Noodler's Ink Piston Fill Flex Nib Clear Demonstrator Medium Point Fountain Pen - ND-17000

I do think the Konrad and the Ahab are better pens, but if you like thin and small and still want a piston filling demonstrator pen with a flexible nib, this is where the money's at.I have two, one that I ground the feed out to gush ink, and this one, which I kept stock.Noodlers pens DO REQUIRE SOME FIDDLING. DO NOT BUY THIS AS A FIRST PEN. You will have to likely adjust how deep the nib and feed are in the body (further out = more flex, closer the feed is to the tip of the nib, more inkflow) and maybe use a razor blade to cut the ebonite feed a bit, but this will take any standard #5 nib as well, and is a proper piston filler.The biodegradable vegetal resin isn't as crystal clear as a TWSBI's plastic, but it's still quite clear, and it's tougher than any other plastic you can think of. Nathan Tardiff of Noodlers has a video of himself driving over a konrad (Same material) with his car twice and it wrote fine, and then firing one out of a shotgun (it survived) It does have a VERY strong odor out of the box, some people HATE the smell, so if you don't like the pen's odor, stick it in a drawer for a week and it will dissipate quickly.It's a very thin, light pen with a good posting cap.The nib is nice, will flex very broad (western EF to about a 1.1-1.5 stub) though it does require way more pressure than a "vintage" flex pen, if you want to write bold and broad, this will do the job, no problem. It will get tiring to do after 10-15 minutes, unlike a vintage flex pen, but that isn't this pen's intent. It does write like a slightly springy gold nib when writing normally, which I really like (not like a soft nib, but softer than regular steel nibs)Piston mechanism is smooth, simple, and reliable, and it holds a good amount of ink (2.5ish ml)The only issue I have with these nib creapers is that the cap has no inner seal, so it can't be sat in a drawer, inked, like a platinum with a slip and seal cap or even a jinhao. The konrad has an inner cap and the ahab seems to not have much issue (my neponset is ebonite without an inner cap but seems to not have trouble either) it will dry out if left for a week inked and unused. So only ink this pen up when you want to use it, and the rest of the time, keep it empty, and you won't have any issues.Overall, if you have a few dollars more and don't desperately want the thinnest pen you can find, I suggest the ahab, or if you need something a little smaller, the konrad, which are a bit more versatile and have a more easily swapped #6 nib. But for what it is, this is a solid little flex pen.

I've never written an amazon review and never planned to but this pen deserved a horrible review.This pen stinks. It absolutely stinks. The smell will haunt you in your dreams.So much that I am throwing it out.It also doesn't flex very much. You are much better off saving some money and buying a proper flex nib like one from Pilot. Please save yourself the money.

When I received the pen and opened the box, I thought someone had gotten sick on it, that's what it smelled like. It was so strong! I sent it back, thinking it was an abused item, couldn't take the smell. I had ordered the same pen in a different color direct from a pen company and that one smelled too! Not as bad though. What the heck is that smell?? If it is the plastic material or whatever they coat the nib in it is horrible..it makes the pen no fun to use. I'm hoping that with time and a little airing the smell will go away. I tried soaking it in dish soap too, that didn't take the smell away.Other than that, the pen is really nice and can be adjusted for how much flex you want in the nib, love that! Writes beautifully.

Back in November 2017 I was a rank amateur with respect to fountain pens and "accidentally" lucked into buying this Noodler's Ink Nib Creaper, although that's not what the description said, that's exactly what this is. I now have 7 fountain pens and I use several every day for writing in my journal, doing genealogy research, or drawing pen and ink. I have 5 or 6 bottles of ink and my favorite combination is definitely this Nib Creaper with either Noodler's Eel black or Noodler's Navy. The eel lubricates so I don't get the scratchiness of some of the fine nibs, but the Navy is such a beautiful ink. As a novice I struggled a little but quickly figured out how to work the piston fill to fill it with ink. I have cleaned it once since Nov, but normally it just works with using a soft paper towel to wipe the nib. Great being able to write a finer line and a bit broader just by bearing down. I'm ordering another one to use with Ghost Blue Invisible Ink.Overall this is an amazing writing instrument. Just never, ever fall asleep writing in a journal in bed with a fountain pen! And if you do . . . Dawn and lots of cool water and a rag can usually get that ink out.

The pen smells like it was pulled out from some creature's behind. The ink flow isn't consistent and very scratchy. It took a while for the ink to finally come out a bit more consistent but still not as smooth as I hoped it to be. I've Clorox'ed the pen and wash the body with soap, but no hope in getting rid of this smell. It is very bad and very pungent. The design of the pen is cool and love how the ink level is very visble. Wish that the flex tip was bit more soft and bendable. Takes a lot of force to get it flexed when writing.

I love this! Mine had a horrible smell at first, but after I washed it and let it air out, the smell went away. But the flex nib at affordable prices? Sign me up! I want to get an Ahab with a flex nib next!

I bought this pen because for some time I wanted a fountain pen with a flexible nib to practice calligraphy and handwriting. The flexible nib pens of other brands are more expensive, which makes this pen an excellent option with good cost-quality ratio. The pen does not look pretty, it looks rustic but it works well, it is easy to carry and I really like its transparency. To be honest, I thought the pen nib would be much more flexible, which disappointed me at first but I got used to it. Something I did not like is its smell ... I think that because of some type of lubricant used in the piston, the pen has an unpleasant smell and in fact the ink takes that strong smell once on the paper. I hope that with time that is not already a problem.I recommend this pen for stylized handwriting, take notes and practice a little, but definitely it isn't a pen for calligraphy works that require delicate and beautiful lines.