Noodler's Ink Piston Fill Flex Nib Black Fountain Pen - ND-17001

I prefer this series of pen over any, "any" other fountain pen I've ever used and there have been several including other Noodlers such as the Ahab which I didn't care for at all. I have one in black for black in and one in blue for blue ink and the lines I get are crisp and the pen in comfortable to use. For those who prefer a larger barrel you may want the Ahab but this one is the sweet spot for those who prefer a slim pen.

In the realm of fountain pens it's hard to know what to buy if you don't know what you're doing. Usually you get what you pay for. This was a cheap pen and maybe I just got a bad one, but it leaked like crazy. It dropped ink every other few words and generally made a mess. I returned the same day I got it.

It didn't flex as much as expected; similar to other reviewers you need to really press to get the width. I found ink flow a little excessive, tbh. The pen feels cheap, and the killer point is the fact that the twist end is in the same direction of twist as to remove it from the cap if you don't pay attention every time, of where you're gripping, you can easily loosen the end and it leaks everywhere. User error? Yes, but I don't need that risk in my life.

This pen is awesome but expect some fiddling when first setting it up.

This is the Noodler's Nib Creaper pen, but for some reason never gets listed under that name. The nib and feed are friction-fit, and the nib is a flex nib that works well but isn't as flexible as "wet noodle" vintage gold flex nibs. It mostly makes similar lines as a non-flex fountain pen, with only a little width variation, but can make wider lines if you intentionally decide to push a little harder for a wider line. It's similar to a dip pen in that regard. People often say it gets more flexible as the pen is used over time as a flex pen. Due to being a friction fit nib, it's also possible to replace the nib with other nibs, including some dip pen nibs.You might like Noodler's pens only if you can stand their smell (which stinks but goes away over time), and you're the kind of person that tinkers with or modifies stuff. Out of the box, the pen was hesitant to feed ink, and the nib didn't feel smooth on the paper. In pen lingo, it had a lot of "feedback" (roughness/drag) and also a little bit of "scratchiness" (digging into the paper). I used 12000 grit micro-mesh to smooth out the nib tip, without overdoing it. I also used a knife to run along the feed channel to remove any burrs or blockages. When re-inserting the nib and feed, I made sure the feed aligned with the nib slit (as it originally was), and I pushed the nib and feed all the way back in but NOT with pressure that would push the feed too far inside and compress the feed, which would reduce ink flow. After these quick minor adjustments, it would write fine. So far, I've only used Private Reserve "Infinity Black" ink in the pen, which resists drying out. So I don't yet know how other inks will perform in general.So if you like a low-cost, flex-nib, modifiable/versatile pen that requires some tinkering, then this pen is for you. Otherwise if you want a minimal-hassle workhorse pen that works out-of-the-box, you'd be better served by popular non-flex pens by other brands in the same price range or a little higher (e.g. Pilot Metropolitan, TWSBI Eco, LAMY Safari, etc.).

Writes and seems really cheaply made. Not much quality here. I wouldn't buy it again now knowing the performance of the pen. It does post and you can see the ink thru the window but it's a $5 pen at most.

Noodlers never disapoints

I don’t recommend noodler’s fountain pen. The ink flow is not smooth. Rather to spend more for other brand.