on saleNoodler's Ahab Flex Fountain Pen - Clear

Product Code N15021

In Stock

out of stock

on saleNoodler's Ahab Flex Fountain Pen - Clear

Product Code N15021

In Stock

out of stock

$27.75
ENHANCEMENT OPTIONS
Noodler's 308 Refillable Cartridges (5-Pack)
Add Refillable Cartridges + $6.90 Noodler's 308 Refillable Cartridges (5-Pack)
$6.90
$6.90

Noodler's 308 Refillable Cartridges (5-Pack)

Product Code N18070

In Stock

out of stock

$6.90
Add this item
Noodler's Ahab/Konrad #6 Steel Nib - Flex
Add a Spare Nib + $7.50 Noodler's Ahab/Konrad #6 Steel Nib - Flex
Nib Type:
$7.50
$7.50

Noodler's Ahab/Konrad #6 Steel Nib - Flex

Product Code N18094

In Stock

out of stock

$7.50
Add this item

The Noodler's Ahab flex pen features a steel flexible #6 nib and a slide piston mechanism. If you'd like, you can even remove the piston mechanism and use the pen as an eyedropper for a massive 6ml ink capacity. This clear demonstrator Ahab is made of a celluloid derivative and is technically biodegradable and formed from a "renewable resource". The vegetal resin body of this pen may show particles or striations within the material. This is most noticeable in demonstrators and bright colors.

The Noodler's flex pens were designed for the hands-on tinkerer - they are made to be taken apart and adjusted. The nib and feed pull right out and can be adjusted and heat set for optimal performance. Don't be afraid to get a little ink on your fingers while you learn how to use this pen.

As a simple rule of thumb for writing with a flex pen, just apply slight pressure on your downstrokes, which will spread the tines and increase the line width, achieving that optimal line variation. Make sure to go slowly so that the ink can keep up with your writing. As with any flex pen, it just takes practice!

Due to the residual machining oils used when cutting the feeds for these pens, we highly encourage you to give the pen a good flush before use. We recommend any of the following options: distilled water, water with a touch of dish soap, a pre-packaged pen flush, or a solution of 10% clear ammonia to water. This should resolve most ink flow issues!

Click here to download the printable PDF instruction sheet for the Noodler's Ahab.

Condition
New
Brand
Noodler's
Type
Fountain Pens
Color
Clear
Demonstrator

Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.

Yes
Body Material
Resin
Cap Rotations

For pens with a screw-cap closure, how many rotations it takes to uncap/recap the pen.

2.25
Cap Type

How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).

Screw-cap
Compatible inks & refills

Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.

Bottled ink
Filling Mechanism

How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.

Eyedropper, Piston
Grip Material
Resin
Nib Size
Flex
Nib Color
Silver
Nib Material
Steel
Postable

Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.

Yes
Retractable

Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).

No
Diameter - Body
14mm (0.6in)
Diameter - Cap (without clip)
15mm (0.6in)
Diameter - Cap (with clip)
20mm (0.8in)
Diameter - Grip (mm)

Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.

9.9mm
Length - Body

The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.

128mm (5in)
Length - Cap
60mm (2.4in)
Length - Nib

The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.

20mm (0.8in)
Length - Overall (Closed)
139mm (5.5in)
Length - Overall (Posted)

When the cap of the pen is posted onto the back of the pen body, this is the measurement of the entire pen including the nib.

170mm (6.7in)
Weight - Body

If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.

12g (0.4oz)
Weight - Cap
6g (0.2oz)
Weight - Overall (g)
18.0g
Max Ink Capacity - Eyedropper

The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when filling the entire barrel of the pen via eyedropper.

6.17ml
Max Ink Capacity - Piston Vac

The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using the built-in piston or vacuum filling mechanism.

2.00ml

Customer Reviews

Based on 451 reviews
52%
(236)
25%
(115)
9%
(39)
5%
(22)
9%
(39)
M
M.B.
Not a regular fountain pen….

This is not a fountain pen you just put ink into and start using. I will go through the steps to set up this pen.
1: Disassemble the pen. Be careful with the breather tube, you don’t want to lose that.
2: In a warm bowl of water put the feed and nib to soak. Get an old toothbrush, a good degreasing dish detergent like Dawn and get a brass shim to “floss” the nib. A .025 metal feeler gauge blade will work also.
3: Scrub the nib and feed thoroughly with the toothbrush using the soap and warm water. Scrub the shim or feeler gauge blade to remove oils then “floss” the nib while it’s in the bowl. The idea is to remove any and all oils from the manufacturing process.
4: Dry everything off and reassemble the pen. Push down the piston on the pump converter to make inserting the breather tube easier.
5: Make sure 8-10 ribs of the feed are exposed from the end of the grip section. Usually 9 ribs is about good place to start.
6: Once the nib and feed are seated correctly (there’s a notch the nib goes into). Fill the pen by submerging the nib & feed and a bit of the grip section into your ink. Pump the piston converter a couple of times till the converter is completely full.
7: Test the pen. If it writes too wet, push the feed in 1 rib. Test the pen. If it still writes too wet. Push the feed in another rib. You should find the sweet spot where the pen writes the way you like. If the pen initially writes too dry, pull the feed out one rib. Continue this procedure till you find your “sweet spot”.
The same steps work for every Noodler’s pen. Though the number of ribs showing might be different from model to model.
There is nothing wrong with Noodler’s pens. I use them for my artwork exclusively. I often carry a Nib Creeper as a vest pocket/shirt pocket pen. They are inexpensive, robust, pens that perform gloriously when tuned. They can be fitted with a multitude of nibs of different types. The bonus are the refillable .308 cartridges. They give the Ahab, Triple Tail and Neponset a huge ink capacity without resorting to eyedroppering the pen. So no ink burping from hand heat. I have 10 Ahab, 9 Konrad, 8 Nib Creeper and a Triple Tail. All of them have been tuned to perform as well or if not better than any TSWBI, Pilot, Kaweco, Platinum, Pen BBS, Jinhao, Asvine, etc… pen I own.

F
Francisco J.R.G.
Excelente!!!

La verdad es que es dif�cil encontrar plumas con plumin Flex fabricadas al efecto y esta es una de ellas que cubre todas las expectativas a un precio muy asequible. Una maravilla

I
Ian
With great sadness, I must convey...

That this is not a very good pen. I've experienced similar problems to other people here. Odd smell for the feed mechanism, it eventually went away after a few weeks, but at first it made writing with the pen impossible. And the feed wasn't fast enough, I would write half a page and then have to wait 10 minutes for it to "re-ink". I would suggest the TWSBI go as an intro piston fountain pen instead.

A
Anonymous
Accidentally broke it trying to fill it with ink

Wouldn't know, but I'll stick to non flex, the pen was delivered in perfect condition though.

D
Dennis F.
Good pen for Calligraphy

I was surprised by the Noodler's Ahab being able to feed an ink with shimmer without issue after pulling the cartridge out and going with the Eyedropper configuration. It's actually the first pen that's been capable of feeding ink with a substantial shimmer affect...my Pilots 743 and 912 FA both have issues, as does all my other flex nib pens. I was so pleased that I'm planning on buying several more after the first of the month. I've enjoyed Copperplate calligraphy for several years, but if I wanted to use an ink with shimmering, I found myself using my dip pens the majority of the time due to the inks I use.

FAQs about Fountain Pens

How do I fill a fountain pen with ink? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above. 

Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:

  • Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write! Check out our quick guide here.
  • Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
  • Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
  • Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
  • Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking. Check out our video on how to use a vac filler here.

Check out more info on these filling mechanisms including a video on how to fill each one on our blog.

How do I clean a fountain pen? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck. 

It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:

How often do I need to clean my fountain pen? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors. 

Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.

My pen won’t write! What do I do? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.

We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.

If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed. 

If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help! 

What's your return policy? 8EDA1617-F73A-4DAF-8245-6D2BF4ABEB7B

You can submit a return request within 30 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.

To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.

Please note we are unable to accept a return of any Namiki or Sailor Bespoke fountain pen for any reason once it has been used with ink. Please thoroughly inspect and dry test the pen before use.