A Brief Comparison Of 3 Modern Flex Nibs

[timotheap]

Here's a brief comparison of 3 modern flex nibs: Conklin Omniflex, Noodler's Ahab, Fountain Pen Revolution Flex.

 

 

Ease of flex

 

1. Conklin Omniflex
2. FPR flex
3. Noodler's

 

Line variation

1. FPR flex - the nib writes finer "naturally"
2. Noodler's
3. Conklin Omniflex

 

Railroading

 

They all railroad at some point but it depends so much on how quick, how often and how hard you flex that this is really where I need to call in the YMMV.

 

That being said, my Ahab is the most reliable and sturdy.

 

Nib "feel"

 

Conklin Omniflex feels the most fragile: the metal seems the thinnest, and I don't dare pushing it too much,

Noodler's Ahab feels the sturdiest of the three, smooth even flexed to its maximum.

 

Normal writing

 

FPR has the finest line and feels almost italicized, a bit dry and doesn't keep up well with my rather fast writing. That might be something I can fix with brass sheets etc but I don't want to alter the line variation so I'll wait!

Noodler's pleases me the most: smooth, a fine medium, still wet, always keeps up.

Conklin: meh, nothing to say.

 

Conclusion

 

As much as it kills me to say it, the FPR flex nib is the best in terms of flex, you can get very "calligraphic" with it. The Conklin Omniflex just feels too fragile to me - I must be able to feel comfortable otherwise I might as well go back to dip pen nibs. The Ahab is just the most versatile of all: I love it as an everyday writer, I still love flexing it even after the beautiful discovery of FPR nib. I'll try to swap the FPR nib onto the Ahab and see how I like it (as I don't like the Himalaya V2 pen that much) but I'm pretty sure I want to keep the Ahab as is.

 

 

[jchch1950]

Ahab is a pen that raises controversial opinions,but I like them specially for the price.

[timotheap]

Yes, it's something I didn't "factor in" - In terms of price, Ahab is the cheapest, then FPR, then Conklin. And for those in Europe, FPR probably comes with customs (it certainly did for me), and the Ahab doesn't.

[Tom Kellie]

~ timotheap:

 

Your comparison above is highly useful for me.

I especially appreciate the carefully prepared handwriting sample.

Reading through your comments more than once, and looking at the image, provides valuable perspective.

Thank you for your valuable contribution.

Tom K.

[SpecTP]

very interesting.. my conklin omniflex is an absolute nail..

[timotheap]

Thanks for the comments ! Here's another comparison of Ahab and FPR Flex.

 

Ink: Waterman Tender Purple for FPR, Waterman Blue Black for Ahab - they both seem to have the same qualities.

 

I find both nibs very close in performance, with a bit more variation and ease of flex for the FPR. There's some bleed-through with the FPR though it does not seem to be a wetter nib so maybe I've somehow changed the ink, it's a rather old bottle.

 

[txomsy]

Thanks, it was very informative.

 

BTW, which FRP and Conklin pens and nibs did you use? FPR has many pens, two nib sizes (#5.5 and #6) and two flex styles (normal flex and superflex). All of it will contribute to the differences, the wetness of the feed, the feeling, etc...

 

Sorry, I was too fast on asking.

Edited January 10, 2020 by txomsy

[Tom Kellie]

Thanks for the comments ! Here's another comparison of Ahab and FPR Flex.

 

Ink: Waterman Tender Purple for FPR, Waterman Blue Black for Ahab - they both seem to have the same qualities.

 

I find both nibs very close in performance, with a bit more variation and ease of flex for the FPR. There's some bleed-through with the FPR though it does not seem to be a wetter nib so maybe I've somehow changed the ink, it's a rather old bottle.

 

 

~ timotheap:

 

You've increased the value of this thread by your latest post.

Thank you for the careful handwriting sample and the accompanying information.

Much appreciated!

Tom K.

[bbs]

Yes, it's something I didn't "factor in" - In terms of price, Ahab is the cheapest, then FPR, then Conklin. And for those in Europe, FPR probably comes with customs (it certainly did for me), and the Ahab doesn't.

Id have thought FPR came in under the threshold for Customs charges, but obviously not. La Couronne du Comte is selling them, which will avoid that.

 

Very nice writing and interesting comparison, thanks for posting this.

Edited January 11, 2020 by bbs

[timotheap]

Id have thought FPR came in under the threshold for Customs charges, but obviously not. La Couronne du Comte is selling them, which will avoid that.

 

Very nice writing and interesting comparison, thanks for posting this.

I had no idea !! thanks for the info - got an Himalaya V2 + flex, had to pay about the same in customs as I paid to FPR.

 

Thank you txomsy and Tom K. - nice of you to say.

Edited January 11, 2020 by timotheap

[viclip]

Thanks for this review ... I really need to start putting some of my flex nibs to good use

[Honeybadgers]

very interesting.. my conklin omniflex is an absolute nail..

 

Mine feels like it was made out of the cheapest chinese pot metal around. Flexes fine. Once.

 

Then it springs. Immediately.

[timotheap]

Honeybadgers - I've put the FPR flex nib in the Conklin (I love the look of the Conklin, LE Endless Summer, and don't like the look of the Himalaya V2). It works quite well, though the Conklin has a plastic feed and sadly the feeds don't swap).

 

The performance seems a little bit different but I still get the line variation. Railroads if I flex quick and hard.

 

*edit* wrote too fast - need to see if that swap really works. Wish I could make some housing to put the ebonite feed in the Conklin !

Edited January 12, 2020 by timotheap

[WLSpec]

Nice!

 

I've been thinking about a FPR Himalaya for a while. Seems like a nice pen.

[SpecTP]

 

Mine feels like it was made out of the cheapest chinese pot metal around. Flexes fine. Once.

 

Then it springs. Immediately.

Do you have the black coated one from the special edition issue? That's the one I have and I'm wondering if that plating made it stiffer.

[peroride]

I have both the black and rhodium Omni-flex nibs circa 2019 before the JoWo change over.

 

Both nibs "flex" with lots of pressure but are stiffy nails compared to my sheet metal Ahab nib and delicate FPR daisy XF UltraFlex UF .

 

Conklin Omni-flex is thicker sheet metal than the FPR XF UF and feels more nail-y like good in a dark alley pen fight situation

 

so it would be fair to say in my preference

• Conklin Omni-flex as a self-defense tool
• FPR XF UF as a fine writing instrument

[timotheap]

Unfortunately La Couronne du Comte doesn't offer the Ultra flex option yet, otherwise I'd be curious to try as FPR Flex is already such a treat.

[Gloucesterman]

Has anyone done a comparison of the FPR "flex" and "super flex"? I would be very interested to find out if the additional cost for the "UF" is a worthwhile investment.

 

Thanks for the comparison and I look forward to any updates to the above question.

[txomsy]

I cannot remember seeing a proper comparison, but from my own experience applying the Ease My Flex mod to an FPR flex nib, they should be rather nice. I found, however, that how much you eat from the nib sides has a large influence on its behaviour, so I cannot say for sure without trying the FPR UF first. It's been on my wish-list for a long time (with a Guider mini), but there have been other, more urgent, expenses getting in the way.

[SpecTP]

Has anyone done a comparison of the FPR "flex" and "super flex"? I would be very interested to find out if the additional cost for the "UF" is a worthwhile investment.

 

Thanks for the comparison and I look forward to any updates to the above question.

I actually bought both last week and am trying it out now. first impression indicates the UF version is 'mushy'.