on saleNoodler's Ahab Flex Fountain Pen - Mesa Tortoise

This pen must have been on sale for a reason? I am unable to get through a journal entry with out skips and taking action to get flow. This pen has frustrated me to no end. It has changed my attitude toward fountain pens in three days!It is nice looking is the only positive of this pen.

I was about to return this pen, it was inked with Robert Oster 'Caffe Crema' and it was a poor writing experience. Hard starts, skips, railroading and the scratchiest feedback. But as soon as I switched to Noodler's American Eel Black ink things got better. It feels more lubricated now. I don't enjoy how this pen makes my handwriting look, but I can see its my own unfamiliarity with a flex nib that is to blame. I will get better with practice but the pen is very exhausting to use. It DOES STINK! like rotten cheese and vomit. My partner says she can smell it a few feet away but I'd say it's not the end of the world. It's kind of funny. The color is nice, I enjoy looking at and the feel of the material in my hand. But overall the pen looks pretty cheap, with a silly looking clip too. In the end I can't return it as the novelty of the flex nib keeps me interested. I have dip pens that flex better but they don't use fountain pen inks well, I have so many sample inks so this is going to be a lot of calligraphic fun

I got the Ahab pen in two colours, and have been using one in its stock configuration with Noodlers Heart of Darkness and another one in eyedropper mode with Bay State Blue (yes, I was feeling dangerous). The Heart of Darkness pen has worked with 100% reliability, proving this is a solid workhorse pen with the right ink.On the other hand, the pen I used in eyedropper mode has been spilling ink into the cap on an unpredictable basis. Let's say I familiarized myself with the proper techniques to clean Bay State ink out of various surfaces while I learned about how to adjust the nib, clean the cap, and try to get it not to spill again. As far as I can tell, the HUGE reservoir of the eyedropper mode makes the pen very heat-sensitive while capped, although I haven't had any burps while writing. The flex handwriting on both pens looks very good, much better than my old Nib Creaper or the Noodlers Charlies that I've found to be a bit wet, and competitive with my more expensive Pilots. Great value, but be prepared to buy more than one and either experiment to find an ink that works reliably, or be prepared to learn about the advanced aspects of adjusting & heat-setting a nib.

This is my first flex pen. I wanted an inexpensive way to try writing a bit fancier, and the Ahab was a great way to do that. It's comfortable to hold and easy to flex when you want. There is a ton of railroading, but I'm allowing for the strong possibility that I just don't know yet how to use it properly. The included instructions suggest taping the nib, and I'm sure there are plenty of other tips I can get by doing some research. The really weird thing about the pen is how badly it smells. At first I thought it was just the paper that it came packaged in, but nope, it's the pen itself. I read that this is due to the resin that is used, and there are a few suggestions that I'm going to try to diminish the smell. Even if I can't, I can ignore it for a little while, and it doesn't make the pen unusable. Overall I'm happy with the purchase, and I'll be even happier if the coffee grounds work!

Other than a stinking, stinkiness that can fill a small room if it gets warm enough, this pen is fantastic. It has a great feel, writes well, versatile fill, high capacity, fun nib. And it's super pretty. The patterning is nice, but there's a surprise... There are 4 consecutive, small, clear, air bubbles just in line of my view above my thumb that catch the light and make all the stink worth it? I think the stink will subside. It could almost be my favorite daily pen, but why decide such things?