This is an introduction to the wonderful, frustrating, and often expensive world of flexible fountain pens. These pens have bendy nibs that allow for line variation, something taken for granted by those accustomed to using dip pens, but few and far between in the fountain pen universe.

Here are flex pens that I recommend:

Noodler's Ahab (or Conrad): Excellent starter flex pen, made even better with a ultraflexnib from Fountain Pen Revolution.

TWSBI 580 AL with a #5.5 ultra flex nib from Fountain Pen Revolution: For some reason the feed on the TWSBI pen keeps up perfectly with additional ink needs of the flexible feed. A perfect combo.

Pilot Falcon: This pen is a bit pricy (usually around 150) bucks, but it's a very smooth, reliable pen for drawing, with just enough flex to keep things interesting.

The top three pens can (and should) be bought for Gouletpens.com. This is a fantastic online retailer with a great selection of pens, inks, accessories that also produces great instructional videos. Their videos are what initially sparked my interest in fountain pens and I am eternally grateful for it.

Pilot 912 with an FA nib. This is widely considered to be one of the best "modern" flex pens. I did have an issue with the feed not providing enough ink when I first bought it. This was remedied by buying a special feed from Flexible Nib factory, (flexiblenib.com).

Vintage flex pens are a giant topic that I'm not really qualified to discuss. but here are some pens that I've purchased after much research that have proven to be excellent, durable performers.

Montblanc 342 G: This Pen has a similar flex as the Pilot Falcon, but runs a little drier, which I like. It has a built in piston and a little ink window, which are very useful. And even though this a fancy Montblanc, it's an entry level model that is affordable. Just make sure you get the one with G after 342, indicating that it has a gold nib.

Pelikan 140: This another very reliable German pen with a semi flex nib. I got this pen from this great seller: thepenguinpen.com. Keep in mind that these pens (even the extra fine) will run broader than their Japanese equivalents. My extrafine writes like a Japanese medium.

Waterman 52: This commonly available pen is one of the best flexpens out there, but is usually subject to bidding wars on Ebay, which can drive up the price. The only drawback is that they're antiques. I really feel the need to be careful with them, which is not what you want in a studio tool. Furthermore, they have antiquated filling systems that use rubber ink sacs, making them difficult to clean and maintain. This pen is a relatively recent purchase and works great, but I imagine that at some point I will have to take it to some specialist to have it serviced (which will probably be costly).

Wahl Gold Seal: This is another commonly available, very flexible and smooth pen. Same drawbacks as the Waterman, however. These are old pens from the 20's, and I feel uncomfortable taking them out of my studio, which is really the whole point of having fountain pens in the first place.