Conid Bulkfiller King Size: Demonstrator Flat Top
Introduction
I like demonstrators pens. They are unassuming and, aesthetically speaking they get out of the way of their primary function: writing (or drawing, as the case may be).
With that in mind, it makes sense that the Conid Bulkfiller appeals to me. Conid seem to focus on demonstrators, and probably deliberately so: It’s the Bulkfiller system that makes them compelling and demonstrators allow it to be seen and appreciated.
Knowing myself, if I were to order the Regular I’m sure I would have liked it. But I also know I’d yearn for the larger version: The King Size. And so that’s what I purchased. In a similar vein, I didn’t want to agonize about nibs —so I ordered both titanum and gold rather than just one or the other. The nibs are a substantial number #8, and are manufactured in Germany by Bock.
The Conid website is organized by model, and then trim choices. Once you select your model and trim, the order details screen allows one to choose nibs, tools and nib options like custom grinds to extra-fine or stub.
A quick note about the tools: They are optional, when some have criticized the fact that they aren’t included. I tend to agree —however it’s also nice to not be forced to buy them should you buy another Bulkfiller down the road. For example, I have many little TWSBI plastic wrenches lying around. I can see the logic both ways.
With that in mind, it makes sense that the Conid Bulkfiller appeals to me. Conid seem to focus on demonstrators, and probably deliberately so: It’s the Bulkfiller system that makes them compelling and demonstrators allow it to be seen and appreciated.
Knowing myself, if I were to order the Regular I’m sure I would have liked it. But I also know I’d yearn for the larger version: The King Size. And so that’s what I purchased. In a similar vein, I didn’t want to agonize about nibs —so I ordered both titanum and gold rather than just one or the other. The nibs are a substantial number #8, and are manufactured in Germany by Bock.
The Conid website is organized by model, and then trim choices. Once you select your model and trim, the order details screen allows one to choose nibs, tools and nib options like custom grinds to extra-fine or stub.
A quick note about the tools: They are optional, when some have criticized the fact that they aren’t included. I tend to agree —however it’s also nice to not be forced to buy them should you buy another Bulkfiller down the road. For example, I have many little TWSBI plastic wrenches lying around. I can see the logic both ways.
General Specs & Size Comparison
The Conid King Size Bulkfiller is a large, or oversized pen.
Here are the published dimensions from conidpen.com, as well as conversion to cm and inches. (When researching pen sizes, I find that manufacturers publish dimensions in a variety of units. This might save you some time doing math.)
Here are the published dimensions from conidpen.com, as well as conversion to cm and inches. (When researching pen sizes, I find that manufacturers publish dimensions in a variety of units. This might save you some time doing math.)
- |
mm |
cm |
inches |
Capped |
147.0 |
14.70 |
5.8 |
Open |
139.5 |
13.95 |
5.5 |
Posted |
172.5 |
17.25 |
6.79 |
Comparison Images
Filling System Compared
The Conid Bulk Filler can be compared to two types of pens: piston and vacuum fillers. This is because it is indeed a piston filler, but due to the nature of it’s innovative design, the Conid fills to a capacity exceeding even vacuum fillers.
Of these two types of filling systems, I’ll compare the Conid to pens that I have personal experience with. (I won’t compare to Visconti, for example, as I have no first hand experience with them.)
Since the filling system is what really sets the Bulkfiller apart, that’s the focus of these comparisons:
The images below illustrate the the fundamental difference in capacity due to the bulkfiller system, and a rough comparison of ink capacities across a range of popular pen types.
Of these two types of filling systems, I’ll compare the Conid to pens that I have personal experience with. (I won’t compare to Visconti, for example, as I have no first hand experience with them.)
Since the filling system is what really sets the Bulkfiller apart, that’s the focus of these comparisons:
- Standard International Converter
- Pilot Con-70 Converter
- TWSBI Eco
- Pelikan M800
- TWSBI Eco
- TWSBI Vac700
- Pilot Custom 823
The images below illustrate the the fundamental difference in capacity due to the bulkfiller system, and a rough comparison of ink capacities across a range of popular pen types.
In this illustration, the two ink chambers are very roughly the same size. Note the increase in capacity afforded by the Bulkfiller system versus the Pelikan M805. True to most piston fillers, a significant portion of the barrel is used not for ink but for the plunger mechanism.
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This is to provide a simple illustration of a handful of ink capacities.
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The Nib(s)
I like a good nib. They’re cool, most are beautiful and on top of that they represent the functional essence of the fountain pen.
That means they make or break a pen. Perhaps there are those who collect pens and are satisfied owning a sub-optimal writing pen that might sit in a display case.
Not me. I use my pens and demand that they write and that they write well.
My experience with nibs is that they can be quite finicky, particularly the softer gold. Long ago I discovered, expensively, that even the “nicest” pens require nib adjustment out of the box.
I ordered a handful of nibs as I knew I’d want to experiment and switch things up from time-to-time. After all, a significant design and marketing angle of the Conid brand is that their pens are functional; utilitarian. So I’d have been remiss to just order one nib and hope that I’d be eternally satisfied with it.
Titanium Overview
Titanium is nice to write with. I don’t share the experience of others in that the titanium seems soft. I found it to be softer than steel, sure, but it was not flexible like the gold. This may be due to the size. For example, Pelikan M800 nibs and M1000 nibs are said to have a very disparate level of flex even at the same nib width. So perhaps the Bock #8 has different characteristics than it's smaller #6 cousin.
In any case, while the titanium doesn’t have that indestructible quality like steel, I feel like I can really push them for normal writing. Meaning, non-flex writing.
One thing I noticed about both titanium nibs is that they don’t have feedback so much as they do resistance. I realize that’s not a normal way nibs are described, but I don’t feel vibration or friction. The nib writes smoothly; but imagine dragging a flathead screwdriver across a smooth granite countertop versus dragging a flathead screwdriver across a smooth rubber mat.
Titanium Fine
This nib is quite good, if a little bit ink starved. It’s barely noticeable —but it is noticeable. I had a little luck pulling the tines apart, and I’m sure I can tune it to be as juicy as I’d like. (Luckily it does not appear to be over polished.)
Titanium Broad
The broad is a little much for my style, but I decided to give it a shot. It’s fairly juicy and the line is about as broad as one might expect compared to the fine.
Gold Overview
I love the rhodinated look, and unlike steel there’s a bit of spring to the gold. These Bock nibs are beautiful but weren’t without issue.
I find that Pilot and Sailor gold nibs give me the least issues right out of the box. I have a fair number of Pilot pens and I don’t think any of them gave me issues right out of the box. (I mention steel, but worth noting steel is not an option in the #8 size. I was just speaking in general terms.)
18k Fine
This one writes pretty well. I had to tune it a little, and I'll probably end up polishing it a bit. Overall it works well and the line width is as I'd expect from a German fine.
18k Medium
This one gave me some trouble. It absolutely gushed ink at first and I was a bit let down. I had to bring the tines closer together, which took some time and patience. The breakthrough came when I removed the nib, flipped it over, and carefully pressed it into a pad of paper along its longest axis. Over and over, testing frequently. (I also crossed the tines but I didn’t get much result from that technique, probably because I was timid. Seemed too easy to cause serious damage.)
I am happy to report that the nib writes nicely now, albeit a little wider than I'd have liked. It helps that I sought dry inks. In terms of reigning in the flow, I found that Akkerman works really, really well in this nib.
Counter intuitively, this nib is much springier than the fine gold nib. Prior to tuning it flexed very noticeably with little pressure.
That means they make or break a pen. Perhaps there are those who collect pens and are satisfied owning a sub-optimal writing pen that might sit in a display case.
Not me. I use my pens and demand that they write and that they write well.
My experience with nibs is that they can be quite finicky, particularly the softer gold. Long ago I discovered, expensively, that even the “nicest” pens require nib adjustment out of the box.
I ordered a handful of nibs as I knew I’d want to experiment and switch things up from time-to-time. After all, a significant design and marketing angle of the Conid brand is that their pens are functional; utilitarian. So I’d have been remiss to just order one nib and hope that I’d be eternally satisfied with it.
Titanium Overview
Titanium is nice to write with. I don’t share the experience of others in that the titanium seems soft. I found it to be softer than steel, sure, but it was not flexible like the gold. This may be due to the size. For example, Pelikan M800 nibs and M1000 nibs are said to have a very disparate level of flex even at the same nib width. So perhaps the Bock #8 has different characteristics than it's smaller #6 cousin.
In any case, while the titanium doesn’t have that indestructible quality like steel, I feel like I can really push them for normal writing. Meaning, non-flex writing.
One thing I noticed about both titanium nibs is that they don’t have feedback so much as they do resistance. I realize that’s not a normal way nibs are described, but I don’t feel vibration or friction. The nib writes smoothly; but imagine dragging a flathead screwdriver across a smooth granite countertop versus dragging a flathead screwdriver across a smooth rubber mat.
Titanium Fine
This nib is quite good, if a little bit ink starved. It’s barely noticeable —but it is noticeable. I had a little luck pulling the tines apart, and I’m sure I can tune it to be as juicy as I’d like. (Luckily it does not appear to be over polished.)
Titanium Broad
The broad is a little much for my style, but I decided to give it a shot. It’s fairly juicy and the line is about as broad as one might expect compared to the fine.
Gold Overview
I love the rhodinated look, and unlike steel there’s a bit of spring to the gold. These Bock nibs are beautiful but weren’t without issue.
I find that Pilot and Sailor gold nibs give me the least issues right out of the box. I have a fair number of Pilot pens and I don’t think any of them gave me issues right out of the box. (I mention steel, but worth noting steel is not an option in the #8 size. I was just speaking in general terms.)
18k Fine
This one writes pretty well. I had to tune it a little, and I'll probably end up polishing it a bit. Overall it works well and the line width is as I'd expect from a German fine.
18k Medium
This one gave me some trouble. It absolutely gushed ink at first and I was a bit let down. I had to bring the tines closer together, which took some time and patience. The breakthrough came when I removed the nib, flipped it over, and carefully pressed it into a pad of paper along its longest axis. Over and over, testing frequently. (I also crossed the tines but I didn’t get much result from that technique, probably because I was timid. Seemed too easy to cause serious damage.)
I am happy to report that the nib writes nicely now, albeit a little wider than I'd have liked. It helps that I sought dry inks. In terms of reigning in the flow, I found that Akkerman works really, really well in this nib.
Counter intuitively, this nib is much springier than the fine gold nib. Prior to tuning it flexed very noticeably with little pressure.
Using some Noodler's Bernake Blue-Black, I wrote out some simple samples on Tomoe River paper.
Why Conid?
There are other, less expensive, demonstrators out there. Some of them hold a respectable amount of ink and have nice nibs. So why get a Conid?
- It’s a purpose-designed product created by people who recognized a need, or simply wanted to innovate and improve upon what they saw in the market. Whereas larger companies, especially in the fountain pen world, move at a glacial speed. It's exciting to see something new, in short.
- Most products these days are thrown away when obsolete or replaced. While fountain pens are special in and of themselves, on account of being a niche product, they can still be mass produced commodities. Very few would cry over the loss of a Platinum Preppy, or even a Pilot Metropolitan —just order a new one on Amazon and get on with it. But something made one at a time, specific for a customer, is special. While clearly there are differences between a Conid and a urushi lacquered pen, there is a similar sentiment.
- It was built for me. I was able to tailor the aesthetic somewhat and I didn’t have to compromise on nib width or finish. I didn't just have to buy whatever came off the conveyer belt.
