I don't find Conklin JoWo nibs dry at all. The writing you just did looks more than wet enougfh for any ordinary writing. It certainly has been for me, and I own several Conklin pens. I guess it's a matter of personal perception. You like a pen that's a gusher. To you, anything less is a dry pen. To me, every Conklin pen I've owned or uses has just about the perfect degree of wetness for ordinary, every day writing. Of course, there are several inks that will turn any Conklin into a true gusher. Noodler's Hunter Green Eternal even make the Omniflex nib work much better. It's true that this isn't a flex pen, but it's also true that it works pretty well as a flex ni for those users who print, rather than write in cursive. But it should have been billed as a soft nib. Despite what ninety-eight percent of the reviewers and "experts" on RU-vid say and do in reviews, a soft nib is not a flex nib either, and trying to get line variation from a gold soft nib is the fastest way possible to ruin the nib. Soft nibs are meant to be, as Brian Goulet says in one video, shock absorbers. That's exactly right. Just like a shock absorber, they soak up the little tremors, tics, and jerks we all have during long writing sessions. This helps keep the writing neater, and also helps prevent hand fatigue and cramps. If used properly, of course. But trying to use any soft nib for flex is, frankly, as dumb as a screen door on a submarine. This is an excellent pen. All Conklin pens are extremely good writers. They may not be wet enough for your taste, but they're perfect for any type of journal writing, or any other writing where one page is going to be placed on another. No need for blotting paper, and no need to wait thirty seconds or longer before you can turn to the next page. And you can, or course, put a much wetter nib on a Conklin pen for a few dollars, if you want steel. You can even put a true gold flex nib, and a matching feed. What you shouldn't do is expect steel to act like gold, hjust as you shouldn't expect a soft noib to be a flex nib.
Everything you mention here is on the money, but you must admit we are talkin’ Apples and oranges. I like the pen as much as you do, I have an Endura. However when you are purposely purchasing this nib with “flex” in its name for that very purpose, there can’t be much surprise when the community as a whole call bullstuff on its very real flexing inabilities. I happen to be someone that actually considers my Noodler’s Flex nib a flex nib but I can admit that’s so because I’m heavy handed. The Omniflex is a bouncy nib at best, but even that’s a pretty generous attribution. Even still, it is called an “OmniFLEX” not an “OmniSOFT nib.” Not tryin to sound like a jerk here, but it sounds like you are happy with a non flexible nib calling itself a flex nib. The JoWo replacements write fine, but that’s not what seekers of flex nibs are looking for when purchasing something with the word “flex” in its name. Those of us looking specifically for what we are shopping for and all that entails aren’t.
Hit the send by mistakes and was responding to James who suggested I had not done adequate research before buying my Sunstone. True, Caveat Emptor.. but, I did not expect a nib that actually would not write a complete word. How might I have researched this James? I worked on it and have a good Loupe and other tools. Look, the resin was pretty, but Yaffa or whoever owns the name Conklin did no adequately prepare to offer a decent nib. I purchased my Endura from my local and very wonderful brick and mortar shop. It was in odd bins and I was offered a more than fair deal to purchase the Pen and eventually get a Jowo #6 To replace a medium Conklin/Yaffa. I regret the purchase only in that I'd rather now, after many years of collecting, thin the collection and focus on the pens I truly love. You are correct in that respect James--i did not truly need the Duraflex or Endura. I do not believe that an inexpensive pen cannot be a great pen. I love my Safari and Al Star pens, I would also place my Edison Pens against the quality of many high end brands and mg Edison will write beautifully. We are all wired differently and may see different attributes in different pens and brands. Only I can actually know if my Sunstone Duraflex nib was crap--it was. But hey, it's just a fountain pen and life goes on. I appreciate being able to have an opinion--on e may disagree but one may not tell me that my experience was invalid. Thanks James.. Frank in Colorado
I don't know if I'd describe it as dry, but I have noticed something very weird/wrong with Conklins. I actually don't think it's the nibs either, because theoretically they are just Jowo nibs. I think it has to do with fitment and with the ink channel in the section. I have one of them in particular that will not write very well and nothing seemed to help it; it dries out very quickly even capped, it hard starts, it skips, it does other weirder stuff I can't describe. The one thing that "fixed" it is only using Pelikan konigsblau in it and to never dip the nib - fillling the converter outside of the pen only. It will still hard start between uses, but less so, and all the other problems go away. Literally any other ink, the problems return. And it really hates most of the Diamine inks I've put in it. After one use, the pen will virtually stop writing. It will need to be dipped in water to get it to start again. And it's just this one Conklin that behaves this way, others will have other problems, but they all have problems. I think it is a serious QC problem where fit/finish is inconsistent across the board.
Yeah it's a strange issue! You might be right about it not being the nibs, but it being the ink channel. I was also wondering if they use different feeds than other Jowo nibs.
Maybe this is a sensible nib shape to add bounce compared to a standard steel nib. I can't help but to imagine if they used 18K gold for a nib with this shape what the results would be.
Do you have videos about real flex nib fountain pens ? I've "clicked around" quite a bit but found more "issues" like the one you (thankfully) describe or improvisations with Zebra nibs! Is there a secret valley where they hide, camouflaged as ballpoint pens?
I am starting with this omniflex, it was at the right price point for me. When I get used to it and it's fun, what is your recommendation for the next step? Slightly more expensive, but not up to the gold nib standard.
This is a hard question for me because I don't think there's much between this and the platinum 3776 soft fine. Mabye you can get a used pilot falcon? I hope someone else has a better answer for you!
I bought a Duragraph Omniflex, and mine writes very wet, almost too wet with J. Herbin Emeraude de Chivor, and previously with Noodler’s Liberty’s Elysian. BUT, I like my cheaper Noodler’s Konrad at least as well, if not better. I don’t have Tomoe paper, bu have Clairefontaine.
Love the material.. I bought the Sunstone LE with a rose gold plated Omniflex.. again, great material but the nib was rubbish!!.. I just bought a beautiful Conklin Endura with a lovely green and black resin.. it is nice enough to replace the nib.. Thanks for doing this! Frank from Boulder, Colorado, US
The nib does exactly what it is supposed to do. You should have watched a few videos before buying it. "Rubbish" is blaming the nib for your lack of research. As for the Endura, you're going down the same wrong road again.
And yes.. very dry nibs.. Two hours trying to shim and smooth.. I always thought that Bock made their nibs.. Don t think so!! I'm with you.. some pretty pens.. but not worth buying!! Frank from Boulder
Wish I would have seen this sooner :( I purchased a Conklin duragraph with an Omniflex nib and it was terrible! If you really want the pen get it with a regular nib. I was not able to write more than few sentences before it began drying up and skipping. It was unusable. If you are considering the Omniflex, skip it!
