Noodler's Ahab Flex Pen

[Belles-lettres]

Sam,

 

Thanks for the tremendous amount of time you must have spent just doing the photography. Superb job of reviewing the whale of a fine pen. Your endeavours are most appreciated here in the peanut gallery.

 

My regular 2nd release pens all wrote differently out of the box but after nib re-setting, they're superb, especially as fine line (no pressure) nibs. And they are just getting buttery smooth with use.

 

Hats off to Mr. Tardiff.

[spinningtrees]

Awesome review, thanks! Looking forward to a new pen soon.

I wonder if the larger nib would make for more flexibility than the original Noodler's flex pen. The new one seems a longer overall shape compared with the original.

Hats off to Nathan Tardiff for his devotion to the art.

[reprieve]

I didn't really have much interest in this pen, but after reading this review, I'll probably pick one up.

[SamCapote]

I was amazed that my order from Todd came today! I now have the three new colors in addition to a duplicate demonstrator. My colors are Lapis Inferno (blue), Arizona (yellow/orange), Cardinal Darkness, & Jade. I have one other color and a 3rd demonstrator coming from Goulet Pens sometime next week. Let me post these new photos I just took, then I'll answer questions below them.

 

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/Ahab/Ahab-News.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/Ahab/AhabStinkTests.jpg

 

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/Ahab/AhabWriting3s.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/Ahab/Ahab-FeedPositions.jpg

 

 

Have you been able to get equivalent results with all your pens, and can you offer any "tuning" suggestions for potential new Ahab owners (hopefully including myself)?

 

I only had the two prototypes until I got the other four today. I tested 3 of the four new ones, and they do very well out of the box. I personally get a little better flow and slightly easier flex by backing the feed a bit as shown in the photos. I don't think it is critical one way or another, so my answer (based on my sample size of 6 pens) to your question, unlike the variation problem with the earlier Noodler's Flex pens is that you will NOT see that performance variation with the Ahab.

 

I have not washed any of the 5 Ahabs I have now inked with soapy/weak ammonia water, but probably should have just because Nathan thought it would remove any residual machining oils. I also have not felt the need to trim out/enlarge any of the feed slots or fins.

 

The stock plunger O-ring arrives with pretty significant force needed to initially move it. Afterwards it moves easily....but when it sits for a while, it will again require that initial force. Take care if you have ink that you are ejecting (i.e. do it in a sink, or wrap a tissue around the nib to absorb). The new double walled O-ring has none of the sticking issue, moving smoothly from the start.

 

The only other difference I see between my old Lapis Inferno blue prototype and the new colors is that Nathan has inserted an extra, very thin liner inside the cap. I'm not sure why this was added, as it is not a complete cup insert. Maybe either to reinforce the cap or help prevent ink that may leak inside from staining through the wall? I'm guessing. The Demonstrators do not have this...and I'm not seeing any leakage problem into the cap after a lot of use.

 

How's the smell? My Noodler's large rollerball still has a..."fragrance" that makes me uneasy when I uncap it.

 

Well here's the reality. Ebonite, being a type of hard rubber smells....like rubber. The odor is strongest right after manufacturing, and then gradually subsides over weeks to months. These Ahabs have less rubber smell than the previous smaller Flex Pens, I just walked over to the table where the six of them are sitting, and could not smell them. I had to bring one up to less than 5-6 inches from my nose before I could smell it. The two prototypes smell less than the new ones. I really do not consider it an issue since I don't get a pen up to my nose. If you cannot ever tolerate even the slightest ebonite smell, then I would not recommend any of them for you. Otherwise, give it some time. Washing in dilute ammonia + a few drops of dish soap may lessen it also.

 

Thanks for a great review, and the comparison shot with other pens. I'm glad this is truly a bigger pen with a wider section to hold. I really like the regular flex pens but the narrower section is kind of annoying for long periods of writing.

 

Thanks! That was my main issue with the flex pens also....too narrow and tapered for my tastes.

 

 

Thank you very much. It's a great appetizer!

 

Two questions:

- how responsive is the nib? (how fast springing back to normal)

- how consistent are the several pens you have? (any variations in production, or are all the same quality)

 

That's a great question. Here's my opinion on responsiveness/spring rate....it returns to its Fine/XF very quickly, but with flexing, there is some extra ink that was ready to meet the need, so it is not as precise as you see with a 14K Waterman vintage nib that only needs a feather hand to write. The Ahab writes like most Fine point pens, and needs medium to moderate pressure to flex. So it has pro's and con's. The benefit is you are not very likely to 'spring" (bend too far with flexing) and ruin the nib, which is common for people not used to delicate, vintage nibs...especially "wet noodle" types....so I think this will be much more usable for the majority of writers--new and experienced. The downside for those who have used vintage, delicate flex nibs is that the Ahab will require more force for them. Most experience users can adapt between the types of nibs/pens.

 

My idea of a perfect stock nib that gives an indescribable springy responsiveness is the Pelikan M1000, with Nakaya Aka Tamenuri Cigar a close second, and MB 149 third, Duofold Centennial fourth...and I would probably put the Ahab fifth--but the Ahab also flexes. All of these six Ahabs arrived with perfect tine alignment, and no need for smoothing or adjustment. That was not the case with the earlier Noodler's Flex Pen nibs, TWSBI, Lamy Safari, or Pilot nibs. This opinion is only with my limited experience--no insult intended to those vastly more knowledgeable about nibs.

 

Again, all of the six Ahabs I have so far are of the same quality.

 

Awesome review, thanks! Looking forward to a new pen soon.

I wonder if the larger nib would make for more flexibility than the original Noodler's flex pen. The new one seems a longer overall shape compared with the original.

Hats off to Nathan Tardiff for his devotion to the art.

 

No question that the Ahab is easy to hold and flex than earlier models. Flow is dramatically better. If you need more flow to NEVER get any railroading, Nathan's instructions show you how to modify. They are cheap enough that if you completely screw up the ebonite feed, it's not a major loss. Don't know if some spare feeds/nibs may be made available.

 

And then completely separate from the Ahab, the music nib is lurking somewhere off shore....staying away from Captain Ahab's whale spear!

Edited November 19, 2011 by SamCapote

[tenney]

And here I thought that I could resist... But... Resistance is futile!

[stuartk]

You mentioned flushing the pen to eliminate the residual machining oils from the feed-cutting process... I would definitely recommend this. I saw this same issue with the '2nd generation' regular-size flex pens... for anyone having flow issues, the majority were resolved simply by giving the pen a good cleaning. So I would recommend doing that with these as well... some inks won't be a problem, but others could interact with those residual oils.

 

I flushed mine out with JB Pen Flush first thing and thus didn't have any problems.

[stuartk]

How's the smell? My Noodler's large rollerball still has a..."fragrance" that makes me uneasy when I uncap it.

 

They smell the same as the original piston-fill models. It's the same material. Personally, I kind of like the smell, but that's just me.

 

It does not smell like ebonite. Ebonite, or hard rubber, is strongly vulcanized, which means there are lots of sulfur atoms linking the polymer chains. You naturally get a sulfur smell, especially from a fresh surface.

[Scribblesoften]

I have spent my evening playing with two Ahabs. One wrote very wet before burping ink all over my page. The second has a nib that it is so rough that it has torn paper twice when writing. I have adjusted the feed of the first for flow. Now it writes smoothly until it railroads and goes completely dry. The second one, the one with the rough nib, is now vomiting ink as well. I am going to soak them overnight and try again tomorrow. So far, my experience is typical Noodler's, they need to be fixed right out of the box. I'm a little dispirited by my inability to get these pens to write properly. I hope to have better luck tomorrow.

[SamCapote]

How's the smell? My Noodler's large rollerball still has a..."fragrance" that makes me uneasy when I uncap it.

 

They smell the same as the original piston-fill models. It's the same material. Personally, I kind of like the smell, but that's just me.

 

It does not smell like ebonite. Ebonite, or hard rubber, is strongly vulcanized, which means there are lots of sulfur atoms linking the polymer chains. You naturally get a sulfur smell, especially from a fresh surface.

 

How could a 100% ebonite feed not smell like ebonite? I guess I'm watching too much Beavis and Butthead.

[SamCapote]

I have spent my evening playing with two Ahabs. One wrote very wet before burping ink all over my page. The second has a nib that it is so rough that it has torn paper twice when writing. I have adjusted the feed of the first for flow. Now it writes smoothly until it railroads and goes completely dry. The second one, the one with the rough nib, is now vomiting ink as well. I am going to soak them overnight and try again tomorrow. So far, my experience is typical Noodler's, they need to be fixed right out of the box. I'm a little dispirited by my inability to get these pens to write properly. I hope to have better luck tomorrow.

 

Something funny is going on here. One burping ink all over your page, and the other so rough it has torn paper twice? Now both of your Ahabs are "vomitting ink"? I have never had any pen that does such a thing. Not even my worse pens I have ever had behave like this.

 

I can confirm that all six of my Ahabs out of the box have perfect nib tine alignment. I guess we will see how others are working out.

 

Interesting.

[funkypeanut]

How's the smell? My Noodler's large rollerball still has a..."fragrance" that makes me uneasy when I uncap it.

 

They smell the same as the original piston-fill models. It's the same material. Personally, I kind of like the smell, but that's just me.

 

It does not smell like ebonite. Ebonite, or hard rubber, is strongly vulcanized, which means there are lots of sulfur atoms linking the polymer chains. You naturally get a sulfur smell, especially from a fresh surface.

 

They smell like Craftsman tools did when my dad first brought them home from the store. When I use my Noodler's pens, I hear my dad's voice saying "Get out of the garage!"

 

Thanks for the review, Sam!

Edited November 19, 2011 by funkypeanut

[Scribblesoften]

Sorry SamCapote, I don't mean to hijack your thread. After soaking and reassembly one of the pens is working like a dream. The quality of the material used in the bodies is definitely a step up from the piston fill pens. Also the pen that works is smoother and better writing (subjective)than the piston fill flex pens. That said, I have one pen that will not feed and has a very rough nib. Any suggestions? PM me. Thanks.

[WOBentley]

Sam,

Thanks for the great review and the pictures of the pens which are also beautiful (and you have 2 of the colors I ordered so I was happy to see that they looked as good in real life as the promo photos!)...Mine should be here today.

However I need to add one comment:

The most beautiful picture seems to have gone somewhat unnoticed...Scotty!

What a nice little guy!

Dave

[raging.dragon]

Good review. These pens are definetly nicer than I had expected, though I think I'd rather pay more for something even nicer with 14K semi-flex miester nib, like a Varuna, JEB or Edison.

 

How's the smell? My Noodler's large rollerball still has a..."fragrance" that makes me uneasy when I uncap it.

 

They smell the same as the original piston-fill models. It's the same material. Personally, I kind of like the smell, but that's just me.

 

It does not smell like ebonite. Ebonite, or hard rubber, is strongly vulcanized, which means there are lots of sulfur atoms linking the polymer chains. You naturally get a sulfur smell, especially from a fresh surface.

 

How could a 100% ebonite feed not smell like ebonite? I guess I'm watching too much Beavis and Butthead.

 

Perhaps stuartk is smelling the vegetal resin or the manufacturing lubricants?

[threeamigos]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/pike444/pens/Ahab/AhabStinkTests.jpg

 

 

Thanks for the great review and all the wonderful photos. The best one is of Scottie - he is sweet.

 

I received my Ahabs from Todd today and just got finished playing with them. Your review is right on. I did have issues with one drying out and skipping even after flushing. So I removed the feed and cleaned the fins by running a piece of paper between them to remove some small fragments of something (?), then all was good. These are great pens for $20! I just ordered two more.

 

[SamCapote]

Sorry SamCapote, I don't mean to hijack your thread. After soaking and reassembly one of the pens is working like a dream. The quality of the material used in the bodies is definitely a step up from the piston fill pens. Also the pen that works is smoother and better writing (subjective)than the piston fill flex pens. That said, I have one pen that will not feed and has a very rough nib. Any suggestions? PM me. Thanks.

 

When I spoke with Nathan, he prattled on and on about some QC control procedures he has in place, and that there should only be a 1 in 300 or 1 in 500 (I forget) problem rate. Since this is a new launch, my suggestion would be to ask Goulet/Nussbaum (whoever you got it from) for a replacement. If the model is not in stock, and if I were them, I would pull a feed and/or nib out of an existing model and send it to you free so you don't have a return postage expense. If they won't do that, I would take note for my future ordering, and then contact Dick Egolf as the "wholesaler/shipper."

 

I suspect that Nathan may be reading this thread, because I know how much he wants everyone to be not just happy, but thrilled with these pens. If you don't get full and easy satisfaction, please send me a PM, and I'll make sure Nathan hears about it. For the record, I am not a representative or spokesman for Nathan Tardif. I just enjoy our conversations after striking up a friendship that started with my complaint years ago about my poor yellow Lamy Safari's encounter with his Bay State Blue ink. Sometimes I receive a surpirse box or envelope with things he is tinkering on, unsolicited, and I give him my feedback--like the new O-rings for example when I thought the stock one was going to be a drawback even though he wanted to empower people to work on their own pens, and get supplies easily down the road.

[WOBentley]

My Ahabs came today too. I also agree with all that Sam has posted. These are a really nice sized pen for those of us who like "full figured" pens. The initial O-ring release does take more force than I expected but is then quite smooth. I got a Jade and the "Christmas" pen both of which are quite nice (the christmas one had a sort of oily exterior residue that wiped right off), but the "stunner" for me is the Arizona...wow! The pens are not heavy, hold a fair amt of ink (which you will likely need!) and feel good in my hand. With regard to the smell...they do have the typical odor all my other Noodler's pens have had, but I do not find it objectionable at all. Actually it sort of reminds me of grade school...but I am not exactly sure what it was in grade school that had that smell...maybe the chairs or desks or???

My other pens have lost most of the odor over a few weeks time so it does lessen.

I will be playing with these a lot this weekend!

Oh, BTW that instruction sheet Sam posted is full 8.5"x11" size to help orient you...everything about these pens is larger!

Edited to add:

Thanks Nathan for bringing a great pen to market at a great price! (yeah I know he likely will not read this, but I felt it needed to be said!).

Edited November 19, 2011 by WOBentley

[SamCapote]

Good review. These pens are definetly nicer than I had expected, though I think I'd rather pay more for something even nicer with 14K semi-flex miester nib, like a Varuna, JEB or Edison.

 

How's the smell? My Noodler's large rollerball still has a..."fragrance" that makes me uneasy when I uncap it.

 

They smell the same as the original piston-fill models. It's the same material. Personally, I kind of like the smell, but that's just me.

 

It does not smell like ebonite. Ebonite, or hard rubber, is strongly vulcanized, which means there are lots of sulfur atoms linking the polymer chains. You naturally get a sulfur smell, especially from a fresh surface.

 

How could a 100% ebonite feed not smell like ebonite? I guess I'm watching too much Beavis and Butthead.

 

Perhaps stuartk is smelling the vegetal resin or the manufacturing lubricants?

 

I agree with you that there is added value in buying a higher quality pen like you mention, or like I mentioned such as Pelikan M1000, Nakaya cigar, MB 149, the many many others....and even getting customized nibs from the masters. The breakthrough of a pen like the Ahab was giving a nice writing, very functional, self-serviceable, flex nib, and a valued vegetal resin/celluloid (check how Binder describes it) barrel for $20.

 

I know from speaking to Nathan that he is not opposed to all of the quality pen makers and customizers. Rather if people cannot find a decent quality fountain pen available for the "masses" who are already moving away from writing towards keyboards anyway...then this entire fountain pen hobby will disappear as another 1-2 generations pass. I know there are very cheap FP's out there, but they are rarely something that people actually enjoy using long term.

 

Nathan also believes that if you can somehow "hook" larger numbers of people coming into the FP area, some of them will migrate up the purchase ladder and will even expand the demand for higher quality pens. Right now the industry is the other way around. To get a decent performing, quality pen, as a brand new user, you have to spend a lot more than $20 to find out if it is worthwhile--which scares away most people-right back to their disposable ballpoint/gellpoint/rollerballs.

 

On the smell, when I put the removed ebonite feed almost up inside my nostrils, there is very little smell. So actually, "the smell" with Noodler's pens is coming from the vegetal resin itself.

[USMCMom]

The "aroma" isn't one I find objectionable and it does lessen over time. I didn't even realize there was anything to smell until it was brought to my attention from a post here on FPN, as I've never purposely smelled a pen I was going to use. When I write, my pens are far enough away from my nose, that I detect no odor at all. I have quite a few Noodler's pens and the rollerball, as well as the brush ... I'd wager that I'll have even more before too awfully long. LOL I'm very happy with the Noodler's pens I have. I admit to tinkering with the nib and feed of the first flex pens, but that was more on the "fun" scale, as there was no problem. Nathan designed the pens to be tinkered with or played with and that's what I've enjoyed doing. Again, what ever aroma comes with a Noodler's pen, it lessens over time. At least it has for mine.

[Prvt. Toter]

OH THE PAIN...AGONY.... of the WAIT!

 

Sam thanks for the great review, ang Thanks Nathan for what sounds like another GREAT PEN!

 

Ok, back to waiting....