Noodler's Ink Ahab Flex Nib Ivory Darkness Fountain Pen - ND-15028

Everyone said that this pen was really finnicky, not for beginners, would need a lot of tuning, etc. None of that was true for me. I'm a total pen noob. Bought two Pilot Metropolitans since everyone told me to, wasn't a fan, and took a chance on the super unreliable, hard to get writing, only good for true masters of the pen, flexy Noodler's boy. I mean, it's only twenty dollars. I just spent forty dollars on two entry level Pilots which scratch, don't start, and slip around in my hand - all the things people SAID the Ahab would do! What do I have to lose? Twenty more dollars and my budding interest in fountain pens? Screw it, I'm hopping between extremes all the way! And this pen is a dream. The ink just glides out of there, looks beautiful when it flexes, and is just about as satisfying and relaxing as anything. It railroads from time to time, but it's no big deal. I don't know if this has anything to do with my Pen's stellar performance, but I cleaned the nib and feed with soap and water before inking up, so maybe try that. Anyway, one warning: this thing GUSHES ink. I personally like the super wet writing and don't mind waiting for it to dry, but it is REALLY wet. This pen bleeds and feathers a little even on my rhodia pad. Didn't know that was possible. I guess that counts as a con? But I view it as a pro with a price. So to all those who warn beginners away from this pen, I say that I regret buying it as my third pen and wish it was my first! But clean the nib and feed and use REALLY nice paper.

I've got a weird soft spot for Noodler's pens and inks. They're delightfully quirky and fun. I also like all the unique properties of the pens and inks for the most part. The Ahab is no different. It's somewhat of a cigar shaped pen, or whale shaped going by the name. In my hand, it's a comfortable pen to write with. I love the filling system. It makes cleaning and refilling a breeze. It also holds a TON of ink for a system of this style.This pen is one of 4 Noodler's pens I have, and has been the most finicky of them. My others have been pretty low fuss writers and quite reliable out of the box. The Ahab nib was a bit scratchy and needed a touch of tuning. 1 out of 4 pens, not bad, and it is a super smooth writer now. The bounce in the nib is fun and gives me some good line variation.However, while I was able to get my Konrad Acrylic tuned to keep up on ink pretty easily, I still sometimes have issues with my Ahab. I think it may just be that it doesn't seal quite as well and might be drying up a bit if it goes a while without use. That said, pulling out the nib and feed for a quick clean is super easy and it generally goes back to writing without fanfare.If you like vintage style pens, want a little flex, a classy look, and a cool ink filling system but also don't mind doing a bit of tinkering and tuning, I can definitely recommend these pens. If you want it to work perfectly out of the box and never need any maintenance, this may not be the pen for you.

This is a delightful pen and a great bargain. It compares well with the much more expensive Waterman and Pelikan pens I've used. If you seek a good fountain pen for writing, this is your baby—though it's too big for small hands. My other pens are like jewelry, objects of great beauty and a joy to hold. But when you pay 10 or fifteen times more, nearly all the money goes for beauty.I love the frivolous design theme. My pen is nice to look at and wonderful in my hand. The mechanism is clever, well-thought-out, and highly functional. It does not leak, and the fact that so many parts screw together makes it less likely to leak than most pens that use use friction connectors.Ink didn't flow well when I first filled it and a few minutes of of writing didn't help. This has happened to me with other pens. I just put it in upright with the nib end down and left it overnight and—voilá!—it writes like a dream. Don't be put off by the petulant reviewers who bash the pen because they couldn't get it to write after the first filling. Before I filled it I did wash it out by filling it with warm water with a touch of dish soap, as I do all my pens. Maybe this helped.If this is your first fountain pen, buy it right now. If you appreciate elegant design and craftsmanship, hit that one-click button and prepare for a treat!

Received this Ahab Flex FP about two hours ago, so far it impresses the hell out of me - terrible! I filled it repeatedly with soapy water, fushed it with clean water several times and it would still not fill (at all) with ink. I played with it, washed it again, flushed it again and again and again. Finally, after some dozen repetitions it started to accept ink. I would like to have a conversation with whomever wrote the instructions for NOODLERS regarding the use of this pen; just myself, that person and a baseball bat. I'm sure that I could convince him or her of the advantage of providing clear, straight forward instructions instead of cute (repeated references to Moby Dick), artless and unclear instructions.Next, I tried to write with it. Big mistake. It does not like writing. Play, play, play; frustration, frustration, frustration. I can now draw long squiggly lines with only a few skips here and there. Words - not so good. The nib does not like to come off the paper. Going to a second word after the first word - that's asking too much. I will continue to play with the pen a bit more, but unless it starts functioning much, much better - it's going back to Amazon. I put this pen down and went back to using my much less expensive Pen & Ink ($10) sketching fountain pen for a comparison and there was no comparison. The cheap looking Pen & Ink FP works well - all the time from day one. I wanted something better; I got something worse, much worse at over twice the price. I tried the Ahab again - nothing. More nothing, a little light scratching on paper but no words - no ink flow. Perhaps it died? From over work maybe? Decided to not waste any more time, back it went for refund. One star rating.