Review: Noodler's Konrad

[KrazyIvan]

I almost bought the blue demo, but it was out of stock at the Goulet's.

[jor412]

Again, that was fast! If I remember correctly they had just offered the 2 demo colors on May 30.

[KrazyIvan]

Yes. Last time I looked the smoke was still available.

[KrazyIvan]

isellpens.com has the blue demo.

[jotterius]

I really look forward to the ebonite one

[goldiesdad]

I had a blast playing with my Ahab over the weekend ... My redish fingers can attest to getting just the right ink flow and flex ... Loved playing with it
and can't wait to get the Conrad today to try different ink ...

You are right this pen is not for everyone but for 20 bucks I had fun playing in the ink ... I think that is what the designer had in mind a pen that requires
some playing and fine tuning to get it right for your writing style. He got that one right for me ....

[melissa59]

My Konrad wrote beautifully for three weeks. Now, it's starting to skip. I'm not worried, though. I figure it's time to take it apart, clean it and put it back together again. Personally, I think a pen like this is a good way for a beginner like me to gain a better understanding of how fountain pens work.

I played with the nib placement and feeder placement, tips close, tips far. Ink all over the hands. Great fun! But as you said, it's not a pen for everyone. When it comes time for me to buy that one special pen, I will be very disappointed if I have to tinker with it like I've tinkered with the Konrad.

[duende]

When it comes time for me to buy that one special pen, I will be very disappointed if I have to tinker with it like I've tinkered with the Konrad.

On the other hand, you might be disappointed that you can't tinker with it and get your fingers nicely stained with ink.

[jor412]

I got my Konrad last week. It's great value for money. The size is perfect for my hand and I like that it's slightly heavier than the original Noodler's flex pen. Now I want another one.

[KrazyIvan]

While I like the Konrad, it is not working for me with the flex nib. I just can't get the flexing right. I use it without flexing just fine. I may swap in a Knox nib.

[jor412]

I should've mentioned that. I don't use it as a flex pen either. I'm using it now as a work pen.

[TonicLime]

I use my Konrad almost daily with Noodler's Army Green. Rome burning looks like a must have ink! Great review.

[FP_GaF]

I have got a Konrad coming my way from the Goulets. Should arrive any day now but after having read this review I cannot wait one second longer. Curse on you... Just kiddin'

Great review, well done!

[KrazyIvan]

Now that Gclef gave me a few pointers on flexing nibs, I am getting the hang of it. It really makes it a nice pen when you actually can use it the way it was meant to be used.

[southpaw52]

I have been disappointed in the Noodler's pens, to a point where I won't purchase any additional pens. I agree they are over-hyped, for the most part have been problematic and a disappointment for many. If one was to compare them to pens made in India, there is a striking resemblance.

For another $10 you could buy a Lamy Safari.

[jor412]

From what I've read, some of the parts are sourced from India so the resemblance is understandable. What I like about Noodler's pens in general is that you can completely disassemble them and I also like that even pale inks write darker in them. So far, I've been lucky in that the ones I've had write the way they're supposed to after one cleaning, though I have heard that others have had difficulties with their pens.

[manoeuver]

Wasn't thrilled with my Ahab, I gave it to me wife.

Will probably try the Tortoise Konrad though.

Seems like the noodlers pens are inconsistent and fixable if you like fiddlin with pens. I'd rather have one that just works (my ahab kinda didn't.)

I detect a niche market: reselling noodlers pens after making them work. What kind of markup could you get if you offered a 'writes like you want it to' guarantee?

[jor412]

Here's an update on my Konrad experience. Overall, I still like this pen more than the Ahab and original piston fill flex. The size works for me and I find the pen itself good-looking. The smoke pequod offers the fun and ink view of a demonstrator but hides discoloration or staining. If you're obsessive compulsive about demonstrator stains like I am, this is a plus.

I have one con versus my pros for the Konrad: Disassembly is harder for this pen than for the other Noodler's pens.

Some notes on this:

1) The filling unit turns in the same direction as the blind cap. A Goulet pens video mentions the possibility of accidentally removing the unit while unscrewing the blind cap, but there's also the reverse. Because you screw the blind cap and filling unit in the same direction, it's possible to accidentally over-tighten the filling unit, which makes it harder to remove later on when you want to clean the whole thing.

2) The piston has 2 o-rings and 3 parts:
a) A threaded sleeve that fits into the barrel
b) A large-threaded screw (I don't know what else to call it) that moves the piston up and down
c) The piston or the part that moves up and down

The sleeve has 2 barely visible notches opposite each other. These are the guides for re-inserting the piston. If the piston is inserted wrong, it will get stuck, will not function properly, and will need some effort to remove.

About resale: I've seen at least one mark up but the pen included extra Knox nibs.

About clear demonstrators: It seems Noodler's might release a clear demonstrator version. I had a clear Ahab I tried out as an eyedropper. The whole barrel was discolored pink-orange by Sailor epinard. I had previously read that epinard was safe for demonstrators. Anyway, I couldn't remove the discoloration regardless of what I tried. I think the plastic used is more prone to staining than the Kaweco sport and TWSBI.