Appalling Quality Control By Noodler's

[WirsPlm]

Yes they are cheap, but not necessarily "cheap for a reason". I love many, I.e. Lamy, but I expect it to write and nicely, but not like a $250 pen, but yes, a nice one for work. I have thought of getting one but stick with the ones I know.

 

Noodler's pens are designed for people to experiment with. Since you're not willing to experiment, it's probably a good idea not to get one.

[JonSzanto]

 

Noodler's pens are designed for people to experiment with. Since you're not willing to experiment, it's probably a good idea not to get one.

 

Does it actually say this anywhere - in advertising, on the box, etc? If everyone can drop their fanboi panties for just one second, even a pen meant for people to experiment with should write when first purchased. It isn't a kit pen, for crying out loud.

[Pterodactylus]

True, every product has to work out of the box, if it is not working it's defective and has to be returned.

 

I also never saw a clear declaration which says:

 

"Caution defective product, this product does not work out of the box, don't buy it if you can't modify it until it may work."

 

To serve the purpose a tool was created for (in this case writing) is the minimal requirement valid for all products.

 

I also hate the smell which almost made me puke, my Ahab stinks awful about the first half a year.

It worked out of the box at least as a "normal" writing pen, I would not call a Noodler's pen in its factory default state a flex pen.

 

After a lot of tinkering and modifying, I finally love it, and it does not stink anymore, but I almost thrown it to the bin several times.

 

They are cheap made pens (you get what you pay for) but they can be a lot of fun and are the best and cheapest entry to the flex world you can get, but they can also spoil all the fun for a newbie so that he/she never wants to use a FP ever again.

 

I would only recommend a Noodler's pen if you want to make experiences with flexible nibs and you are not afraid to tinker around with it.

 

Overall I'm happy that there are the Noodler's pens as they cover currently the huge demand for flexible nibs best, but they are definitely not for everyone or newbies.

 

Conclusion:

If it does not work "normal" (non flexed) out of the box, return it, get a new one or get a refund!

If enough people don't accept non working products, QC issues will be fixed or the product will be removed from the market as it gets too expensive for the sellers and the manufacturer.

[JonSzanto]

Agreed on virtually everything, except the last bit. The pens are cheap enough that, save for the most penurious of people, most customers will just throw them away or put them in the back of the desk drawer rather than go through the hassle of a refund or replacement. And more get sold.

 

And, yeah, the smell.

[WirsPlm]

They are cheap made pens (you get what you pay for) but they can be a lot of fun and are the best and cheapest entry to the flex world you can get, but they can also spoil all the fun for a newbie so that he/she never wants to use a FP ever again.

 

I would only recommend a Noodler's pen if you want to make experiences with flexible nibs and you are not afraid to tinker around with it.

 

Overall I'm happy that there are the Noodler's pens as they cover currently the huge demand for flexible nibs best, but they are definitely not for everyone or newbies.

 

 

I think we basically agree. It's not that the pens don't work (OOB most of them function, just not like a flex pen), but someone who is new to FPs is not going to be able to make it work like a real flex pen unless they're willing to make the pen a learning experience. I've seen people recommend Noodler's pens to new people and am kind of reacting to that. It's kind of the same way I feel about getting cheap Chinese pens off the bay, yes, the cost may be low, but the potential for hassle is large and it's not something that should be someone's first experience with modern FPs.

[JonSzanto]

I think we basically agree. It's not that the pens don't work (OOB most of them function, just not like a flex pen), but someone who is new to FPs is not going to be able to make it work like a real flex pen unless they're willing to make the pen a learning experience. I've seen people recommend Noodler's pens to new people and am kind of reacting to that. It's kind of the same way I feel about getting cheap Chinese pens off the bay, yes, the cost may be low, but the potential for hassle is large and it's not something that should be someone's first experience with modern FPs.

 

+1 on pen recommendations for new people.

Edited January 7, 2014 by JonSzanto

[jptech]

Pilot varsities always start, no matter how long they've sat.

 

My two nib creapers have issues starting with certain inks, but write well, even if they railroad. I still don't know how to adjust them.

 

My konrad has feed problems. The feed was cut off center, but I bought it from ebay by someone who know it had problems and didn't tell me. I've since widened the ink channel and air return. It performs better now.

 

The nib creapers always feed, but are hard starters.

[WirsPlm]

Pilot varsities always start, no matter how long they've sat.

 

My two nib creapers have issues starting with certain inks, but write well, even if they railroad. I still don't know how to adjust them.

 

My konrad has feed problems. The feed was cut off center, but I bought it from ebay by someone who know it had problems and didn't tell me. I've since widened the ink channel and air return. It performs better now.

 

The nib creapers always feed, but are hard starters.

I don't know what you've tried with the Creepers, but these threads cover most of the issues and adjustments for Noodler's pens, you should be able to find something to help here. If a pen is having problems with starting and flow a good cleaning is likely to help (dislodges oil residue or buildup).

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/210763-noodlers-ahab-setup-for-beginners/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/246808-noodlers-ahab-flex-modification/

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/240492-noodlers-ahab-ease-my-flex-mod/

[Anne-Sophie]

I don't have any Noodler pen, but they were created because many, in the fountain pen community, expressed the need for a cheap flex pen.

 

When we asked for vibrant inks, Nathan delivered. When we asked for low temperature inks, he delivered. When we asked for tamper proof inks, he delivered.

 

The best way to find out about a new potential acquisition, and the next, and the next is to consult our handy fountain pen reviews sub-forum.

 

The same can be done with ink and paper.

 

There are the 3 components which make our hobby enjoyable and, more interesting than ballpoint writing.

Some pens write better, sometimes, much better with the right ink and paper choice.

 

 

Before dismissing a pen or a whole line of pens outright, one has to use the wonderful resources offered on this board to make sure any pen, ink, paper or other fountain pen related product fits their needs or wants or oh! shiny, feelings.

 

 

If one is really unhappy about a fountain pen, a case, or other related products, there is always something called, a return.

 

 

For ink and paper, one can spread the joy by using ink and paper exchanges.

What feels like an ugly color to one could be just the perfect match to a pen color for another, what feels like the slickest or nubbiest paper for one could be just right for another.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Anne-Sophie

[Bill Wood]

Put a Goulet or other #6 nib in the Ahab and/or Konrad and they work just fine. The Noodler's flex nibs are very fussy by comparison and require a bit of adjustment to set up properly.

Absolutely the above. I prefer the Goulet nibs. Noodlers supplies a good feed, but the nibs are very suspect. When ordering an Ahab choose the color you want and also order a Goulet nib. No problems after that.

[stacybean]

I just cleaned my Ahab and rediscovered a delightful vegetal resin smelling , affordable, brightly colored fun pen that flexes. I am glad to have it. Using this pen and the TWSBI 540 has been a great experience for me. I would not otherwise have had the pleasure of tinkering and learning about feeds, pistons, etc.

[gistar]

I don't have any Noodler pen, but they were created because many, in the fountain pen community, expressed the need for a cheap flex pen.

 

When we asked for vibrant inks, Nathan delivered. When we asked for low temperature inks, he delivered. When we asked for tamper proof inks, he delivered.

 

The best way to find out about a new potential acquisition, and the next, and the next is to consult our handy fountain pen reviews sub-forum.

 

The same can be done with ink and paper.

 

There are the 3 components which make our hobby enjoyable and, more interesting than ballpoint writing.

Some pens write better, sometimes, much better with the right ink and paper choice.

 

 

Before dismissing a pen or a whole line of pens outright, one has to use the wonderful resources offered on this board to make sure any pen, ink, paper or other fountain pen related product fits their needs or wants or oh! shiny, feelings.

 

 

If one is really unhappy about a fountain pen, a case, or other related products, there is always something called, a return.

 

 

For ink and paper, one can spread the joy by using ink and paper exchanges.

What feels like an ugly color to one could be just the perfect match to a pen color for another, what feels like the slickest or nubbiest paper for one could be just right for another.

I fully agree with Anne-Sophie. The pen was created for a specific reason and not as a daily user, as a plain "tool". If I wanted something that I can grab and just write then I would have gotten a Lamy or something similar. Yes there may be duds. The way fountain pens are manufactured you cannot expect the same quality control as a mass and computer manufactured ball pen and in this respect I do not think that Noodlers are worse than other fountain pens manufacturers, but there are a lot of Noodlers around. But on average the pens are delivering what they promise and then some. But they are not made for newbies or people who do not want to tinker. They have a flex nib and there is a reason that they are the only modern ones available. Because flex and a lot of choice in inks means that a lot of tinkering is required. You make your choice, you enjoy what you get, fiddling and all. Or get a Lamy (excellent pens by the way, today I carry one).

[TSherbs]

I must be strange because I actually kind of love the smell, at least for the Vulcan's Coral. A friend of mine as I lovingly call it my "fumigatory pen".

I love it too, and I hope that it does not entirely go away.

[TSherbs]

Absolutely the above. I prefer the Goulet nibs. Noodlers supplies a good feed, but the nibs are very suspect. When ordering an Ahab choose the color you want and also order a Goulet nib. No problems after that.

+1

[TSherbs]

Not so much with the pens, but I have recently had two very different mixes of Noodler's Golden Brown sent to me (the bottle was much less "golden" than the sample that had strong yellow tones that I liked).

[TassoBarbasso]

A 10 cent bic works close to 100% of the time.

 

As a newbie, it bothers me to see folks say.... Well, it is a $35 pen, so it is ok that it does not work well.

 

If you are spending more than $2.50 for a pen, it damn better well work 99.9% out of the box unless I messed something up.

 

Thanks God, I thought I was the only one to feel like this. Glad to see that I'm not the only one!

[Ego Id Veto]

This is an absolute joke.

 

I just bought two more Ahabs, and one of them has a feed with a slit that's been cut half a centimetre too far to the right! I mean come on Nathan! The damn thing alternates between dripping ink and drying out completely.

 

The other one works fine, so it just goes to show you that no matter how much his customers complain, Nathan really doesn't give a toss about quality control.

 

Flex nibs are a niche market, and Mr. Tardif knows that, so he doesn't have any competition, and thus there is no pressure on him to improve his non-existent QC measures.

[perrins57]

Noddlers sell for not much cash for a reason, buyer beware.

[Pterodactylus]

Noddlers sell for not much cash for a reason, buyer beware.

"Not much" is relative, they are more expensive than many other very reliable pens.

 

I can get many very good pens cheaper where I'm sure not to face such issues, e.g. Lamy Safari, Pelikan Pelikano, Parker Vector, Rotring Artpen,......

 

So the price is for sure no excuse to sell non functional or low-grade products...

Edited February 26, 2014 by Pterodactylus

[Gloucesterman]

Think back to when the first Noodler pens came out. If my memory is accurate, there were few "inexpensive" competitive pens available at the time. In addition, even the cheap ones were both REALLY cheap AND were meant to be tossed if they broke or did not work well.

 

From my perspective, Nathan made cheap pens that smelled bad, were meant to be easily disassembles and tweaked, fixed or modified and worked reasonably well, compared to the cheap pens of the day (other than the cheap cheap Chinese ones). They were a viable choice for two segments of the FP market at the time - the person wh was interested but did not want to spend $20+, more like $30+ on a plastic pen and those people who wanted to play, tweak, modify their pens without potentially losing a lot of money. Also, in my opinion, other than the vintage folk who were into flex, Nathan's pens revitalized the flex thing with a $15-20.00 pen that didn't need a technician to take it apart and put it together again.

 

Noodlers pens were, are, or at least can be, "gateway, introductory" pens for those who want to test the FP waters. Over the years, my experiences have been positive and, with minor exception, have had no problems directly "out of the box", and I think the quality has improved significantly.

 

The FP market place today is much different than it was 5-10 years ago. There are 5easily 5 or 10 times as many choices and in some cases, you can buy a Chinese FP of eBay, including shipping for under $5.00. With more and better choices competing for our $$s, Nathan's pens are still competitive and obviously are still purchased in large enough quantities that they are still made. In fact, I would bet that the growing number of Indian pens we see are a direct result of Nathan's use of Indian manufacturing resources and importation. He set a standard for his pens which they now use for the pens they export to us at 2, 3,4x the price, for the same pen if you were buying it with Rupees instead of dollars.

 

No affiliation with anyone.

 

The true measure of the quality of Noodler pens is how many are bought, who sells them and do people use and talk about them. Given the content of this forum, the answer is clear.

 

Of course that's just my opinion.