Lots Of Goodies In My Review Queue

Thanks to Dick Egolf at Luxury Brands USA, there are several items on hand for review but it’s going to take some time to get everything tested and results posted. With the gift giving season upon us, I thought you might like to hear some early impressions just in case you have a pen lover on your list.

Three of the Noodler’s inks to review have been available for years but they are new to me. Purple Martin, Beaver, and Tiananmen are looking good so far. When they meet their ideal pens and paper, you’ll be the first second to know.

The two Platinum pens are going to get a bit of use before I commit to reviews. Still you should know that the #3776 Century Black in Black FF (flexible fine) is a really sweet pen that is finer and slightly more flexible than the Namiki Falcon. But like the Falcon it needs some use to reach its potential. The Century has a new cap design that prevents ink from drying out as well as a redesigned nib and feed to regulate ink flow. Sounds promising, eh?

The second Platinum is a resin #3776 music nib (PTBM-15000) that hasn’t been inked yet. I’m reserving that treat for a very quiet few hours after the holiday hoopla has subsided. I am a fan of light-weight pens and big nibs so this could be an excellent match for me.

Dick also sent a trio of Noodler’s pens. The pearl Ahab needs a test drive as does the Galapagos Tortoise Konrad but I couldn’t wait to fill the Tahitian Tortoise Konrad. The colors of the barrel are brown to dark teal and a real treat for a color lover. Luckily the Noodler’s Turquoise that Dick sent fits it in a most appealing way. The Konrad has a flex nib and a bit of use will improve its flexibility. After only a few pages, I really like what it can do. However, the ink can take minutes to fully dry in part because flex writing lays down so much of it. On thin paper like Staples sugarcane (bagasse) expect some show-through and bleed-through. High quality, heavy paper works best. A little water dilution might help or a different, less saturated ink could tweak performance but you might lose some of the shading Turquoise does so well. More on this baby when it reaches adolescence.

Noodler’s Tahitian Tortoise Konrad Fountain Pen and Turquoise Ink

Need a gift for a pen person? Consider a Noodler’s Konrad and a bottle of Noodler’s Ink. That won’t break the bank at $32.50 and it will bring a lot of fun to the writing experience. If you want to go the whole way, include a pad of Rhodia paper. It might be slow to dry but it will show off the turquoise ink beautifully.

More soon…