Noodler's Ahab...?

[THRobinson]

I was watching a review the other day on YouTube for a Pelikan 140, because of the give away... curious to see what it was. One review I watched had a flex nib and now I want to try one.

 

review

 

So, looking for a cheap starter pen to try out... I know I won't get anything as good as that Pelikan has, but, wanted to give something a try. The Noodler's Ahab looks like a good pen to start with... just wondered if something better in that same $20-$30CAD range.

 

I was hoping there was a way to put in a different nib into something like a LAMY Safari, but I guess that's not the case (?).

[dynCysgodol]

The Noodlers Ahab is a good starter flex pen, but as it has been started on here before, it is only about semi-flex. I prefer the konrad, it fits my hand better. The Ahab is very large. You may also want to try dip pens, unless you are looking to use it as an everyday pen. Hope I helped.

[dynCysgodol]

Oh, and I forgot about the lamy. I don't know of any flex nibs that'll fit it, but you can get spare gold lamy nibs that'll fit it off of the writing desk.

[THRobinson]

I saw a few posts about modifying the Ahab pens... cutting the fins, or grinding out the sides... not sure if I wanna get a new pen and kill it by doing it wrong... but, seems a lot of people do that to improve the Ahab.

 

I always assumed that there'd be a few basic nib sizes/types and can swap nibs around in pens... now that I'm getting more into the pens, I'm sadly disappointed. Had hoped to grab that limited edition turquoise LAMY off eBay, swap the nib out for a flex but, guess not the case.

 

Ahab I liked because of the size, I'm 6'3" and have big hands (hear that ladies) so small pens are harder to hold onto.

 

I'll check out the Konrad online. Thanks.

[Lt.Tom]

It just so happens that the Ahab has a standard #6 nib. It's reasonably common. I bought my first one for exactly the same reason you're looking at it. Come to find out I don't care that much for flex nibs, but I loved the pen. I swapped a medium nib into it, wrote with it for a few days, then ordered up three more. Go ahead and play with the stock nib. If you mess it up, somewhere around here I've got an envelope full of them I can send to you.

[THRobinson]

Actually, been eyeing up the Konrad after watching a review from goulet pens... Same nib though. Not as big as the Ahab but looked to have a few improvemnts. Thanks though, after a play a while with it, I may try modifying, or switch to a normal nib like you did.

[Kataphract]

The Ahab (and pretty much any Noodler's pen) can be finicky and difficult. It does have flex. I'd toss out the rather confusing hemi-demi-semi flex terminology and be aware that while it does have a decent amount of line variation in the nib, it's a very stiff flex. Stiff flex is harder to get flowing, elegant lines and tires your hand out. Still, it can be fun to play around with, you can always swap just about any #6 nib into it, and the "ease my flex" mod (side divots similar to the Pilot 742/912 FA nib) is relatively easy and does indeed, allow the nib to flex easier.

[balson]

for an intro to flexible pens the ahab is not a bad choice. i used to be more into the konrad than the ahab, but i am beginning to think they have a stock issue with the piston cracking, the ease my flex mod is not too hard to do as long as you have a Dremel already. the harder part is deepening the feed to increase the ink flow so that it can keep up with the increased flexibility.

 

its worth noting that noodlers does sell replacement nibs and feeds now, so if it does get damaged you can get a spare.

[THRobinson]

Nib wise, are there better nibs to use? I saw someone mention a Knox k35 nib which definitely looks nice, but didn't see the word 'flex' anywhere.

 

I read vintage 24k flex nibs were the best but pricey... But must be some new affordable options available, no?

[Larry Barrieau]

Go to FP Geeks Forum and in the For Sale thread find Lexaf. Send him a message telling him that you want a flex pen. He sells vintage German pens many of them with nice flex for $30 or $35 Dollars. He restores them all to great shape. I don't think you'll find a better deal anywhere.

[THRobinson]

Go figure... was all gung-ho about the Ahab, but after seeing a few videos and liking how the Konrad looks more, I decided on the Konrad instead.

 

... and no one has any stock at all. Goulet Pens, Wonder Pens, Cult Pens, Jet Pens (doesn't even carry it anymore). Not even on eBay!

 

[J85909266]

My Ahab had a nasty habit of leaking drops of ink at any given time. It decided to do so last night when I wasn't in the mood, and it found itself in the trash.

 

That said, I have an ebonite Konrad that works perfectly, and it's one of my favorite pens. I flex all over the place with it.

Edited April 29, 2015 by J85909266

[THRobinson]

Ya, that video I watched said something about the Ahab, because of how much ink it held sometimes caused people grief.

 

VIDEO

[THRobinson]

Go to FP Geeks Forum and in the For Sale thread find Lexaf. Send him a message telling him that you want a flex pen. He sells vintage German pens many of them with nice flex for $30 or $35 Dollars. He restores them all to great shape. I don't think you'll find a better deal anywhere.

 

Done... found one of his ads, sent him an email asking about either pens or #6 nibs that may fit a Konrad. Thanks.

[edebill]

 

Ahab I liked because of the size, I'm 6'3" and have big hands (hear that ladies) so small pens are harder to hold onto.

 

I'll check out the Konrad online. Thanks.

 

I'm with you on the large hands (6'2" here). I love the Ahab. The Konrad wasn't quite large enough. The Standard/Nib Creaper was too small to hold comfortably at all.

 

I have 3 Ahabs and they've all worked flawlessly. I've got replacement nibs in 2 of them. The third is reserved for flex. Lots and lots of places sell #6 nibs that work great in the Ahab (Goulet, xfountainpens, fountainpenrevolution).

 

I haven't experimented with cutting the nib to add flex, but you can get a replacement for ~$4 IIRC, so it's not a huge risk. Maybe even buy a spare when you order the pen if you think you'll go that way.

 

One thing I will say about their stock flex nibs - you'll want to smooth them in both the closed (minimal pressure) and flexed positions. Otherwise I've wound up with roughness on the inner edges of the nib grabbing paper fibers as I flex and unflex. Get some 12000 grit micro-mesh and work on it once you've tried it a little with no changes.

[THRobinson]

I just happen to have 12000 micromesh... been restoring old smoking pipes this winter and polishing the stems.

 

I saw lots of nice nibs on that Goulet site, but not seeing anything saying flex... I have the two LAMY pens that I'll use for writing. I don't want much more than that because I don't write as much as I use to, anything more than 2-3 pens and I'll spend more time cleaning dried out pens than using them.

 

If I dislike the flex, I'll look to grab the Goulet #6 and give it a try.

 

Thought the flex nibs would be a bit easier to find but, not so much. Kinda surprising to me. Even on eBay, expected to find no-name brand cheapo flex nibs from China, but not even finding that. If you can't find generic China made stuff on eBay, you know it's not popular.

[J85909266]

Flex is cool, but 1.1 stub or italic nibs are way more practical and can produce just as nice results and more consistently. I write fast notes with one all day, and love it so much, I bought a 1.1 for my Lamy Logo, as well. I still like my Konrad flex, though. I was lucky to snag an ebonite model.

[THRobinson]

I'll be lucky to grab any model... looks like most of the stores I've checked online have no stock on any Konrad's. Heart set on that Hudson Bay Fathoms Blue... but thought I'd check other options and one after another, all came 0 stock. Weird. These things hand made by elves once a year only or something?

 

Got another thread about red inks... was going to order a bunch of samples and wanted to order the pen at the same time, friend wants one too but... looks like we'll have to wait.

 

I will keep that in mind though about the nibs... was looking at options in case I didn't like the flex, the broad Goulet nib being the top choice.

[mhphoto]

Here's a tip: don't get caught up in all the ridiculous competing definitions of what makes a flexible nib or what "real" flex is.

 

Just get an Ahab, practice, get a feel for how to make the various line widths, and then practice more. Once you have the skills for the script you'll be able to make letters and words with that same Ahab that are every bit as beautiful as what you would be able to make with a wet noodle Waterman 12.

[mike.jane]

Have you considered the fountainpenrevolution (.com) triveni with the flex nib? Including shipping and with the flex nib it's $42 I think. But FPR has sales quite often (including on their popular items like the triveni) so it might come along.

I have one Jr model with the flex nib (same nib) and I like it quite a lot. It needed a bit of widening of the feed because I wanted to use the converter and (obviously) I had to choose suitable ink, but other than that it was hassle free.

However, I have since switched to using the pen as an eyedropper. A regular converter's capacity is just so small for a flex pen that lays down a lot of ink.

 

Edit: Also the flex nib (and all my fpr nibs for that matter) are smooth and fun to use. I like these Indian made nibs.

Edited April 30, 2015 by mike.jane