The Impossible Pen for World Trip? — Flex + Converter

[Vermonter]

Hello Everyone.

 

I've been loving this forum for a few years silently. So I'm (a bit shyly) posting my first question!

 

I'm traveling around the world with my family soon, and I'm looking for a good pen with a very flexy fine nib... but that also uses a cartridge. We'll be traveling with backpacks for an extended period and I prefer not to carry ink to most of the places we're visiting!

 

The more research I do, the more this seems like an impossible ask. I currently write with a wonderful but leaky as hell old Omas that never leaves the house. I've tried the Pilot FA nibs as and the Jowo flex nibs that Franklin & Edison offer — but these aren't really flexy enough for me. 

 

I've seen old posts about the more recent Omas Milords with Extra-Flessible nibs made just before they closed, but these are long sold out (...though if you have one I'd probably love to buy it from you!!).

 

Any other ideas? Thank you!

Edited July 18, 2022 by Vermonter

[A Smug Dill]

It depends on what you mean by “very flexy”. A Pilot Elabo (aka Falcon) SEF nib puts down very fine lines normally, yet has good range in terms of the line widths it can produce through elastic deformation of the tines. The Elabo is a c/c-filled pen; and these days you can get all the current Iroshizuku ink colours, as well as the basic Pilot ink colours, in factory-filled-and-sealed cartridges as retail products.

 

6 minutes ago, Vermonter said:

I've tried the Pilot FA nibs as and the Jowo flex nibs that Franklin & Edison offer — but these aren't really flexy enough for me.

 

I don't find the Pilot Custom's FA nib “flexy” enough in that its snapback isn't quick and strong enough, as a related but separate concern to how wide the line can go. The Elabo is much better that way. However, if what you actually want is for the FA nib's tines to be easier to spread, and/or give a greater ratio between the finest and broadest lines of which the nib is capable, you can always get one with a Mottishaw's Spencerian grind after-market modification.

[Vermonter]

Hello Mr. Dill.

 

That's an awesome suggestion. I've tried the Pilot FA, but not SEF (didn't realize there was one).

 

What I'm looking for is a pen that doesn't take much effort to create a fatter line on the downstrokes. My current Omas is just so smooth and easy to write with (unlike the Jowo nibs with cutouts, that you really have to press down on).  Are the SEF nibs like that?

 

Thank you!

[Vermonter]

PS: Giving this more thought, my experience with Pilot pens is that a F nib is already pretty sharp. I'm assuming SEF is like writing with the end of a pin?

 

Not sure that's exactly what I'm looking for, though it's a very smart suggestion and I'll give it a try. Any other ideas?

[A Smug Dill]

25 minutes ago, Vermonter said:

Are the SEF nibs like that?

 

Nope.

 

20 minutes ago, Vermonter said:

I'm assuming SEF is like writing with the end of a pin?

 

 

[amberleadavis]

[Karmachanic]

Get Pablo at FPNibs to grind a Jowo 14k semi-flex for you and stick it in a suitable pen.

[Vermonter]

Thank you Amber & Karmachanic. Good idea!

 

Has anyone tried Linda Kennedy’s full flex nibs?

 

I searched this forum but haven’t found a deep review.  They’re expensive!
 

https://www.indy-pen-dance.com/jowo-flex-nib.html

 

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by Vermonter

[inkstainedruth]

I have not, but she's done nib work on a few pens of mine in general.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Vermonter]

Someone just pointed out separately that I should try a Scribo, they have a cartridge version with a soft Omas-clone flex nib. 
 

Unclear to me if those nibs are clones of recent or old Omas. Assuming recent.  
 

I have a small concern about the odd shape of the pen!

[JosephKing]

1) bring a blunt tipped syringe with your cartridges? Bingo bango, any pen you like

 

2) Kevin won't endorse this, but I've been running an FPR ultraflex nib in a Bock 250 housing for a couple of years.  Pick your favorite pen that's threaded for it (hello metal pens; Kaweco Supra, Ensso, Namisu, etc...).  I'll warn you that the plastic feed is a bottleneck though (railroad city)

 

3) Noodler's makes the 308 refillable cartridges; heatset the ebonite feed to a #6 flex nib of your choice (FP Nibs semi/full flex, FPR, etc...)

 

4) I haven't tried these but there are The Good Blue R615 and BlueDew flex series

[gerigo]

Vermonter, there are NO non-modified modern cartridge nibs that will fit your criteria without modification from a nib-miester. Believe I have tried them all and have many of them in my possession. Primarily because no manufacturer will risk the modern end-user from mashing a soft nib because non of the general public have been trained to use flex nibs for the last 40-50 years. 

 

Best unmodified flex.

- Pilot Custom Heritage FA No.10 nib. NOT the Falcon [best cost to flex option]

- Montblanc 149 Calligraphy nib [cost is no object] 

 

The rest aren't flex, no matter how much they want to convince the user that it's flex. They are just soft. 

 

To get the "REALLY SOFT" flex you mention, the only way to get it is through modification by Nib-meisters. I have tried one of the Kennedy's and I feel it's not flex and fine enough. My best ones are still from John Mottishaw. He charges 150 for the Spencerian flex. I have 5 of them, ranging from Pilot Falcons, Pilot Custom Heritage 912 FA nibs, Nakaya Soft Fines. They are all really awesome and nothing comes close. Super easy to flex with very quick snap back. 

[amberleadavis]

The Pineider pens have been super soft (not flex but soft) - I really like my Belleza though it is insanely wet.

[txomsy]

What I'll be taking for holidays is a Kaweco Liliput (copper) with an EF semi-flex Kaweco nib unit  ground by Pablo of FPnibs.com. Man, am I in love with this combination.

 

Pocket size, comfortable, sleek design, beautiful and flexible. Not as much as a #6 nib, though.

 

If you want more flexibility, just order a #6 EF Full Flex or even a Wet Noodle nib unit from FPnibs.com and then look for a suitable pen to put it on.

 

I'd suggest a Gravitas Entry copper fountain pen, 85EUR + shipping. My preference for metal pens is because I am very careless. If you'll be on backpacks, a brass or copper FP will take the rough beating associated with them. Plus, the Gravitas Entry may be ordered with a JoWo flexible nib (which I am unsure how flexy it is, I'd bet not much) that might be enough for you.

 

Added: A pocketable combination would be a Kaweco Supra with a Bock 250 nib modified by Pablo. I refer to them 'cos I'm happy with their products, but also because they are pretty quick in sending them and have very nice prices.

 

I haven't tried that combination. I'm torn between ordering it (Gravitas Entry + FPnibs Wet Noodle) or a Wancher Aka Tamenuri + FPnibs Wet Noodle. And, in any case, I do not have the money right now and must save up for the upcoming inflation in cost of life.

[txomsy]

Or, if you want to go cheap, just order a pen from fountainpenrevolutionusa.com with an UltraFlex EF nib.

 

Again, I do not have any, but I do have FPR flex nibs that I modified myself to the ease-my-flex modification (the same FPR does to their UltraFlex nibs) on a metal Jinhao 159 and a metal Boaer 79 and they are also rather nice to write with. The #6 again, can give easier and wider line variation -in my case- than the #5, but both are OK.

 

I do not think you can get much cheaper than that. They won't break the bank and won't be a pain if lost or damaged.

[Vermonter]

Hello everyone. Thank you for all these awesome suggestions.

 

I'm going to give all this some thought as there are lots of options here. 

 

I've really been getting into a kind of semi-spencerian journal writing after bumping into some (old) books by Michael Sull in a used book store, and it sounds like gerigo's suggestion of a Mattishaw-modified nib or an txomsy's idea for a FPNibs wet noodle might be the way. I've heard good things as well about the Montblanc cursive, and the Scribe nibs too — it's always so hard to tell from online reviews though. Both are expensive but I don't mind a long-term investment given the amount of writing I do, and how happy it's making me. Plus good pens can always be re-sold!

 

(FYI we'll be traveling 6 months with backpacks, and I just don't want to deal with an inkwell. I *know* I could pull it off with a couple ziplocks — Darwin went across the world with one in the 19th century! — but being able to just pop a new cartridge in would be most awesome, and allows me to carry a cheap backup pen or two too.)

 

Thank you!!!

[txomsy]

It's your choice. Just leave some room for ink bottles, pens and stationary in your backpack.

 

You'll likely buy notebooks on the go, and I would bet that you will happen into interesting and appealing offers in B&M stores in many a place, and temptation may be strong. Last year I went to Paris and happened into a boutique that had pens and mechanical pencils on sale at great prices... and into a stationary shop with plenty of Cansom, Clairefontain, etc.. plus erasers, leads, etc... I just had to get some. The same happened in Venice, Bucharest, Hong Kong, Dubai, St. Louis (Senegal), Mauritania, Santiago de Chile and so many other places.

 

I often travel with two backpacks, one of them empty on exit, to be used for daily carry,and to fill with stuff got abroad.

 

So, leave some empty space unless you can trust surface mail and know your parcels will be delivered and dropped somewhere safe.

[Vermonter]

_{Hello @Txomsy. Good advice.} 

 

I agree, I tend to collect stuff and at some point ship it home. On this trip I want to be super-disciplined, however as we really want to travel light!

[MuddyWaters]

When you mentioned travel around the world, I thought opus 88: large ink reservoir that can take jowo nibs and that can shut off securely while being bounced around. For the flex options, I'll defer to the experienced users on the forum.

[Uncial]

The Omas extra flessibile nib was only ever on piston models as far as I know, but worth noting that they are awfully easy to spring and not exactly smooth. Lovely nibs, but take a while to get used to.