Conklin All American Fountain Pens Reviews

I purchased this pen for two reasons. First, it was on sale. Second, I wanted a pen with a extra fine nib that would be legible on cheap paper. I am very happy to report that Conklin makes a very good product. I would also like to add that Jen at Pen Chalet was very helpful when the post office seemed to have lost my purchase. It arrive at my home after one week which is not really a long time to travel across the country. I would highly recommend this pen and the Pen Chalet to anyone wanting a good product and top shelf service.

Hi, my second Conklin, but I really impressed with this model. I like it so much, more than my Conklin Duragraph, want to buy another. Happy with my pen.

I love this pen. The All-American pattern is mesmerizing. I like how it looks like confetti. It’s a big pen but it feels perfect in my hand. It doesn’t tire me out in longer writing sessions.

I love the pen, but I do NOT love the nib. I ordered Medium, which is very, very broad. I'd switch it out for a finer nib, but I don't know how and don't have the wherewithal to do it.

The All American is one of my favorite pens by Conklin. I have been watching the “Old Glory” for a long time. The photos don’t do this pen justice. The colors are much more vivid! Beautiful pen to celebrate The USA.

Wonderful pen. Has a nice hefty weight to it. Got this with the omniflex nib and it writes like a dream. The pen itself is absolutely beautiful! This is my third Conklin All American and I’m definitely planning on adding more to my collection.

Biggest pen i have. Bigger than expected but still very nice Conklin quality and nib feel. I got the lapis and its very blue, very nice.

I picked up the Conklin All-American because I've enjoyed my Duragraph and because I wanted to give Conklin's Omniflex nib a try. I have been overall very pleasantly surprised with this pen. It's beefy but not terribly long, has a nice heft to it, and an elegant, understated look.

THE GOOD
I know many people have had trouble with the omniflex, and I certainly wouldn't try and minimize their difficulties, but in my case it's been a very nice nib. The feed is very wet as one would expect with such a thirsty writer. I've never had the nib run dry. And while this is certainly not a vintage wet noodle nib, I can get a good amount of line variation out of it. And since I try to write very lightly already, I find I can use this as a daily writer without difficulty.

I also really like the Conklin spring clip. I can see why the company patented it. It's so handy and simple that I find myself attempting to squeeze the tops of some of my other pens when clipping them! I especially wish my Duragraph had this style clip. Not sure why they haven't added it to that line as well.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD
The above said, I do have a few very minor issues with the pen. First is that the cast "Conklin" logo on the clip and the engraved markings on the barrel are flipped 180 degrees from one another when the pen is capped. If you can read one the other is upside down. I suppose it means they read together when the pen is posted, but it's going to spend more of it's time capped and it makes more sense to me to have them read correctly that way.

Another is that the nib unit in mine is installed in such a way that the nib doesn't align with the barrel engraving. It's almost 90 degrees off which seems a bit sloppy. I know I can fix it, I just wish I didn't have to. As to the nib itself, my only quibble would be that I wish the tipping was ground smaller. It's basically ground as a medium nib and I wish it was a fine.

Finally, if you tighten the cap fully (clip and engraving aligned) it really locks on the barrel. I expect this will do an excellent job keeping the nib from drying out, but it can be quite a push to loosen. I've been worried I'll bend or snap the clip a couple of times.

Certainly, these aren't major issues and don't really detract from the usability but I would expect a bit better finish in a nominally $95 pen. Still, this is an excellent writer and I'm quite happy with my purchase (expecially since I got it for about 50% off! :-) )

It is a thick pen but it is light and the material is awesome. This is my first brand name pen it it write great. I would recommend it.

Really excellent pen for the money. Nibs have improved a lot since the first ones. Very happy with my Conkklin purchases. Will buy more.