviewing them. Yes, I am sentimental.

 

 

From top to bottom [according to my subjective and brief opinion]:

 

1) LeBouef "Unbreakable" Celluloid Ring-top

• Super-flex on the verge of noodlehood. F-BB (tines easily flex to BBB but ink feed cant keep up)
• Very responsive 7/10

Overall: Flexes just as easily, and a tad bit more responsive than the eyedropper that came from Mauricio. The downsides are it's limited ink capacity and it will sometimes skip if flexed for too long.

 

 

2) The "Passing Show" Pen [PSP] Wet Noodle Eyedropper - originally purchased from Mauricio

• Wet noodle F-BBB
• Fairly responsive 6/10

Overall: I enjoy LeBouef's feed back and springiness a bit more, but the PSP is a more well-rounded wet noodle. It's feed is highly capable of keeping up with flex sessions and has a paint-brush-esque feel to it. So much so that I am not ready for it. Getting great line variation /w this pen was a struggle for me cause my hand is not light enough to produce a fine line.

 

 

3) Carter's Ink Co. "DRAGON" *roar*. -- Dont know anything about this bad boy

• Super-flex. [XXF?] XF-BB
• VERY responsive 8/10

Overall: I bought this on a whim for 180, having seen nothing other than the Ebay seller's [lackluster] sample handwriting and vague description. A Google search did not provide any info.... all I knew was that Carter Inx produced high quality pens for around five years -- sometime in the 1920's-30's. The shape of the nib just screamed FLEX, so I pulled the trigger and I couldn't be happier.

 

"Oh you've got a Waterman 52 1/2V? Thats cool..."

***Then reaches in pocket and whips out the fat bodied DRAGON PEN that nobody else in the world has ever seen or heard of -- taking care to ensure the audience sees the thick, luxurious gold-plated, spring-loaded clip***

-The elitist

 

 

4) Snap-Fill #2 Nib - A pen that was likely designed FOR women (but not BY women, as women were not allowed to design or create anything outside the realm of kitchen appliances and/or food, prior to the 1940's). Ah, yes, how far we've come.

 

• Super-Flex - [XXF?] XF-BB
• UBER responsive 9/10. Those tines snap back like its nobody's business.

Overall: I have mixed feelings about this pen. Because one hand, the nib allows for such an incredible feeling of control/responsiveness, but on the other hand, it rates among the most feminine pens that i've ever seen in my lifetime. At first glance I thought it was attached to something that looked like an ankle bracelet -- with a decorative trinkett on the end. But soon after I realized that it is a pin that you can attach to clothing, or a notebook cover.

 

Still, I don't think i'm man enough to rock this out in public. But that just goes to show -- if you are a man and only care about creating the thinnest hair lines and extreme line variation, don't be afraid to venture off into the unfamiliar.

 

 

 

FLEX NIB PIC - to show their characteristically narrow sillouette

 

 

 

 

I am eventually going to explore the modern stiff/semi-flex/soft-nib dimension of FPs next.... but i'll save that for another post.

Edited August 1, 2013 by vibeinfinite

[PatientType]

Looks pretty good to me. I don't use flex pens as I haven't devoted time to mastering the skill and my desire for line variation is satisfied with springy nibs and cursive italics. Still its interesting to see what beautiful script can come out of a flex nib. Thanks for posting.

[vibeinfinite]

Thanks for the kind words! Yeah I sort of just dove into flex pens so my handwritings pretty horrible at the moment... probably should have started with stub or cursive.

[Jadie]

Flex is fun! If you're enjoying yourself, then it's all good. ^___^

 

Being a lady, I do like the looks of #4 best, but #2 would be a contender if one could add a chain to that one, too. What ink did you use for #2? =D

[vibeinfinite]

Yeah... well... I could only ever own one pen with a trinkett chain cause having two would officially make me a collector of trinkett chain fountain pens. Self-imposed castration?

 

#2 is Diamine indigo, nothing special but it shades alright

[Jadie]

Yeah... well... I could only ever own one pen with a trinkett chain cause having two would officially make me a collector of trinkett chain fountain pens. Self-imposed castration?

 

#2 is Diamine indigo, nothing special but it shades alright

 

Nah...two's a perfect pair but three's a crowd, I say.

 

Hmm, never considered Diamine Indigo until now. May have to get a sample. It has a nice vintage look that reminds me of Iroshizuku Shin-kai, diluted.

 

Good luck with your nib adventures! I'm currently on a mini one myself---for the fat and weird/rare/funky nibs. XD I should post pictures when I get the pens delivered...