Conklin's Omniflex Nibs

[truthpil]

 

Avoid the omniflex nib. It looks pretty but it's got nothing really special. I got one in my all american and after a few days of playing, pulled it out. The problem is they used the WORST steel for making it, so those cutouts, while about as soft as a noodlers #5 flex nib (a hair softer than the #6) just MUSH out and spring immediately if you push it beyond an M or B line. I'm not kidding, you cannot flex it at all without it springing. This nib is worthless. It's okay as a normal nib, but that softness just feels mushy, not bouncy, which just makes it feel like a really bad F nib.

 

 

 

The only pen I had that could fit this nib was an old Jinhao X450. The nib fit perfectly and flow is fantastic.

However, with great sadness I can confirm everything Honeybadgers said about this nib!

 

It feels very "soft" to write with and will flex out to 2mm with very little effort at all. However, every time you flex it beyond something like a B width, the tines separate a little farther and never spring back to their original specs. With the first stroke mine wrote a nice wet, F width, but after writing a couple words with flex applied the default setting became more like a medium on the side of broad. VERY disappointing...even more so because it can flex out so quickly and easily with little pressure (much easier to flex than even the Noodler's #5 flex nib, in my opinion). But alas, the material itself is no good and will probably end up writing like a BB firehose if I try a whole sentence of flex writing.

 

Update: After trying one more time and flexing to 1.5mm, the nib completely sprung and the black coating even started flaking off. Now the nib is totally ruined....$24 lesson learned.

Edited August 3, 2018 by TruthPil

[Honeybadgers]

This is why you always listen to me!

Sorry you had to learn the hard way. I will say, it's a pretty nib, so just bend those tines back together and just treat it like an F nib, and it'll do the job, but I still think the standard conklin F nib is better.

[truthpil]

This is why you always listen to me!

 

Sorry you had to learn the hard way. I will say, it's a pretty nib, so just bend those tines back together and just treat it like an F nib, and it'll do the job, but I still think the standard conklin F nib is better.

 

Thanks to your posts, I knew what to expect going into it but thought I'd just finish the test since the nib only fits in one of my pens that doesn't see much use. I just bent it back...but have no use for another fine nib.

 

What's so frustrating is how easily the tines opened to make awesome line variation....only to not return to normal haha.

It reminds me of experiences I've had with some cheap Chinese pens that used mysterious cheap garbage metal for their nibs.

Edited August 3, 2018 by TruthPil

[Honeybadgers]

 

Thanks to your posts, I knew what to expect going into it but thought I'd just finish the test since the nib only fits in one of my pens that doesn't see much use. I just bent it back...but have no use for another fine nib.

 

What's so frustrating is how easily the tines opened to make awesome line variation....only to not return to normal haha.

It reminds me of experiences I've had with some cheap Chinese pens that used mysterious cheap garbage metal for their nibs.

 

Yup. It's always so disappointing when you get a nice pen with a smooth nib, but you put some pressure down on it "just to see what happens" and you've mushed the whole damn thing.

 

I kind of hate the nib in the wing sung 626, that STUNNING green celluloid, the nib writes super well, but I learned that it just bends if you press down too firmly. It doesn't actually affect how it writes normally, but just knowing that the nib is such junk (it's a REALLY pretty nib with great scrollwork and gold plating reminiscent of a sheaffer feather touch nib) really irks me, and I don't want to swap the nib out since it's such an aesthetic part of that pen.

[truthpil]

I kind of hate the nib in the wing sung 626, that STUNNING green celluloid, the nib writes super well, but I learned that it just bends if you press down too firmly. It doesn't actually affect how it writes normally, but just knowing that the nib is such junk (it's a REALLY pretty nib with great scrollwork and gold plating reminiscent of a sheaffer feather touch nib) really irks me, and I don't want to swap the nib out since it's such an aesthetic part of that pen.

 

It's funny you should mention the 626, because when I was referring to cheap mystery-metal Chinese nibs, I wondered if the 626 nib might be included in that category despite the pen itself being great.

[twdpens]

 

It's my understanding for the non-flex nibs they are Jowo, but no idea about the flex ones.

 

I don't think Conklin nibs are made by JoWo. They don't look the same as other JoWo nibs.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

[Driften]

 

I don't think Conklin nibs are made by JoWo. They don't look the same as other JoWo nibs.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

 

 

I believe Goulet Pens said Jowo made then nibs (steel) for Conklin and they even sell them sometimes with Goulet branded Jowo nibs.

 

Conklin said they are German made and there are just the two OEM's. Do you think they look more like Bock nibs? Both companies custom make nibs to customer specs and Yafa buys a lot of nibs for the brands they own and with their volume they can afford to have things custom done. For example a Visconti Bock nib looks nothing like a Pineider Bock nib. Actually they might a little since Dante designed both, but you get my drift.

 

If I am wrong I am sorry for not remembering correctly.

[Honeybadgers]

 

It's funny you should mention the 626, because when I was referring to cheap mystery-metal Chinese nibs, I wondered if the 626 nib might be included in that category despite the pen itself being great.

 

I still say the pen is worth every penny. That celluloid is a stunner. I was one of the lucky few to get the jade green with the white dot.

[truthpil]

 

I still say the pen is worth every penny. That celluloid is a stunner. I was one of the lucky few to get the jade green with the white dot.

 

I'm holding out for a blue one with white dot hehe. I still haven't given up the hope that a medium-nibbed version will eventually be released.

[twdpens]

 

Conklin said they are German made and there are just the two OEM's. Do you think they look more like Bock nibs? Both companies custom make nibs to customer specs and Yafa buys a lot of nibs for the brands they own and with their volume they can afford to have things custom done. For example a Visconti Bock nib looks nothing like a Pineider Bock nib. Actually they might a little since Dante designed both, but you get my drift.

 

If I am wrong I am sorry for not remembering corr

ectly.

They don't look like Bock nibs either. I'm not referring to cosmetic details, but the overall quality of the nib. Current Conklin nibs just aren't up to the quality of the two big German makers (as seen in other mainstream pens). They're not terrible by any means (we 100% them anyway just in case, and when tuned they write really well), they're just not as good.

 

Maybe Conklin nibs were sourced from Bock or JoWo in the past, but if they are now then they're made to a different spec to those bought by other pen manufacturers.

 

HTH,

 

Martin

[Driften]

It could be Conklin is just not doing or paying for tuning and polishing steps other companies are. I know I don't plan on buying Conklin pens in the future. My Omni Flex is plenty, it's fine after it's nib was replaced but not currently inked.

[Honeybadgers]

 

I'm holding out for a blue one with white dot hehe. I still haven't given up the hope that a medium-nibbed version will eventually be released.

 

I don't think china is making fresh celluloid. I think these pens are made as occasional stocks of old celluloid come along.

[truthpil]

It could be Conklin is just not doing or paying for tuning and polishing steps other companies are. I know I don't plan on buying Conklin pens in the future. My Omni Flex is plenty, it's fine after it's nib was replaced but not currently inked.

 

With the Omniflex nib, the metal is just poor material. I have many JoWo nibs and a couple Bock nibs and the material is definitely superior to that of the Omniflex. Being Yafa and all, I suspect these nibs are made in China because mine feels exactly like some of my cheaper Chinese nibs and nothing at all like any of my German nibs.

[Noihvo]

[truthpil]

 

I have a few Schmidt branded nibs as well and they are nothing like the Omniflex as far as quality of materials. Schmidt nibs are very good, although they can run a little dry and have more feedback than I like (i.e., not glassy smooth).

[DasKaltblut]

 

I still say the pen is worth every penny. That celluloid is a stunner. I was one of the lucky few to get the jade green with the white dot.

 

Is that different than the current green with white dot that I just bought yesterday?

[Uncial]

 

I don't think china is making fresh celluloid. I think these pens are made as occasional stocks of old celluloid come along.

 

 

If the claim is to be believed, they are making fresh celluloid for their Sheaffer Balance clone. I picked one of these up out of curiosity. It looks amazing, but feels awfully like acrylic and lacks the wright you would expect with celluloid.

[sciumbasci]

I had thought the Wing Sung 626 was acrylic?

Some pen enthusiast from China - I don't remember the nickname - said that initially it was to be released in celluloid, but that later it got changed to acrylic

[Honeybadgers]

 

 

If the claim is to be believed, they are making fresh celluloid for their Sheaffer Balance clone. I picked one of these up out of curiosity. It looks amazing, but feels awfully like acrylic and lacks the wright you would expect with celluloid.

 

Celluloid and acrylic are going to be pretty identical in terms of weight and feel, the only difference in the resins is the depth of color. acrylic doesn't develop the depth that celluloid does.

 

The give-away for acrylic is that strong cyanoacetate smell, usually inside the cap or barrel, since that can take months to dissipate. if it smells like nothing, or smells like camphor, you got celluloid.

 

my 626 is definitely celluloid, based on how the white dot was heat bonded to it (mine has a little imperfection that gives it away as being heated into the celluloid)

Edited August 19, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[Says]

Just got a conklin in omniflex.. Seriously, I don't like it.. it feels tough as nails to write with, kind of like a Platinum but much more raw.. Have to put quite a lot of pressure to make it flex, which i don't feel comfortable doing... My Pineider Bellaza and Platinum SF Nibs are much softer/ Spring-ier and I don't see much line variation unless i put enough pressure to spoil it...

 

Why do they call it Omniflex again?