Fountain pens with flex nibs are becoming quite desirable again. The Noodler’s Ahab aims to deliver that experience without emptying your pockets.
The world of flex nibs can get complicated and expensive. The much coveted “wet noodle” vintage pens seem to be getting harder to find and more expensive when you do. Many modern flex pens will also empty your wallet. For under $30.00, can the Noodler’s Ahab deliver that experience on a budget?
The Good:
- Affordable way to try a flex nib fountain pen
- High ink capacity
- Ebonite feed
- Highly tunable/customizable nib and feed
- Filling system is fast and easy
- Super tough materials
- Common sized #6 nib, makes swapping easy
The less good:
- Some units need tuning out of the box
- Sometimes they smell funny
- Not the best sealing pen I have
Noodler’s Ahab — In the hand
In hand, the Noodler’s Ahab is quite a comfortable pen. It’s a torpedo/cigar shaped pen, which I favor the look and feel of. Up front, the section is kind of a hump-back design (hence the Ahab name). At first, I thought I wouldn’t like the taper much. However, I find that it doesn’t really bother me. Only my index finger tends to rest that far down the pen. Also, the cap threads and step down are smooth enough to have never bothered me.
Speaking of the cap, it does post. That said, it isn’t a super secure post. The cap can wobble a bit while posted. Also, the pen is a good sized pen on its own so I really don’t feel the need to post this one. I find it to be a good fit for my hand in general. It’s about the perfect length and diameter for comfortable writing sessions.
Build Quality
In terms of build quality, the Noodler’s Ahab is nice for the price. The pen is quite handsome and well thought out. It’s easy to disassemble for cleaning and tuning. The clip on mine is just right. Also due to the cap design, it’s easy to adjust the tension if you get one that’s too loose or tight. The vegetal resin many Noodler’s pens are made of is tough as nails as well. In addition, all the treads are cut into like materials. No metal on soft plastic threads here.
If I were to nitpick, there are a few small things to notice. Sometimes it’s hard to get the clip to stay perfectly straight. The fit and finish doesn’t feel extremely precise. Every so often, I’ve had trouble with it burping ink as well (though less often than my Konrads).
My Noodler’s Ahab seems to somehow let ink evaporate more quickly than my other pens (though I’m not 100% sure I’m not just using more ink flexing it). I’ve not had many issues with nib dry-out. The only time I have, the pen had sat capped for about 2-3 weeks without use. Keeping in mind that this isn’t a high-end luxury pen, I’d say it’s a good quality tool.
Writing with the Noodler’s Ahab
All of that is well and good, but if it doesn’t write well, who cares? This is where the Noodler’s Ahab can be tricky. Mine required a little bit of tinkering with the nib and feed to get the flow where I wanted it. Luckily, it just required adjusting how deep into the pen they were relative to each other. Once I had that sorted, it’s been lovely! The ebonite feed has no trouble supplying adequate ink for flex writing at my pace. It’s nice and juicy.
As for the nib, it’s super nice as a normal writer. It lays down a line thinner than my 03 fine Preppy, but thicker than my Procyon fine. It’s silky smooth across paper as well. Then, with some pressure on the down-stroke, it will happily flex to a thick, juicy line. However, it’s no “wet noodle” nib. It does take a fair bit of input to flex the tines. As a newbie to flex writing, though, the Noodler’s Ahab was a great introduction for me. I didn’t have the fine control a super soft pointed pen nib requires. The stiffer Ahab nib made for a great way to get a feel for it.
Noodler’s Ahab — Affordable flex
Overall, I find the Noodler’s Ahab to be a great intro into flex pens. It’s forgiving to write with, holds a ton of ink, looks good, affordable, and comfortable in hand. However, if you’re not inclined to want to tinker with your pens and learn how they operate, it may not be for you. Noodler’s pens can sometimes be a bit finicky and playing with them is part of the fun.
In the end, I’m glad to have purchased my Ahab. I always look forward to writing with it and it’s in contention for being my favorite pen every so often. It’s one of those pens that may not be my first choice for a given situation, but it handles everything I throw at it pretty well. If you’re curious about this pen, I’d say give it a shot. It’s not perfect, but it’s affordable enough that I’m willing to overlook some of its flaws.
Supplies used in this review
Pen: Noodler’s Ahab – Ivory Darkness colorway
Ink: Monteverde Malibu Blue
Paper: Kokuyo Biz notebook
Purchased from Vanness Pen Shop (Not an affiliate link, I just like their store!)