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Anyone used Ackerman pens?


yazeh

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I was wondering if anyone has used Ackerman pens. 

You can use almost any ink in them with a choice of dip pen nibs... 
They have overfeed/ pumps etc.

It seems almost to good to be true... 

Any personal experience would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

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Sorry to say.. Poor filler system and poor nib performance.. They look made of recycled parts...Won´t buy them again.

Regards.

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3 hours ago, Mr.Rene said:

Sorry to say.. Poor filler system and poor nib performance.. They look made of recycled parts...Won´t buy them again.

Regards.

Sorry to hear that....  

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2 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

 

 

Thanks mizgeroge. 

I'd read these posts but they are 5 years old... I was curious to see if anyone had recently tried them...

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I have to report my mostly good experience overall.  I  bought one from Amazon platform a few months ago. It dripped the sumi ink I tried to use in it. I was trying to draw with a Nikko G nib. I sent an email to the company to complain. Charles Ackerman replied, apologized,  and sent me another pen and an additional different feed. There was nothing wrong with the first pen ( beside the fact that the feed dripped) so now I have two pens. Even with the different feed I could not get the the pen to draw without dripping but I was touched by Ackerman's genuine attempt to remedy my complaint.  So I chose not to post anything negative here or elsewhere. 

 

The pen  itself is well machined and the fit and finish is good, not sloppy or imprecise. The design is functional/industrial, made of a soft but not cheap feeling plastic. It is unique, and you can pop out the feed easily to try a variety the nice Japanese drawing nibs such as the Nikko G. 

 

My Ackerman pens sat idle for months. But I recently saw on the Ackerman website that he has developed a new “thin flow” feed designed for use with fountain pen ink. I had to try one so I ordered one for about $7.00. For me this new “thin flow” feed did the trick. I can now use bottled sumi ink, or a pigmented fountain pen ink such as Pelikan Fount India that I would normally be leery of putting in my fountain pens. I now enjoy using the pen for drawing. The cap posts securely and comfortably and, when posted, for me, gives me more control with its capped length. 

 

I think the new “thin flow” feed is going to help Ackerman gain more customers. The previous feeds provide too much flow and seemed designed for really thick fluids. For me this did not work because the sumi ink you can buy bottled - Yasutomo for example - is not thick and viscous, but flows easily. Of course in a fountain pen the sumi ink would be a death sentence, but in an Ackerman it’s just fun. If a clog develops I can pull the feed easily and scrub it with bit of dish soap and a toothbrush from the dollar store. 

 

If you’re a sketcher, or just like unique pen tech, you should consider an Ackerman pen. It’s fun to be able to use a Nikko G nib without having to re-dip it into ink every 3 minutes. 

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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You’re welcome yazeh. 

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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I've ordered from Ackerman twice. The pens feel to me like they're made for artists - sturdy and functional but without decoration so they're still inexpensive. The design has improved in the years between my orders, and they have more options now (eg: crow quill).

 

I like the pump-pen design; it lets me saturate the feed when I want a dark line or when I'm going to do a big flex. And I love that they support multiple dip nibs, as I've tried a Brouse 76 rose nib on the feeds designed for Zebra-G from flexiblenibfactory & it didn't really fit -- so it's nice to be able to use my favorite nib.

 

That said, I'm still waiting on 2 items from my order from months ago; I've been emailing back & forth and waiting. In his last email, he said he's outsourced fulfillment since my order - so hopefully you'll have a better experience with new orders. And he did send me a couple extras in the first box when he said the other items would be delayed. So it sounds like he's making an effort to be a good seller, but can't manage the logistics on his own.

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Thanks a lot for the feedback. That confirms what I thought. 

I was quite intrigued by the quill nibs...  and another nib they had. 

I finally went with one with Leonard Ef, with an extra feed for for fountain pen ink (thanks Maurizio) and we'll see, when and if I get it ;)

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I’m curious to hear about your experience when your pen arrives. Please drop a note here. 

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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12 hours ago, Maurizio said:

I’m curious to hear about your experience when your pen arrives. Please drop a note here. 

I will :)

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  • 2 months later...

Hi - I’m just checking in to see if yazeh and ASCIIaardvark received their orders from Ackerman and how either of you like your new pens. 

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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9 minutes ago, Maurizio said:

Hi - I’m just checking in to see if yazeh and ASCIIaardvark received their orders from Ackerman and how either of you like your new pens. 

Alas, I'm still waiting...I got a tracking number, but no package.....

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Wow

I’m sorry to hear that. I’m surmising that you ordered direct from the Ackerman website?
It’s really a shame that they can’t fill orders. 

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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9 hours ago, Maurizio said:

Wow

I’m sorry to hear that. I’m surmising that you ordered direct from the Ackerman website?
It’s really a shame that they can’t fill orders. 

Yes. I got a USPS tracking number. Right away, but that's just a label. But no updates.

I wonder if he has to make them and doesn't have them in stock....

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General question for anyone in possession of one of these: how easy is it to swap nibs, and what kind of nibs can it fit?

There are some very decent fountain pens available that take a Zebra G nib and have a feed that can keep up, but none as far as I can see has a system for replacing the nib easily. The problem is removing the used nib without the risk of breaking the feed or stabbing yourself with the nib (often ink-crusted, possibly rusty, even tetanus-y). 

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I have the option with the Zebra G feed, the Nikko G/Tachikawa G feed, and the crow quill feed. All the nibs match their corresponding feeds well so you can take out the nibs fairly easily. The one I would recommend is the Zebra G feed and that seems to be the one designed for this pen.

 

The Zebra G, the Nikko G, and Tachikawa G are all different brands of Japanese dip nibs. The design of all three looks the same but the dimensions of the Nikko G and the Tachikawa are  interchangeable with each other but the Zebra G is slightly bigger so that's why it has its own feed. The names can be confusing because you often see these nibs as described as a "G nib." But since the Zebra G is bigger, it fits in this pen the best. The feed fits in the pen a bit more snugly and sometimes you need a gripper (I use a piece from an old exercise band) to help pull it out the feed from the section. The nib slides out relatively easily.

 

The Nikko G and Tachikawa G nibs are slightly smaller and while they match perfectly with their feed, the nib and feed have too much room in the section because the section seems to be designed for the Zebra G. This means the Nikko/Tachikawa nibs have too much of a gap and can slide out, and ink can drip out. I think for this pen to work better they need a separate section for the Nikko/Tachikawa feeds. The way I work around this is to use a little bit of scotch tape on the top of the nib before putting them in the section. The tape is a good enough shim so the nibs don't slip out and the pen doesn't drip. It's not ideal but I don't mind a little tape to get it to work.

 

I believe the Zebra G feed can also work with Brause Rose Calligraphy nibs and other similarly sized nibs but as far as I know most calligraphy nibs are thinner than the Zebra G so they also have the problem with needing a shim to keep them in place. Honestly, I haven't tried may other calligraphy nibs with this pen because I don't use the pen for calligraphy. I got the pen to draw with G nibs so I can recommend this pen with the Zebra G nib.

 

As a side note, I don't have many extra #6 sized nibs but the Noodler's Ahab nib I have doesn't work in this pen because the feed is longer to match the dip nib. The nib splays out and is not useable. The one fountain pen nib that I have that works in this pen is an extra Jinhao x750 nib with the Zebra G feed. Other #6 nibs might work but I honestly can't say. The Jinhao nib works well enough that I actually use that nib in this pen regularly as a fountain pen for general writing, and then I switch in the Zebra G nib if I want to use that option for drawing. 

 

If I were to get this pen again, I would only get the Zebra G feed and I wouldn't get any of the other feeds. In all honesty, I wasn't too sure how long these pens would be available for sale so I actually got a spare just in case. 

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I have not been able to determine which feed I received initially. I believe it was a Nikko G and not a Zebra G. Mine dripped badly. 
 

But, as I noted above, when I ordered and received the “thin-flow” feed the pen worked nicely and I like it. It has been easy for me to remove the feeds. 
I’m intrigued by what halffriedchicken writes and may order another with a Zebra G feed. 
 

Just as I like to support Nathan Tardiff of Noodler’s because I want to support such a strongly independent producer (and I buy more ink than I can use), I think Mr. Ackerman deserves support and orders so he can continue to refine and improve his unique product. 
 

I have no relationship, formal or informal, with either man or their respective companies. 

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just wanted to post an update. I got my pen a couple of days ago. Mine was with an overfeed with Leonard Principal nib. I'm still in the process of testing. The pen is well made and quite handsome. It is too soon yet to comment on it. I still have to tinker a bit and see. 

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