Search the Community

Hello--I'm thinking of buying a Pilot/Namiki Falcon Soft Fine after seeing several artists state their preference for it and seeing how it writes in video reviews. I am planning to use it mostly for sketching on smooth watercolor or mixed media paper, and would like to use it for writing as well if it's smooth enough. I'm debating whether to go for a stock Soft Fine or whether to splurge for added flex. I've tried looking for posts on this pen with added flex, but it looks like most people who get this pen customized go for the Spencerian customization by John Mottishaw with the needlepoint grind and added flex. However, I don't wish to have anything finer than Fine just because I prefer to have more smoothness than an even finer line. Plus, I'm not going to use this for special calligraphy writing. I've read that this pen is not a true semi-flex pen, but just has a bouncy nib with some personality to the line. This is fine, though I would like to vary the line once in awhile while drawing. So I'm also wondering if "flexing" this pen is fairly easy and not too awkward to do while drawing, or if there's too much of a risk of springing the nib if you're not drawing very slowly and carefully. Thanks for your input in advance.