Search the Community

Hi, I am wanting to buy a flex pen I can take on my book tour. There will be lots of travel (including airplanes) and probably a bit of getting knocked about in my bag. Would the FPR Guru leak all over my stuff? My original plan was to take my Safari (which I bought primarily for it's durability), but am now thinking I'd like my autographs to have a bit more flourish!

I finally received my FPR Guru Flex today in the mail and it is a very interesting pen. Interesting in the sense that I can't make up my mind about it. Here are my thoughts from the first time using it. http://i.imgur.com/kWKuieKl.jpg Aesthetics: 5/10 I don't think this is an ugly pen, however, it isn't pretty. I like demonstrators, especially when they are well done. This, unfortunately, isn't the most refined of demonstrators. The points where the plastic is joined looks very sloppy and the threads suffer from the same problem. The pocket clip works well, but looks very very cheap. This pen comes in at about 5 inches, pretty similar in length to the Noodler's Ahab, but much thinner. I would have preferred if it were a bit thicker, both for aesthetics and ergonomics. http://i.imgur.com/FBUAUAgl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/k8HZHTvl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/ePawEAll.jpg Ergonomics: 7/10 Despite being a bit thin for my taste, it is actually very comfortable to use. The grip section appears smooth, but it is not slippery. The cap threads aren't sharp and don't interfere with writing. Filling System: 7/10 Piston filler. The piston knob is a little stubborn at first but it works smoothly and it fills up with ease. Hold a good amount of ink, I haven't measured this but it is pretty close to the Ahab. Nib and feed: 7/10 Here is where the pen gets interesting. I took out of the box and I was underwhelmed. I handled it, and it felt cheap. I filled it and the piston mechanism left something to be desired. And then I wrote with it. This nib is smooth. Very smooth. The feed keeps up with fast writing and this thing flexes with ease. No railroading whatsoever, and I can get it to flex just as much as my Ahab. Granted, I have no tinkered with my Ahab much at all, but as far as out of the box performance goes, I have to say the Guru impressed. http://i.imgur.com/9hJ8wlZl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/TeTki0ol.jpg Value: 7/10 This pen costs $12 from fountainpenrevolution.com. With shipping it is $15 and you get a free Serwex pen with it (at least I did, not sure if this is still the case). http://i.imgur.com/qJxSGGgl.jpg Overall: 33/50 I won't compare this to a Hero type pen because the Chinese companies don't offer a flex version. In terms of value I would compare it to the Noodler's Nib Creaper and Ahab. The Nib Creaper costs $14 without shipping and the Ahab costs about $20. If you can get a Nib Creaper for ~$15, I think that would be the best option. The Ahab is more ergonomic and better built, but more expensive. Overall I would say that I like the Guru. It is an interesting pen with a very nice flex nib. The shipping is a little long (I waited 11 days iirc) but it is a pen that not many people have and which writes very well for the price.

A new pen! It looks like Kevin has persuaded Serwex to produce something just for him, and on first impression it's looking very impressive for the money - good cheap flexy fun. I've posted a hand-written review with a basic photo here: http://scribbledemonboddo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/fpr-guru-flex-nib-2014.html