Jump to content

Serwex 1362 Flex (Versus Ahab)


Mister John

Recommended Posts

I recently acquired a couple of Serwex pens from my good friends at Fountain Pen Revolution. What attracted me to these pens was the chance to get a flex nib in a piston filler for the absurdly low price of $6. How did this buy work out?

 

Initial Impressions

post-96604-0-97571700-1371775661.jpg

On receiving the pens (I ordered several along with the 1362 flex), one definitely gets a sense that these are pens meant to be used rather than stared at. The red plastic of the 1362 is not especially shiny nor is the nib polished. The clip is not quite parallel to the line of the pen and is a bit loose until I tighten the cap tassie. All of this is fine since I bought these pens with tossing them into a backpack in mind.

 

By way of comparison, I also have an Ahab in a green swirl pattern. The finish on that pen is much nicer than the Serwex. The pen is shinier, the finish more interesting, and the furniture better done. Of course, at $20, the Ahab costs more than 3x as much. Comparing something in a similar price class, I'd say the finish is comparable to a Pilot Varsty (around $3 US) but with many extras for the Serwex.

post-96604-0-88421600-1371775670.jpg

Filling

 

One the most impressive things about the 3162 is that it is a true piston filler. Just like a Montblanc, you simply twist the blind cap to move an internal plunger in and out. The system works perfectly--the twist mechanism is smooth and the ink suction excellent. For $6, this is one of the most amazing features of the pen.

 

Writing

post-96604-0-88421600-1371775670.jpg

As I mentioned at the outset, what attracted me to the pen was flex. While by no means a wet noodle, the nib is semi-flex going from F to BB with moderate pressure. Railroading happens occasionally, but is not a serious problem. The feed seems to be about to keep up with he nib, at least at the speed with which I write using flex. Compared to the Ahab, the fineness of an unflexed line of the Serwex is narrower and the amount of pressure needed to flex is also lighted. I also did not have to flddle with the nib to get it to work. So I'd rate the Serwex as better.

post-96604-0-47922000-1371775692_thumb.jpg

Smells

 

Like the Ahab, the Serwex pen stinks, quite literally. The pen has a distinct chemical odor that somewhat reminds me of vomit. The Ahab has a similar odor. You do get used to it after a while, but it definitely takes away from the experience.

 

Bottom Line

 

At $6, it is hard to go wrong. I've only had the pen for a couple of weeks, and it has performed fine. If this keeps up, then I'd rate the pen a strong buy. The flex makes it extremely fun to work with. Usually, when dropping below $10, you are stuck with a basic medium tippped pen, certainly if you go Chinese. The idea that you can have a pen that is both cheap to buy, but has high end features like a piston and an interesting nib selection is a bonus. Compared to the Ahab, I think the Serwex is vastly superior. Less fiddly to operate and with easier to use flex, it achieves what the Ahab aspires to, and does it cheaper as well. The only drawback is a body that definitely looks cheap. The Ahab is much more attractive.

 

 

post-96604-0-79359900-1371775679.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 3
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Dip n Scratch

    1

  • rwilsonedn

    1

  • Mister John

    1

  • zaded

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Nice review! I tend to agree (from a very small sample) that the Serwex semiflex nib seems to be better-behaved than the Noodlers, and it doesn't require remanufacturing to get it to write. Not a substitute for a vintage nib, by any means, but a wonderfully inexpensive introduction to line variation. And yes, isn't it amazing that they are putting out a smooth, reliable piston-filler for this price?

ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Hi Mister John,

I want to buy this pen solely for the flex nib. But my experience with semi flex nibs is that it takes a lot of pressure and my hands ache after a paragraph. So pressure wise which one is easier the ahabs or this one?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Is the Serwex 1362 made of Vegetal?

I couldn't resist this pen after the favourable comments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...