I just want to start off by saying that in all honesty, I feel that I am super easy to please. Have I liked every pen that I’ve ever owned? Absolutely not… However, there is one pen, and only one pen that has ever made it on to my “Hate” list… The Conklin Duragraph Red Nights with an Omniflex nib. To be fair the pen itself might actually be great, its the nib/feed combination that I like many others have taken issue with.

Conklin Duragraph Red Nights with an Omniflex Nib Uncapped

I remember there was a lot of buzz surrounding the Omniflex nib, I feel like there wasn’t a forum, Facebook group, or another pen enthusiast channel that in one way or another hadn’t been talking about this nib. I ordered mine, I was ecstatic, I could hardly contain my excitement. A single hour is all it took for me to be stricken with a level of buyer’s remorse that I had never experienced before.

My Red Nights, suffered from hard starts, burping, rail-roading, and most of the time it just doesn’t write at all. In short, it was a complete and utter nightmare to write with. I flushed it, flossed it, and tried different inks, yet nothing seemed to work. I think the issue is simply that the feed cannot keep up with the nib…

I had to prep the feed in order to get it to write at all

I swore to myself that I was done with the Omniflex, or so I thought. Lately, there has been rumblings that there is an updated Omniflex nib in circulation. Which I must admit, piqued my interest. But why? The answer is simple, I love a good flex nib, and I’m looking for a modern solution, to a vintage problem. I have some amazing vintage flex pens, but some of these pens are over 100 hundred years old, not what one would consider an everyday carry worthy. I would also like a flex pen that didn’t wreak… I’m looking at you Noodler’s!

So I did what anyone else in my shoes would do, I ordered a new pen! Now that I’m a little more well versed in the fountain pen hobby, I figured that if I absolutely hate this new pen (that is gorgeous by the way) I’ll simply replace the nib and cut my losses.

I love me a Matte Black Pen!!

The new pen I ordered is the new Limited Edition Black Matte/Rose Gold a Goulet Pens Exclusive with the Omniflex nib. It is visually stunning, I love matte black pens, and this one is just killer. For 60 dollars with a free bottle of Monteverde ink, this was a pretty simple decision for me.

Initial testing has me floored! I have been trying very hard to push the new nib to the limit. I have been unsuccessful in replicating the horrible writing experience with the Matte Black Pen that I had with the Red Nights. I have been using this pen all day and honestly it is completely night and day between the two. It is a little inconsistent with the amount of ink that it lays on the page, but it writes!

So impressed…



Is this the best flex pen I own? Absolutely not, however it is really good, which believe me is something that I never thought that I would say about the Omniflex. I will continue to use this pen, and I will post an update but I am trying my best to remain optimistic. As for my Red Nights… That now has a Medium Goulet Pens #6 Nibs, there is no saving it from itself.

Omniflex No More…

Thank you for reading, please feel free to share your thoughts, as well as any suggestions you might have.