Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 5 conversations about:
crosshatch
11
Feb 2, 2018
bookmark_border
The thing that makes Noodler's ink attractive to me is 1) they have a wider variety of colors than most brands, 2) more of their colors offer water resistance than other brands, and the water resistance on those is usually stronger and 3) it's one of the best ink bargains available in the USA. If being abroad and not having a cheap source negates #3, then it's just a question of whether #1 and #2 come into play enough for it to be worth the cost. I think Goulet and Vanness both ship internationally, and both offer sample sizes of Noodler's inks. I would suggest you order a bunch of Noodler's samples of inks that appeal to you and then see if you like any of them enough to justify the extra cost of import. Just note that Noodler's has a very experimental, out-of-the-box approach to formulating inks, and that's both good and bad. Good when inks have unique qualities that you want and can't get elsewhere, but bad when you get an ink that doesn't play nicely with all pens. Do your research about a particular color before putting it in any vintage or expensive pens that you prize (this is a good thing to do with any ink from a small, "boutique" maker).
As for the pens, you'll get a lot of differing opinions. I have an Ahab (it was my second fountain pen), and I have always liked it. But I'm a tinkerer, so I enjoyed the fact that I can tweak the pen to write/flow as I want it to. The downside is that the pens often NEED that extra work (heat setting the feed, adjusting the nib, etc.) in order to write well at all, so these are definitely NOT pens for people who want a pen that will just write well out of the box. If you're just looking for a steel flex nib at a bargain price, I would recommend FPR pens (their house brand pens). Their flex nibs are better than Noodler's nibs, IMO, and the pens tend to work well right away. I have an FPR Himalaya with a flex nib upgrade, and I think it's a great pen for the price. I also bought a #6 flex nib from FPR and replaced my Noodler's nib in my Ahab with it and found it great. The downside to FPR is that they don't have nearly as many color and material options as Noodler's pens.
As for American pens in general, there are a number of pen turners who are well known here who make coveted custom pens, but if you mean "brands", you should check out Edison, Franklin-Christoph, and Karas Kustoms. These are American made pens with excellent reputations for quality.
Monteverde and Conklin are both Yafa brands. Yafa is an international conglomerate. Parts for these pens may be sourced from different companies in the conglomerate and also sometimes from China. Be aware that the modern Conklin is a resurrected brand, i.e., the current Conklin pens have no real continuity with the vintage Conklin pen brand. The current owner bought rights to the brand. Both brands seem to have quality control issues from time to time. If you're interested in these pens, you should monitor reviews and feedback on the Internet to see what the QC is like at the time of purchase.
Sorry this ran long, Hope it's helpful.
Feb 2, 2018
F00lw0lf
60
Feb 3, 2018
bookmark_border
crosshatchHiya, and thank you very much! Exactly what I hoped for when I wrote this. Seeing drops here on Massdrop and comparing prices clearly shows that price is a very finicky measurement to quality. Just a few days ago I ordered pens from Japan and paid almost a third for pens that are considered very expansive in Europe and US. So, well - word by mouth and personal experiences and trying to figure out what you like or not is the way for me personally at least. :)
Thanks for the clarification of Conklin and Monteverde. I have seen some reviews online praising pens, and then some that says they are well - not good. So, they appear at the same price point as TWSBI pens in Europe - and TWSBI is a big surprise for me. Really nice pens and I get why so many likes them.
Nice to hear about you being a tinkerer :) I'm the opposite I guess, I rather pick a pen and ink I like and go with that. Though I guess that to some degree, some minor and easy tinkering would be necessary to get into to make that small adjustment to get the most out of your pens. Any good post or vidoes you could recommend? I saw the guy from Pen Habit showing some tricks and tips which looks easy enough to start out with.
To the Noodlers point, thank you VERY MUCH! Great feedback and a lot of nice tips there and I will definitely be busy searching around for those new brands and pens you recommended! When it comes to Noodlers, I'm mostly eyeing the Apache Sunrise. I haven't quite found one (on line, videos images) that seems to behave like that when you check KWZ, Diamine or j. Herbin. Now, I have to go check out the FPR pens, a flex nib is definately on my to try list. Cheers and again, great feedback and you have given me a lot of fun threads to check out! :D Best regards Fredrik
Feb 3, 2018
crosshatch
11
Feb 3, 2018
bookmark_border
F00lw0lfOh, I forgot to mention that both Noodler's and FPR pens are made in India. So although these are American companies, people may not consider these actually American pens. I like Indian pens, though--I'm a fan of the fact that India still has a deeply ingrained, everday fountain pen culture.
Feb 3, 2018
View Full Discussion
Related Posts
Trending Posts in More Community Picks