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Noodler's Triple Tail


timotheap

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Well that's a big pen - demonstrator for now. I don't like demonstrators but this pen would use up a lot of ink, and being able to see the ink level means less unscrewing the barrel to check and so mayber greater longevity...?

 

Flex

 

Quite stiff - stiffer than my Ahab, although that's something that can change quite quickly. On thing I found with Noodler's pens: give them time. Yet I can get decent line variation for sketching for example, simply because of the way I hold it makes "no pressure lines" finer, and "some pressure lines" ok.

 

In the picture below, the hatching shows from reverse writing to good pressure.

The oyster-like doodle on the write shows it requires no effort to thicken the line on downstrokes, when in "sketching position" (higher angle than writing angle, looser grip).

 

post-156064-0-09797100-1580386720.jpg

 

Skipping / railroading

 

Railroading - nothing worrying and of course it's brand new, we'll see what happens after a good night spent inked up.

 

Skipping: some, when doing quick strokes held at "writing angle" with no pressure. None, if at a high angle, which I find ideal for loose sketching. None, at writing angle with normal writing. Again, that's probably my nib - and maybe not enough flushing.

 

Nib

 

I wanted the Triple Tail because in one of Nathan's videos it looked like it had a lot more flex than the Neponset, and also being the latest iteration of his music nib I thought it was taking the best bet.

The nib is smooth, and writes a good medium line with normal pressure - very much like a few Jinhao nibs I have, maybe even a bit thinner.

 

 

It looks like this nib is sensitive to angle - I guess it makes sense, with three tines that have to make contact with the paper.

 

 

 

post-156064-0-02079900-1580386933_thumb.jpg

post-156064-0-37347800-1580387031_thumb.jpg

 

Conclusion

 

I expected it to be unruly, hard to control but not at all and I can definitely see myself getting more comfortable - remember I've just had it, I simply couldn't help myself telling this forum.... The more I doodle with it, the more responsive it gets, and it's a rather unique pen.

I hope this helped a little bit those who wonder about the Triple Tail... I'll be happy to give more info if I can -

 

Sorry for the quality of the pictures - not much I can do given how much I hate taking pictures but hopefully it will give you an idea of what's going on...

 

 

Timo

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I picked one up and have a fairly different experience. Maybe these nibs are a spotty as the Neponset's - none of which were bad, but the degree of expression varied fairly wildly.

 

I essentially picked it up for the wetness of the nib and to have a pen that I could stick shimmer inks like Herbin into that can easily be stripped down for a thorough cleaning if required. I also like the idea that it can be used as an eyedropper - although I haven't done that yet. The nib on mine is smooth, but not greatly so. It's sadly very stiff and requires a very high degree of force to get any line variation at all. It's also so wet that the line tends to be the same no matter what level of force is applied. But, that said, I didn't actually buy it for the line variation and to be honest I don't expect a lot of that from Noodler's pens anymore. My opinion on the pen is that it's very comfortable, a nice weight, nicely balanced when posted, but pretty ugly. I suspect it will be the last Nooder's pen I own.

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I really want one of these. The nib is really amazing - I tried one out at Philly and was told that it is Noodler's best pen yet. It feels nice, the nib is cool, it's a demonstrator, and it doesn't smell like Ahabs - a bonus! Thanks for the review - very informative and helpful. I would definitely eyedropper mine.

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My opinion on the pen is that it's very comfortable, a nice weight, nicely balanced when posted, but pretty ugly. I suspect it will be the last Nooder's pen I own.

 

It's possible I got lucky - or am more easily entertained. It's also possible you got unlucky, or expected too much. But I understand the feeling, and truth be told, it's not clear yet whether I'll have a great use for this pen - but there's hope: I find the heft of if (or the girth?) very pleasant and something about it really calls for sketching rather than writing. And of course I suspect its three-tine nib makes it worth whatever could be improved less important to me.

 

 

I really want one of these. The nib is really amazing - I tried one out at Philly and was told that it is Noodler's best pen yet. It feels nice, the nib is cool, it's a demonstrator, and it doesn't smell like Ahabs - a bonus! Thanks for the review - very informative and helpful. I would definitely eyedropper mine.

 

 

Thank you - wow, eyedropper, really? mmm I'll consider that when I've put it to really good, intensive use, and have stopped wondering what this or that ink would look like, laid by that funny nib.

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I bought an ebonite Neponset - that'll do me.

The Good Captain

"Meddler's 'Salamander' - almost as good as the real thing!"

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Nice review thanks, and glad you're enjoying your new pen. I'm happy with mine, but I can't really use it as a daily writer. Unflexed the line is a BB and so wet that you don't lay down a line of ink, but a noodle of it, 1mm thick. Very problematic on any paper: if it doesnt soak through 3 sheets, it'll take a few minutes to dry. Sadly this is a problem I have with all Noodler's pens: they are too wet. The tripletail though has the best flex response by far. The tines aren't as sharp are the Creaper's or Konrad's so you can push down without cutting into the paper, and the force necessary to spread the nib is much less as well. I've also noticed that writing with a very light pressure not only doesn't relieve the flood of ink going out, but makes the nib very prone to skipping the first stroke, especially on the smoothest papers. Overall it's a nice toy, but much less a useful pen.

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Nice review thanks, and glad you're enjoying your new pen. I'm happy with mine, but I can't really use it as a daily writer. Unflexed the line is a BB and so wet that you don't lay down a line of ink, but a noodle of it, 1mm thick. Very problematic on any paper: if it doesnt soak through 3 sheets, it'll take a few minutes to dry. Sadly this is a problem I have with all Noodler's pens: they are too wet. The tripletail though has the best flex response by far. The tines aren't as sharp are the Creaper's or Konrad's so you can push down without cutting into the paper, and the force necessary to spread the nib is much less as well. I've also noticed that writing with a very light pressure not only doesn't relieve the flood of ink going out, but makes the nib very prone to skipping the first stroke, especially on the smoothest papers. Overall it's a nice toy, but much less a useful pen.

 

 

I find that glassy papers (like Clairefontaine and maybe Rhodia) are not always great for Noodler's flex nibs if one wants to actually flex - and I can't help but remember that Tardif himself doesn't believe in that "luxury" paper. On just a little bit more absorbent paper, there is simply NO railroading (for me anyway). I'm still trying to get used to the Triple Tail - frankly mine sounds stiffer than yours (sounds dirty, lucky I'm not a man - Ahab and Dixie #10 both really pleasant to use) - and NOT using Clairefontaine makes it work better for me. And after all I mostly got it for sketching, and I would never sketch on glassy smooth paper.

 

I'll still work at it because otherwise, if I change the nib, I simply got myself a very expensive Ahab... for more than the price of two. Still, I showed it to some kids and they loved the looks of it. And so as not to be left out, they all got their kiddy fountain pens out.

 

Added: in my sketchbook, I get crazy thickness, no railroading, and it draws ink out nicely even with a lighter touch.

Added: yeah, definitely not a daily writer for me - I have a rather small handwriting

Edited by timotheap
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Yep smooth paper is the worst. I've never had railroading, just hard starts and skipping if the nib loses contact with the paper, but as you said, and I have experienced the same, a somewhat rougher paper surface completely fixes it.

 

Mr Tardif's beliefs are very peculiar and one may share them or not, but I like my pens and inks to works with as many combinations of ink/paper/pen as possible: if his beliefs somehow carry over to his product to the point of them being unsuitable, or less suitable, for the uses he "doesn't believe in" but I want them to... he will be getting less of my money I guess.

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I got to try a Triple Tail at the Commonwealth Pen Show in September. I was impressed by the nib and the amount of flex. But I'm not a big fan of demonstrators.

If Noodler's comes out with some that are in acrylic (or better yet, ebonite) I would definitely be in the market for one, though....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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So maybe I was unlucky ... I talked myself into getting the demonstrator because of the ink level, and now it's ok, I'm not in love with the looks of it, but it's growing on me. And kids find it super cool.

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If any of you should feel the need to lessen their demonstrator burden, I'll be more than happy to give those rejects a warm and loving home. I LOVE demos :)

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If any of you should feel the need to lessen their demonstrator burden, I'll be more than happy to give those rejects a warm and loving home. I LOVE demos :)

 

Well - I'll try to make mine work for me, still feel the sting of the price. I've ordered some Brause Rose nibs and see what it does, but then again I could've put a Brause nib on an Ahab as well.

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  • 3 months later...

I purchased on Ebay four of the Tripletails and have been using one, filled with Pelikan Violet ink for a couple of weeks now. I'm a fan of demonstrators, among other FPs. I write with a light touch for signatures and general writing, and in that context this pen is just fine; the flow is smooth and appropriate, slightly on the wet side. I'm using regular notebook and copy paper for most writing. When testing line variation by varying pressure, this slightly flexible steel nib works well for me, rewarding the pressure differences with line thickness variations. For the price, this is a good pen.

 

I also have the Noodler's Ahab and more basic models. The Ahab's nib is more flexible than the Tripletail's.

Edited by donnweinberg
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  • 5 months later...

Just got mine, and haven't made friends yet. I love the nib on mine. I'd love it even if it had zero flex. It's very smooth and bouncy. However... I haven't found a way to adjust it so it doesn't just basically bleed out onto the paper. I'm not talking about a generous flow here. I'm saying ink just runs out of the pen whether it touches paper or not. I can even wipe it clean, cap it, go away a few minutes, and when I come back the cap is full of ink. And there's ink in the body of the pen as well.
I tried pushing the feed further into the section (based on what Nathan said in his TT video), and that seemed to clear it up, but only as long as I put no pressure at all on the nib. As soon as I flexed it even the tiniest bit (really not flexed, just more firm regular writing) it all gushed out onto the page again.
Any ideas?

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I have this problem when the ink starts to run low; it just gushes out uncontrollably. I get huge big drips as I lift the nib away from the page too. It must be something to do with air transfer but I've checked everything under a loupe and tried more positioning of the nib and feed than is good for my sanity. It's so messy and fussy that I don't think I can be bothered re-inking it.

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A note in reference to my post about my dribbling, gushing Triple Tail: I seem to have fixed it. It was a factory QC issue. I was all set to return it, discovered that JetPens doesn't accept returns on inked pens, and so watched Nathan's video again. Noticed how easily he pulled nib and feed out of the collar, and tried mine. It wouldn't budge. Under a loupe, I could see that it was jammed into the collar but NOT in the notch machined there to orient the nib/feed. This was causing a gap through which ink flowed.
I heated the collar under warm water, and used a pair of spark plug pliers to pull out nib and feed. Re-installed them in the correct orientation in the provided "notch," and followed Nathan's recommendation about setting the tip of the nib 1-1.5mm from the end of the feed (it came to me much farther than that).
Pen works great now! Not as much flex as it had when the nib extended out 3mm beyond the feed (!), but plenty for me. I have Wahl Skylines if I really need more flex.
Now I'm giving it a rest to see if the leaking is fixed as well, but I expect that it is.

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  • 3 months later...

Well done Virginia Whitebird~!

That's what being an American is all about.

you see something wrong and you do something about it!

Bravo 

Zulu

Bravo

Zulu

❤️👍

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5 hours ago, Ferocity said:

Well done Virginia Whitebird~!

That's what being an American is all about.

you see something wrong and you do something about it!

Bravo 

Zulu

Bravo

Zulu

❤️👍

And exactly how is that an American thing? 

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if people see something going on that's wrong they say hey somebody should do something about that.

be a somebody

stand-up

do something about it

How is that an American thing? ==>"When you see something wrong, you do something about it."

That's what's it's all about!

That is what being an American is all about.

In my humble opinion.

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