Noodler's Nib Creaper, Jade

May 30, 2016

Noodler's Nib Creaper, Jade: A day in the life. . .

For me, writing on the move is a must. My journals need a hard cover, my pens have to put up with a lot of jostling, motion, and the occasional hard stop when I put my bag down too roughly, and given the hit and miss reputation Noodler's pens seem to have around here I thought the perfect way for me to review a Noodler's pen, as a fountain pen novice, was to take it out and about, and see how it behaves compared to my other three pens. So I filled it last night with Black Parker Quink (because you can't get more basic than that), wrote a test piece in my paper blanks journal (which are worth every penny of their hefty pricetag, let me tell you. I will review them soon) and you can the results for yourself.

You can see from the sheen on the last line just how wet it is, that took a good two minutes to dry out. Just to compare I took my Lamy joy and scribbled a short note below this one and. . .

Given how smooth the paper blanks paper is I figured that it would have an effect on drying times, but the Lamy ink was safe to touch after about 8-12 seconds. Obviously a flex nib is going to write wetter than anything else, but the disparity in drying times was huge, especially since my Berea Navigator has used the same ink on all sorts of paper and gotten sub 12-second drying times.

So anyway. I let the pen sit overnight, level on my desk, because I wanted to check for seeping and when I returned to it a scant eight hours later this is what I discovered.

You can *just* see the ink seeping around the sides of the feed and clinging to the wings of the nib. Seeing as how I was on my way out, I topped up the reservoir and this time, instead of leaving the reservoir full I squeezed two drops back out, wound the piston up and cleaned off whatever I could see from the underside of the feed.

I was reasonably confident by this point that I wasn't going to have any problems, but I slipped the pen back in the little cellophane pouch it was wrapped in inside the box and stuffed that in the pen loop on my journal cover. still a tighter fit than a ballpoint or an artline 200, but better than a Lamy (I can only fit the clip through the loop. Just). My journal cover also likes to travel in style inside my "leather" messenger bag, which I've had for so long it's bound to fall apart any day now. I've lefth bot my Safari and my Navigator laying around in here for weeks with no issues, so I want to see what a Noodler's pen will put up with, and after a trip to the station, a train ride, a hurried walk through the city and a bus ride we see. . .

Not much difference. There was also no ink in the cap, but I couldn't get a decent photo of that. If a nib creaper can handle me running around, dodging and weaving through crowds, and even dropping my carry bag twice, then I don't think that it's gonna leak.

Writing on the rougher paper though definitely has its drawbacks. You can see in the closeup that the ink would chase long fibres across the surface of the paper and the show-through was almost legible on the other side.

All in all I'm quite happy with this pen, but it definitely needs good quality paper and I don't know how I feel about paying 30 bucks a hit for everyday journaling. I would happily keep this for letter writing and signing things, and I would love one of these with a standard nib, but the flex and the wetness are things I would still have to learn how to use. One impression I got through using the Nib Creaper on good paper was the tactile memory of journaling on a moving train with an Artline 200 felt tip. A wonderful experience that recalls days where I would have to fight the urge to just stay curled up in my seat and just keep writing away for hours.

Summary:
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Appearance & Design (7/10) - Love the colour!
The colour range in Noodler's pens is fantastic, and I love the marbled colour contrasts. I have never "ooed" and "aahd" so much over a writing implement before. I love the smaller form factor Noodler's are working with and I will definitely get another one.
Construction & Quality (7/10) - You feel the price, but you get a lot for it.
Cheap doesn't have to mean bad, and Noodler's have certainly proved that point. While it is certainly more colourful than your standard array of ballpoints on the shelf at officeworks it still leaves me with this kind of impression. Yet, in spite of this it has already proven that it can handle my day-to-day routine without spilling stains everywhere.
Weight & Dimensions (9/10) - Long, slender, and lightweight
Capped: 131mm
Uncapped: 118mm
Posted: 140mm
Weight: circa 20 grams
Nib & Performance (7/10) - Wet and smooth, but a little scratchy on cheaper paper
Getting the tines to flex takes less pressure than you would think, I was having some trouble with starting on some down strokes, and experimenting with different holding positions and angles didn't seem to help any. Also: on my cheaper journal paper there was definite bleed and show through due to the wetness of the write, and the nib felt a little scratchy. That said, it was only a matter of a few millimetres each time the feed wasn't dry simply starting at times seems to require a little flex now and then.
Filling System & Maintenance (10/10) - Classic reliable piston filler
moving the piston the first time was a little stiff but ever since the piston mechanism has been easy to use. Taking the time to leave a little room in the reservoir seems to have headed off any potential worries with ink bleeding out the feed. Even as someone who has a preference for converters I have zero complaints.
Cost & Value (9/10) - Cheap and exceptionally cheerful!
At 16.10 USD (plus postage) from Goulet pens, if you're looking to experiment with a flex nib you can't go wrong.
Conclusion (49/60) - I am going to take this pen on more adventures.
Next weekend I am going to take my Paper Blanks journal, and go for a long ride before settling down under a tree somewhere with my Nib Creaper.

June 2, 2016

I'm one of those who has mixed feelings about Noodler's pens. Some are much easier to use than others, ime, and I don't care for hard-starting or too-dry pens. Many seem to need adjusting to make them work like they should (again--ime)--I felt like tossing the Noodler's Neponset w/the music nib (which cost $72), for the first few days, until Z worked on it a few times (Heat set twice, and dog knows what else) and finally got it to where it starts--and stays going--reliably, but the cheaper Ahab (cost approx. $24, I think) worked right from day one, for example, and still does. Every time. I could go on about other models, but I've never used the Nib Creaper. Thanks to your review, I wouldn't be afraid to try one, and yours is certainly a beautiful pen to look at, too! Thanks for the review. I found it useful :-).