How Do You Like Your Ahab?

[Witsius]

I'm contemplating the purchase of an Ahab. How do you like yours?

[Mon34480]

Nothing too special, in general they require quite a bit of tinkering before they can write at an adequate level which is to be expected at that price range.

 

Only major issue I had with mine is the horrible smell which can be described as a mix of vomit and toothpaste and it stayed even after months of use. I believe I ended up giving it away to a friend.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Alteyz

[Tas]

They have an inordinate amount of beguiling charm. One day you'll want to bin it, the next you'll be fishing it out and using nothing else for a week.

 

They are very special to me and some of my finest sketches have been done with them and Nib Creepers.

(never got on with my Konrad, our biorhythms must be different )

 

Buy one and join in the fun . . .

[rutherfordr]

I can't stand it. I don't like the feel of the nib, the size & shape of the pen, or the way you have to fiddle with it to make it work. Even the smell is horrible.

 

I don't feel cheated, though. It was worth $20 to be able to write with the pen for a couple of weeks and figure out whether it works for me, but I'll never use it again.

 

In fact, I doubt I'll buy another Noodler's pen again. There are too many other fantastic options out there.

[Helen350]

I'm contemplating the purchase of an Ahab. How do you like yours?

 

If, indeed, you do purchase an Ahab, take the pen and place it in a small sandwich bag filled with baking soda. I also take the cap off and fill it with baking soda. Leave it there for a couple of day and the smell will be almost gone. I keep my zip lock sandwich bag in a drawer in my kitchen, in case I purchase another resin pen that has an odor. I have (3) Ahabs, however, I have replaced the flex nibs on two of them with a Goulet fine & 1.1 stub. With the 1.1 stub, I carefully (very carefully) widened the channel to aid in ink flow. I am currently experimenting with a flex nib on my most recent Ahab purchase, and have been pleased with the ink flow. I will admit I am not into calligraphy, so my tinkering with a flex is spoken as a neophyte.

[Lelouch]

I've enjoyed the ones I have. The smell has grown on me over the years (and pens acquired), and I sort of miss it now that it's not as strong any more. I really like the filling system, clip design, and width of the band. I also find the section to be very comfortable. I only prefer the Neponset for the materials available (I love ebonite, I have a red rebellion, but the acrylic is pretty, John mung here).

 

Definitely do a thorough cleaning of the pen prior to use with soapy water and then flush and let dry. I've used 6 Ahabs, one of which was a replacement for the first I lost. Two were gifts for fountain pen newbies. I of course cleaned and adjusted everything for them. One never used it to begin with, and the other loves it and has been using it for a few years now. He's added to his ink collection.

 

The ability to swap nibs with other #6 is very nice.

[jchch1950]

I like mines.They are good pens . I don't mind the smell and I don't expect too much of them. I use one LMOST EVERY DAY and I am happy.

[TSherbs]

I love the smell and miss it now that it is mostly gone

 

I like both My Ahab and my 2 Konrads

 

and there are multiple nib options, including the Goulet #6 options, which are quite nice

[dan in montreal]

I like mine - I have three of them. I've kept the flex nibs on two of them, stuck a no-name medium nib on the other and they all work well after I was done playing around with them. They're fun pens. I tend to prefer the Konrads though, because of their size - they just fit better in my hand.

 

If I were you, I'd go for it, and I think I would purchase a second nib in case I didn't like the flex.

 

And the alien-vomit odour does grow on you - I agree with the previous poster!

[Resolute]

I've never had a problem with mine. The nib is smooth and it flexes pretty nicely. I've never had to tinker with it to get it just how I like it. The smell is off-putting, but it doesn't make me never want to write with it again. It's a keeper, but I don't ink it frequently at all.

 

My Nib Creaper, on the other hand, is my least favorite pen I own. It takes too much force to flex, it's scratchy, the size is too small for me... I could go on, but I won't.

 

Long story short - you're not going to waste too much money on an Ahab. Get one (or two) and play with them. You might even enjoy the tinkering.

[catbert]

Get one.

It’s fun.

The smell fades.

Eventually.

[Newjelan]

Hated it - it smelled bad, was scratchy and burped ink. I threw it in the bin - only time I've ever done that and I have >100 fountain pens.

[TSherbs]

Hated it - it smelled bad, was scratchy and burped ink. I threw it in the bin - only time I've ever done that and I have >100 fountain pens.

Ouch

 

There's many a member here who would have bought that off you and kept it out of the landfill or incinerator, at least for a while longer.

[cobalt]

Rubbish pen.

 

Pretends to be something it isn't. More like a kit pen for people who like to tinker. Compared to my other flex pens, the nib is unyielding. The smell is unfortunate and tells you a lot about what went in to making the pen (cheap and nasty I'd say).

 

Given you get some promo stuff about Ahad, it made me think it was a marketing class project and not a real product delivering customer value. Company must be laughing all the way to the bank.

 

Save your money. It is not like it is the only pen of its kind on the market. Of course, if you want one, I'd sell you mine as it is just taking up time in a box of junk pens, but I can't take honest money for a dishonest product.

[Jamerelbe]

I like my Ahabs (and other Noodlers pens) just fine. They both wrote (and flexed) perfectly well, straight out of the box, and were comfortable in the hand. The odour didn't bother me at all either - it's pretty common for Indian pens made from vegetal resin to have that distinctive smell, and I believe that's where the Ahabs were made. Based on my (mostly positive) experience, I think it's unfair to label them 'junk'.

 

I have to confess, though, that I don't use them all that much. They tend to be prone to ink evaporation if left unused for too long, and I just don't have that much use for flex pens - and when I *do* want to write with a flex nib, I found my Fountain Pen Revolution pens better value for money...

[TSherbs]

... It is not like it is the only pen of its kind on the market.

Really? Can you tell me another with its size, shape, and features? What might you be thinking of? (I like my Ahab enough to consider other pens "of its kind").

[dk76]

I didn't like my Ahabs.

 

I liked the syringe fill. But the thing burped incessantly. I tried heat setting. That worked for a spell but burped again. I gave up.

 

As for the nib, no complaints.

[abstract49]

Other than being free (or practically free, depending on how you get it), I can't think of a thing to recommend it.

[cobalt]

Really? Can you tell me another with its size, shape, and features? What might you be thinking of? (I like my Ahab enough to consider other pens "of its kind").

I'm not sure what a pen of its kind is, so can't really rise to your challenge. If the pen is defined by the nib, though, then nibs with more yield (aka flex) are readily available in the secondary market from reliable vendors. Putting the odour aside, I'd probably retrofit a decent nib to the pen; it is a DIY pen anyway. Perhaps there is a list we can provide to help people make sensible choices.

[TSherbs]

I'm not sure what a pen of its kind is, so can't really rise to your challenge. If the pen is defined by the nib, though, then nibs with more yield (aka flex) are readily available in the secondary market from reliable vendors. Putting the odour aside, I'd probably retrofit a decent nib to the pen; it is a DIY pen anyway. Perhaps there is a list we can provide to help people make sensible choices.

sure, there are other flex nibs out there

 

but there is nothing like the Ahab out there at its price point (that I am aware of):

 

--> big (great for large hands), large piston fill, totally disassemble-able, accepts several #6 nibs, ebonite feed, $20