Noodler's Konrad Review

[@InkNeedLastForever]

Several posts about ANY pen that you want to tighten the section...so I'll make one here: vintage ebonite and modern ebonite section...gently heat and then wrap with a wide rubber band to tighten the gap (works in even pens from the 1890s)...any plastic pen, wrap teflon tape around the nib and feed (NOT in the feed channel, but OVER the nib base itself)..re-insert firmly. You have thus adjusted any of hundreds of different possible pens with that issue - not just the konrad...using 2 cents.

[@ArtJourneyUK]

I have had my Ahab scrape paper, it was when I was trying various nib/feed adjustments and went a tad to far with the feed. I thought the feed & flow were perfect but at certain angles the feed scraped, so I had to move it back a jot and all was well (for an Ahab!). I'm glad you have positive things to say about the Konrad as mine is due any day now!

[@profpudwick]

I’ve noticed those Samurai swords behind you ever since you lit up your room. I’m not able to hold my Konrad in such a way as to drag the feed on the paper, unless I move my hand back to the middle of the barrel. Could you comment on the similarity of the Konrad to the 1950s Adenauer-era pens that Nathan Tardiff pays homage to in the page enclosed with the Konrad-I guess I’m trying to ask in a nice way whether the Konrad is a copy of the Pelikan 400.

[@ArtJourneyUK]

Seems the skipping may have been editing, I am used to seeing you unedited! With regard to the feed scraping on the paper, I had the same problem with my Ahab after the filling problems. I thought I had found the perfect nib/feed positioning, great flex and flow, but I found that actually the feed was slightly too far forward and scraped on the paper at certain angles. The rectification adjustment was just one fins depth! I hope your Konrad settles down to be less troublesome for you.

[@proudgonzo]

The Noodler's pens are meant to be very adjustible. They're designed specifically so that the nib and feed can be tinkered with and adjusted to your preference. Just pull the nib and feed out and fiddle around with them to get it to fit better. It's a $20, you won't hurt it.

[@jtoddjb]

if you hadnt noticed from my comments; i like this pen a lot and have bounced my ahab off the wall several times. The ahab reminds me of a little british roadster; when it ran it was the most exciting and perfect driving experience but the rest of the time you worked on it. The Konrad is more like a chevy; it will get you where your going everyday without fail but just isnt as much fun. Its strange I compare pens to cars all the time. Never in public tho

[@retro51fan]

I have an Ahab and was thinking of getting a Konrad, so thanks for doing this review! Would love to see a shootout between the two :)

[@Eduardoaadealmeida]

You know, the same thing happened with me with the free pen - the creaper, I suppose -, which came with the 4.5oz bottle of Nikita ink. I screwed the cap in, the weird noise came out and I got a ruined nib. I tried to put it in place, but it didn't work good again. At least it was for free, and the ink is amazing. Good video, thanks a lot for all of these fountain pen stuff that you share with us.

[@melankala]

Enjoy watching your reviews. A quick point on the nib (pun unintended), is the Konrad nib and feed are circular and will pull in and out in any direction, whereas the Ahab has an oval slot. ;^)

[@profpudwick]

Wonderful review. I had no idea about the cap and tines issue. I took mine out of the box yesterday and took it all apart and scrubbed the nib and feed with an old toothbrush and soapy water, and reassembled, with the nib and feed a couple mm farther out than on my Ahab, and inked up with Black Swan & English Roses. Looks great but I placed myself at the risk you described. You could have mentioned the price-- $20 here, quite a good price, no? You wrote Nooder’s not Noodler’s!

[@TheMrZanshin]

In addition to the x-feather you simply MUST try Black Swan in English Roses in a flex. I used it in the next letter you will receive and I bet you will love it!

[@jtoddjb]

if you dont mind taking a suggestion from me; push the nib in as far as it will go and then adjust the feed from that point.This pen is a little different from the others in that the nib should be fully seated but the feed can move around a little. I think you may find it writes just as good if not better then the extreme position.

[@jtoddjb]

Its the same feed and nib thats in the ahab. Does that mean you also think the ahab is too thick and sometimes scrape it on the paper? I happen to think this Konrad blows the Ahab away. Its 10 times more reliable then the ahab and although the ahab looks alot bigger the size is very close

[@craigschultz83]

This is all true, agreed, except they are more expensive in Australia, and I have adjusted it endlessly, I think it is just something to be lived with

[@pauldavid30]

i like the intro :D ,what is the brand of the ball point with piston filled?

[@Kyodaikuma]

why is it so hard to get x feather ink ? just a few on amazon...

[@ArtJourneyUK]

Not sure if it's due to the new camera or something else but this video seemed very jumpy, in parts it seemed skip whereas in others you looked almost slightly speeded up. Gonna try watching again on the Mac, want to see what I can expect in my Konrad in glorious detail.

[@markos741]

I've just commented on your Ahab vid, about my incident, but there is a reason I came here now :) I've just ordered a Konrad demonstrator along with an Ahab Carniolan Honey. I've also purchased KNOX and Bulow nibs for them. (never tried the Bulow before). I know that the flex-lovers want to kill me now :), but I don't really care for flex so much, so...As soon as I have the Konrad, I'll post my opinion. I'm a bit worried about the nib/short cap problem especially with another nib on it.We'll see

[@jtoddjb]

Both of the problems you mentioned with the Konrad i think are due to having the nib pulled out really far. Im looking at my pen now and goodness you must have your nib and feed out ridiculously far for the cap to touch it and the feed to scrape the paper. I cant get my feed to even come close to the paper no matter how I hold the pen. Not that im suggesting your doing anything wrong of course but you just have your nib at the furthest possible end of the adjustment spectrum.

[@TacitG]

Love how your face lights up when looking at the sword XD. You're gonna have to do a shootout with the M205, they're just way too much alike.

[@GaJoe-ne1dp]

So, is the pen mightier than the sword?

[@pauldavid30]

thank you very much ,is it writing smooth?

[@Seventysieben]

There's got to be a joke about "the pen is mightier than the sword" in here somewhere...

[@craigschultz83]

Anyone had trouble with the nib/feed fit? Mine has a big gap above the nib because of the round body, and that see,s to cause some ink seepage

[@TonicLime1]

I got my Konrad a few days ago. I love it.

[@johnrodgers7877]

If you repair and renovate vintage fountain pens as I do you would know that you should always check the depth of the cap and nib feed. Especially if you have been working on the section. Schoolboy error, if you play around with pens you ought to know what you’re doing if you adjust them. Get some training or by a good book on pen repair and adjustment. Oh! And use the right tools.

[@sbrebrown]

And thus we learn, right?

[@mkglobetrotter]

It's kind of awesome to see your samurai sword up close! Next time, just put the damned ballpoint out of its misery and chop it up! ;)

[@Tulipsaki]

I've got the kaweco version of this. I never think about it.

[@SuperKawaz750]

the beginning joke was hilarious !

[@konrad2443]

Thx man very helpful review ❤

[@InkNeedLastForever]

Better to make a pen that can't be adjusted or taken apart for service in 50 years and requires no learning (??)...nibs for example should be fixed so that nobody ever sticks them out so far as to hit the end of a cap. Cartridge/converter only, fixed and fused assembly, proprietary seals only your dealer can provide at a premium - ok...Noodler's has a different pen from a different era. Some of you will like it, others want it all fused and fixed in place.

[@c.s.johnson7691]

This one is easy... Either you are an artist and don't mind fiddling around with your pen, to achieve a specific result for a few cents. Or you are a surgeon working in a sterile invironment, with an expensive pocket full of tools each one priced for a specific result. Get your fingers dirty, and understand how you arrived at the result.

[@paulx7620]

You can always leave it to Mr brown to let you know how you've mispronounced words. That and awesome awesome insights, thank you.

[@Glassjaw003]

I can not stop laughing at your "squeeeek." I've watched all three videos and know noodlers myself. You seemed to point out everything. What you can't get is everything. You can't get a, not only cheap(affordable) but great value pen, one that can fully disassemble and a full proof writer. What you get from Noodlers are flex pens that can fully disassemble and that offer amazing value, like an ebonite or acrylic pen for 40 dollars, or a resin pen for 20. The fact that they are adjustable means it is almost impossible for them to be perfect out of the box as writers, we all write differently. If it was permanent and without the ability to disassemble maybe Mr Tardif could make them all perfect or close too, even then. He made them that way to increase the utility of the pens. And that is what makes them unique. Not to say they can't be, but I dont view the flex pens as your standard writer. I see them more as an add on. You can enjoy both the pens that are good out of the box and the ones that you can tinker with.

[@sbrebrown]

Indeed, they're inexpensive pens to tinker with, and they should be seen as such.

[@TheSuperdilettante]

I thought the Konrad was a great value for $20 until it started dropping dime-sized blobs of ink while I was writing. Not having much experience with tinkering, I decided to send it back. Leaky pens are never a value!

[@pauldavid30]

yes, that's right.that is like dream come true. :D

[@profpudwick]

Don't cut any metal off. You need to straighten it. Stephen said he used pliers.

[@jisa39]

I understand that the bear is a symbol of Germany

[@Tulipsaki]

How many stupid pens in beautiful boxes have you gotten? :)

[@OneWayAirsofter]

A lollipop, no joke, came in my package with my Konrad... thats whats up

[@nelsong4250]

Good Ink!

[@sbrebrown]

Thank you.

[@samsungjvc11]

SSQQUUEEEEKK!

[@pauldavid30]

yes, that's right.that is like dream come true. :D