benjitzu
August 17th, 2015, 01:57 PM
Thought some might be interested in this little comparison between several semi-flex and flex pens - a topic that always fascinates me.
Pens used:
- Pilot Falcon with Spencerian Grind + Sailor Jentle Black
- Pilot Falcon Soft-Fine + Iroshizuku ku-jaku
- Platinum Century 3776 Soft-Fine + Iroshizuku yama-budo
- Pelikan 400 Extra-Fine and flex nib in a M215 body + Montblanc Daniel Dafoe Palm Green
- Visconti Homo Sapiens Maxi Steel Age Fine + Visconti Royal Blue
(Started the comparison without the Visconti, but added it after realizing it would be a good candidate too)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31219790@N04/20633969106/in/dateposted-public/
And another pic after including the Visconti:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31219790@N04/20472442128/in/dateposted-public/
And finally, all of them together:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31219790@N04/20667131191/in/dateposted-public/
All of these pens are amazingly fun to use, work well, and create some great line variation.
The Spencerian grind Falcon is definitely the scratchiest - that is not a bad thing, just stating a fact. It takes the most focus and skill to use because of the needlepoint nib. The vintage Pelikan 400 is the smoothest by a LOOOOOOONG shot, the most flexible (it is a full-flex nib), and the easiest to use - even with fast scribbles, there's no scratchiness or flow issues.
The stock Falcon SF gives just a bit more semi-flex, is a tad smoother, and writes a slightly wider no-pressure line compared to the Platinum Century 3776 SF. While I have had issues with the Falcon's feed keeping up with my writing when I'm doing a lot of flexy-ish writing, I've never experienced that problem with the Platinum feed. I'm more than willing to live with the feed issues with the Falcon cause it's so fun to use :)
The Visconti is in a class of it's own. While it can produce about the same line variation as the stock Falcon SF (probably more if I pushed it further), the Homo Sapiens is flat out smooooooth. While I could use the Falcon as a daily writer (I have in the past), the Visconti is made for fast, every day writing and excels at it.
So what's the final verdict? All of these pens are AWESOME! It's not that the pens have no hiccups or cons, of course they do; rather, each of them does it's job to the T - they write well, they can all provide great line variation to different degrees, and they're extremely fun to use. I LOVE each of them and use them often.
If price is the main deciding factor for those wanting to get these pens, this is how they rank from cheapest to most expensive:
1. Platinum Century 3776 SF - around $80 shipped on eBay from Japan (sometimes much less)
2. Falcon SF - $144 new from GouletPens (can find them used for around $110 on eBay and other forums)
3. Spencerian Falcon - $250-ish shipped from nibs.com
4. Vintage Pelikan 400 EF full-flex - $250+ from eBay or pen forums
5. Visconti Homo Sapiens Maxi - $595 (can find them used for around $400+-ish on eBay or pen forums)
If flex is the main deciding factor, this is how they rank:
1. Vintage Pelikan 400 (obviously #1 choice as it's full-flex)
2. Spencerian Falcon
3 tie - Falcon SF and Visconti Homo Sapiens F
5. Platinum Century 3776 SF
Like I stated earlier, all of these pens are awesome in my book. Curious to hear your thoughts and experiences with them.
b
Pens used:
- Pilot Falcon with Spencerian Grind + Sailor Jentle Black
- Pilot Falcon Soft-Fine + Iroshizuku ku-jaku
- Platinum Century 3776 Soft-Fine + Iroshizuku yama-budo
- Pelikan 400 Extra-Fine and flex nib in a M215 body + Montblanc Daniel Dafoe Palm Green
- Visconti Homo Sapiens Maxi Steel Age Fine + Visconti Royal Blue
(Started the comparison without the Visconti, but added it after realizing it would be a good candidate too)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31219790@N04/20633969106/in/dateposted-public/
And another pic after including the Visconti:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31219790@N04/20472442128/in/dateposted-public/
And finally, all of them together:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31219790@N04/20667131191/in/dateposted-public/
All of these pens are amazingly fun to use, work well, and create some great line variation.
The Spencerian grind Falcon is definitely the scratchiest - that is not a bad thing, just stating a fact. It takes the most focus and skill to use because of the needlepoint nib. The vintage Pelikan 400 is the smoothest by a LOOOOOOONG shot, the most flexible (it is a full-flex nib), and the easiest to use - even with fast scribbles, there's no scratchiness or flow issues.
The stock Falcon SF gives just a bit more semi-flex, is a tad smoother, and writes a slightly wider no-pressure line compared to the Platinum Century 3776 SF. While I have had issues with the Falcon's feed keeping up with my writing when I'm doing a lot of flexy-ish writing, I've never experienced that problem with the Platinum feed. I'm more than willing to live with the feed issues with the Falcon cause it's so fun to use :)
The Visconti is in a class of it's own. While it can produce about the same line variation as the stock Falcon SF (probably more if I pushed it further), the Homo Sapiens is flat out smooooooth. While I could use the Falcon as a daily writer (I have in the past), the Visconti is made for fast, every day writing and excels at it.
So what's the final verdict? All of these pens are AWESOME! It's not that the pens have no hiccups or cons, of course they do; rather, each of them does it's job to the T - they write well, they can all provide great line variation to different degrees, and they're extremely fun to use. I LOVE each of them and use them often.
If price is the main deciding factor for those wanting to get these pens, this is how they rank from cheapest to most expensive:
1. Platinum Century 3776 SF - around $80 shipped on eBay from Japan (sometimes much less)
2. Falcon SF - $144 new from GouletPens (can find them used for around $110 on eBay and other forums)
3. Spencerian Falcon - $250-ish shipped from nibs.com
4. Vintage Pelikan 400 EF full-flex - $250+ from eBay or pen forums
5. Visconti Homo Sapiens Maxi - $595 (can find them used for around $400+-ish on eBay or pen forums)
If flex is the main deciding factor, this is how they rank:
1. Vintage Pelikan 400 (obviously #1 choice as it's full-flex)
2. Spencerian Falcon
3 tie - Falcon SF and Visconti Homo Sapiens F
5. Platinum Century 3776 SF
Like I stated earlier, all of these pens are awesome in my book. Curious to hear your thoughts and experiences with them.
b