Poll: Win One Of 7 New, High Performance Flex Pens!

[PrestoTenebroso]

I filled out the poll to help with data, but I wish I'd gotten to it in time to qualify to win a test pen. Can't wait to see what the winners have to say!

You just missed it! But I'm glad to have your data. I'm waiting for feedback now.

[mjhullett]

Oh No! I am too late! But anyways, a fantastic idea, would go over very well in my market area (Bethesda MD/DC)!

 

Carry on wight he good work, I will most likely buy one when they are available!

[scrivelry]

I suggest a real, actual stand-alone website of some type at some point. I may not be alone in not only not using these social media, but resenting being forced in that direction.

 

I realize it may not be the priority at this point - a one person show has to marshal its energies carefully - but in the long run, not everyone wants a 20 second sound bite or the equivalent.

 

I like the idea of the pens, but how the heck would I even buy when when you have them if there is no storefront of some kind?

 

T

[Moose22]

 

Please bear with me and follow me on these platforms.

 

Yeah, I'm never going to do that.

 

I hate the facebook, and I will not purchase anything from a person selling there. It is horribly organized from a customer's perspective. You can't ever seem to find any USEFUL information there. Twitter is even worse. The tumblr is a place for teenage girls and fetishists to post obnoxious, flashy, animated images. Instagram is for bad photoshop filters over cell phone photographs. Pinterest is where you put your obsession when you're a girl planning a wedding. They're all probably fine as places for your advertising, but as a vendor they're the internet equivalent of putting a sign on your car while you sell stuff out of your trunk. NONE of these are a place for a company headquarters, if you will.

 

Get your own website. You can get server space with quick site builder software for $10 a month, $15 a year for a domain name. Hell, put up a word press instance and post some pictures and you can be up and running in an hour. It is a whole lot easier to update and have things organized, and you can generate static pages that show your pens and other products, and that I can very easily browse.

[PrestoTenebroso]

 

Yeah, I'm never going to do that.

 

I hate the facebook, and I will not purchase anything from a person selling there. It is horribly organized from a customer's perspective. You can't ever seem to find any USEFUL information there. Twitter is even worse. The tumblr is a place for teenage girls and fetishists to post obnoxious, flashy, animated images. Instagram is for bad photoshop filters over cell phone photographs. Pinterest is where you put your obsession when you're a girl planning a wedding. They're all probably fine as places for your advertising, but as a vendor they're the internet equivalent of putting a sign on your car while you sell stuff out of your trunk. NONE of these are a place for a company headquarters, if you will.

 

Get your own website. You can get server space with quick site builder software for $10 a month, $15 a year for a domain name. Hell, put up a word press instance and post some pictures and you can be up and running in an hour. It is a whole lot easier to update and have things organized, and you can generate static pages that show your pens and other products, and that I can very easily browse.

 

 

I suggest a real, actual stand-alone website of some type at some point. I may not be alone in not only not using these social media, but resenting being forced in that direction.

 

I realize it may not be the priority at this point - a one person show has to marshal its energies carefully - but in the long run, not everyone wants a 20 second sound bite or the equivalent.

 

I like the idea of the pens, but how the heck would I even buy when when you have them if there is no storefront of some kind?

 

T

 

 

Oh No! I am too late! But anyways, a fantastic idea, would go over very well in my market area (Bethesda MD/DC)!

 

Carry on wight he good work, I will most likely buy one when they are available!

Just to be clear folks, please follow/subscribe to me on one or several of those platforms, since that is where announcements will be made.

 

Announcements I intend to include (in descending order of importance) are:

 

Product availability

The opening of my webstore

 

Moose22: I'm sorry you're not a fan of social media. I am not either. Don't sweat it. I was slow to get on Facebook back when it was "The Facebook", and I thought it was lame then. I use it because it's a convenient way of announcing things that frees up time. (Oh, precious time.)

I am not planning to sell out of my trunk.

[Kataphract]

 

I've got some prototypes made, and some of them are about to go out to the 7 lucky people who took my survey.

 

 

• Expected Delivery Day: Monday, June 2, 2014

Public opinions/review/photos or would you prefer such only go to you for now?

[PrestoTenebroso]

Please, to me only, for right now. Thank you.

[Lyander0012]

Dropping everything and working on the survey )

Looking forward to seeing the final product! Even if I'm not one of the lucky 7 (hey), I'll likely be wanting to try one of these out. At the very least, I'll be scouring for reviews, haha.

 

 

Cheers!

Kevin

 

EDIT:
Whoops, apparently quite a bit late. Well, seems like I'll be waiting on reviews

Edited May 30, 2014 by Lyander0012

[Kataphract]

Please, to me only, for right now. Thank you.

 

 

Will do - that's what I expected.

[Auspice]

I'll follow on a few sources to keep an eye out for availability. I'm very, very curious about trying out flex pens and I always love supporting craftsmen.

[Algester]

also late but I think most people have taken are right handed people but I still answered... flex with left hand huh... will see if there is trully a marginal experience getween right hand and left hand writing with flex

[Rocket1]

Is the company named after a certain poem by max ehrmann?

 

Looking forward to these!

[Algester]

 

Yeah, I'm never going to do that.

 

I hate the facebook, and I will not purchase anything from a person selling there. It is horribly organized from a customer's perspective. You can't ever seem to find any USEFUL information there. Twitter is even worse. The tumblr is a place for teenage girls and fetishists to post obnoxious, flashy, animated images. Instagram is for bad photoshop filters over cell phone photographs. Pinterest is where you put your obsession when you're a girl planning a wedding. They're all probably fine as places for your advertising, but as a vendor they're the internet equivalent of putting a sign on your car while you sell stuff out of your trunk. NONE of these are a place for a company headquarters, if you will.

 

Get your own website. You can get server space with quick site builder software for $10 a month, $15 a year for a domain name. Hell, put up a word press instance and post some pictures and you can be up and running in an hour. It is a whole lot easier to update and have things organized, and you can generate static pages that show your pens and other products, and that I can very easily browse.

 

its by nature that you normally don't advertise in twitter... <_< >_> but eh... I use twitter but not facebook or instagram and tumblr for that matter... I do have wordpress but its not used for stationary but other things

[Drone]

I actually recently brought out my Platinum PTL-5000 and gave it a spin after reading about the flex properties that people said it had. After trying it and comparing it to other pens that were described as semi-flex, as well as the springy Pilot nibs, I've decided that it is most definitely springy, and not semi-flex. The amount of pressure required to flex it, the rate at which it springs back and also the amount of line variation achievable with reasonable pressure doesn't quite fall into semi-flex, at least in the way that I understand it to be.

 

The semi-flex nibs used for comparison were a Pelikan 140 EF and a Merlin 33 FP, and the springy nib used was a Pilot Custom 74 F.

 

The problem with the Platinum nibs like on the PTL-5000 is the feed. The feed is too long and it hits the paper when you push it to flex somewhat.

 

So if anyone is going to attempt to manufacture a new real flex fountain pen, you face an age-old dichotomy: You need a big juicy feed to keep the nib inked when flexing, but big feeds get in the way when flexing. Ask a serious vintage collector to let you study some real vintage flex feeds and nibs - and benefit from what was learned in the past.

[inkstainedruth]

My pen arrived late Monday afternoon. It's now Wednesday night, and I'm still trying to decide what to ink it up with for its "maiden voyage" (as it were). Of course, I have way to many candidates.... And of course my good camera is still on the fritz, so at the moment no pix for the review for when we *are* allowed to post such.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[PrestoTenebroso]

I filled out the poll to help with data, but I wish I'd gotten to it in time to qualify to win a test pen. Can't wait to see what the winners have to say!

They'll have to keep their thoughts on the DL for right now. I wouldn't want to make an improper impression due to a product getting reviewed too early.

I'll follow on a few sources to keep an eye out for availability. I'm very, very curious about trying out flex pens and I always love supporting craftsmen.

Thank you very much. It's really exciting to hold the finished product in my hands and be able to say "I made that".

 

also late but I think most people have taken are right handed people but I still answered... flex with left hand huh... will see if there is trully a marginal experience getween right hand and left hand writing with flex

I hope you don't feel like lefties can't use flex pens! I think once you hold the paper in the right direction, you'll see you have a natural advantage with writing highly slanted scripts like English roundhand, Spencerian, or copperplate with a straight pen.

 

Do you have any fast-drying inks?

 

Is the company named after a certain poem by max ehrmann?

 

Looking forward to these!

Yes!

 

 

The problem with the Platinum nibs like on the PTL-5000 is the feed. The feed is too long and it hits the paper when you push it to flex somewhat.

 

So if anyone is going to attempt to manufacture a new real flex fountain pen, you face an age-old dichotomy: You need a big juicy feed to keep the nib inked when flexing, but big feeds get in the way when flexing. Ask a serious vintage collector to let you study some real vintage flex feeds and nibs - and benefit from what was learned in the past.

I agree. I did.

 

My pen arrived late Monday afternoon. It's now Wednesday night, and I'm still trying to decide what to ink it up with for its "maiden voyage" (as it were). Of course, I have way to many candidates.... And of course my good camera is still on the fritz, so at the moment no pix for the review for when we *are* allowed to post such.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I hate to be the wet blanket in the room, but these pens aren't for review. I hope you understand.

[Algester]

They'll have to keep their thoughts on the DL for right now. I wouldn't want to make an improper impression due to a product getting reviewed too early.

Thank you very much. It's really exciting to hold the finished product in my hands and be able to say "I made that".

 

I hope you don't feel like lefties can't use flex pens! I think once you hold the paper in the right direction, you'll see you have a natural advantage with writing highly slanted scripts like English roundhand, Spencerian, or copperplate with a straight pen.

 

Do you have any fast-drying inks?

 

Yes!

 

I agree. I did.

 

I hate to be the wet blanket in the room, but these pens aren't for review. I hope you understand.

Yes yes I have a Sailor Kiwaguro and Pilot Iroshizuku inks indeed it will be interesting how I would manage to do copperplate, J. Herbin is a relative fast trying ink but I need a none gushing pen for it

[PrestoTenebroso]

Yes yes I have a Sailor Kiwaguro and Pilot Iroshizuku inks indeed it will be interesting how I would manage to do copperplate, J. Herbin is a relative fast trying ink but I need a none gushing pen for it

Yeah, the paper angle is what makes the big difference here. J. Herbin is great ink for flex pens. I was thinking of something like Noodler's Bernanke Black, for example. Like, dry 1 second after it hits the paper, fast.

[MisterBoll]

I'm looking forward to more information.

 

And, for the record, I too do not subscribe to any social media / information gathering site.

[killjoysgal]

Yeah, the paper angle is what makes the big difference here. J. Herbin is great ink for flex pens. I was thinking of something like Noodler's Bernanke Black, for example. Like, dry 1 second after it hits the paper, fast.

 

Just be aware that with the Bernanke, it seems to still make a difference of what paper you're using, from my experience. I actually have a smearing issue in a MiquelRuis journal, and denser paper. And if you were already aware, my apologies; I was rather dejected when I made that discovery.