Many of you have probably already heard of Noodler’s; whether it was the inks that attracted you, their new line of pens or their occasionally, infamous reputation; this company has been a constant presence in every pen enthusiast’s mind. The rest of you, however, have no idea who they are, so prepare to be amazed! The Noodler’s company is named after a sport played down South in the United States known as “noodling.” Those of you with southern roots know what I’m talking about, but if you are a cultural turtle on southern traditions, allow me to enlighten you.
Noodling is a sport where the objective is to capture a live catfish. (Which is, as expected, Noodler’s logo.) What makes this sport different from fishing, you ask? Well, when noodling, you have to use your bare hands! Noodling enthusiasts feel this gives the catfish a fighting chance. This idea is what The Noodler’s Company is all about: giving you a chance to get a quality product at a fair price.
If there was ever a controversial company in the world of luxury stationary, Noodler’s Ink would be that company. From its genesis, the American-born company had a lot of competition from its oversea cousins Namiki, Faber-Castell and Lamy and even its homegrown siblings Cross and Waterman. All of these companies have a steady fan base, and their own individually cultivated reputation and image.
Those who have experienced Noodler’s Ink’s…ink, however, have always been in conflict about whether they actually like it or not. The company has a tendency to be inconsistent in the quality of its pens and this unreliability has turned many enthusiasts away from the brand. Now, before you get out your torches, let us evaluate Noodler’s Ink fairly.
While the Pen Boutique has carried Noodler’s Ink’s ink, carrying their pens always seemed like it would bring about a Schrödinger’s Cat scenario (And frankly, whether the cat – or pen, in this case – is “alive” or “dead,” it will always be a stressful situation for everyone involved). For a long time Pen Boutique never carried Noodler’s Ink’s pens, and it ultimately seemed like a good idea. However, ever thoughtful of our public, it was decided that going out of our way to listen to the requests of the more than 40% of customers who genuinely like Noodler’s Ink’s pens, regardless of their indiscriminate effectiveness. Though they are a minority, Pen Boutique listens to each and every request sent our way. Even if uttered by a single voice, we pay attention to our customers and try to give them the best experience imaginable.
The Noodler’s company has a past decorated with extravagant inks of different shades and qualities. The list of products is so extensive that a classification system had to be developed. The “Freeze Resistant” class resists freezing temperatures far below zero; the “Eternal” class resists the hardships time such as moisture humidity and UV light; the “Bullet Proof” class is capable of resisting all known tools of forgery such as, carpet or oven cleaner, bleach, UV light wands, solvents, petrochemicals, and even water!
Interestingly enough, these classes are not set in stone. Inks can be grouped in multiple classes, such as being Freeze Resistant and Bullet Proof. (Very useful if you ever become a top secret agent and have to fight Russian spies. Or if you’re just a careful person and live somewhere cold, but the former reason is much more exciting.) All of the inks are made from a special cellulose reactive substance developed in Rochester, New York. They are all also, for the most part, waterproof, so their properties remain even when dried. The ink can be reconstituted with simple tap water! How’s that for convenient?
That’s enough about Noodler’s already well-known inks. Let’s move on to their pens. Their newest line includes treasures such as the Piston Fill Resin fountain pen, the Noodlers Ebonite fountain pen, and their roller ball counterparts. The Piston Fill Resin has an extremely classical and traditional look. It possesses a bow windowed ink chamber design that is similar to pens of the 1960’s. The piston seal is made of a unique type of nylon, which is the same material used in high-end piston fill pens. The Noodler’s Piston Filled Resin fountain pen is made from a celluloid derivative, like the inks, and boasts a variety of colors including: black, red, orange, turquoise, burgundy, and navy blue.
The Ebonite is slightly different: it has a metal cap clutch with an internal seat to prevent the more forceful writers from destroying the cap. This is a blessing for those of us who post our caps for balance, or otherwise. It also has an ebonite double fissure wide channel feed (and this is where the ebonite comes in). The pens both have a stainless steel “flexible” nib, which basically means that depending on the pressure you put on the pen, you can get a medium font, or a broad font! (Awesome, right? I was so excited when I heard about this.)
The two fountain pens also possess a rim band that protects the ebonite from the damages of long term use. The Noodler’s brand Roller Ball pen is made with an ebonite feed system, much like the other two fountain pens. The design was inspired by an 1870 style with a fine ball tip. These pens and inks are cost effective, water proof, and revivable if dried. However, the inks cannot be mixed with other, more “conventional” inks. This will cause the special properties in the Noodler’s ink to become inactive, but with the things these inks do, who needs another kind of ink? The Noodler’s ink should not only be kept away from other inks, but you should also be wary of which types of pens you put the ink in as well. There have been a few instances where the pen was bleeding through, and a few cases of nib creep. To these problems, my advice is to clean out your pen, if you have not done so already, or try the ink in another pen. If that doesn’t work then you should definitely call in and talk to Noodler’s customer service division.
These pens and inks are mostly made for your hard core writer. If you take notes at school for hours on end, the Ebonite fountain pen is the one for you. Its durability allows you to write for ages without it suffering any damage. Also, don’t forget to use a Bullet Proof-Eternal ink so that you can have the notes for a long period of time without it smudging or being washed away by liquids. (Cause I know we’ve all had that happen to us at some point.)
As a fun side note, I would like to point out the delightful names of the inks. “Habanero” is a deep sauce red named after the famous pepper used in southern dishes. “Polar Blue/Black” are named for their tolerance to extremely cold temperatures. Each of the Noodler’s Ink’s inks have their own unique name that adds a refreshing touch of flavor and individuality.
The Noodler’s ink appears to pride itself on the life span of their pens and inks. This sense of pride is not misplaced, even though there may be a few hiccups. There is nothing perfect in this world, and with that in mind I’d say that for the most part these pens and inks are pretty fantastic. If you can get past the minor issues, which every pen goes through, no matter how high-end, then you will not regret it, and your enjoyment of the product will last as long as the ink does.
