Noodler's Ahab Vs Konrad

[FoszFay]

Which pen do you like more, why? Do the perform the same, if not which one is better/worse?

Thanks in advance.

[savingbirds]

They should perform similar, if not the same. Go with the Konrad if you want a piston-filler, but I personally like the Ahab more, as its size fits my hand better.

[iliadodyssey]

Same nib and feed on both. It is mostly up to what size of pen you like or what kind of filler you want.

[Namo]

Mostly same performers. The filling systems are equaliy working and hold a lot of ink. Personnaly, I like the Konrad better, but it's only a matter of personnal preferences. You can turn the Ahab into a ED filler, I don't think you can with the Konrad. Th Konrad comes in different materials (that kind of celluloïd and ebonite); to my knowledge, this is not the case with the Ahab.

[pienaar]

With the konrad not having a slot for the nib to seat into is it easier to adjust then the Ahab? Or does that nib slot make it better?

[Namo]

I was successful in putting a Waterman Super 6 nib (Le Man's nib) into a Konrad body. I am not sure that would be possible with the Ahab, but I don't own any of these anymore, and switched nibs only with Bocks number 6 (that are bigger than the Waterman's Super 6 nib).

[Ted A]

I like the Ahab's form much more. In fact its one of my favorites.

[Jeremiah]

As the above posters said, it's mainly up to personal preference. However, I have heard that the Ahab is made out of a material that emits a certain unpleasant smell (I'm not a Noodler's connoisseur, so I wouldn't know if that issue's been fixed or not). Also, here is a video about both the Ahab and Konrad (for the Flex Pen versions), courtesy of Goulet Pens.

Edited December 26, 2012 by Jeremiah

[pienaar]

As the above posters said, it's mainly up to personal preference. However, I have heard that the Ahab is made out of a material that emits a certain unpleasant smell (I'm not a Noodler's connoisseur, so I wouldn't know if that issue's been fixed or not).

 

The material you speak about is used so the pen will decompose in the landfill. It is made so the pen can be friendly to the environment. For the record it is only an issue for those who live in an urban environment. Those who live on farms, live with many things that make the smell of this pen a non-issue LOL :roflmho:

[Bo Bo Olson]

Take up smoking, and you won't smell anything.

Course my Ahab may have just been a non-stinker.

[inkstainedruth]

I haven't tried an Ahab, but I suspect that I would not like it as well as a Konrad. I really like the piston fill a lot, and it's just enough smaller that it is a perfect size for my hand.

Although I must say that the new Ahab colors are really cool (I wonder if we can talk Nathan into doing Knrads in some of those...). I'm actually considering buying another Flex-Piston, even though they're smaller, just to get some of the pearl colors.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Margana]

The Ahab's Pearl has lost its aroma after a couple of weeks on my desk. The Konrad Tahitian Pearl has not. Both are free-flowing and required no adjustments to function as they should. At the price point, either is hard to beat.

[kuroba]

Personally, I liked the Konrad better. The Ahab is too big for my hands, the piston-filler from the Konrad is more fun for me (it is my first piston filler and I feel like I had to do less tinkering and adjusting on the Konrad than the Ahab, but yeah, YMMV. Both are really great value pens.

[Belles-lettres]

Having both pens, I have a distinct preference - but of course your mileage may vary.

 

No one has mentioned how differently they balance. For my hand, the Ahab suffers from being posted but the Konrad requires it.

 

My Konrad is ebonite and after a few minutes of writing, the feel of the pen's surface is warm and quite distinct from the Ahab.

 

The Konrad has a clear ink section which I find very handy to monitor the ink level and between identical pens, immediately know which one contains which ink.

 

According to Brian Goulet the ink capacities are;

Konrad 1.3 ml

Ahab 1.9 ml

 

That's quite a difference in the numbers of words you can write on one tank.

 

Just my two pence worth. Am pleased with both.

[dogpoet]

Myself, I'd have said that the other Goulet pen (the nib creaper piston filler) is a better pen than either. If that one held a decent amount of ink, there wouldn't be any need for the other two designs at all...

[Silvermink]

I prefer the size of the Ahab. If there were a piston-filler Ahab that would be pretty awesome, though the Ahab's filler is quite serviceable and holds a decent amount of ink.

[stuartk]

I have a couple of Ahabs and 4 or 5 Konrads, including an Ebonite one. I prefer the Konrads. I call them Poor Man's Pelikans, and I carry them much more often than my Peli M200 or M605.

YMMV

[inkstainedruth]

Just for curiosity's sake, now that the Konrad is out in some of the pearl colors:

I noticed that the Poseidon Pearl Konrad seems to be a slightly different hue (more lavender blue) than the Poseidon Pearl Ahab (which looks bluer) in the photos on the Goulet Pens website. Is this just my imagination? Is it a slight variation in the way the two photos were taken (different lighting conditions, etc.)? Or are they really slightly different? Given the variety between batches of various Noodler's inks, it would not surprise me at all if there were differences between the dye lots of the block material before it was turned. But is there any way for someone to actually do a physical side by side comparison? I'm waffling between several different colors for my next Konrad, and the photos make the color look fairly different from the color the Ahab from which the photo is taken.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth