- Joined
- Thursday August 8, 2013
- Location
- Silly Suffolk
In many ways similar to the world of shaving interests and its "rabbit holes", those of us interested in buying and using fountain pens keep a close eye on new developments, new pens and especially new entrants to the field.
A year or two ago, a handwriting enthusiast rekindled his interest in the subject, and especially in flex pens. This, in short, decided him to design and manufacture his own range of modern flex nib fountain pens; the name being "The Good Blue".
As with some shaving items, the early releases of the Good Blue pens was a countdown, "finger on trigger" rush to be able to nab one before they sold out. This has now changed, and as well as being able to buy direct from The Good Blue website, these pens are now stocked by Cult Pens and Pure Pens.
The pens have a consistent shape and design, but have been released in various materials and metals. They are available with a range of the Good Blue nibs, in various forms, and with two of their own designed and manufactured feeds. The quality and finish of all parts is superb.
If only for interest, The Good Blue website is well-worth a look, as the creator tells a little of how he came to produce these pens, and there are some other interesting snippets to be found there.
I'm a big fan of flex pens and writing with them (copperplate, Spencerian and other cursive scripts) and, as well as the vintage flex pens I have, I've spent some time (and a bit of money) trying to find what I think to be the best of the "affordable" modern flex pens. Price-wise, The Good Blue pens fall between the Noodlers and Fountain Pen Revolution flex pens (based mainly on Indian pen models) and the other very high end, that being the mainly Italian pens with their in-house manufactured 14k gold nibs (Scribo, Leonardo etc.).
I have two Good Blue pens with different types of flex nib, and both flex write with great line variation, smoothly and wetly. They'll also write just as well "normally" i.e. with even pressure and no flex, but the ethos behind them is "flex". As well as being a UK designed and manufactured product, and despite using their own make feeds and nibs, the pens have a standard JoWo feed collar/section thread form. This means that the Good Blue nib units can be unscrewed and a standard #6 JoWo nib/unit put in (although I can't think why anyone would want to do that!).
I should add that, other than being a purchaser and user of Good Blue pens, I have no interest beyond "banging the drum" for a new and first-rate line of pens.
A year or two ago, a handwriting enthusiast rekindled his interest in the subject, and especially in flex pens. This, in short, decided him to design and manufacture his own range of modern flex nib fountain pens; the name being "The Good Blue".
As with some shaving items, the early releases of the Good Blue pens was a countdown, "finger on trigger" rush to be able to nab one before they sold out. This has now changed, and as well as being able to buy direct from The Good Blue website, these pens are now stocked by Cult Pens and Pure Pens.
The pens have a consistent shape and design, but have been released in various materials and metals. They are available with a range of the Good Blue nibs, in various forms, and with two of their own designed and manufactured feeds. The quality and finish of all parts is superb.
If only for interest, The Good Blue website is well-worth a look, as the creator tells a little of how he came to produce these pens, and there are some other interesting snippets to be found there.
I'm a big fan of flex pens and writing with them (copperplate, Spencerian and other cursive scripts) and, as well as the vintage flex pens I have, I've spent some time (and a bit of money) trying to find what I think to be the best of the "affordable" modern flex pens. Price-wise, The Good Blue pens fall between the Noodlers and Fountain Pen Revolution flex pens (based mainly on Indian pen models) and the other very high end, that being the mainly Italian pens with their in-house manufactured 14k gold nibs (Scribo, Leonardo etc.).
I have two Good Blue pens with different types of flex nib, and both flex write with great line variation, smoothly and wetly. They'll also write just as well "normally" i.e. with even pressure and no flex, but the ethos behind them is "flex". As well as being a UK designed and manufactured product, and despite using their own make feeds and nibs, the pens have a standard JoWo feed collar/section thread form. This means that the Good Blue nib units can be unscrewed and a standard #6 JoWo nib/unit put in (although I can't think why anyone would want to do that!).
I should add that, other than being a purchaser and user of Good Blue pens, I have no interest beyond "banging the drum" for a new and first-rate line of pens.