"patented" Two Way Nib... Sigh.

[SoulSamurai]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/premad/premad-pen-writing-smooth-both-ways

 

This might be the worst crowdfunding pen project I've seen. "Patented two way duet nib"? The "V-shaped passage" in the iridium sounds like a bad idea. Oh, and they offer a ballpoint version "if you fancy a more traditional writing method" (their words). Because apparently ballpoints are more traditional than these newfangled "fountain pens"?

Edited September 19, 2019 by SoulSamurai

[A Smug Dill]

This might be the worst crowdfunding pen project I've seen.

Oh, surely you've seen worse? I have, without limiting the scope to writing instruments (or even with).

 

"Patented two way duet nib"?

It would give them more creditability if they gave the patent (application?) number for others to independently confirm their claims, at least with regard to having a patent.

 

Oh, and they offer a ballpoint version "if you fancy a more traditional writing method" (their words). Because apparently ballpoints are more traditional than these newfangled "fountain pens"?

Tradition is subjective and depends on the scope and/or community in question (as intended by the author/speaker and not the casual reader/audience). The traditions of my family may poo-poo the use of halogen or induction stovetops for cooking, but that doesn't mean cooking with woodfire or goal as people did centuries ago is our tradition either. Whatever we've 'always' done in the past couple of decades or the past couple of generations because of the (scope-limited) decision-makers' choice makes for 'tradition', and it's not a question of which technology (or technologies) are older or what most people outside of the scope of a statement elects to do.

Edited September 19, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[SoulSamurai]

Oh, surely you've seen worse? I have, without limiting the scope to writing instruments (or even with).

 

 

 

It's the worst pen project I can remember at the moment anyway, at least in terms of how the marketing is rubbing me in the wrong way.

[Mannyonpil]

Why is it important to write with your pen upside down?

[A Smug Dill]

Why is it important to write with your pen upside down?

It's only important to me when the line widths laid down by a nib in normal orientation are too broad; for example, on most of the F nibs on the PenBBS 308/309 pens, and the F nib on my Pelikan M815 as it came (until I finally couldn't deal with it any more and attempted to regrind it myself).

 

Personally, I'd prefer more manufacturers made Fine (and Extra Fine) nibs that truly deliver fine lines, but on the odd occasion (such as for section headings) the nib can 'reverse-write' to put down bolder lines. Sadly, in most cases, 'reverse-writing' is what deliver finer lines, and in normal orientation the majority of nibs (without limiting the scope to German, or Japanese, or Chinese pens) write more broadly in normal orientation.

[SoulSamurai]

Why is it important to write with your pen upside down?

 

 

The idea is that the two sides will write with different line widths. A typical use case would be a medium or bold line for normal writing, then reversing the pen on rare occasion when you need a very fine line.

 

Sheaffer and Parker had pens designed to do this decades ago, it's nothing new.

[SoulSamurai]

IPersonally, I'd prefer more manufacturers made Fine (and Extra Fine) nibs that truly deliver fine lines, but on the odd occasion (such as for section headings) the nib can 'reverse-write' to put down bolder lines. Sadly, in most cases, 'reverse-writing' is what deliver finer lines, and in normal orientation the majority of nibs (without limiting the scope to German, or Japanese, or Chinese pens) write more broadly in normal orientation.

 

That's one of the options they offer in this campaign, maybe you should pledge?

 

 

 

Also there is a fellow who's name I can't recall who welds nibs together to get different sorts of combinations, like a fine and a stub. He has a website and everything.

Edited September 19, 2019 by SoulSamurai

[Bo Bo Olson]

I'm sure they've seen 5 or 6 of them thingamgigs....and having bent the nib turned it around and bent it right back...... :eureka:

One could have a nib meister take one of the modern fat and blobby Pelikan nibs and have the top ground narrower....out side the 200 &1000 the other nibs are stiffer 'than transitional' Pelikan, so that would work well....if one needed a 'normal' and thin line** ......they do have screw out nibs for long term width.

 

** having a shirt pocket to carry a second pen with a different width is so passe`.

 

I wonder if they even know what a shirt pocket is.....they seem to know nothing else..........rest of grumble deleted.

Edited September 19, 2019 by Bo Bo Olson

[sirgilbert357]

The nib itself isn't patented, the technique (or end result/shape of the tipping) is what is patented.

 

A little misleading on their part. But given the grammatical and spelling errors, I'm not surprised...

Edited September 19, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[inkstainedruth]

Isn't that the idea behind the Parker 180?

Oh, and I have a TWSBI 580-ALR with a 1.1 stub nib that actually writes BETTER upside down, because it's such a wet writer....

Kickstarters such as this make me want to go to the people behind them and pat them on the head, going "Oh, isn't that precious?"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: The comment about BPs being "more traditional" makes it pretty clear that FPN members are NOT their targeted market.

Edited September 19, 2019 by inkstainedruth

[A Smug Dill]

That's one of the options they offer in this campaign, maybe you should pledge?

In that clip, the difference in widths between the horizontal lines and (reverse-written) vertical lines are not that significant, but the horizontal lines are just visibly drier without being what I'd call fine.

 

For US$105, I don't see why I wouldn't just order a Sailor Profit Standard with a 14K gold Zoom nib today instead, if I'm after a versatile fountain pen. I just don't trust any Kickstarter project to deliver on time, to specifications (of every listed function or capability marketed as a selling point) and meet quality expectations; much less any Kickstarter project that wants to price its finished products in the realm of established brands known to deliver reliably and consistently.

[SoulSamurai]

For US$105, I don't see why I wouldn't just order a Sailor Profit Standard with a 14K gold Zoom nib today instead, if I'm after a versatile fountain pen. I just don't trust any Kickstarter project to deliver on time, to specifications (of every listed function or capability marketed as a selling point) and meet quality expectations; much less any Kickstarter project that wants to price its finished products in the realm of established brands known to deliver reliably and consistently.

 

To be clear I was joking. I reckon you could get just about any pen you like in a B or BB and send it to a nibmeister to grind the two sides to your preferences. And yes, a kickstarter that delivers on time is a rarity in my experience.

[Storch]

So, if I understand this correctly, I am being the privilege of paying extra for someone to intentionally carve a baby's bottom into not just the bottom of my nib but the top as well and I am to trust that this will make it "better". Pass.

[sirgilbert357]

So, if I understand this correctly, I am being the privilege of paying extra for someone to intentionally carve a baby's bottom into not just the bottom of my nib but the top as well and I am to trust that this will make it "better". Pass.

I'm sure it's great if all you write on is 400 thread count bedsheets. Clairefontaine? Not so much...lol.

[sansenri]

Why is it important to write with your pen upside down?

The Omas 361 was offering this since late 1940s.

The 361 was a hooded nib pen, with tipping on both sides of the nib, the smart idea was that in one position the pen would show flex, while in the upside down position the nib would be firm. The gimmick worked rather well in this pen.

Check this review here on FPN

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/50696-omas-361-flexiblestiff-axial-nib/

[sansenri]

Isn't that the idea behind the Parker 180?

Oh, and I have a TWSBI 580-ALR with a 1.1 stub nib that actually writes BETTER upside down, because it's such a wet writer....

Kickstarters such as this make me want to go to the people behind them and pat them on the head, going "Oh, isn't that precious?"....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: The comment about BPs being "more traditional" makes it pretty clear that FPN members are NOT their targeted market.

 

yes Ruth, see the review posted above, it also mentions the Parker 180

(in the 180 the scope was to give two different widths, in the 361 stiff or flex)

Edited September 19, 2019 by sansenri

[Honeybadgers]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/premad/premad-pen-writing-smooth-both-ways

 

This might be the worst crowdfunding pen project I've seen. "Patented two way duet nib"? The "V-shaped passage" in the iridium sounds like a bad idea. Oh, and they offer a ballpoint version "if you fancy a more traditional writing method" (their words). Because apparently ballpoints are more traditional than these newfangled "fountain pens"?

 

I would argue that the ballpoint IS the traditional writing tool. You can't in good conscience argue that we're the normal pen users in the world.

 

That said, it just looks like he's just literally grinding baby's bottom into the nib. WTH.

 

 

The only kickstarter I've joined since basically the website was invented was recently the new Italia by ENSSO, a well established maker.

Edited September 19, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[sansenri]

I might as well edit my incorrect post with something less boring and irritating than an incorrect post....

 

In the company where I work (Pharmaceutical) we sometimes do focus groups with our final clients (specialist doctors).

The intent of the focus groups is find out from our clients, if they could choose the characteristics of a particular new product, what they would want to find... very often the doctors, since they have first hand info from their patients, know all the issues patients encounter, a pill that's too big to swollow, a dispenser that's too difficult to push, an eye dropper that's awkward to operate, etc..

With this method the company has actually developed a few new products with better characteristics (user friendly)...

 

It struck me that if the crowdfunding guys here, before proceeding to develop a new pen and asking to be funded, had run a focus group on FPN regarding their idea, the final idea might be much better and all the silly gimmicks would die premature!

Edited September 20, 2019 by sansenri

[DonM]

"There's a sucker born every minute".

 

P.T. Barnum

[sirgilbert357]

But he's 82 and been doing this for decades. I'm sure it's gonna be fiiiiinnee. Makes you wonder what kind of ink and paper they have were the "nibmeister" is from.