Noodler's Konrad Acrylic Vs Ebonite

[dragos.mocanu]

The title says is all..what do you guys think? Has anyone had the chance of owning both types? My birthday is getting near and I want to give myself a nice fountain pen. Right now I own a resin Konrad, with a modified nib (for added flex) and I'm absolutely in love! Which do you think is sturdier/better made or overal prettier ? Cheers!

Edited June 12, 2014 by dragos.mocanu

[Tom Traubert]

I've owned an Acrylic Konrad. I'm afraid I couldn't get no satisfaction at all. Swapped it for an Ahab which was much better. It looked badass though.

[Beckwith]

Ebonite - it doesn't have the odd smell that Noodler's acrylic pens have. I know a lot of people don't mind the fragrance, but I can smell those Noodler's acrylic pens from across a (poorly ventilated and small) room.

[Algester]

Ebonite I wouldnt care about the finish but the fact it could be a more robust pen doesnt need a comparison for me plus its bigger to an extent

[janelle]

I love the look of the acrylics, but I prefer the ebonite because they seem a little heavier and less slippery to hold. Also, as I grip pens up by the nib, I like the more pronounced lip at the end of the section:

 

http://janelle.smugmug.com/Pensinksetc/i-QcH8tzg/1/M/IMAG0090-M.jpg

Edited June 12, 2014 by janelle

[WaskiSquirrel]

I've never noticed a smell on the acrylic pens, just the resin pens. There is also a slight rubbery smell to the ebonite pens if you stick them under your nose. (Imagine that!)

 

The ebonite and the acrylic pens are very well made. They have the writing performance of the resin pens, but in a more comfortable shape. For me, the biggest difference is how flashy I want to be. The acrylic pens are really pretty, at least the ones I've purchased. I don't like all the patterns, but that's why there are choices. The ebonite pens are attractive, but much more understated. I love the Sahara Ripple and Rebellion Red colors the best. I have one of the early mottled green pens. It's nice, but the swirls are nicer.

 

I have several of each, and I'm very happy with them.

[MusterMark]

Ebonite - it doesn't have the odd smell that Noodler's acrylic pens have. I know a lot of people don't mind the fragrance, but I can smell those Noodler's acrylic pens from across a (poorly ventilated and small) room.

On mine, the odor is contained to the piston nob inside the blind cap. No room-filling scents, but instead just a nice cheesy waft whenever I refill the pen.

[inkstainedruth]

I don't have any of the acrylic ones. Frankly, I mostly don't like the colors of them (except the Baikal Blue, which is really pretty, and the John Mung one is attractive).

I do have one of the ebonite ones (Methuselah Pine Cone Ripple) and I like it a whole lot. I had waffled over the higher price, and worried that the longer length would be unbalanced (I have smallish hands), but it's fine. I actually like it better than the resin (and I have *three* of those, all in different colors).

I didn't smell anything unusual -- but then, I didn't have issues with the smell of the original resin ones (and I'm the one that my mother had sniff the leftover meat to see if it had gone bad...).

If Nathan ever got his hands on blue ebonite stock (I've actually seen pictures -- I know the stuff exists) I would lining up immediately and justifying it to my husband somehow: "Yes, I absolutely DO need one of these...."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Scribblesoften]

I have a Baikal Blue acrylic and a couple of the ebonite pens. I also have three of the resin pens. I prefer my ebonite pens. But I tend to like ebonite more than acylics in general. The quality control seems better on the acylic and ebonite pens than the resin too. In the event you get a bad nib or feed on your new pen you can easily swap in the parts from your resin pen.

[Ayami_109]

As a person who loves ebonite, I naturally gravitated toward the ebonite Konrad. I was really excited to receive it but alas the finish of my pen left much to be desired. The end cap which screws off to reveal the piston knob is angled to one end. It's like somebody knocked the corner on a rotary sander. It's subtle, but it irritates me every time I see it. I've tried to make the slant easier to see with the red lines. It's easier to see in real life.

 

 

 

There are also micro dents in the ebonite which I don't believe is a polishing fault, but a reflection of the quality of the material. I'm not sure if others have experienced similar problems

[inkstainedruth]

As a person who loves ebonite, I naturally gravitated toward the ebonite Konrad. I was really excited to receive it but alas the finish of my pen left much to be desired. The end cap which screws off to reveal the piston knob is angled to one end. It's like somebody knocked the corner on a rotary sander. It's subtle, but it irritates me every time I see it. I've tried to make the slant easier to see with the red lines. It's easier to see in real life.

 

20141031_005334.jpg

 

 

There are also micro dents in the ebonite which I don't believe is a polishing fault, but a reflection of the quality of the material. I'm not sure if others have experienced similar problems

 

I haven't noticed anything like that on mine (but then, I haven't looked either). The only Issue I had with the ebonite is that the cap finial doesn't seem to be quite the same color as on the rest of the pen. But that's minor -- it wasn't worth returning the pen over.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Drone]

I have an Olive Ripple Ebonite and a Coral Sea Acrylic. Both pens are flawless except of-course that they were poor writers out-of-the box. After spending time on each pen grinding (EMF mod) and polishing the nib, and cutting and tuning the feed, both pens are wonderful. But I prefer the Ebonite material because of the way it looks and feels. The acrylic pen is beautiful, but a bit loud for regular use. The acrylic pen has no noticeable odor. The Ebonite pen has a faint burnt rubber smell.