Konrad, Ahab, 580, or Vac 700?

Noodlers will have the superior durability without a doubt,

I've had two TWSBI's that both broke, regular complaints about cracks are made and I'd say they're generally far less durable. They both have huge ink capacities.

Reliability wise, not considering durability and just writing, the Noodlers pens require a little working with, especially the Ahab, but not so much the Konrad.

The prices are considerably different. You can get both, or at least I can, the Noodlers pens for the same price as the 580 or Vac 700 with a few pounds left over.

Individually:

Ahab: Requires regular work, I only use it when I want a little flex writing. The ink capacity is far larger than a converter pen but lower than any of the other pens on your list. Has good flex, line variation with flex but is really a fiddlers pen. I only purchased it to tinker with and I don't recommend it as a daily writer, IT CAN BE! But I would recommend many pens before I picked this one as my daily worker.

Konrad- A more reliable, less fiddly and less flexy version, for me, of the Ahab. I'd be a little more willing to take this for everyday writing. Very wet. Still very flexible, has a great ink capacity. Still not a daily writer for me but higher on that list than the Ahab. Didn't need to fiddle with this often aside from the initial, first time.

580- Mine broke, but aside from that! Great ink capacity, decent nib, great everyday writer, bigger pen. No fiddling required unless you wanted to open it up which I wouldn't recommend doing regularly.

Vac 700- Massive ink capacity, decent nib, big pen, didn't take any fiddling at all. However, about as durable as the 580 was as mine cracked a long time ago, near the bottom IIRC.

So there you have it. Personally I wouldn't get any of these as a daily writer if I only had the choice of one. The Noodlers are not what I would classify as great daily writers, they're usually a little too wet and ineffective on cheaper paper. The TWSBI lines have always had issues that keep me from them.

HOWEVER! If you were to pick one of these as a student I would recommend the VAC 700. Less working parts, less filling required due to the ink capacity. Just don't overtighten the threads.

/r/fountainpens Thread