Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury

My very first working Nib Creaper was gifted to me by the very lovely Yvonne (@woosang) - she actually parted with this so I could finally use my first working Noodler's - before I got my Konrad! Thank you Yvonne. This thing gets major use. XOXO.
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
ABOUT

Body Material: Resin
Trim: Metal
Length (capped): 5.18"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 4.64"
Length (posted): 5.48"
Barrel Diameter: 0.42"
Section Diameter: 0.33" - 0.35"
Nib material: Steel
Weight: 10 g
Fill type: Piston-filler
Price: $15.25CAD
         $14.00USD
Where to buy: Wonder Pens
                       Goulet Pens

PACKAGING

This was a gift, but as you know, Noodler's pens come in a cardboard box with artwork on it,wrapped in the Noodler's informational paper, inside a plastic sleeve. I think it's perfectly acceptable packaging. I like getting information on the pen (that's useful), and I like that it's all recyclable, and doesn't take up much space. Also, interchangeable between other Noodler's pens.

APPEARANCE
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
The Nib Creaper fountain pen is a fairly small pen, with a tapered body and slightly rounded off ends. The whole body is clear, including the section, so you can see the ebonite feed inside. The clip is wider at the top and tapers at the bottom, and says Noodler's Ink on it. It is chrome coloured, along with the center band and the ring around the bottom of the section.The piston is also clear and fully visible through the barrel. The threads are also clear plastic and the section is smooth resin to match the rest of the pen. It's a pretty straight forward appearance with little to complain about!
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
NIB & PERFORMANCE

The nib is a small steel nib that is very simple - it has a slit up the middle, no breather hole, and it says Noodler's Ink Co. on it.
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
My pen writes like a medium and it is nice and wet, which I really like. The feed is unadjusted (i.e no modifications), and with moderate pressure, the nib tines will spread to a nice double broad line. I think the line variation is really nice and the ink flow keeps up pretty well, which really impresses me. It does eventually railroad, but that isn't unexpected, and it picks up pretty quickly after that.
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
I have used this pen extensively for my ink reviews and have been very satisfied with its performance. I also really like how easy it is to clean - easy to disassemble, wash out the inside, the nib, and the feed, and put it back together. Even a relatively new fountain pen user could figure it out!

My own Nib Creaper was a pain in the butt. I flushed the pen and feed with water and dish soap, I ultra sonicated it, I scrubbed the feed, I deepened/opened up channels to increase the ink flow... nothing got it to work. I sent it to a friend for him to try and get it to work and he got it writing but it couldn't flex at all; it would just railroad as soon as pressure was applied. So, having used two of these pens - one worked, one didn't. I love this one though, not mine.

IN HAND

The Nib Creaper is a nice, light, comfortable fountain pen. It's easy to use unposted, and because the cap posts snugly and securely, it's great to use posted. The issue with the pen is that it has a slender body, so if you have large hands or grip your pens really tightly, this may be an issue for you.
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
It is much smaller than the Noodler's Ahab, and the nib is smaller as well. The pen is also smaller than the common Lamy Safari.
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
PROS & CONS
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
OVERALL
Review: Noodler's Nib Creaper Fountain Pen - Flex @_wonderpens @GouletPens @CarolLuxury
At  ~$15 per pen, if it's within your budget, I think this pen is worth the risk. I really learned a lot about fountain pens while I struggled in frustration trying to get it to work. I took it apart, I analyzed every piece of it, I did plenty of online research, watched videos, trying to figure it out. In a way, I had bought myself a course in learning about fountain pens. I also learned a lot about flex nibs. It got even better when I was gifted the opportunity to use one that worked! If you can spare the cash, I say give it a shot. If you have all your hopes hinged on this ONE PEN being the ONE PEN and the ONLY PEN that ever works for you, well, maybe dispel that dream. If you're willing to learn about fountain pens by tinkering with this pen, it's not too shabby an idea. It's really satisfying getting a pen that doesn't work that well, tinkering with it, then ending up with a pen that does work. Plus, it's a decent flex nib!

@Massdrop Deals @QuoVadisBlog @Pelikan_Company @Lamy @LamyUSA

Quo Vadis Habana Notebooks (3 Pack)

Lamy Studio Fountain Pen

Monday, September 29, 2014

Review: Rainbow Gel Pen @RaymondGeddes

Ummm... rainbow multicolour gel pen? Yes. Please.
Review: Rainbow Gel Pen @RaymondGeddes
ABOUT

Body Material: Plastic
Price: $24.00USD/50
Where to buy: RaymondGeddes

APPEARANCE

Oooh these pretty gel pens! These two are in pink and green, with a pink and green grip, with matching cap plugs and end plugs. The grips have a rubbery texture and are soft but not squishy. They are pretty small grips, but the pen is light. The barrel is clear so you can see the really cool gel ink inside - it's a multicoloured ink gel pen, starting with hot pink, then fluorescent orange, blue, neon green, and purple. The colours are bright and vivid. The caps are short and can be posted.

PERFORMANCE

The pens write really well - smooth, very wet although not blobby, and the colours are bright and vivid and easy to see. It writes a solid inky line and it's really nice to write with because it's comfortable, especially with the nice grip. Be careful though, because it takes some time to dry, since it's so inky. Despite being inky, they haven't leaked into the caps once I've started using them, so that's a bonus. They are also postable caps, which gives the pens a nice weight and balance.
Review: Rainbow Gel Pen @RaymondGeddes
The only downside is you can't pick your colour - you have to just wait until your ink runs out and you get to the next one. I think they look really cool though and it's a fun concept - a bit like a game.
Review: Rainbow Gel Pen @RaymondGeddes
OVERALL

These are super cute gel pens. I've seen these multicoloured things before, but usually only with pencils, so it's fun to see it in a gel pen, especially one where you can actually see the colours. They're pretty, comfortable, and write nicely. For $24, you get fifty pens - that's not bad. A great gift for your classroom! (Or for yourself, if you are obsessed with gel pens and colours. Not judging.)
Review: Rainbow Gel Pen @RaymondGeddes
I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.

Giveaway: Custom Handmade Pen!

Hey folks! Devin Cammack of the custom handmade pen Kickstarter campaign has kindly offered to give away a pen to Gourmet Pens readers!
Here's some details about the giveaway - be sure to read through them and then you can enter with the widget below!

1. Giveaway ends October 7th, 2014 at 12:00 AM Eastern.
2. Open to readers all over the world!
3. Winner can pick from any of the available pens and materials on the Kickstarter page, including upgrade to a fountain pen nib. You can specify this after you win. Custom engraving is not available.
4. Devin will send prize to winner.
5. All entries will be verified.
6. Winner will be contacted via email submitted in widget, so use one you can be contacted at!
7. Winner will have 24 hours to respond, or a new winner will be drawn from the existing pool.

Serious Nibbage 4: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell @SBREBrown

SBRE Brown and I talk about about the new Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell fountain pen. Is this serious nibbage? Thanks to Joost of Appelboom for lending us this pen to review!
Serious Nibbage 4


Check out my review of this pen.
Check out Serious Nibbage Part 1: Noodler's Neponset.
Check out Serious Nibbage Part 2: Franklin-Christoph Music Nib.
Check out Serious Nibbage Part 3: Conway Stewart Winston.

If you'd like to sponsor an episode of Serious Nibbage and would like us to review a pen/nib/ink, etc, contact Stephen or myself!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Sunday Reads - September 28. 2014

And don't forget you can get 10% off at Pen Chalet until the end of the year on your purchases! (Not an affiliate link!)
Pen Chalet Coupon

Saturday, September 27, 2014

GourmetPens Joins @Huckberry

As if I need more temptation... I have become a Huckberry affiliate! Huckberry is a dangerous - very dangerous - extremely enabling, sorely tempting site that is chock full of goods ranging from clothing, footwear, outdoor gear, accessories and carry, and more. Notice how my list got more and more delectable? Yeah.

It's so sexily displayed that you'll sit at your computer and think... ooookay... I need that. But it's not garbage - it's high quality, seriously awesome stuff. You'll find greats like Karas Kustoms, Tactile Turn, Word. Notebooks, KeySmart, Gerber Gear, County Comm, Leatherman, Satchel & Page, Sante Fe Stoneworks, and so many other amazingly gorgeous things. It's hard to pass up a Karas Kustoms Retrakt in copper, or a Tactile Turn aluminum Shaker...
There are also gorgeous leather goods like the Leatherback Writer 2 to accommodate your pocket sized notebooks, like Field Notes, or Word Notebooks.
Things can sell out though, so don't pass up the cool things. Uhhh...which is pretty much everything, but you get the idea. Don't hesitate for too long. Browse Huckberry for yourself, and follow Huckberry on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google Plus, and tumblr!

Pen, Ink & Paper P0rn: Noodler's Dragon's Napalm Ink

This is gorgeous stuff, swirling around in the bottle. Does your Dragon's Napalm do this? Oddly enough, there seems to be no flow issues with putting it in a pen. Sorry if you've already seen this on my YouTube/IG. Sharing is caring... right?

Friday, September 26, 2014

@Massdrop Deals @Lamy @LamyUSA

Check out these current deals going on at Massdrop!

rOtring 600 Mechanical Pencil
Lamy 2000 Fountain Pen
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen/Mechanical Pencil Bundle

Sponsor Highlight: @ShopBigben

More enabling. It happens. Please join me in welcoming our newest sponsor, BigBen - an online retail company based out of Southern California! BigBen is dedicated to selling high-quality men's everyday accessories, but after I browsed what was available, I thought to myself "I own half of these", so... I guess that makes me half man? No, just kidding. It's just that we all have really good taste. BigBen is joined with three other sites - Royal Shave, Pomades, and The Stache, and that's probably where the rest of the "men's" aspect comes in. Those are some pretty cool sites as well, and while I don't have a beard or stache, I can still appreciate the neat selection of products. And it also makes me sort of wish I had a beard and stache so I can get fun things... (is that weird?).
BigBen.Com-pen-edc-banner
At BigBen, you can find some pretty classic writing instruments from Kaweco, Lamy, Waterman, and more - including fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints, but also pencils and ink refills.

There are notebooks from Calepino, Le Kraft, Exacompta, and even the very nice Rhodia and Life Co. Have you tried Life Co. paper? It is gorgeous. There is stationery there that I haven't even heard of or tried yet, believe it or not. 
Aside from stationery, you can find everyday carry goods like scissors and knives. Have a look for yourself! Just in time to gear up for Fountain Pen Day, isn't it? Or, you know... just general enabling. Shipping is free in the US for orders over $35. Every Friday at 12 PST, there is a Deal of the Week - this week is a Concrete Small Format Tape Dispenser.

Okay, I have rambled sufficiently. Check out BigBen for yourself, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google Plus, and Tumblr.

Whiskers & Paws: September 2014 Edition

Tyco
Tyco
Tyco
Peaches and Tyco
Peaches and Tyco
Peaches
Koa
Koa
Ellie
Ellie
Peaches, Koa, Tyco & Ellie

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company

Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
This Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell Special Edition fountain pen was sent to me to review by Joost Appelboom of Appelboom - thanks Joost! The pen is the third in the series of the M101N releases - there was the brown tortoiseshell (which I think is gorgeous), and the lizard. It's meant to mimic the vintage style of the Pelikans that had red hard rubber caps and tortoiseshell bodies.
Image from The Penguin Pen

ABOUT

Body Material: Resin/Cellulose Acetate
Trim: Gold
Length (capped): 122.6 mm/4.83"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 116.3 mm/4.58"
Length (posted): 155.9 mm/6.14"
Barrel Diameter: 11.7 mm/0.46"
Section Diameter: 9.2 mm - 10.0 mm/0.33" - 0.36"
Nib material: 14K Gold
Weight: 14.7 g/0.52 oz
Fill type: Piston-filler.
Price: €475.00 (excluding VAT. €392.56)
Where to buy: Appleboom

PACKAGING
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
The Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell fountain pen arrived in packaging that I actually found quite pretty, which is unusual for me. It's a solid cardboard box with a slide out tray. The box is cream with Pelikan Gunther Wagner, Hannover Wien written on the front in very cool script, along with an old Pelikan logo. It's on what looks like curling parchment, so it's very interesting. The tray has a little brown satin ribbon to pull it out, embedded in the cardboard tray which looks like faux wood.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
Inside is a bottle of Pelikan 4001 ink in blue, but the bottle is very cool, written in script to match the box. The ink is nestled in a faux wood cardboard bed, surrounded by a cream faux leather. There's a slant where the Pelikan pouch is, wrapped in brown satin ribbon. Below it is the Pelikan guarantee booklet. Inside the pouch is ... the pen!
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
That's a lot of packaging, but I find it quite useful. I like boxes like this because they can store my other pens - gel pens, ballpoints and such - or miscellaneous things like paperclips and tape. I prefer not to buy boxes because sometimes pens come in boxes like this!

APPEARANCE
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
This Pelikan is unlike any of my other Pelikans! It's a relatively slim pen, with a long cap and rounded ends. The finial is red, in a deep red resin, with the Pelikan logo - the mother and baby pelican, matching the piston-turning knob, also a deep red resin.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
The cap is discretely engraved with Pelikan Germany, just above the clip. The gold clip is short and starts fairly low on the cap, and it looks different to the other Pelikan models - it is not a defined pelican's bill; instead, it still has the bill shape but is smoothed out. It just looks like a regular clip now and no longer stands out as a Pelikan clip. There are two gold rings at the base of the cap. The section and threads are also red.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
The ink window is a translucent amber. The barrel is the eye catcher though - it's an attractive, warm striated pearly cream with amber, dark red, caramel, and warm brown run through the tortoiseshell pattern.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
While it's pretty, it's not as crazy gorgeous as the other tortoiseshell patterns I've seen, such as on the M400 White Tortoise. I understand that Pelikan has swapped out the hard rubber of the older models for resin here, and of course all tortoiseshell barrels look different by nature, but the vintage ones are more outstanding, in my opinion.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
NIB & PERFORMANCE

This 14K yellow gold medium nib is one of Pelikan's smaller nibs. It follows Pelikan's vintage style and is not so elaborate: It's a beautifully polished nib with Pelikan 585, 14K written on it, along with M for medium. Pelikan is written in a pretty script. I love how the nib shines.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
I inked up with Diamine Burnt Sienna because I thought it would match the deep red resin. The nib writes like a western medium - it's a nice line size. I was quite disappointed that the nib didn't write as soon as it first hit the page. A pen at this price point should not have this problem, but of course, it's not unique in this regard - other high-end fountain pens have this problem as well (Montblanc and Conway Stewart for example). It took a little pressure on the nib to get the ink flowing, but once it was flowing, the flow was nice and wet and the nib itself is quite lovely. It's a soft nib and has some spring to it, so it results in a soft, wonderful writing experience, and offers a decent amount of line variation. It looks like it has a little bit of baby's bottom, and combined with ultra smooth paper like Rhodia, the hard starting effect is quite pronounced.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
This issue was less pronounced on Leuchtturm 1917 paper, but still happened enough to annoy me. The only paper I didn't experience this with was Field Notes.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
IN HAND

Unposted, the pen is so comfortable. I love holding it - it's just the perfect size for me! It's not too wide, it's not too long, and the weight and balance are perfect. The cap doesn't post very deeply, but it doesn't throw off the pen's balance when it is posted. In fact, I rather love it! It's still well-balanced and well-weighted. I use it both ways and I love it.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
The threads are very low on the section because the section is small, but they are not sharp and don't bother me when I grip the pen. The section is small and flares slightly at the nib.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
As to the construction of the pen itself, I think the pen was put together very well and it doesn't look unfinished. However, I feel that the resin and cellulose acetate doesn't have the same depth and beauty as the Souverän models.
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
PROS & CONS
Review: Pelikan Souverän M101N Red Tortoiseshell SE Fountain Pen - Medium @AppelboomLaren @Pelikan_Company
OVERALL

While I think this is a really pretty pen, and I LOVE how comfortable it is to use, I was disappointed by the hard starting nib, and by the appearance, because I was expecting the breathtaking beauty of my M400 White Tortoise, or of the vintage tortoiseshells that I long for. They did a good job of recreating the vintage look of the previous models, but I like those better. If this had a flex nib though...

This pen was lent to me for reviewing purposes. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review.
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