Beginner flex nibs and FPR Ultra flex combinations?

[IanP2303]

Hello,

 

I am looking to buy a flex pen for beginners, I have already read some of the threads here regarding beginner flex pens, but I am not sure whether some new, quality and affordable flex pens are released recently. Therefore, I started this topic and I hope that you blokes can help me with it. I also heard that Fountain Pen Revolution has a great Ultra Flex nib, are there any pens that are suitable for this nib, as I would love to try it out. 

 

Thanks,

Ian 

[A Smug Dill]

7 minutes ago, IanP2303 said:

I also heard that Fountain Pen Revolution has a great Ultra Flex nib, are there any pens that are suitable for this nib,

 

A FPR Himalaya pen.

[Pamp]

I second the recommendation for an FPR Himalay pen (either V1 or V2) with the ultra flex nib.  The V1 takes #5.5 nibs, and the V2 takes the #6 nib. I have both of these nibs and love both. The #5.5 is a little easier to control, and the #6 is a bit more flexible than the 5.5. Both are great. I actually wrote a fairly long blog post about flex pens just the other day. I hope it's ok to share it here. If not, please let me know! https://anartfulmom.com/2022/03/modern-flex-fountain-pens-for-modern-calligraphy.html

I have several FPR pens with flex nibs, and I love them.

 

Pam

Blog: https://anartfulmom.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anartfulmompam/

[sandy101]

A dip pen will be the cheapest route into flex. You can get a nib holder and a handful of nibs that will flex for much less than a fountain pen.

 

Alternatively, Swan Mabie Todd pens offer vintage flex at reasonable prices. You get a vintage pen & a flexible nib at the same time.

 

[txomsy]

I second the recommendation of an FPR Ultraflex nib, in any of the pens that FPR sells with them. This usually will not only give you a flexy nib, but also, and very important as well, a feed that is up to pair with it. The feed is the cylinder-shaped rod upon which the nib rests. It is intended to conduct the ink to the nib. A flex nib will consume more ink when laying out wider lines, and an inappropriate feed may be unable to keep up and will lead to hard starts, railroading and frustration.

 

If you order both pen and nib (there are many more options besides the Himalaya, look for one that suits you, you like and is within your budget) then you will get a matched pair. Better if the feed is made of ebonite/hard rubber. And the guys at FPR are very well reputed for their service (my own experience with them has always been most satisfactory).

[IanP2303]

12 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

A FPR Himalaya pen.

Okay, I’ll check it. Congratulations on being a Ruby member!

 

Thanks, 

Ian 

[IanP2303]

8 hours ago, Pamp said:

I second the recommendation for an FPR Himalay pen (either V1 or V2) with the ultra flex nib.  The V1 takes #5.5 nibs, and the V2 takes the #6 nib. I have both of these nibs and love both. The #5.5 is a little easier to control, and the #6 is a bit more flexible than the 5.5. Both are great. I actually wrote a fairly long blog post about flex pens just the other day. I hope it's ok to share it here. If not, please let me know! https://anartfulmom.com/2022/03/modern-flex-fountain-pens-for-modern-calligraphy.html

I have several FPR pens with flex nibs, and I love them.

 

Pam

Blog: https://anartfulmom.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anartfulmompam/

Pam, your website is most informative, thanks for sharing! I think I might stick with the 5.5, since I am a beginner after all.

 

Thanks,

Ian

[IanP2303]

7 hours ago, sandy101 said:

A dip pen will be the cheapest route into flex. You can get a nib holder and a handful of nibs that will flex for much less than a fountain pen.

 

Alternatively, Swan Mabie Todd pens offer vintage flex at reasonable prices. You get a vintage pen & a flexible nib at the same time.

 

I have always wanted a vintage pen. I am not fond of dip pens as I think that dipping all the time is tedious.

 

Thanks,

Ian

[IanP2303]

5 hours ago, txomsy said:

I second the recommendation of an FPR Ultraflex nib, in any of the pens that FPR sells with them. This usually will not only give you a flexy nib, but also, and very important as well, a feed that is up to pair with it. The feed is the cylinder-shaped rod upon which the nib rests. It is intended to conduct the ink to the nib. A flex nib will consume more ink when laying out wider lines, and an inappropriate feed may be unable to keep up and will lead to hard starts, railroading and frustration.

 

If you order both pen and nib (there are many more options besides the Himalaya, look for one that suits you, you like and is within your budget) then you will get a matched pair. Better if the feed is made of ebonite/hard rubber. And the guys at FPR are very well reputed for their service (my own experience with them has always been most satisfactory).

So, in order to find a pen suitable for flex, I just need to find a pen which has a feed made of ebonite or hard rubber?

 

Thanks,

Ian

[A Smug Dill]

Just now, IanP2303 said:

So, in order to find a pen suitable for flex, I just need to find a pen which has a feed made of ebonite or hard rubber?

 

Negative. All modern Aurora Optima and Ottantotto fountain pens are supported by factory-fitted ebonite feeds, as far as I know; but don't expect to get any flex out of its nibs (perhaps with the exception of the nib that is expressly marketed as Flex).

 

The HongDian N6 has an ebonite feed, and its EF nib does not flex.

[txomsy]

Yep! Those are two separate things. The properties of the nib and the feed are interdependent, but not necessarily related, and a maker will "match" and "tune" them as they see fit. This is to say, you may find pens with plastic feeds that deliver high quantities of ink and pens with ebonite feeds that tend to run dry, independent of the kind of nib they sport. Most modern nibs are rigid, and only a few can be said to be flexible, and of these almost all will not have too much flex, certainly hardly as flexible as a dip nib, so finding a flex-suitable feed in a  rigid-nib pen requires some digging in forums and blogs.

 

Still, in general, ebonite has better capillary properties than plastic. But, as said, it is not all in the material, the way it has been carved/designed will also matter. The thing is, in general, for flex, people tend to prefer feeds made of ebonite and tuned for flexible writing.

 

In your case, as a beginner, and since you have already decided to go with the FPR ultraflex, I think it is safer to just get an FPR ultraflex with an FPR pen already tuned (which, in addition are not expensive) for it and not worry about all these details. If the feed is ebonite, then chances will likely improve. And in any case, FPR is reputed for their care for customer satisfaction.

[IanP2303]

10 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Negative. All modern Aurora Optima and Ottantotto fountain pens are supported by factory-fitted ebonite feeds, as far as I know; but don't expect to get any flex out of its nibs (perhaps with the exception of the nib that is expressly marketed as Flex).

 

The HongDian N6 has an ebonite feed, and its EF nib does not flex.

Oh, thanks for clearing that up!

 

Thanks,

Ian

[IanP2303]

4 hours ago, txomsy said:

Yep! Those are two separate things. The properties of the nib and the feed are interdependent, but not necessarily related, and a maker will "match" and "tune" them as they see fit. This is to say, you may find pens with plastic feeds that deliver high quantities of ink and pens with ebonite feeds that tend to run dry, independent of the kind of nib they sport. Most modern nibs are rigid, and only a few can be said to be flexible, and of these almost all will not have too much flex, certainly hardly as flexible as a dip nib, so finding a flex-suitable feed in a  rigid-nib pen requires some digging in forums and blogs.

 

Still, in general, ebonite has better capillary properties than plastic. But, as said, it is not all in the material, the way it has been carved/designed will also matter. The thing is, in general, for flex, people tend to prefer feeds made of ebonite and tuned for flexible writing.

 

In your case, as a beginner, and since you have already decided to go with the FPR ultraflex, I think it is safer to just get an FPR ultraflex with an FPR pen already tuned (which, in addition are not expensive) for it and not worry about all these details. If the feed is ebonite, then chances will likely improve. And in any case, FPR is reputed for their care for customer satisfaction.

Where can I find a tuned FPR pen? I think I might go with the #5.5 since I am a beginner and maybe it is easier for me to control the amount of flex, but I might reconsider.

 

Thanks,

Ian

[IanP2303]

I checked the FPR website, the Himalaya V1 is rather cheap for a flex pen and fountain pens in general, selling at 228 HKD, but the shipping fee is rather expensive, 151.24 HKD. I think I might reconsider buying from FPR. Are there any good alternatives?

 

Thanks,

Ian

[sandy101]

For vintage Goodwriters Restored Vintage British Fountain Pens (goodwriterssales.com)

 

For new Home - Santini Italia Fountain pens and nibs Made in Italy (santini-italia.com)

[A Smug Dill]

17 minutes ago, IanP2303 said:

I checked the FPR website, the Himalaya V1 is rather cheap for a flex pen and fountain pens in general, selling at 228 HKD,

 

I don't think so. Did you add the Ultra Flex nib option you wanted?

[IanP2303]

46 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I don't think so. Did you add the Ultra Flex nib option you wanted?

No, I chose the steel flex option as choosing the Ultra flex option, you need to pay 118 HKD more.

 

Cheers,

Ian

[Pamp]

11 hours ago, IanP2303 said:

Pam, your website is most informative, thanks for sharing! I think I might stick with the 5.5, since I am a beginner after all.

 

Thanks,

Ian

Thanks so much for the nice comment about my site, Ian!   The 5.5 is a nice choice.

Pam

 

https://anartfulmom.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anartfulmompam/

[tde44x]

When I started my pursuit of flex/more distinction to my handwriting I began with flex nibs, specifically the FPR ultraflex. IMHO, their Himalaya (I prefer the larger nib on the v2) is their best setup in terms of feel in the hand, ink capacity (eye droppered), and flex.

 

However, I found over time my preference in nibs to enhance my writing gravitated to stub nibs of various sizes. These had the style impact I wanted and there were many pens/nibs available, without any of the downsides of using a flex nib. FWIW for me the downsides are speed (you have to go slow when flexing), railroading (when you least want it), and I would still get an ink blob on occasion (even after heat setting which helped a lot).

 

I then wanted to pursue the occasional special lettering/drawing and went to dip pens. Yes, you do have to dip them often but the selection of nibs, the flex available, and the cost made it a no brainer for me. Especially because I could use shimmer inks to my hearts content  which in a standard feed you had to be more careful of and ensure you constantly agitated the pen (vs the ink container).

 

I still have and still play with my Himalaya w/ultraflex from time to time, but my daily writers are now mostly stubs and for fancy stuff I bring out dip pens.

[AlexLeGrande]

I highly recommend Kevin, owner at Fountain Pen Revolution, and his Ultraflex nibs.  His customer service is simply incredible.  He's taken great care of my needs.  No relation, just a satisfied customer.