Noodlers Ahab Fountain Pen Hudson Bay

**UPDATE**I've now had this pen, which I ordered here on Amazon, for 2 months, and it's still going strong. It's still beautiful. I use it every single day at work AND at home. I use Noodler's Heart of Darkness ink in it, and everything is beautiful. I continue to use it in the eyedropper-fill configuration, and so long as I remember the grease & o-rings (both of which can be purchased on gouletpens.com, or the o-rings can be purchased at most local hardware or craft stores, at low prices) I have no issues with the eyedropper setup. It doesn't "burp" when I'm writing, it doesn't leak, it doesn't act up at all really. I am also pretty picky about keeping it filled up, which also helps a lot to keep it functioning as it should. There's a little nib creep now & then, but it's very minuscule and honestly that could very well be the ink I choose to fill it with as much as the nib.The nib is extremely easy to remove, change, or replace; simply pull it out, and push it in. It's seriously that simple. Nearly everything about the writing style of this pen can be adjusted, from the ink flow, to changing the nib (if you're not looking for a flex nib), to what kind of filling style you prefer (it comes with a piston-fill mechanism).I still have my other Hudson Bay Ahab pen, which I purchased from Goulet, and I keep that one as a piston-fill setup; it ALSO still writes & works beautifully.As for the size of the pen: yes, it's larger than say the Pilot Metropolitan (which I've had a number of those, and still do), but I have small hands and I still like how this feels in my hand. It takes a little getting used to, but use it for a few solid days, and you'll be surprised how much nicer it is to have the bigger body to write with. It's got a big body, but it's not "heavy" so it won't wear out your hands/fingers; very easy to write with this pen for hours on end. Yes, I have written for hours with this pen, and for me I had no fatigue in my hands (which have some "chronic" pain issues, just fyi) afterward.These pens are highly affordable, long-lasting (if you take care of them), but "tinkering" & adjusting them isn't nerve-wracking BECAUSE they are so affordable. So if you do reach the point of no return with one of them (which I have done -- I had to throw that one away), you can pitch it & buy a new one without all the negative baggage that would come with ruining let's say a $100 pen. It's a $20 pen, that could potentially last for years (I have one I was given as a gift that's 4 years old now, and it still works just like it did on day one); if something happens and it breaks, it's no sweat -- you live & you learn, then you go buy another Ahab & know better next time around. :)This pen proves it's not always about the price tag... Sometimes the best things ARE affordable! :)If you're considering buying this pen, I highly recommend that you do. If you don't want a flex nib, Goulet sells many #6 nibs that work just as wonderfully in the Ahab, but don't flex. Just a little FYI if the flexnib is holding you back from giving this a try...**ORIGINAL**Ordered this because I loved the color, and I had some Ahabs which have seen better days (I bought them when I was just getting into fountain pens) & needed to be replaced. Immediately converted it into an eye dropper pen, and it works wonderfully. It's beautiful - with some minor flaws in the plastic on the cap, but nothing worth throwing a fit about. It writes beautifully, didn't really require any tinkering to get it going well, and has become my daily writer for work & home. I bought a "Hudson Bay Blue" Ahab from Gouletpens.com when I was first getting into fountain pens, but it wasn't as truly blue as this one is (I find this one to be a very beautiful shade of blue). Well worth the very reasonable price! I may buy another just to have an extra!

This pen would be a horrible buy for anyone getting into fountain pens. The pen requires tinkering with the nib and feed to get it to write reliably. After about 30 minutes of messing around with it, I finally got it to work properly. Initially it will leak globs of ink from the feed and nib area. Once you do get it to work it writes ok, and will not leak the globs of ink. The flex aspect of it is nothing to write home about. I gave it a 3 out of 5 because once you get it right, then it is a well behave pen, and did not smell as bad as my first Noodles which was the triple tail. Overall I would not recomend it for anyone starting to get into the fountain pen world; it may discorage from getting other pens. But if the price is right and you don't mind fixing the negatives I would say is not a terrible pen.

This is simply a wonderful fountain pen.Among the many points in its favor, I might mention these: made in the USA; works faultlessly from the start; collectible; artisanal, yet mass-produced; simple, elegant fill system; high capacity; stainless-steel flex nib (F-M); screw-on cap; groovy whale-shaped clip; completely modular and owner-serviceable; comes in a nifty package with great instructions; unfussy and indestructible; great line of "lubricating inks"; low price; and so on...I don't plan to do much calligraphy, but the nib does flex nicely. I can write in my usual half-baked italic, and also add flourishes and furbelows to my signature. Watch out, world.One possible drawback is the size. This is a big "stogie" of a pen, fatter than my beloved Shaeffer No Nonsense. People with smaller hands may want to consider another Noodler's line, of which there are several.One more point to be aware of: you are encouraged to buy spare O-rings and silicon gel for occasional maintenance. While this might make you look askance, it's actually better than buying a pen which cannot be fixed, at least by the owner. Here, some pro-active maintenance will prolong the life of the pen indefinitely. One might be afraid of leakage; but hey, it's a fountain pen and fountain pens can all leak. Here, you can actually prevent it. There are abundant videos online, by the maker, on maintenance tasks. O-rings can be changed with a toothpick.I got the Hudson Bay Blue model, which is a "demonstrator": it is transparent and you can see the innards and especially the ink level. My first ink: Eel Blue. My future Noodler's purchases--and there will be several of those--will explore other colors and designs. The only thing my jury is still out on, again, is the size of the pen. It's fatter than I'm accustomed to. Perhaps this will be an easy transition. In any case, for design, construction, serviceability, practicality, and sheer fun, this pen is tops. Get one, write sonnets with it, go hiking with it, and wear it in your front shirt pocket with pride!

Pensé que tenía más presencia. El trazo no es continuo por lo que he procedido a realizar una limpieza con agua y lavavajillas y así espero que mejore el trazo. También hubiera sido útil una manual con instrucciones de llenado, limpieza, etc.(TRAS LA LIMPIEZA HE COMPROBADO QUE FUNCIONA CORRECTAMENTE Y YA NO SE CORTA EL FLUJO. VEREMOS COMO CONTINÚA! ).Después de unos días usándola debo decir que es una gran pluma para la caligrafía inclusive. Una buena adquisición. Lo importante también es usar un buen papel.

Pen arrived next day altho not ordered on Prime, so very impressed. Nice looking pen, it did smell a bit when first out of the pack, but I don't notice it any more. It worked virtually out of the box for me, but I fancied a bit more flex so I pulled out the nib a bit and pushed in the feed a bit. Works like a dream. Not such a big flex as some nibs/pens, but the ink flow is much smoother and it allows you to write a good hand for every day. I'm more than happy with this pen. Filling is easy with a good pump action, so much better than the screws. I used Octopus Bronze in the sample, Diamine next! I like the supplier; they shipped fast and enclosed useful information. Just great all round

La penna fa il suo dovere ed il pennino è efficiente, in pratica il costo della penna è in realtà solo il valore del pennino; il corpo della penna, in questo modello, è di un materiale ricavato dal mais e puzza di materiale organico, a volte mi sembra di scrivere con un pezzo di formaggio tra le dita...Il corpo è bello massiccio ed è adatto a mani grandi!

I bought this pen to get a first touch with flexible nibs. The nib is in fact flexible but it is not something you just press and get the flexibility. I takes some effort (pressure) to see the effects of flexibility on writing. Up to this point, the pen was good. The real issue with this pen is that it leaks (it spills out big drops of ink) when I hold it close to the nib. I guess this is because the heat of my hand warms up the barrel and ink making the air expanding. I found a quick fix, I plug the lid on the pen making it larger and then I try to hold it far from the nib. This seems to solve the problem, I haven't gotten any drop again.

The Noodler's Ahab is a great affordable flex pen, but it has known issues with ink flow and needs adjustment to get it to write properly. First of all, you need to clean the nib, feed and filling mechanism very thoroughly with soapy water, and rinse off with clean water, to get rid of residues. Then the ebonite feed needs to be heat-set to the nib (Google it if you don't know how to do this). But once you've taken these steps you've got a nice flex pen (actually I'd say semi-flex) for not much money. Certainly worth looking at if you want to get into flex.