Flex Nib Fountain Pen
I have been looking for The One. I was even prepared to diy The One. For the past few months I have been searching for a reasonably priced flex nib fountain pen. In Japan I found the Pilot custom. It has flex, and it has has a range of nibs that features different levels of flex. Costs about SGD 100. I did not buy it.
Then I also got on google and found out about Noodler's Ahab. Took me a few tries with the keywords to get what I want, and now the internet blasts me with fountain pen ads ... Anyway, I got to try out the Noodler's Ahab at a local store named Overjoyed. Costs about SGD30+. I did not buy it.
Found out about a few other pen models that claims flex nib, watched the reviews on youtube since I couldn't find them in local stores, hence I could not try it out. Saw a few good pens, montblanc, Waterman... the premium stuff. Which means, friggin expensive.
So what is a man who loves calligraphy wherever he goes, to do? I am left with the option of DIY fountains pens. Apparently, the Noodler's Ahab is designed with DIY in mind, according to a video I saw. In another DIY vid, I can even do this with a cheap Jinhao pen, which sells on Lazada for as cheap as SGD 5! It simply involves changing out the original nib with a dip pen nib, usually a zebra G dip pen nib. Some minor adjustments in the fitting, but I'll leave out the tedious details.
And, no I didn't do the DIYing. Simply because I did not get around to buying the recommended fountain pens to use as a base. For those asking then why did not I buy the Noodler's or Pilot custom?I did not like the feel of the flex nibs for those 2 pens, I had to press too hard to get a thick down stroke and the thin up strokes is not thin enough. I am doing art, not weight lifting.
So this a story that ends in a tragedy, right? Too soon for conclusions. You see, I know this guy from UK. His name is Paul Antonio. He goes around the world teaching calligraphy and attends events related to stationery and inks. So at one of the events he attended, he used a peculiar pen -
(fast forward to 12 mins 18 secs)
A desiderata fountain pen that features using replaceable G nibs! And it is reasonably priced from SGD 100 onwards depending on the model. My journey into fountain pens is still short, but I have not seen anything like this. The details of how it works lies right here. YES! I thought, happily ever after. I just needed to whip out my credit card and purchase it on the website.
Not so fast, according to the maker. He makes these by hand and it takes him quite a while to push out a batch, so most of the time the website indicates everything is out of stock. Also, he seems to be the type that only sells his stuff to those that will personally use his pens, and not resell it for profit. But this is a minor detail that does not really matter to me. So okay, I'll just subscribe and wait for updates.
As of this writing, I have placed an order and is awaiting the shipping notice, see ya in another 2 weeks for the updates when I receive the pen!