Nathan Tardiff talks with Brian Goulet

[BlkWhiteFilmPix]

Brian Goulet of Goulet Pens recently posted a video of his talk with Noodler's Ink founder Nathan Tardiff

https://blog.gouletpens.com/2018/07/...oodlers-ink-co

Enjoy

[Medieval]

He's much younger than I expected him to be.

[Jon Szanto]

He's much younger than I expected him to be.

It's a stunt double.

[KKay]

Thank you for posting the video. I really enjoyed learning more about Nathan T. Brian did a good job asking him questions too!

[Chemyst]

Brian Goulet of Goulet Pens recently posted a video of his talk with Noodler's Ink founder Nathan Tardiff

Just one “f”, please.

[SIR]

I certainly gained a little more appreciation for N.T. and his work from that interview... i'm still very wary of his products though.

[Pterodactylus]

At least he seems to be quite inventive to present quality issues of his products (each batch is different) not as a flaw but as a feature instead.

All his „security“ arguments are irrelevant and more than wildly constructed.
He seems to see himself as hail bringer and rescuer of the FP world, but this is simply not true.
There were and are plenty off permanent inks before and after Noodler’s start, as well as really affordable pens (with higher quality at the same price) from a variety of reputable companies (but maybe not known and available at the village he came from).

I canˋt withstand to smile when he talked about laser resistance of Baystate Blue, knowing that sun exposure will erase it very quickly and almost complete from the paper.

But it was informative and allowed me to add Noodler’s to the one man show corner, which I was not aware off (but which explains a lot).
Don’t get me wrong, I know that he has created some spectacular showcase inks (awesome shaders) which I also like (despite the possible flaws and quality issues).

One thing I have to admit and admire is his engagement to bring back (somehow) flexible nibs to the masses.

For sure he is a enrichment of the scene (no matter if you like his products or not).

[SIR]

Brian Goulet of Goulet Pens recently posted a video of his talk with Noodler's Ink founder Nathan Tardiff

Just one “f”, please.

This, again?!

[KKay]

I love his products, and I have many of them. I especially like his permanent inks, and many of his pens. I have never seen anyone in the fountain pen world be the brunt of such ridicule, besides Nathan. That is okay. He is doing what he loves, and he makes a living off of it. There are plenty of Noodler's threads pro and con. I personally enjoyed the interview, and I hope to see more. I also look forward to what he comes out with next. The Boston Safety Pen and the Neponset are two of my favorite pens.

[Jon Szanto]

I have never seen anyone in the fountain pen world be the brunt of such ridicule, besides Nathan.

By his methods, manners, and manufacturing decisions in his product lines, he invites this. I don't think he minds it a bit, as it is a case of self-generating publicity.

[KKay]

I think he is the main reason flex pens have become such a hot item. His company seemed to be a threat initially to the traditional companies. I think that is where some of this comes from. Nathan makes pens that you don't need special tools to use, and you can get a piston type plunger at a very reasonable price. You can also put any nib in them that you want that fits, and he designed them that way on purpose. Some of his pens are not made for beginners though, and do require you to tinker with them. That could be good or bad, depending on the customer. His quality control could be better, but he is a one man operation. Both of my Safety Pens were perfect right out of the box. I have been quite happy with almost everything I've gotten from his company. Neither of those Safety Pen nibs needed any work, and wrote well from the start. The Konrads needed to be tuned, but also did well. I think his pen clips need to be checked to make sure they are all straight.

[Jon Szanto]

I think he is the main reason flex pens have become such a hot item.

I think this is very true. It's just a shame that he never seemed to improve his own product enough to make a difference. I tried some of his 'flex' pens when they first came out and wish they would have worked better, but they did cause me to venture into the world of vintage flex. NT came at a good time, prior to the (new) era of cheap-but-good-quality Chinese pens. I hope he is able to continue to ride on the reputation he has at this point, but I also hope he will look at his product line and business and do a bit of re-invention. Nothing stands still and being an obstinate contrarian will only get you so far. It will be interesting to watch.

[KKay]

Jon, I think he has improved. So I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this. He is not trying to be an upper tier pen maker. He is trying to make fountain pens that work well and are affordable. He sees a need, and he fulfilled that need. Sure he could make a pen that would blow your socks off, with an outrageous price, but he doesn't go that route. I think the man is a creative genius. The Safety Pen uses o-rings, which is an improvement on the old cork seal design. He could've put a nib on there that would be impressive, but he kept the price low. One of my Safety Pens has the stock nib, and it is just fine for everyday use. I also have a vintage nib in the other Safety Pen. The Safety Pen can run ink in it, that most other pens would not be able to. I would like to see an ink window at the bottom of it, but that would raise the price. I am using regular fountain pen ink, as well as inks like Emerald of Chivor. (not to mention permanent ink) One day I will probably get some of that ink he made just for these pens, but I can't find any. I will probably use India ink in this one of these days too. This is an ebonite pen, with an ebonite feed. If you look at the prices the big names wanted for something like this, you can see why I am elated to have this 55 dollar pen, that is wonderful.

I also like the fact that he has artwork on his ink labels. Often his inks are named after something in history, especially American history. So what some may find a negative, I see as a positive. I particularly like the ink he makes exclusively for pen shops such as Dromgoole's. I think Nathan must be a workaholic, I don't know how in the world he gets everything done. Yet he still comes up with new pen designs on top of the ink. I am not in love with every ink he makes, but I do have several. They don't just sit there on a shelf, I use them all. One day I will get Chisholm Trail, and Green Marine. They have been on my wish list for quite a while. I've tried them both, and love them.

[Jon Szanto]

NT has a passionate fanbase, and he's certainly met your pen and ink needs. Enough said.

[Pterodactylus]

I doubt that „he comes up with new pen designs“ personally.
As far as I know all his pens are Indian pens labeled/branded as Noodler’s.
I do not know if the new designs are exclusively created for Noodler’s or just rebranded as the older ones.

What I know is that the Ahab for sure was no Noodlerˋs original design (even he make it sound like this).
The pen Noodler’s call „Ahab“ was made and sold by an Indian company quite a while before the introduction as „Ahab“.
I do not remember the Name of the company, but interested people for sure can dig it out (Google is your friend).

[KKay]

I looked for a while, but didn't see anything. FPR also has their pens made in India, and they sell strictly branded Indian pens as well. Most fountain pen makers from the beginning have taken ideas from other pens, and used things they liked in their pens. Some could be considered a clone. I like the historical aspect of the safety pen. It may look very similar to a Moore pen. That is just fine with me. I don't know of another company that makes these at affordable prices. I am sure someone will in the future. Someone can appreciate the safety pen, and prefer the old cork seal. Frankly I don't want a cork seal, I'd rather have o-rings, which are easily replaceable. I don't have to spend but about a dollar or less to replace the seal. I'd hate to know the price of replacing a cork seal, in a vintage pen. To each his own though. That is why pens come in all shapes and sizes. I'd love to see more old designs brought back to life. It would make my day.

[Pterodactylus]

Itˋs not that difficult to find.

The Indian company is Kanwrite, they designed and brought out the Kanwrite Heritage Flex pen.
Even the flex nib is the same and not a Noodlerˋs invention or design



The Nib Creaper is a rebranded Kanwrite Standard Flex pen:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...in-pen-review/

And also Chelpark sold a clone/rebranded Version as Chelpark Maverick (without the flex nib):
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...cret-identity/


So at least all the earlier Noodler’s pens were just rebranded versions of existing Indian pens, neither the pens nor the flex nib were designed or invented or created by Noodlerˋs.

And all the marketing bla bla of the Noodlerˋs owner, like: we designed, invented, developed, manufactured, engineered ...... is just what it is, marketing bla bla......

You can say the Noodlerˋs founder is a very good marketing, PR and business man, and promoted the pens much better than the creators under his own brand, but you should not trust everything he say in his videos.

[KKay]

Itˋs not that difficult to find.

The Indian company is Kanwrite, they designed and brought out the Kanwrite Heritage Flex pen.
Even the flex nib is the same and not a Noodlerˋs invention or design



The Nib Creaper is a rebranded Kanwrite Standard Flex pen:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...in-pen-review/

And also Chelpark sold a clone/rebranded Version as Chelpark Maverick (without the flex nib):
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...cret-identity/


So at least all the earlier Noodler’s pens were just rebranded versions of existing Indian pens, neither the pens nor the flex nib were designed or invented or created by Noodlerˋs.

And all the marketing bla bla of the Noodlerˋs owner, like: we designed, invented, developed, manufactured, engineered ...... is just what it is, marketing bla bla......

You can say the Noodlerˋs founder is a very good marketing, PR and business man, and promoted the pens much better than the creators under his own brand, but you should not trust everything he say in his videos.

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...cret-identity/

Please read what Goulet said. There are at least 3 posts by them. Without Noodler's early pens, there would not be a flex craze in the USA, in my opinion. You know why there is a craze that has been going on? NOODLER'S made it affordable to test the waters. I already knew his pens were not made in the USA. I will keep using my affordable pens, and the enjoying them. His pens let me know that I loved flex/semi flex, and I didn't have to spend a lot of money to find that out. I can easily replace any of those nibs with anything I want. So people can spend a lot of money, or a little. The best thing is, we have a CHOICE now, that we didn't have before. I have several of his pens, and will continue to add more in the future.

[Pterodactylus]

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)

[stub]

I am usually the last one to defend Nathan Tardiff (though not a Noodler's hater either) but my impression was that long before Noodler's he was doing things that not a whole lot of folks were doing. I have, in the past, seen a bunch of his nib work and repairs inding some interesting vintage Sheaffer music nib conversions and such.

I don't really dig that many Noodler's products (I literarally don't own any other than a single bottle of ink that I never use) and don't dig his way of being in the world all that much but I think he deserves a little credit for being out ther doing stuff in the pre-internet fora days (maybe not literally 'pre' but back before everyone & their mother was online and doing social media, etc).

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.

Folks who know please chime in.

-k--