Opinions on the Noodlers Ahab?

[Wolfman Zack]

I’ve been thinking about getting a Noodlers Ahab, but don’t know a lot about them other than that they generally need some tinkering to work right.
I’m not particularly interested in flex, so I’d likely replace the nib either with an EF JoWo that I already have in the drawer, or perhaps with a 1.1mm or 1.5mm stub, which I’d need to order.

Now for my particular questions and concerns....

Is there any difference between the clear and opaque bodied pens?
I like the creepers cobalt translucent busy, as well as the green mountain or pumpkin poltergeist solid colors, so if there is a difference that would sway me towards whichever tends to be a better choice.

As I understand it, the feed tends to be on the wet side typically, is this true?
If so, would the EF nib be alright, or would a stub be a better choice?

Finally, does the pen hold up alright overall?
I try to be careful with hem, but I prefer somewhat durable pens, as I tend to carry my fountain pens rather than just keeping them at a desk or in a case.

Thanks.

[Dragonmaster Lou]

I'm also curious about experiences with the Ahab. I have a Goulet F nib that I want to stick in a pen (after it being stuck in two Jinhaos that completely fell apart on me -- I'm never buying Jinhaos again unless I consider them glorified "disposable" pens).

[Pterodactylus]

As long as you do not have advanced flex expectations they should be fine.
Mine (with the flex nib) worked fine using them as just fine nib pens.

Be aware that these pens smell really ugly when they are new (up to several months)
This smell for me is really bad (almost make me puke) but others don’t percept it that bad.

Don´t have high material quality expectations, they are sturdy, they work (most of them ) , but mainly you get what you pay for.

Using them as “real” flex pens, more than just squeezing out a little line variation every now and then need modifications from nib and feed and some patience to tinker arround with it.
If you are interested in that path you can look at the EMF (Ease My Flex) thread on FPN.

[Blue Note]

I have two of them neither of which ever gets used. One has serious flow issues that I have been unable to resolve, the other has a nib that scratches like a nail. No amount of tuning has improved it. I did have an expectation of flex, which is possible if you press hard enough. On the other hand, I have two Pilot Metropolitans with medium nibs that are the most consistent out-of-the-box writers I own. They cost about the same as the stinky, useless Ahabs. You might be better of with a Lamy Safari with their 1.1mm stub. A bit more money, but a lot more pen IMHO.

[Pterodactylus]

I have two of them neither of which ever gets used. One has serious flow issues that I have been unable to resolve, the other has a nib that scratches like a nail. No amount of tuning has improved it. I did have an expectation of flex, which is possible if you press hard enough. On the other hand, I have two Pilot Metropolitans with medium nibs that are the most consistent out-of-the-box writers I own. They cost about the same as the stinky, useless Ahabs. You might be better of with a Lamy Safari with their 1.1mm stub. A bit more money, but a lot more pen IMHO.

Good point, if somebody is not interested in flex the Ahab is not really an interesting pen.

Quality, nib, construction and material wise he can’t compete not even close with a Lamy Safari (it is what it is a cheap Indian pen and only the flex nib make it kind of attractive)

Some time ago I bought a Lamy Safari Demonstrator for my son.
A really nice pen, good materials, design, construction, nib.
But don‘t forget to order a Z28 or Z26 Converter (both fit) for it, as no one is included.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Mine actually writes okay, it looks good (transparent azure blue), and the filler works.

It just...smells. And I have to lean on it to get any of the so-called flex. I keep it to use with Noodler's inks.

[AzJon]

I had one for a while. The smell from the vegetable resin never went away. It's on ok pen, but nothing particularly special.

Were I to buy another lower cost pen, I would probably get something from Fountain Pen Revolution. Their prices are good and FPRs stub nibs are really great. I would recommend them over Noodler's every single time.

[Kulprit]

I rather like mine. I do use it for flex and I've also thrown Jowo F and 1.5mm nibs on it before. I don't find it to be as persnickety as some people, and even then the issues are almost entirely within the context of getting good flow for flex. If you're just going to stick a #6 on there then you shouldn't have any flow issues (I wouldn't expect).

I have the clear demonstrator. I'd say it's pretty darn durable and I LOVE that the entire pen can be disassembled for cleaning. I use it primarily for testing out new inks so I really want it completely clean between fills.

The size is very good for my hands and it has a generous ink capacity, so it's good for long writing sessions.

That's the good. Now the bad.

It's smells like ass. Not literally, mind you, but in some ways worse than literal ass. The smell on mine has diminished but it hasn't gone away, and at this point I no longer expect it will.

Mine seems particularly prone to thermal expansion. Even if you don't eye dropper it, after a long, hot day with it in your shirt pocket, expect to find an unpleasant amount of ink in the cap and on the section.

While it's nice that you can disassemble the piston/plunger to grease the seal, you'll find that this is actually a necessary step. Otherwise the piston/plunger will freeze-up in the reservoir and require a fair amount of force to move. This can lead to all sorts of messiness. So keep it greased.

Did I mention the smell? And did I mention that the smell attaches itself to you?

I will say that anecdotal reports are that certain colors smell less than others. I can't say whether that's true, but my Colbalt Creaper (lovely color, since you asked) Nib Creaper has an odor far less pungent than my clear Ahab or two clear Charlies. A coworker has a red demonstrator Ahab (I don't recall the name of that color) and I can't smell his unless I hold it up to my face.

While I do really like my Ahab and would heartily recommend one to someone else, I still ended up buying an ebonite Konrad to use as a vehicle for my #6 nibs. It's a better pen for that purpose and it doesn't stink (not even of ebonite, strangely). I think the Ahab is a great pen and I can't think of anything else decent in that price range that would accept a #6 nib (I'm enjoying my Nemosine Singularity, but it is a little small), but you need to know what you're getting into.

And FWIW, I went down this same road with the Safari but I just couldn't find anything to love about that pen.


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[although]

I have an Ahab that I've always been quite happy with. I also like the stock nib quite well as a writer (it's not much to look at). Flex writing isn't required. For normal writing, mine is a nice wet fine nib with a bit of bounce that makes it feel smoother than other fines I've tried. I'm just saying, if you get one, don't just order a replacement nib at the same time. The stock nib might be all you need.

I use mine as a knock-about pen. During the summertime, when I rarely wear a shirt with a pocket, my Ahab is my official jeans-pocket pen. It is pretty sturdy, and I don't feel like it's going to break if I sit on it. Also, it didn't cost so much that I would be hurt if it did break. I can smell it if I hold it under my nose... I think that folks exaggerate about the smell. It's just a plasticky smell. It doesn't smell like ass. Granted, most pens don't smell at all. So, there's that.

It holds a bunch of ink, it writes well and reliably. All that being said, I know of a brand new Konrad that would not write at all, and required a feed replacement to get it sorted out (replacement feeds $5 at Goulet) So, yeah, there are some QC issues that make the purchase a bit of a gamble.

Anyway, I really like my Ahab. But, I agree that a Safari is a safer purchase if you just can't bear the thought of having to troubleshoot problems in a 30 dollar pen... I have a Safari as well. It does everything that it says on the tin. But, I use my Ahab a lot more for some reason.

cheers!

[Wolfman Zack]

I rather like mine. I do use it for flex and I've also thrown Jowo F and 1.5mm nibs on it before. I don't find it to be as persnickety as some people, and even then the issues are almost entirely within the context of getting good flow for flex. If you're just going to stick a #6 on there then you shouldn't have any flow issues (I wouldn't expect).

I have the clear demonstrator. I'd say it's pretty darn durable and I LOVE that the entire pen can be disassembled for cleaning. I use it primarily for testing out new inks so I really want it completely clean between fills.

The size is very good for my hands and it has a generous ink capacity, so it's good for long writing sessions.

That's the good. Now the bad.

It's smells like ass. Not literally, mind you, but in some ways worse than literal ass. The smell on mine has diminished but it hasn't gone away, and at this point I no longer expect it will.

Mine seems particularly prone to thermal expansion. Even if you don't eye dropper it, after a long, hot day with it in your shirt pocket, expect to find an unpleasant amount of ink in the cap and on the section.

While it's nice that you can disassemble the piston/plunger to grease the seal, you'll find that this is actually a necessary step. Otherwise the piston/plunger will freeze-up in the reservoir and require a fair amount of force to move. This can lead to all sorts of messiness. So keep it greased.

Did I mention the smell? And did I mention that the smell attaches itself to you?

I will say that anecdotal reports are that certain colors smell less than others. I can't say whether that's true, but my Colbalt Creaper (lovely color, since you asked) Nib Creaper has an odor far less pungent than my clear Ahab or two clear Charlies. A coworker has a red demonstrator Ahab (I don't recall the name of that color) and I can't smell his unless I hold it up to my face.

While I do really like my Ahab and would heartily recommend one to someone else, I still ended up buying an ebonite Konrad to use as a vehicle for my #6 nibs. It's a better pen for that purpose and it doesn't stink (not even of ebonite, strangely). I think the Ahab is a great pen and I can't think of anything else decent in that price range that would accept a #6 nib (I'm enjoying my Nemosine Singularity, but it is a little small), but you need to know what you're getting into.

And FWIW, I went down this same road with the Safari but I just couldn't find anything to love about that pen.


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Thank you for the detailed post.
I tend to agree on the Safari, I tried to like it, but the grip isn’t that comfortable for me, and overall I just didn’t enjoy the pen that much.
My main interest in the Ahab is partly the price point, and also that it is easy to maintain and work on.
I wasn’t aware of the unpleasant smell however, and that’s something I will need to take note of.

[SIR]

I'd say it's pretty darn durable and I LOVE that the entire pen can be disassembled

The threads on the fittings are shallow to begin with and wear quickly, mine lasted about 6 months (and that is a generous estimate) before i could no longer plunger fill without the main parts coming apart.

That said, the flex nib is good for practice and the pen holds a good fill of ink.

[chalkdust]

I like and use my Ahab. I do not do much flexing, really at all. I just use it as an ordinary fountain pen. I bought the 308 cartridges for it because they have screw on caps. So when I travel by air I remove the cartridge, cap it, and put it back on after I land. No mess, no fuss, no issues with travel. I do not carry any pens in my shirt pocket. The smell went away within weeks, not months (mine is the black and white swirly one). I have learned how to remove and replace and reposition the nib and feed, so cleaning is simple. And flow issues, if they happen, are my fault and are fixed by me. It is neither my best nor my worst pen, but it is very useful. If I had to rank my pens, it would be closer to my best than to my worst. I would not like to lose it, and if I did, I would replace it.

[Giant_Pens_Are_Silly]

To me, the smell is like a wet dog sprinkled with baby powder. Not terribly offensive, but unpleasant and hard to ignore.

[Jon Szanto]

Junk. A complete waste of money. There are far, far better pens to purchase even if you keep within that price point. I'd say that even if someone were dead set on a flex experience, and if you are going to swap nibs, I wouldn't even give this a second's notice.

[KrazyIvan]

My Noodler's pens smell like someone used vomit for ink. Yeah, it's gross. It's like The Matrix, no one can tell you about it, it needs to be smelled for yourself. 😝 I got my Ahab to write consistently and it's okay. Once you experience true soft flex, it's hard to go back to Noodlers flex. As a starting point though, it's okay. The problem is if you get used to the pressure required to flex the Noodler's nib, you might apply too much pressure on a true flex nib and damage it. So keep that in mind.

[Kaputnik]

I bought two Goulet #6 nibs with the idea of trying them in my two Ahabs. Interestingly, one of the Ahabs wouldn't take the nib; it was always too loose. The other one was fine. The Goulet nibs are now in a Schraede "Tactical" fountain pen and a Jinhao 159, both of which work just fine with them, although they don't get used much anyway, because I have better pens. The original nibs are back in the Ahabs, which don't get used because I don't like them at all.

I did tweak the Ahabs to where they wrote somewhat acceptably, but they have a tendency to dry out much too quickly, and need persuasion to start. Probably a cap sealing problem, and with inconsistent QC, not every Ahab owner may experience it. On top of that, I like slimmer pens.

The comments on the smell are interesting. Either there is a variance in QC, and I didn't get two of the smelly ones, or there is a variance in people's sensory receptors. I just find it interesting how what is disgusting to one person will often be barely noticeable to another. I've never seen someone write that the Ahab actually smelled pleasant, so I'll leave that possibility out.

I spent so much time fiddling with other aspects of the pen, that I don't remember much about trying the flex. I've since acquired some vintage pens that have noticeable amounts of relatively effortless flex, but for now I'm not really into exploring the possibilities of that. I just write for the sake of what I'm writing, and don't fiddle much with the calligraphic aspect of it.

Short answer, based on personal experience, I don't recommend getting an Ahab. You won't waste a lot of money, but you'll waste some money.

[countrydirt]

Junk. A complete waste of money. There are far, far better pens to purchase even if you keep within that price point. I'd say that even if someone were dead set on a flex experience, and if you are going to swap nibs, I wouldn't even give this a second's notice.

Wait, how do you really feel about the Ahab?

[Jon Szanto]

Junk. A complete waste of money. There are far, far better pens to purchase even if you keep within that price point. I'd say that even if someone were dead set on a flex experience, and if you are going to swap nibs, I wouldn't even give this a second's notice.

Wait, how do you really feel about the Ahab?

And they're ugly.

[VertOlive]

I had an Ahab for as long as it took to sell it again to get it out of my life.

Do not be fooled by the siren call of its specious resemblance to an authentic flex pen.

Do not expect consistent ink flow.

Don't even hope it will stay in one piece long enough for you to forget what you paid for it.

It's top of my list for Most Awful Experience With a New Pen. Ever.

[Runnin_Ute]

Don't have a Ahab, but do have a Konrad. My experience was it was a decent writer out of the box (or mine was), smell of the resin wasn't horrible. At least not as bad as I had heard. Still have it, but changed from the stock nib to a Goulet branded Jowo in broad. Currently inked with KWZI 150 Confederation Brown. Maybe Konrad and Ahab are a bit different in that regard.

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