The Uber Supra Xetra Flexible Fad -- Or How Fine Pens Are Turned Into Wrecks

[Corona688]

and about $4.50 in vintage steel pens.

Not if people start buying them, they're not.

[AAAndrew]

Not if people start buying them, they're not.

 

I keep forgetting.

 

Uh, yeah. Steel pens. Lousy things. Too sharp and scratchy. Horrible to use. Ignore everything I said above.

 

I have noticed an increase in bidding for nibs and therefore higher prices in the last couple of years. Maybe I shouldn't be such a strong advocate for them. Of course, I kind of have more than my share already. I'm only interested in the really unusual ones myself.

[Corona688]

I find flexible pen writing difficult to read.

I did too until I started practicing up my cursive. It's been a long time since elementary.

[ReadyFireAim]

Uh, yeah. Steel pens. Lousy things. Too sharp and scratchy. Horrible to use. Ignore everything I said above.

I have one of these on the way.

I'm going to see what all the fuss is about.

[Corona688]

I have noticed an increase in bidding for nibs and therefore higher prices in the last couple of years. Maybe I shouldn't be such a strong advocate for them. Of course, I kind of have more than my share already. I'm only interested in the really unusual ones myself.

Still, while most modern steels seem either poorer-quality or overspecialized, I've been impressed by a few. Wondering your opinion of the Hiro Crown / Leonoardt 41?

Edited March 7, 2018 by Corona688

[AAAndrew]

I have one of these on the way.

I'm going to see what all the fuss is about.

s-l1600.jpg

 

They're good, solid, flexible pens with a sharp-ish tip and durable. (as long as they're the "England" or "Made in England" ones) I have a fair number of them but don't really use them. I'm not a calligrapher, just a writer.

 

 

 

Still, while most modern steels seem either poorer-quality or overspecialized, I've been impressed by a few. Wondering your opinion of the Hiro Crown / Leonoardt 41?

 

Frankly, I haven't written with any modern nibs except the Zebra G in a couple of years. I know some calligraphers like the Hiro Crown nib, and I've used the vintage version and I find it a bit too flexible for my modest writing. I have difficulty making sure I keep a smooth and controlled spread of the tines. Don't know if the new one is as soft. That's about all I know.

 

Vintage is where my heart lies. With around 20,000 vintage nibs in over 600 styles in my collection, I don't really have much call to use modern nibs. Wish I could be of more help.

[Corona688]

I think you'd either love or hate it. The modern ones may be less flexible, it took some courage for me to push it. I also think that crown-neck has a bit of give, making it feel softer than it really is. It also starts a bit wider than most "calligraphy" points. Mostly though it's the smoothest point I've ever used, it easily beats my "ball-tipped" ones.

Edited March 7, 2018 by Corona688

[larsenproject]

I have one of these on the way.

I'm going to see what all the fuss is about.

s-l1600.jpg

I have a modest collection of vintage nibs I use for cartooning, so I personally lend towards a medium to high flex (though I keep a few stiff brands for hatching). I would be curious to know what kind of line quality this lends, as I usually buy in the gilbert-blanzy pourre range. I've seen the spencerian nibs around, so I'd be curious what their line quality is like.

[Christopher Godfrey]

Nail-Bender wrote, some pages back: <I look at people talking about gold nibs and all I see are collectors.

Very very few in the least bit interested in actually using them>

That is a load of cods-wallop, if I might say so! I have a number of vintage Watermans, Swans, Pelikans, Omas, Osmia, mostly with gold nibs, all flexible-- and (guess what?) I use them all! I <love> using them!

[Lloyd]

Nail-Bender wrote, some pages back: <I look at people talking about gold nibs and all I see are collectors.

Very very few in the least bit interested in actually using them>

That is a load of cods-wallop, if I might say so! I have a number of vintage Watermans, Swans, Pelikans, Omas, Osmia, mostly with gold nibs, all flexible-- and (guess what?) I use them all! I <love> using them!

Nail-Bender didn't say that none were using them; he said very few were using them.

[Corona688]

Nail-Bender wrote, some pages back: <I look at people talking about gold nibs and all I see are collectors.

Very very few in the least bit interested in actually using them>

That is a load of cods-wallop, if I might say so! I have a number of vintage Watermans, Swans, Pelikans, Omas, Osmia, mostly with gold nibs, all flexible-- and (guess what?) I use them all! I <love> using them!

 

I'm happy you're enjoying your collection of fountain pens, but at that point in the conversation we were discussing dip pens.

 

I'd asked if there was a kind of flexible dip pen nib which had a proper iridium tip and didn't wear, which people could buy a gross of and abuse fearlessly. But the answer is "not really, and not any more".. Those "gold" dip pens were always rare and expensive, and now that they're out of production, even more so.

 

Eventually we found a middle ground of some cheap modern noodler's flex pens.

Edited March 8, 2018 by Corona688

[ReadyFireAim]

Eventually we found a middle ground of some cheap modern noodler's flex pens.

 

I was surprised & disappointed by how much my expensive an rare gold dipper wrote like disposable plastic pen.

The flex pressure and line variation were almost identical as well as tip size.

 

A $6,modified, stainless steel Creaper nib gave it a genuine run for the money.

There was the small issue of character that the Noodler's nib does lack.

 

It was also a learning experience I thought I should share.

A lot of hype & mystery surrounds these rare pens.

[ASCIIaardvark]

I find flexible pen writing difficult to read.

 

Is that all flex-writing? Or just the ornamental stuff?

 

My flex writing leans heavily on print, as many of my friends haven't used cursive since middle-school and are unaccustomed to some of the more traditional cursive letter-shapes.