Review: The Noodler's Flex Pen, Revisited

This review is by Kalina Wilson, who can also be found at geminica.com.

Not long ago I reviewed the Noodler's flex pen with mixed results.  I wanted to love it, but my pen just couldn't keep up a steady flow of ink. Thinking it was just a matter of proper adjustment I spent hours trying every bit of advice online, even carving into the ebonite feed, but the pen got no more usable. Instead of giving me a graceful, sweeping line I was ending up with awful chicken scratch because so much labor was involved in making the pen flow.

It must be concluded that at least some of these pens aren't very good straight out of the box. That's not too surprising - it's often the case with affordable fountain pens, and  the Noodler's is very affordable at $14.  At least the Noodler's Flex is made to be easily worked on, with easy disassembly and a workable feed. It's a great intention, design, and pricepoint, you can't knock that. Still, I was disappointed that I was spending more time fiddling with my flex pen than actually drawing with it.

Now to the GOOD NEWS.

In June, a few online suppliers received new shipments of the flex pens, and I picked one up in 'Vulcan Coral' from Goulet Pens.  

This one flows like a dream.  Straight out of the box! No struggle required, though I did wash the nib in soap and water as always.  I love sketching with this thing, and am already angling to grab another one next time they're on the market (that June batch is already long gone, but online retailers can put you on a list to be alerted when they're coming back). Flex nibs have a learning curve attached for those of us that aren't used to them, but now that I'm spending more of my time learning instead of cursing, I'm making some progress. 

Does this mean the new Noodler's flex pens are better?  Or is it a game of chance, since each ebonite feed is slightly different than the next?  Did I irrevocably destroy my first pen during my efforts to salvage it? Is my new flex pen made out of magic?

Who knows.  But I can tell you this - a functioning Noodler's flex pen is a thing of beauty, and a great sketching tool for artists.  It's a gamble but the payoff might be the pen of your dreams.

New Pilot Petit1 Mini Fountain Pen Review

Almost exactly three years ago, I reviewed the original Pilot Petit1 fountain pen. Needless to say, I was not a fan at that time, but I have learned a lot of things since then. First and foremost, Moleskine paper is not fountain pen friendly. I alluded to that fact in the original review, but never followed up on different paper - until now.

The new line of the popular Pilot Petit series just recently came out, and included the traditional Petit1 fountain pen, but also added the Petit2 marker pen, and Petit3 brush pen. I went with the Petit1 first because I wanted to give it another shot, and this time on some good paper!

Doane Paper has been my go to paper for years, and the Pilot Petit1 works like a champ on it. I chose blue black ink to test first (why is it that I think all fountain pens are supposed to have blue black ink?), and with its fine nib the Petit1 performed impressively, and I might even say flawlessly.

I got very clean and sharp lines on the Doane Paper. The ink dried into the page quickly, and while there was some show through on the back of the page, there was no bleeding through to the next page behind it. I also tested it on a Rhodia Dot Pad, and it performed superbly as well. The ink doesn't soak into the fibers of the Rhodia as much, so the line is finer, but doesn't dry as quickly.

Pilot has done a great job reintroducing the Petit line, making it fun and affordable for everyone to try out refillable fountain pens, marker pens, and brush pens. I can't wait to see more reviews on these.

Products used:

Pilot Petit1 Mini Fountain Pen - White Body - $3.00 from JetPens

Pilot Petit Pen Refill Cartridge Blue Black - $2.25 from JetPens

Doane Paper Writing Pad - $10.95/3-pack from Doane Paper

Pilot Vpen Disposable Fountain Pen Review

Pilot has a big share of the disposable fountain pen market, so despite the fact I am not a big fountain pen user, I thought I would give the Pilot Vpen a try. The Platinum Preppy is the disposable fountain pen which I compare all others to, and I thought the Pilot Petit mini fountain pen was one of the worst I had used, so where will the Vpen land on my somewhat out of kilter scale?

In the look and feel department, the Vpen is a winner. Pilot takes a simplistic approach to pen design, but they do it very well. If you have ever used a Pilot V5 pen before, then you will know how the Vpen feels in the hand, but just a fraction wider. You pretty much always know what you are going to get with Pilot in this department, and the Vpen is no different.

When initially putting the nib to the page, I was pretty impressed with how the Vpen performed. My preference would have been a fine or extra fine nib, but this medium nib wasn't all that bad. In fact, it was pretty darn good. The ink flowed immediately, the lines were solid and consistent, and there was minimal bleed or feathering. The blue ink was a really nice shade as well.

While the Platinum Preppy may still be my first choice due to the added nib options, the Pilot Vpen is an excellent disposable fountain pen.