6 Best Flex Nib Fountain Pen 2020: Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

Flex nib fountain pens provide a linear option in the tradition of a steel calligraphy pen. In fact, you can give your writing a calligraphic letter touches with the best flex nib fountain pen. As a stylist with fountain pens with flexible nibs in recent years, I have inquired provocative questions about how they work and use. 

However, there are plenty of flexible nib fountain pens in the market. So, it is quite tough to choose the best one that will done the trick.

Today, I will try to explain what you need to know to get the basics with a flexible fountain pen and find out the best one for you. I hope you will enjoy it!

In a hurry, check the chart to make up your mind faster!

6 Best Flex Nib Fountain Pen Reviews

When you decide to purchase a flexible nib fountain pen, you face another problem that is finding the best one among many options. It is because the market has a wide array of flex nib pens collection. No worries, the following pen selection will allow you to pick your favorite flexible fountain pen.

1. Noodlers FLEX NIB Fountain Pen, Clear Demo

The flexible Noodler’s Nib Creaper has a small, slim body with a flexible steel tip and a rotating piston mechanism. A little ink window shows how much ink left for your pen. 

I am really impressed by the ease of writing and customizing this flexible Noodler Clear Demo! I’m still young in the pen community, and I have limited experience with pens.

But I like the feel of a pen in my hand! It is light but not too bright. I feel like an extension of my hand! The pen is straightforward to fill with ink, and I had no problems with writing as soon as the tip ‘touched’ the paper.

This budget flex nib fountain pen also straightforward to adjust tips! In fact, it was my first flexible pen, and I can’t wait to write with it! Keep writing. 

Like any flexible pen, it requires only practice and, as a rule, is an excellent tool for writing. I never sleep; sleeping, writing in a newspaper on a bed with a pen!

Pros:

• A product from Genuine Noodler.
• Flexible nib contains stainless steel.
• Body & cap both are clear.
• Have easy to use piston filling system.

Cons:

• The smell is a bit terrifying.

2. Noodler’s Ahab Flex Nib Fountain Pen (15028)

I like this pen. It is great to enjoy the best writing experience. Among many flexible fountain pens, it is still the best because of so many expected features that make your writing incredible.

People who generally use and buy pens are a well-specialized community, so there are often a lot of elites and things like brand loyalty. 

If you different web place, you will see the same recommended things to start with. In fact, this vintage flex nib fountain pen is popular but has good reviews almost everywhere. Repairing ink with an export gun is an incredible technique.

It is quite challenging to fill a sample bottle, but it is much more fun to see that everything works when you fill it with a large mouth in an ink bottle. I noticed that I do not mind the edge being flexible. If I want a line option, I use a small side point. 

But bending is not what it does or breaks for me. I like the design of the 1950s. Despite its size, it is quite light. It is very convenient for lengthy, written sessions.

However, I think anybody from beginners to experts will appreciate and be happy with this pen.

Pros:

• A premium fountain pen from genuine Noodler’s.
• Grain’s body & cap is black or white.
• Bottled ink contains a piston filling system.
• You can replace the ink with any fountain pen.

Cons:

• A few complaints about the lousy plastic with inferior material.

Also Read: Top-quality Fountain Pen Case in 2020

3. Luxury Brands Noodler’s Ahab Flex Nib Fountain Pen (15027)

Ahab Noodler, like the entire Noodler flexible line, is an excellent entry into the world of fountain pen flex nib. This pen will serve as the best flex nib fountain pen for beginners; it will be perfect for art, calligraphy, or even just general writing.

If you search for a flexible tip, this is a useful tool at a reasonable price. But some of the Japanese curved nibs are much cheaper and do the same job, creating thick, thin lines. However, this Noodler is very well balanced and well-designed.

However, when you remove the lid, it has a strangely unpleasant odor, more like a sweaty cheese, which I thought would disappear with time. It doesn’t have! But it was okay for me.

Fortunately, writing is fun, so I don’t mind working out a bit. I also understand that Noodler encourages users to customize, feed, and experiment with tips. Overall, it is an affordable handle worthy of getting up if you want to turn your flexible nib.

Pros:

• With the Pilot Iroshizuku ink, have little nib creep.
• Have reliable build quality with too many colors out there.
• Easy to use the filling technique.
• Hold a relatively large amount of ink than others.

Cons:

• This pen is hard to fill and didn’t use the cartridges.

4. NAVA Jinhao X450 Flex Nib Fountain Pen

Here is an cheap flex nib fountain pen; Jinhao X450 is available in a variety of finishes and colors. The two springs out there are a matte black and blue whirlwind. The blue curl has a glossy surface with a spiral pattern wrapped around the handle. 

Both wings have the same golden strokes and two-tone tips. Personally, I prefer a matte black pen, but I still like a subtle matte finish. The grip is a standard cigar-shaped nib with a lid more rounded than at the other end. 

The first thing I noticed when I took this fountain pen was that it was massive. Surprise considering the price, I paid for this flexible nib fountain pen. It seems to me too heavy, and for those who have small hands and prefer lighter pens, it may be inconvenient to use. 

People with big hands who prefer a more stable handle should like this. I know that my wife is like that, and she has big hands. In fact, Jinhao X450 is not a huge pen that makes it better. It’s worth every penny!

Pros:

• Excellent writing experience.
• Quality product at a low price.
• The grip section is comfortable.
• Easy to use and beautiful in hand.

Cons:

• Heavy for a few people.

5. Noodler’s Ink Ahab Flex Fountain Pen with Twist-Fill Piston (15031)

This fountain pen with flex nib is an excellent introduction to flexible tips. I heard some not too flattering stories about this pen, so I watched a few videos on how to play with this pen. Fortunately, I was lucky, and I got great Ahab! 

No settings out of the box! My Ahab is green jade, so, after rinsing the pen, I applied it with Noodler’s Green Marine ink. Write wonderful! It is not the smoothest handle, but it also does not scratch.

Write fine and with great thickness! It does not take much effort to bend the handle with excellent results. Although this is a good pen and it writes well, for my taste, the line is very thick, and the pen is huge in my hand. 

However, this is a personal preference for a pen of a different size, and I’m not too fond of the thicker line. But I knew the size of the pen, and it had a thick line before I bought it.

Pros:

• Can replace with any fountain pen.
• A genuine product from Noodlers.
• Body and cap is Jade white or green.
• Bottled Ink has a piston filling system.

Cons:

• The thin lines are thicker than regular flex nibs.

6. Konrad Flex Nib Apache Tortoise Piston Fill Fountain Pen

In terms of form, the Konrad flex nib fountain pen is not bad. This high-quality fountain pen has a traditional style and an excellent shape with dull edges, a metallic center strip, and a clip and has a piston filling system. You can remove the screw plug cap to open the rotary piston handle. 

A mixture of orange, yellow, and gold, which also darkens like deep amber, made of transparent plastic with an open ink window. However, it ranges from bright to dark, but it’s fairly gorgeous. Also, there are various colors to select from. 

This pen is lightweight and easy to use. It has the right balance and is not particularly smooth in the handle area. It is weighted, both published and unpublished, although I prefer to use it unpublished. 

I did not dare to try the flexible Konrad pen, and I am delighted that it finally came out. The pen is not as transparent as I expected, but it is a very lovely whirlwind that grows every day, and most importantly, it really works.

Pros:

• Piston filling is a screw type.
• Easy to use.
• The ink capacity is good.
• Too many colors out there.

Cons:

• A bit complex for the new users.

What Is a Flex Nib?

‘Flexible nibs’ can be bent when you apply pressure during writing. This pressure flexes the nib, separating the tines from the pen, and creates a more extensive line. 

Also, this bending energy allows the author to create lines of different widths, but they have to apply the pressure. Flexible tips are not all the same. 

Numerous flexible nibs have a slight bend, for example, a soft edge that appears airy with a small change in line. Others bend more to give a more natural variation of the line.

How to Choose the Best Flex Nib Fountain Pen for Beginners

The nib determines how a pen writes, so this is the first thing you need to consider when choosing a pen. Here we go for the factors you need to take under consideration.

There are four critical features when choosing fountain pens with flex nibs. These features are tip size, nib material, tip shape, and flexibility.

Size of the Tip: The size of the tip has the most significant impact on how you write with a pen. The large proportions of the tips from broad lines enable bold writing and the appearance of ink used.

Many people prefer a shorter tip size for daily paper as they produce a line that is almost similar to a gel pen or regular pen. 

Rounded edges have divided into four sizes: B (Broad), M (Medium), F (Fine), and E F (Extra Fine). Side printed tips have come with the same rules or in terms of the actual width of their tips. The most common dimensions of the lateral edge are the average lateral and 1.1 mm wide, which are usually equal.

The Material of the Nib: The tip material is another factor when choosing a pen; it has less effect on the way you write the tip. The edges contain many different materials, but the most flex nib fountain pen has gold or stainless steel.

The Shape of the Tip: Today, the vast majority of fountain pen flexible nib is round and creates straight lines despite the orientation or direction of the nib on paper.

Another basic shape of the edge is with side symbols, also known as the edge or calligraphy tip. In fact, the point of the italic nib is flat and wide, forming narrow horizontal lines and wide vertical lines.

Italic tips are ideal for calligraphy, but can also add a little touch to any writing system. They require a bit more attention and practice than round tips, but many find the results worth more than the extra effort. 

There are also many other shapes of the tips, such as left, angled, zoom, and Arabic or Hebrew. However, the writers use them mainly for specific purposes and less frequent than round or oblique tips.

Flexibility: Flexibility indicates how far the tips’ tine opens when pressure is applied to it, which causes fluctuations in the line width. Some steel tips and most gold tips may produce moderate variation in lines when bend. Also, it is essential to keep in mind that these are not for the use of flexible pens.

Excessive bending can result in severe and potentially irreparable damage to one end. Like semi-flex tips or italic tips, you can use and add characters to your writing. But they also require practice and concentration to use them well. Reliable nibs may be helpful to the most general writers.

Wrap Up

The best flex nib fountain pen can give you an incredible writing experience. But you must need to pick the best, not an ordinary flex nib pen!

Though all the reviewed flexible fountain pens are excellent, but I personally like Noodler’s Ahab (15028). You will definitely like all of its features. Your calligraphic (stylish) writing needs will be fulfilled by this amazing fountain pen.

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