I'm an illustrator from Singapore. And I draw comics.
When I first found out about flex pens, I went on a wild search for the ideal or close to ideal flex fountain pen for drawing. I first got a Noodler's Ahab flex pen which did the job but it was a little stiff for me. Next, I got a Pilot Falcon EF which felt good but I soon realised that it was only considered a semi-flex. And it didn't give me a lot of line variation when I drew with it. After reading the posts on FPN and found that a vintage flex pen would give me a really good flex, I searched for a good vintage pen restorer to buy a pen from. I found a few sites that restored vintage pens. I first bought from one site which sold me a vintage flex (Waterman's wet noodle XXF-BB with a "user-grade" body, customised just for me) for US$400. I was willing to spend that amount because I wanted it to be my ultimate pen! When I got it, I realised that it turned out to be only a F-BB. But it had good flex. And it is still a very good pen. But I believe I overpaid now that I look back.
I still had not found the pen I was really looking for. As an illustrator, I just want a pen that goes from extra or extra extra fine to a nice thickness and is flexible enough that just a slight pressure would create line variations in my drawings.
I soon found Greg Minuskin's site. He sells vintage fountain pens like hotcakes. They were always gone before I could decide to buy them. So I emailed him for more information about vintage fountain pens (I'm still a newbie to fountain pens) and he was very friendly, prompt and helpful with my questions.
I believe one of the reasons why his pens sell so fast is that they are so affordable. So affordable (around US$60- $200) that I thought they might not compare with the $400 pen I had bought before. But I was wrong. I did finally manage to buy a pen from him recently and it is exactly as he described it. The hairlines are really extra fine hairlines and it flexes easily to a good thickness. I would compare the feel of it to a dip pen's g-nib, only much smoother. And it was also a Waterman's with a well-restored casing for much much much less then my other pen. It was perfect for me! It had just the right stiffness and flex to fit the speed I draw. It felt not too soft and not too hard. I've filled it with Pelican ink and used it to draw this random drawing attached. (They are sweating because it's very hot here in Singapore right now.) It's perfect for my style of drawing! And I'm really happy with it. It ranks as one of my favourite pens I use daily as an illustrator. Maybe my ideal pen.
Of course, not every artist wants an extra fine pen. So it's best to find out what you really want before picking a pen from an online store. Also, it would be wise to ask for more details about the specifications before paying since you can't try it for yourself.
I'd gladly recommend Greg to anyone looking for affordable, well-restored, get-your-money's-worth vintage pens with great customer service included!
Oh, take note that there is a US$20 shipping fee on top of the pen to Singapore. It comes safely wrapped up with a tracking number.
