Nathan Tardiff talks with Brian Goulet

[Lloyd]

I am NO expert but my impression was that he was in this whole pen game long ago and did a lot of stuff even pre-Noodler's. I think you can see that also with his attempts to bring back the safety pen.

-k--

Not only was he in the pen game, he was one of the top restorers. He started as a kid.

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[KKay]

Perfectly fine if you are enjoying his products

But it is not true that he invented these things.
And it is not true that he made pens affordable.
There are hundreds of affordable pens with excellent quality out there, also before Noodler’s (and I consider his (at least the earlier ones) not as good quality (I cannot talk about the newer ones because I do not own them).

You could have buyed a Kanwrite Heritage with the flex nib for about 10-15$ also before Noodler’s bought the rights for it.
You might not knew that it existed but it was there.
The Kanwrite Standard even for less money.

What you can claim is that he made it broadly available in the US (which was quite clever from business point of few).

Not that it would matter, but why do you think that the pens are now made in the USA?
I really doubt that, if I would have to guess I would say that they are still produced in India by Kanwrite.
Which would make sense, as production of that pens most likely would be too expensive to make much profit if produced in the US. (Just as the “America First” Baseball caps from Trumpty Dumpty, which were made in China)

Talking about semi flex nibs, you have also the choice to buy FPR flex nibs in several pens (also made in India), which are also affordable.

I have both FPR and Noodler’s (EMF modified nibs), they behave almost the same (and need modification to be considered really as flexible).

flex is fun by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

(Serwex MB flex EMF ..... ESS Registrars Blue/Black)



Show_response_845 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

(Waterman BCHR 12 1/2 ..... Diamine Ancient Copper)
(Serwex MB flex EMF ..... ESS Registrars Blue-Black)


So my conclusion, nothing wrong with the Noodler’s founder, he is a clever business man (but no pen/nib inventor or hail bringer for the community)

What I find interesting is that there are so many out there who go to threads such as these, and go out of their way to besmirch him in any way possible. If you don't like him, or his products, why go to the threads at all? The vintage flex snobs who buy expensive pens seem to also say at best it is a semi-flex pen. I have seen that time and time again. In fact reading some posts by well known people made me avoid Noodler's products for a while. Then someone sent me an ink sample that was Noodler's, and you know what, I LIKED IT A LOT! I liked it so much I bought that ink. Then I began to try more samples. I think some of the flack is most likely stemming from his thoughts on history, and his artwork on the ink bottles.

I don't believe I ever said Nathan made the pens in the USA. How many modern pens come with an ebonite feed these days? Sure FPR does, and so does Noodler's. The Neponset nib is glorious, but often times it takes quite a bit of tinkering to get it set right. Once you get it set right, it is best to leave it alone. I have 3 of them, and I have adjusted 5 in total. They do loosen up as you use them, and they do take some pressure. I am very satisfied with how they perform for the price. I have a local buddy who also has a Neponset. He is mostly a vintage pen collector/user. He probably likes safety pens more than any other. He has a few vintage safety pens. I showed him the Boston Safety Pen video before they were released in the USA. My friend bought 3 right off the bat. He loved the Noodler's Boston Safety Pen. Then the Chestnut color came out, and he bought 3 more. If they have a red ripple, he will most likely buy that one too.

[Pterodactylus]

Kay, what are you talking about?
Are you sure you read and understand the posts in this thread?

Who besmirch your hero?

I presented you some facts about the products of Noodlerˋs owner (which are contrary to what he claims in his videos), nothing more, nothing less.
I can’t help you if you do not like that he just bought existing pens including their Flex nib from Kanwrite and claimed to be his invention (and sold it at a higher price as the original manufacturer).
But maybe you prefer alternative facts.

As said he is a clever business man.

And you have no right to tell somebody if he has the right to participate here or not.

Nobody attacked you because you like his products, neither on personal nor general level.

I treat your post above as apersonal offense in several aspects.

And if you would be a regular reader here you would know that Iˋm in no way a vintage flex snob.
I would recommend that you search on FPN for the EMF mod, which I came up with (not just bought from somebody else) to modify Noodlerˋs and FPR nibs to become “real” flexible nibs.

And also here I can’t help you, these nibs are no full flex nibs in their default state.
They are with good will semi flex nibs with their Chuck Norris flexibility.
If you can´t see and agree to this fact I would have to claim that you have no clue about flex nibs, sorry.

But they can be modified to become full flex nibs.

I hope this is clear enough.

[SIR]

neither the pens nor the flex nib were designed or invented or created by Noodlerˋs.

Certainly contradicts Mr. T's suggestion in the interview regarding detractors saying he couldn't cut the nib so deep...

[KKay]

Kay, what are you talking about?
Are you sure you read and understand the posts in this thread?

Who besmirch your hero?

He is not my hero, but I do admire what he has done with fountain pens and ink. I also like the fact he is a proud American who gives American historical names to some of his ink.

I presented you some facts about the products of Noodlerˋs owner (which are contrary to what he claims in his videos), nothing more, nothing less.
I can’t help you if you do not like that he just bought existing pens including their Flex nib from Kanwrite and claimed to be his invention (and sold it at a higher price as the original manufacturer).
But maybe you prefer alternative facts.

The link I provided earlier disputes that. http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...cret-identity/
<<<It does say on the Noodler's website that it was a collaborative effort between various US states, Switzerland, and India...>>>
I would imagine not many in the USA ever heard of Kanwrite pens, much less used them back then. There were problems with the Kanwrite pens that were not duplicated with the Noodler's pen. A post on the link provided speaks of that. What about the later pens? Nathan could go into detail about this, but I would just bet he is tired of defending himself against the constant onslaught of negative statements. He would be so busy doing that, he wouldn't be able to handle his business. Some of his ink is great, and I love them. Some of them are lovely, but don't dry well. Some of his ink is meant for paper many on this board do not use, such as cheaper paper. So some will feather, or have issues because of it. I am speaking up because somebody can't even post a video with an interview of the man, without the attacks starting. Other new people will be afraid to try his products like I was at first, just because of the mud slinging that never stops.

As said he is a clever business man.
[SIZE=3]Agreed.
[/SIZE]
And you have no right to tell somebody if he has the right to participate here or not.

Nobody attacked you because you like his products, neither on personal nor general level.

I treat your post above as apersonal offense in several aspects.

And if you would be a regular reader here you would know that Iˋm in no way a vintage flex snob.
I would recommend that you search on FPN for the EMF mod, which I came up with (not just bought from somebody else) to modify Noodlerˋs and FPR nibs to become “real” flexible nibs.

I didn't say YOU were a vintage flex snob. But I have seen many instances of it. In fact I cannot recall one Noodler's thread without an attack of some kind. He never claimed them to be full flex. My Neponsets in particular do offer more flex than most paper can handle. You don't have to put as much pressure on them as the Ahab/Konrad initially. They are not a wet noodle, but they aren't far from it.

And also here I can’t help you, these nibs are no full flex nibs in their default state.
They are with good will semi flex nibs with their Chuck Norris flexibility.

As I said, he never claimed any of his pens were full flex. You cannot expect full flex in this price range...period. I have seen some modern pens that claim to be flex, that cost a lot of money.
If you can´t see and agree to this fact I would have to claim that you have no clue about flex nibs, sorry.

But they can be modified to become full flex nibs.

I hope this is clear enough.

Oh it is plenty clear enough for me. I will enjoy my pens and ink regardless. I don't always jump in on every attack thread. His products are not perfect in every way. I am satisfied, and so are many others. Otherwise he would not have a thriving business. If people don't ever respond when the attacks start, new people will not know what they are missing out on. Especially for those who don't have much money. I loved the look of flex/semi-flex, and wanted to try it. I did not want to spend a lot of money to try it out. Once I did try it with a cheap pen, I found that I wanted more and even better pens. I do have a vintage flex nib in one of my Boston Safety Pens. It is not a full flex, but it makes me happy.

[Jon Szanto]

Oh it is plenty clear enough for me. I will enjoy my pens and ink regardless.

That is all that matters. The rest is noise.

[Pterodactylus]

Oh it is plenty clear enough for me. I will enjoy my pens and ink regardless.

That is all that matters. The rest is noise.

Very true, I would also sign this.

[dapprman]

As a Brit it's often interesting going through threads like this, but also at times rather painful. I watched the video to see what the diversive fuss is about. Over this side of the pond he's just seen as another boutique ink producer and one who's products are hard to find, I only know of one place in the UK (in fact Europe) that sell some of his inks and they do act a little fanboish about him. The only things we really know is he's marmite in the US - you either really like or hate him, same for the inks. Over here his inks are considered good value, but ones to use with caution (and yes over here one of our top pen repairers (who hates the term nib meister) also warns against Nathan's inks).

BTW can I assume he started Noodlers before Private Reserve or L'Artisan Pastellier started their ink ranges? (this is an honest question, not meant to be a dig).

[Jon Szanto]

BTW can I assume he started Noodlers before Private Reserve or L'Artisan Pastellier started their ink ranges? (this is an honest question, not meant to be a dig).

L'AP is definitely a more recent line. I did a quick dig and found no specific info for the start of either of the other lines of inks. I'm up to 10 years in the more recent interest of mine in pens/inks, and it seems to me that I was both Noodlers and PR being sold by Goulet Pens in their earliest days of retail, though my memory could be off.

Which leads to one other item: being a remarkably small operation, Tardif was a niche product-maker who started mostly through retailers, and when the Goulet Pen Co started their own small, family-run business, they began selling and promoting his products. In the modern era (last decade or two) when fountain pens have become fun and fashionable again, the GPS has made big inroads into the youth/noob market here in the United States. They inspire a great deal of loyalty and support (i.e. fandom) and I think have had a *lot* to do with the Noodlers success. It makes sense: a disrupting and iconoclastic story (Tardif), inexpensive product line and avid fans waiting for the next video to drop about a new ink or cheap pen. I can easily see why the products are better known and sell more here in the States, but his inks have managed to make a mark overseas as well. it will be interesting to see how the explosion of ink manufacturers and product lines will eventually affect his business.

Speaking of which, here is Part One of a two part article on the Noodlers brand. It is written from a business perspective but with a good knowledge of the pen world as well.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I haven't watched the interview yet....but I am so pathetic that I did not even know what Noodler's was until I joined an innerwebz fountain pen forum.

[SIR]

I did not even know what Noodler's was until I joined an innerwebz fountain pen forum.

Nor did I, but quickly did I learn.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Is that really Nathan Tardif? I'm used to watching his pen and ink videos, and THOUGHT his voice sounded different. I could easily be wrong.

[Dragonmaster Lou]

Is that really Nathan Tardif? I'm used to watching his pen and ink videos, and THOUGHT his voice sounded different. I could easily be wrong.

It's him. I met him at the Commonwealth Pen Show last year.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Is that really Nathan Tardif? I'm used to watching his pen and ink videos, and THOUGHT his voice sounded different. I could easily be wrong.

It's him. I met him at the Commonwealth Pen Show last year.

Excellent; thanks.

[Chrissy]

Thank you for posting the link to this interview. I really enjoyed watching the video and found out much more about Nathan Tardif than I already knew, which admittedly wasn't much.
He was younger than I always pictured him to be too.

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

Thank you for posting the link to this interview. I really enjoyed watching the video and found out much more about Nathan Tardif than I already knew, which admittedly wasn't much.
He was younger than I always pictured him to be too.

YW, Chrissy.

He's a character, resulting in some fascinating names for inks.

[Spideysgirl]

I enjoyed the interview very much. I am a huge fan of his inks. I have several of his inks and like them all. I am on a quest to try as man as I can. One things about Noodler's I do not believe are the allegations that the ink will " eat" sacs in vintage pens. The whole idea of that happening seems so far fetched.

With that being said, I do think some of his inks are gimmicky, like the highlighter inks, and the dry erase inks.






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[Jon Szanto]

The stories assert that the Baystate series' alkalinity damages sacs. I've used Baystate Blue in an older Montblanc 149, a 146, and three Pelikan M800's without any problems.

The pens you mention do not use sacs. There are other inks besides the Baystate series that don't seem to play well with latex, primarily in the red spectrum. Besides sacs, some feeds have been known to be damaged. Beyond that manner of physical damage, there is also the problem of some of the inks being highly prone to staining transparent pens, which have become far more common (the pens) in the last 10 years or so).

The one thing many would wish for is a bit more transparency from the guy, but he likes to keep his image/character front and center. His schtik has certainly worked, in addition to some good products.

[Dragonmaster Lou]

I happen to like a couple of his inks (Heart of Darkness and Massachusetts 54th), but I'm pretty careful about what pens I put them in and both of these inks are known (to the best of my knowledge) to be reasonably well-behaved. I generally try avoid his "wackier" inks, and I certainly wouldn't use any of his inks in vintage pens. Then again, I wouldn't use the vast majority of inks on the market in vintage pens either, so it's not just a Noodler's thing.

[Kulprit]

With that being said, I do think some of his inks are gimmicky, like the highlighter inks, and the dry erase inks

I don't think these are gimmicky at all (which is not to say he doesn't have gimmicky inks). I don't use dry/wet erase markers so I have no use for his wet-erase inks, but I do use his highlighter inks. I go through highlighters like crazy. Even before they run dry, the felt tips often get torn up or stained by inkjet inks. A Pilot Parallel solves filled with one of Noodler's highlighter inks solves all those problems. Once I made the switch I couldn't imagine going back.


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