Should you (or should you not) get a fountain pen with a soft / flex nib? 

I always recommend folks try different kinds of nibs to see what they like. Once I tried flex, I had to have it & use it for every-day writing. When I buy a non-flex pen 'cause I like the aesthetics, I always end up disappointed & rarely using it. That's the fun thing about fountain pens tho - you have so many options!

Well, a soft gold nib is NOT a flex nib, and should never, ever be flexed. It is, as Brian Goulet put it, intended to be a "shock absorber". That is a perfect description. It's meant to absorb the little twitches and tiny jerks we all have when we write too long. You do have to learn how to use a soft nib, but once you do it will greatly improve your writing, and will all but eliminate hand fatigue and cramping. But start flexing one and you will very slowly damage the nib severely. You may not even realize there's a nib problem for a long time. But the pen will start having hard starts, or skipping, or even leak. Only FLEX nibs, or nibs actually called semi-flex nibs like the one on the original Falcon, should ever be flexed. The number of damaged nibs caused by flexing a soft nib is far and away the most common problem with pens people have sent me to repair. They usually have no clue what's wrong with the pen. Most often, they say it just doesn't write as well as it used to, or it skips, or it has hard starts cause by a nib that's just a little bit bent, or it leaks, or, as I say, it just doesn't write as well as it used to when new. The sad thing is that people often sell these pens, completely unaware they're selling someone else problems that will probably get worse and worse. It's simply a horrible idea, and completely unnecessary. Used correctly, a soft gold nib is the best writing aid you can have. But when flexed it will slowly become damaged.

BTW great videos. I'm jealous of your collection. I don't really use my flex nibs for regular writing. Like you I have a light hand. My preferences for everyday writers is usually based on smoothness which tends to be on the harder side. Pelikan m800 B, Lamy Studio w/ 14k medium, Pilot 823m and Sailor Pro gear 21km are all amazingly smooth for notes and work. My "flex nibs" are all for fun and meditative writing. I have found that the better my calligraphy writing gets the better my regular quick simple writing looks as well.

I know what you are saying, for myself I really like a Noodler's flex nib in my edc pens. The reason being that while being designed to flex, they are actually quite stiff, so for my normal writing tasks it's no different than a preppy or some other hard nib pen, but when I go to sign my name, I can flex the first letter quite significantly and add a lot of flair to my signature. I have two of these nibs, one is stock and the other I've stubbed for an edc italic flex nib, that one is my favorite nib for about 6 years now. Because it's stiff,, I wouldn't recommend the Noodler's nib for long sessions of calligraphy, although I have done it, it really gives the hand a work out.

This was a very interesting and revealing video. I don't own many soft or flex nibbed pens. The ones that I do have are mostly vintage and the problem is I never use them as regular daily writers. I much prefer a stiff nib. So my flex pens only come out once in a while for a bit of fun and I might only half fill them. Unless you can control them, flex nibs can be something of a nightmare. Anyone practiced in the fine art of calligraphy will probably enjoy and know how to use soft and flex pens. For them, this type of nib shows off their craft very well.

Excellent discussion of the different nibs. Subscribed !

Nice video! One of my daily pens is the Pilot Custom 823 Soft Medium: an awesome nib. Oh... you are missing the Pelikan Souveran m1000 fine nib: really, really, really soft, bouncy, smooth and wet!

you need a better feed from flex nib factory for your FA nib

Great topic, comparison and tips. It was interesting to hear about the smoothness of the nibs. I did not see much line variation in any of the pens which was a dis-appointment in particular the Pilot Falcon , I would of expected more line variation. The comment a the end of the 2 pens (preppy) you use on a daily basis was good to know, thank you

So I have a custom heritage 912 FA always inked up and on my desk, but it's one of the rarest pins I reach for for the very reasons you mentioned. It's a great pen for fun or for titling / headers, but not really for jotting anything longer than a short note. I love it though and I use it whenever I want my handwriting to have special style, even more than I would reach for a stub or a cursive italic or the like

For real flex, nothing compares with vintage from the 1920s and earlier.😁 For me, depends on my mood what I will use. Have a "wet noodle" (flex with no pressure needed outside of your normal handwriting) 1912 Mabie Todd Swan C2, several fairly flexible Sheaffer's Balance Jr's and a Waterman's Taperite, through Sheaffer's Lifetime pens and an Esterbrook Manifold nib you could drive into seasoned oak without damage. Plus modern pens. Really just depends on what I plan to write. Smooth and no skipping is my biggest deciding factor. 😁

thank you very much , just what i wanted to see!

Man I have the 912 sf and it has a really good line variation. I like it way better than the sfm

I think everyone should have at least one. the feeling is pretty unique to fountain pens

Quite informative.. I’ve never considered getting anything other than ‘regular’ Medium or ‘regular’ Fine since I use my pens for just ‘conventional’ writing.. I guess I’ll continue doing so.. Only exception was I had once been thinking of insanely priced Justus 95 (400 USD here in India), but I saw many users’ review comments that its ‘adjustable softness’ feature is gimmicky and it doesn’t work as expected, so I lost interest..

I change my mind on what I like in a nib all the time still when it comes to soft versus hard nibs. As long as a nib has a hint of feedback while still being smooth I’ll likely enjoy it. My softest nib is a 743 soft fine which is pretty nice. I do think I’m starting to appreciate firmer nibs more than I used to though. I love my 743 extra fine and and Pelikan M805 fine too. Each of them has its own distinct feel. The next vest nib I’ve ever felt is the 18k #15 Pilot fine. It made me seriously consider getting an 845, though I think I’d like a pen with a bit more diameter than those I have at the section so I may go with something else as I look for my perfect everyday writer.

Have you considered Montblanc RollerBall pens? Pros and cons?

My daily driver is safari with Lamy gold oblique med nib

Good day. Can you make a similar review for the FPR flex nibs?

Nice vid

Flexible Nib Factory's ebonite feed pretty much fixed railroading on my 823.

You forgot the unbelievable Pilot Justus 95 two in one! and I will answer: Yes you should....sorry you dont' forgot it. I'am not a writer I coming from the artist side1 ! and for me maybe its helps : I would starting with e 743 Fa an ioam ending in precise by the lovely Platinum M nib sizes may in Future withe the 3776 music nib for the bread strokes .... Maybe it helps for the artist side... sorry imnota English but hope everyone understand what I means.. Thank you for the great impression and video