Noodler's Flex Pen

I got mine today, and I am VERY pleased.  It's amazingly versatile, with a wide range of line widths.  Interestingly, when you fill it with their Lexington Grey ink, the lines vary in value too...thinner lines put down less ink, so are grayer.  Press on the nib to flex for a wider line, and you get quite dark ones!  (You do need to wait a bit for those dark ones to dry...)

The pen is lightweight, which I like, and it writes and draws smoothly, particularly on this paper--Fabriano Hot Press.  No feathering or sinking in in blobs...

It has a screw cap, which I like and my husband doesn't--I LIKE it to stay put.  It has a built in piston so you don't need a separate converter or a cartridge to fill it, and little translucent "windows" so you can see how much ink you have left.

All in all, I am well pleased...it was worth the wait!  For $14, I am in LOVE.

I got mine from Goulet Pen Company, who were very nice to work with, but I understand there are a few other places that sell them, like ISellPens.com.  They go fast, though...looks like Goulet's mostly out again!

For this price, they can't be beat...and I'm delighted that they flex as much as my beloved antique Waterman 152, which wants to leak all over the place!

*Note:  There have been some negative reviews too, please read the comments below...

And nope, I don't get a cut from Noodler's, I don't work for them, I just trust Nina's judgement and had to try one.  As I said, for the price I am delighted!

Testing Tools...more ink pens!

As always, I'm looking for good sketching tools, both those with a fine, crisp line and those that offer some variety...

Here's one I tried on a whim, the Platinum Pocket Brush, which has a fiber tip rather than the brush, like Pentel's Pocket Brush (which I also love!)  The Platinum comes with a cartridge of  Platinum's waterproof Carbon Black ink, which I enjoy in my fountain pens, though in bottle form I believe you need to shake it occasionally (The cartridges come with a little roller ball inside that keeps the ink stirred!).

At first I had problems getting the cartridge to fit in place, but the good people at Jet Pens told me how (basically, PUSH!)

I do like the line variety, from very fine to thunderously black...these are inexpensive and versatile, and well worth the $3.00 it cost and then some!  (Yes, you read that right.  THREE DOLLARS.  With cartridge!)
You can see more here.

Like the Pentel Pocket Brush, the ink stays put when you wash over it...FUN for sketching in our journals.  The fiber nib of the Platinum is stiffer, of course, but it's also nicely controllable.

And by the way, I was delighted to find that the Pentel Pocket Brush is now available at my longtime favorite brick-and-mortar art supply store, Creative Coldsnow in Kansas City!  It's a wonderful warren of rooms in an old building in the Westport area...I love to explore there.

Correspondent Laure Ferlita recently tempted us with her video on the 17th, Using One Pen in Place of Three --she was using a Duke Pen, which you can find on eBay; one of our readers recommended the Sailor DE Brush Stroke Style Calligraphy Fountain Pen, which was also available from JetPens--since I was making an order anyway, who could resist??

As you can see, the nib is very similar to the Duke Pen Laure demonstrated.   It will take quite a bit of practice for me to actually use it for calligraphy, but I LOVE the variety for sketching.  (Check out the sample of writing  on JetPens page--it IS lovely, so I guess I need to practice!)

 

And nope, I don't get a kickback from anyone or any company mentioned here--no free pens, no cut, I just like to make journaling and creativity the pleasure for you that it is for me!

(That said, I still need a pen that's a pleasure to write with, as well...so I still carry my Lamy, Waterman, or the  slightly-too-heavy-for-me TWSBI fountain pen I found on eBay, by chance.  It's smooth and nice, AND has a built in converter with a larger than usual capacity, so I've just filled it with Platinum Sepia ink...)

Pen Tests...favorite tools

Many of us are on a never-ending hunt for the Perfect Drawing Tool...and for some of us that means a fountain pen, with it's ready supply of ink.

A lot of us use a Lamy Safari or Vista (which is clear but the same pen!)--with the charcoal nib rather than the steel one, they're smooth and dependable.  (If you want to replace the nib, it's EASY, and you can get replacement nibs from several sources, including JetPens.  Here's one of the many tutorials for replacing the nib.)

 
This one's a favorite of mine, a Waterman Phileas--it's dependable and sturdy, and almost never skips--when it does, it's usually the paper's fault, not the pen's!  I've gotten these for a reasonable amount on eBay, and one was a STEAL, complete with a converter.  They also come in cobalt blue, red marble, and other colors...

NICE pen.  Interestingly, the Lexington Gray ink looks almost black with the Phileas, much grayer with the Lamy--a difference in how they deliver the ink or how the nib is designed, I believe.

Here, I've tested a variety of nibs--click on the image if you want to see them better!    I've tested out the Lamy Joy nib, too, which you can also find at JetPens--if you already have a Lamy, this may be the way to go, just replace the nib.  New Joy pens can be found for a reasonable amount, though--try Googling!

Our friends and blog correspondents Liz Steel (Interview # 2 on this blog) Alissa Duke (Interview #7) have both had good success with the Joy nib, thank you for the recommendations!

I have a lovely, flexible antique waterman pen which unfortunately likes to leak and clog...you can see that the Joy nib somewhat approximates the thick and thin lines though with a bit more if a mechanical effect.  (Now if I could just get hold of one of Noodler's new Flex pens correspondent Nina Johansson--our Interview # 10!-- mentioned on her blog--but they're out of stock till mid-May.)

Finally, you can see a quick sketch done with the Joy nib, Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, and watercolor washes...FUN.

Let us know what YOUR favorite pen is...

Favorite materials and supplies page

I updated this page with more of my favorites--you can find it HERE, or just look at the top of the blog!

(And incidentally, turns out I'm not wild about that bottom waterbrush.  Doesn't hold much water, and I find it awkward to use.  NICE point though...)

Correspondents, feel free to chime in and do a post on YOUR favorites--I can add it to the page so it will be handy.