Conklin Duraflex - First Impressions

[Gloucesterman]

 

They don't have an EF, with or without flex, to begin with, so I doubt your desire will be satisfied. I also don't get the point of flex nibs which are already wide when un-flexed, but apparently people still like them or something

Obviously you have never written with a nice flexible nib and/or the copperplate and " broadhand" writing styles are not of any interest to you. BTW, flex nibs can be had in all sizes although the finer widths lend themselves to more flourishing (and elegant) writing, IMO.

[Feanaaro]

Obviously you have never written with a nice flexible nib and/or the copperplate and " broadhand" writing styles are not of any interest to you. BTW, flex nibs can be had in all sizes although the finer widths lend themselves to more flourishing (and elegant) writing, IMO.

 

OBVIOUSLY you have no ground to draw such OBVIOUS conclusions.

Copperplate is an imprecise definition to begin with, but most of the styles usually gathered under the label of "Copperplate" do indeed require fine hairlines, and thus would make little sense with anything but a very fine point.

[Gloucesterman]

 

OBVIOUSLY you have no ground to draw such OBVIOUS conclusions.

Copperplate is an imprecise definition to begin with, but most of the styles usually gathered under the label of "Copperplate" do indeed require fine hairlines, and thus would make little sense with anything but a very fine point.

My apology for my hasty comment. I misjudged or misread your statement.

[bobje]

Let’s cool down the discussion, folks.

[Gloucesterman]

Writing sample...

[ian1964]

I'm sure I am not the first to mention this but I am going to anyway . This nib looks very similar to a Marlen pen I bought some time ago called Aleph. Now this pen was marketed as a "semi flex". yes it did flex but unless you wrote with the nib completely perpendicular (and i sadly don't) the tines would very quickly miss align. The pen itself was fabulous but the nib ultimately unworkable as a flex in my opinion. In the end I swapped the nib and feed with a No 6 Bock. Great pen but no flex!

[Gloucesterman]

I'm sure I am not the first to mention this but I am going to anyway . This nib looks very similar to a Marlen pen I bought some time ago called Aleph. Now this pen was marketed as a "semi flex". yes it did flex but unless you wrote with the nib completely perpendicular (and i sadly don't) the tines would very quickly miss align. The pen itself was fabulous but the nib ultimately unworkable as a flex in my opinion. In the end I swapped the nib and feed with a No 6 Bock. Great pen but no flex!

Yes, I suspect it is the same nib. It would be interesting to find out if other people who purchased the "Aleph" nib have the same experience as you have had.

As you can see in the posted writing sample, I have used my Duraflex for a while now and have had no difficulties. At least none so far. Time and usage will show if your experience has been duplicated by others.

[JonSzanto]

Yes, I suspect it is the same nib. It would be interesting to find out if other people who purchased the "Aleph" nib have the same experience as you have had.

As you can see in the posted writing sample, I have used my Duraflex for a while now and have had no difficulties. At least none so far. Time and usage will show if your experience has been duplicated by others.

 

I own the Marlen "Aleph" nib in the Limted Edition pen made for Pentrace (I believe I posted about this in the thread already). It is a nice and interesting in design but underwhelming if you have had *any* experience with a good flex (i.e. vintage) nib. I was never a fan of any of the Noodlers style nibs and this is only a marginal step up from those. The biggest issue is that it requires effort and pressure to cause the flex, so the writing is rarely natural and at ease. OTOH, if one simply viewed it as a "soft" nib that is very useable for standard writing with just the occasional addtiion of character to a word or line, it makes a nice addition to a collection. This is how I use the pen when I use it.

[benn093]

My brother bought one for himself and one for me. QC is still very hit and miss, though, as the tines on his were completely misaligned. I have used mine for nearly a month... and still find myself reaching for a Pilot Falcon when I want to write with a bit of flex. As an everyday writer, it is okay, but not special. I washed mine out a couple of times at least to get rid of manufacturing residue and it has at least stopped skipping and now writes quite reliably. With all of that said, it is a good pen for under $70 and does give people an introduction into a flexible style of writing. But I do wish they would get their QC sorted out - my Conklinetta side-filler refuses to lock when there is ink in the pen and the squeeze filler I bought also has issues with the bladder slipping from under the bar.

[jbutle04]

Reading this thread I'm learning that there's some kind of close connection between Conklin and Monteverde, which I never knew before. Can someone clarify this? Is it a single company with two lines, or is one of them a branch of the other, or what?

[JonSzanto]

Reading this thread I'm learning that there's some kind of close connection between Conklin and Monteverde, which I never knew before. Can someone clarify this? Is it a single company with two lines, or is one of them a branch of the other, or what?

 

Yafa is the manufacturer and worldwide distributor of Monteverde USA® and Conklin® writing instruments and refills. The pens are made in China. It shows and, at least in the case of Conklin, the pens are an insult to the original company from which Yafa appropriated the name.

[ian1964]

 

Yafa is the manufacturer and worldwide distributor of Monteverde USA® and Conklin® writing instruments and refills. The pens are made in China. It shows and, at least in the case of Conklin, the pens are an insult to the original company from which Yafa appropriated the name.

Possibly, but I have a modern Conklin Word Guage from Massdrop and I absolutely love it.

[JonSzanto]

Possibly, but I have a modern Conklin Word Guage from Massdrop and I absolutely love it.

 

I didn't say people would find it impossible to like the product. I said it pales in comparison to the original and is an insult. On a design, materials and execution level.

 

I took a new look at the pen, courtesy of a tip from another reader. While I can't speak to the quality in hand, it is better than I had seen in other models. The clip is still rather hideious but that is just personal taste. I'm glad you have a pen that pleases you.

 

Edited March 23, 2018 by JonSzanto

[jekostas]

The Word Gauge, as well as a few other models like the Heritage series, are made in Italy. For example, Visconti made a power filler Word Guage, and I believe another version was made by Delta.

Edited March 23, 2018 by jekostas

[JonSzanto]

The Word Guage, as well as a few other models like the Heritage series, are made in Italy. For example, Visconti made a power filler Word Guage, and I believe another version was made by Delta.

 

Thank you, I'll have to take a look into that. Kind of makes it hard to think of it as a brand/company, doesn't it? Even mentioning Visconti certainly ties in to the q/c issues. That said, I appreciate knowing about these higher tier models and their provenance.

Edited March 23, 2018 by JonSzanto

[Freddy]

The Word Guage, as well as a few other models like the Heritage series, are made in Italy. For example, Visconti made a power filler Word Guage, and I believe another version was made by Delta.

 

For educational purposes only..........Robert Rosenberg owned the name at this time....

Pens Made In Italy

 

Nozac Word Gauge: Power Filler 18K Nibs LE

http://www.conklinpens.com/conklin_old/product/wordgauge.html

 

Word Gauge: PIF 14K nibs {Years ago on sale at Arthur Brown & Bro. ...hmm $150 ish}

http://www.conklinpens.com/conklin_old/product/wordgauge_collection.html

 

Fred

 

"I am not a dupe, or a dope, or a moe, or a schmoe.

I was absolutely conscious of what I was doing, and

I am not ashamed of anything I said in public or private."

~ Lionel Stander {hear the voice]

[jekostas]

For educational purposes only..........Robert Rosenberg owned the name at this time....

Pens Made In Italy

 

Nozac Word Gauge: Power Filler 18K Nibs LE

http://www.conklinpens.com/conklin_old/product/wordgauge.html

 

Word Gauge: PIF 14K nibs {Years ago on sale at Arthur Brown & Bro. ...hmm $150 ish}

http://www.conklinpens.com/conklin_old/product/wordgauge_collection.html

 

Fred

 

"I am not a dupe, or a dope, or a moe, or a schmoe.

I was absolutely conscious of what I was doing, and

I am not ashamed of anything I said in public or private."

~ Lionel Stander {hear the voice]

 

The Sleeve Filler, Senior Conklinetta and Word Gauge released in 2015 were all made in Italy.

[Freddy]

 

The Sleeve Filler, Senior Conklinetta and Word Gauge released in 2015 were all made in Italy.

 

I'm aware of that..additionally one can add the Nighthawk exclusive to Goulet.....

 

Redactin': I recall readin' bout a new Conklin Nozac PIF Octagonal steel nib....also made Italia

 

Fred

Edited March 23, 2018 by Freddy

[Gloucesterman]

Despite some of the above comments, Goulet very quickly sold out the latest and "final" shipment of this pen. Also, they changed their posting at the last moment to limit the purchase of this pen to one per customer.

 

It's kind of funny though...

Seriously, does MB or any other manufacturer or retailer limit your purchase of a "limited edition" pens. I'm not being sarcastic. I am really curious.

 

In one of the messages that Goulet (Brian) sent out he mentioned that this particular nib will probably be available as an option, later this spring, on other Conklin pens. Wonder if ther will be an extra cost?

 

A question comes to mind. This version of a (somewhat) flexible nib seems to have attracted some real interest. Will other reasonably priced pen manufacturers design and sell updated "flexible" nibs.

[max dog]

Momentum seems to be building for a modern affordable flex pen. The first to succeed putting out a reliable one will be set to sell very well. The Pilot FA nib certainly has the softness and snap back reminiscent of vintage flex as I discovered when I dipped the nib saturating the feed. Shows they just need to work on the feed. Maybe some one should see how Waterman did the "spoon feed" design in their vintage flex pens.

Edited April 25, 2018 by max dog