(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
I have a small family of Conklin pens, and I have been lucky with them in that I haven't experienced the inconsistent quality that some users have. (Essentially the reverse of my luck with TWSBIs). All my Conklins have been beautiful and well-performing, so I was excited to try the new Duraflex Elements Fountain Pen, especially when I saw the fire color. I am happy to say that my luck has continued--and I must call it luck, as our own Susan had a very different experience with her version of this edition.
I'm really enjoying this pen. The color of the acrylic is fantastic, with black, charcoal, red, dark rose, and clear all tossed like a flow of lava. The pen is sturdy, and very solidly made. It does not feel light or cheap, and the cap, clip, and finials are well fit. The cap screws on securely, and I haven't had any leaking or drying out, even when the pen sat for a few weeks without use. The clip is springy but firm, so it fits well over a stack of paper, but won't slip too easily.
The pen is a nice medium size--bigger than a Sailor Pro Gear but smaller than a TWSBI 580, so it should suit most hands comfortably. The grip section is made of the same acrylic as the body. It's a little slick, but it contours nicely to keep your grip in place. It takes cartridges or a converter, which comes with the pen.
A lot of the criticism Conklin receives concerns the quality of their nibs. It's not unearned--there's a lot of inconsistency in user experience, and you don't know if you've gotten a good one or not until you try it. My Conklin Word Gauge is one of the best writers in my collection, but others have had experiences so negative that they've sworn off the brand altogether.
This Elements pen has the Conklin Omniflex nib--a semi-flex nib with cutout wings designed to allow for some degree of line variation. Of course it does not flex the way we all want it to. It can't meet the bendy standards of vintage pens or dip nibs designed for fancy script. But it does flex a bit, and it adds some lovely character to your writing. Much like a stub nib adds a little bit of italic flavor to writing, this Duraflex nib adds a little bit of flex flavor. Not enough, it could be fairly argued, but I don't think it ever promised that.
My nib performs about how I expected it would. It's wide for a fine line when writing normally, largely because it is a very wet writer--a feature it needs in order to keep up with ink flow when flex writing. When pressure is applied on downstrokes, the line widens, creating an effect that would be very graceful and beautiful if I were any good at this at all. But even with my poor handwriting skills, I like the way this pen makes my writing look, and that's enough to make me reach for it when I need to fill a page. (Note: the slight feathering on the flexed strokes is a result of the paper I was using. I had better experiences with fountain pen friendly paper.)
While my friends' experiences make me hesitate to recommend buying this pen, my own experiences lead me to encourage you to try one, if you have access. If there's a pen store or pen show near you, this is a great pen to try in person, before you decide whether or not to buy. It's a total bargain at $60--so long as you get a good one.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
