Falcon vs Falcon (FA) nib?

[Saturninus]

I never paid much attention to the Custom 742 pens and others like it that I don't regularly see on US-based vendor sites. I wanted to try a semi-flex nib, so I ordered a Namiki Falcon, which I am sure will serve its purpose of introducing me to the world of writing with flex (if it grows on me then one day I will venture into the world of vintage flex).

 

But I keep reading and hearing about the Falcon nib that is mounted on the Custom series pens not found here in the US, and after looking at pictures of that nib with its side cutouts, I realize it is not at all the same nib on the Namiki Falcon pen. What is the difference - does the nib on the Falcon pen behave pretty much the same FA nib on the Custom pens? And why do they try to confuse?

[The Grim Sheaffer]

FA nib is said to be much better. I only have experience with a Falcon.

 

Why spend $140 on a modern Flex Falcon when you can get the real thing for $10 to $20 on the bay?

[Saturninus]

FA nib is said to be much better. I only have experience with a Falcon.

 

Why spend $140 on a modern Flex Falcon when you can get the real thing for $10 to $20 on the bay?

 

becuz i like the name Falcon - it can swoop down and pounce on those field mice. Did you know that the Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on earth? How is that for FLEX

[ParkerBeta]

I own a Falcon (the pen) and its nib is quite different from the FA nib you can get on, for example, the Custom 742 and 743. The FA nib looks more like a standard "open" nib (think Montblanc nib, say), but with two "bites" taken out of the two sides in order to reduce the amount of material reinforcing the tip. While this does make the tines more prone to "springing," it is what also allows them to flex under moderate pressure and then return to their original position due to the natural elasticity of the gold alloy the nib is made of. The Falcon's (the non-Custom pen) nib is a peculiar shape, and has no bites taken out of it. You can find photographs of both kinds of nibs in the reviews of the two pens: FA and Falcon.

Edited June 25, 2009 by ParkerBeta

[JAPeN]

FA nib is said to be much better. I only have experience with a Falcon.

 

Why spend $140 on a modern Flex Falcon when you can get the real thing for $10 to $20 on the bay?

 

The FA nib is not better ..it is different. I have both in many variations and can tell you that some people like the FA some like the Falcon ...some like tinned spaghetti and some do not.

I do not like tinned spaghetti and I very much prefer the Falcon to the FA. I prefer it for many reasons, the feedback, the control, the line variation and the nature of the flex is very different. The stepped design of the Falcon manufactures a different flex than the FA cutout and is more pleasing to me. The Falcon and for that matter the FA were never intended as replacement for vintage flex. THESE ARE ASIAN PENS not spencerian, the origin of the Falcon was a request from Tokyo ...not 19th century London.

 

So why spend the money ...because it is a stunning pen for $140 and it does look like the profile of a Peregrine Falcon

It is also the only pen in the whole of the FPH catalogue to make mention of a pen's nib ...the only one. There is even an event on FPN where a MB was traded for a Falcon, so I would say ....

 

If you dont have one then get one, if you like it then dont think it is a precursor to going flex, enjoy it for its own qualities. And if you dont like it then sell it ...it will sell faster than any other pen.

 

But it has NOTHING to do with vintage flex.

 

[Ondina]

FA nib is said to be much better. I only have experience with a Falcon.

 

Why spend $140 on a modern Flex Falcon when you can get the real thing for $10 to $20 on the bay?

 

The FA nib is not better ..it is different. I have both in many variations and can tell you that some people like the FA some like the Falcon ...some like tinned spaghetti and some do not.

I do not like tinned spaghetti and I very much prefer the Falcon to the FA. I prefer it for many reasons, the feedback, the control, the line variation and the nature of the flex is very different. The stepped design of the Falcon manufactures a different flex than the FA cutout and is more pleasing to me. The Falcon and for that matter the FA were never intended as replacement for vintage flex. THESE ARE ASIAN PENS not spencerian, the origin of the Falcon was a request from Tokyo ...not 19th century London.

 

So why spend the money ...because it is a stunning pen for $140 and it does look like the profile of a Peregrine Falcon

It is also the only pen in the whole of the FPH catalogue to make mention of a pen's nib ...the only one. There is even an event on FPN where a MB was traded for a Falcon, so I would say ....

 

If you dont have one then get one, if you like it then dont think it is a precursor to going flex, enjoy it for its own qualities. And if you dont like it then sell it ...it will sell faster than any other pen.

 

But it has NOTHING to do with vintage flex.

 

 

This is one of the best explanations on the FA, Falcon and vintage flex I've read here, thank you. I agree vintage flex and modern FA or Falcon are 3 different things aimed at completely diverse goals. Well put, Japen.

Edited June 25, 2009 by Ondina

[The Grim Sheaffer]

I do a lot of writing with the Falcon. It is a very well behaved flex, it sort of hovers in the background until you dig it in then it will produce a loverly broad line. Not demon flex but good line variation. With the pale inks like watermans and skrip it dries nice and fast and you can turn the page almost immediately.

 

With Noodlers and PR you may have to wait a tad, you know reflect on life a bit - too give it time to dry.

 

If I were to loose the mine and the backup I also have I would buy another one ASAP.

 

It was the "Millennium Falcon" that inspired me, and it kicks serious Peregrine Falcon butt

[JAPeN]

I do a lot of writing with the Falcon. It is a very well behaved flex, it sort of hovers in the background until you dig it in then it will produce a loverly broad line. Not demon flex but good line variation. With the pale inks like watermans and skrip it dries nice and fast and you can turn the page almost immediately.

 

With Noodlers and PR you may have to wait a tad, you know reflect on life a bit - too give it time to dry.

 

If I were to loose the mine and the backup I also have I would buy another one ASAP.

 

It was the "Millennium Falcon" that inspired me, and it kicks serious Peregrine Falcon butt

 

You write like 'chocolate' am going to have to pick up mine and go do some writing now ....and this is something else about the Falcon, it is very addictive and going from this nib to another is also a part of the experience. I often use it along side a Nakaya as the contrast can be like biting off the chocolate case of a Belgian Chocolate before experiencing the softer center ...and yes I have some Belgian Chocolates on my desk ...but "sshhhh"

 

Noodlers, yes and the reds especially float my boat ...Red/Black, Apache, Tianenmen, Widow Maker ...all on my desk now.

 

And Grim just on the topic of crop circles .... http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world...90625-cxvs.html

 

 

Edited June 25, 2009 by JAPeN

[Saturninus]

At first I singled out the Falcon as a way to try out flex, even though I knew that it wouldn't be the same as vintage flex, and the more I heard about the Falcon the more I understood that it is something to be appreciated for it's own unique qualities.

 

Having said that, I do also want to try demon flex of the vintage variety - it's just that I know right know I am not at a skill level to be able to handle it. Eventually, I'm going to send an M400 nib I have to Binder to add full-flex. I'll venture into vintage after I've been to a few shows and know more about what I should be looking for.

[donwinn]

I never paid much attention to the Custom 742 pens and others like it that I don't regularly see on US-based vendor sites. I wanted to try a semi-flex nib, so I ordered a Namiki Falcon, which I am sure will serve its purpose of introducing me to the world of writing with flex (if it grows on me then one day I will venture into the world of vintage flex).

 

But I keep reading and hearing about the Falcon nib that is mounted on the Custom series pens not found here in the US, and after looking at pictures of that nib with its side cutouts, I realize it is not at all the same nib on the Namiki Falcon pen. What is the difference - does the nib on the Falcon pen behave pretty much the same FA nib on the Custom pens? And why do they try to confuse?

 

This is the Falcon nib, and this is the FA nib.

 

I have not used a Falcon pen, with its Falcon nib; however, I do have a Custom 742 with FA nib. I showed it to a friend who is a flex junkie, and he was impressed with the flex in the FA, even though he steadfastly refuses to own any pen manufactured after 1942, and most of his pens are vintage flex.

 

I have three (3) Diamond Point vintage flex pens, but none of them provide the line variation and flex that the 742 FA does. That is my experience, ymmv.

 

Donnie

 

 

[Scribble Monboddo]

If you just want to try semi-flex writing, don't waste money on the Falcon pen - you can get just as good an introduction from a Noodler's or Fountain Pen Revolution flexy at a tenth of the price. The FA nib, though, is the real thing, and for use when you've practised and set aside time to do it slowly. The initial faltering results with mine are here: http://scribbledemonboddo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/pilot-custom-742-with-fa-nib.html

[rutherfordr]

What a fantastic blog -- thank you for taking the time to put it together!

[donwinn]

 

QUOTE (Saturninus @ Jun 23 2009, 02:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I never paid much attention to the Custom 742 pens and others like it that I don't regularly see on US-based vendor sites. I wanted to try a semi-flex nib, so I ordered a Namiki Falcon, which I am sure will serve its purpose of introducing me to the world of writing with flex (if it grows on me then one day I will venture into the world of vintage flex).

 

But I keep reading and hearing about the Falcon nib that is mounted on the Custom series pens not found here in the US, and after looking at pictures of that nib with its side cutouts, I realize it is not at all the same nib on the Namiki Falcon pen. What is the difference - does the nib on the Falcon pen behave pretty much the same FA nib on the Custom pens? And why do they try to confuse?

 

This is the Falcon nib, and this is the FA nib.

 

I have not used a Falcon pen, with its Falcon nib; however, I do have a Custom 742 with FA nib. I showed it to a friend who is a flex junkie, and he was impressed with the flex in the FA, even though he steadfastly refuses to own any pen manufactured after 1942, and most of his pens are vintage flex.

 

I have three (3) Diamond Point vintage flex pens, but none of them provide the line variation and flex that the 742 FA does. That is my experience, ymmv.

 

Donnie

 

Update - I now have a Falcon, which Mike Masuyama at Mike it Work (not affiliated) honed to a finer nib, and as previously reported, it is different from the FA nib. I like both very much; neither more than the other, but as also previously stated, and since my OP, I have used the Diamond Points a little more, and learned how to use them properly. Again, the vintage/FA/Falcon flex are all different, although more in the writing (how it is done differently) than the amount of flex.

[Scribble Monboddo]

What a fantastic blog -- thank you for taking the time to put it together!

Hey, you're welcome - it's worth it if creates a bit of entertainment all 'round!