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First Fountain--Ahab?

I'm looking to get my first fountain pen. I've tried them over the years but never saw a point when the ballpoint was so smooth. I'm fairly heavy on the pen and usually use a fine tip when I'm writing with a ball point.

I was looking at the Noodler Ahab and it would certainly fit my budget and I like the asthetics of it but wonder if it would be the right writer for someone not used to a fountain pen?
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
You could also try the FPs which Dave (Benton Clay) has. I've had all of them but the grid and like the Shakespeare pen for <$10 the best.
 
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I would not recommend a Noodler's Ahab as a first pen. The pen is designed for those looking for a flex nib and who want to be able to adjust the pen for desired flow characteristics. If you want something that will work out of the box, without any adjustment, you might want to look at other options. There are a great many pen options for the same price point. A Platinum Plaisir or Pilot 78G might be a better introduction to FPs.
 
If you're just looking for a starter pen to see if you really want a fountain pen, you might consider going the almost free route and see if you can scare up a Sheaffer School Pen. I've seen entire tables of them at a pen show for a mere $2, and they write really well. A great bonus (for me, anyway) is that they are cartridge pens, so they hold a butt ton of ink. I just use a syringe to rinse and refill the cartridge with the bottled ink of my liking. I'm sure someone over on the Fountain Pen Network would gladly sell you one on the cheap, just try their classified section and post a want to buy ad. Just my .02 for what it's worth.
 
The Ahab is an excellent first pen. You came to an internet forum and asked, so you are probably willing to put in a little effort to get a great experience with the Ahab. If a ballpoint is like an automatic transmission, then the fountain pen is more like the manual gearbox for people who want to tinker and get involved in the experience of writing and maintaining a nice pen.

You could try one of those other fountain pens, but there's a reason why people with lots of expensive fountain pens really enjoy their cheap Ahabs.

The Ahab is easy to take apart and reassemble, so you don't have to worry about breaking it. All the steps are well documented in the instructions and in hour long youtube videos by Nathan Tardiff, the maker of Noodler's Ink.

You must clean the Ahab before first use. Remove the nib and feed, brush with soap and water and a few drops of ammonia. Then put it back together. There are grooves to make sure you can't mess up the reassembly.

For $20, you're getting:
a beautiful vegetal resin (Celluloid) body material- most pens are cheaper plastics
a hand cut hard rubber ebonite feed- most pens are machine etched plastic feeds that cannot be user modified
a fun syringe type filler that's easy to use and holds lots of ink- most pens stick you with expensive cartridges
a smooth semi-flexy steel nib that can be used as a fine nib or for bolder strokes when using pressure- most pens have stiff steel nibs that do not flex much under pressure

I have one. I bought one for a friend whose only experience with fountain pens has been the Pilot Plumix (available at Target) that I gave him. He uses the pen daily now and has refilled multiple times.

I also encouraged a girl with no experience at all with fountain pens to order an Ahab to try. She actually ordered two Ahabs and gave the other to her mother. Both of these Ahabs are used daily, and now the same girl is ordering two more Ahabs for her dad and sister.
 
The Ahab is an excellent first pen. You came to an internet forum and asked, so you are probably willing to put in a little effort to get a great experience with the Ahab. If a ballpoint is like an automatic transmission, then the fountain pen is more like the manual gearbox for people who want to tinker and get involved in the experience of writing and maintaining a nice pen.
That's funny, because I can't make the Ahab work worth a crap, but the Lamy Al-Star (aluminum version of the Safari) worked like a dream out of the box.
I've spent WAY more time trying to clean and adjust and tweak the Ahab than that $20 *** is worth and it will either not write at all without disassembly and "bumping" the piston, or opening it up to the point that I get drops of ink falling from the feed.

My Lamy? Out of the box... cleaned it and the Ahab side by side, loaded them at the same time, and the Lamy is as reliable as a rollerball.
I can leave it in the pen cup nib-up for a week, pick it up, and it writes without having to do anything more than remove the cap and point the nib at the paper.
You could try one of those other fountain pens, but there's a reason why people with lots of expensive fountain pens really enjoy their cheap Ahabs.
I'll give you, the flex nib is neat. The brief moments that I've been able to actually get a wavy line out of my Ahab, the modulated effect is really sweet.
For $20, you're getting:
a beautiful vegetal resin (Celluloid) body material- most pens are cheaper plastics
a hand cut hard rubber ebonite feed- most pens are machine etched plastic feeds that cannot be user modified
a fun syringe type filler that's easy to use and holds lots of ink- most pens stick you with expensive cartridges
a smooth semi-flexy steel nib that can be used as a fine nib or for bolder strokes when using pressure- most pens have stiff steel nibs that do not flex much under pressure

I have one. I bought one for a friend whose only experience with fountain pens has been the Pilot Plumix (available at Target) that I gave him. He uses the pen daily now and has refilled multiple times.

I also encouraged a girl with no experience at all with fountain pens to order an Ahab to try. She actually ordered two Ahabs and gave the other to her mother. Both of these Ahabs are used daily, and now the same girl is ordering two more Ahabs for her dad and sister.
Nice first post.

Did you see the earlier thread about disclosure? Where's my sweater, it's getting a bit shilly in here.
 
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One more opinion won't tip the scale either way. I did recently get a couple, which I must have had for about ten days now. They were not my first fountain pens, but I like them a bit better than my Parker IM, which was, about six months ago.

Going against advice, I did not bother to disassemble and wash them before using them the first time. Whether they might have worked better if I had, it's hard to say, but they seem to have been doing very well regardless. I have not played around with the nibs at all, and don't really intend to do so, but I read the information that came with them.

What appealed to me about these most was the interesting converter, which looked like it might hold more ink than many other designs. Wasn't sure what I would think of the flex nib, as all I do with my pens is write for the sake of putting ideas on paper. I don't draw except for doodles, and have no interest in doing calligraphy or "fancy" script. So I'm not really getting the most out of these nibs, just writing as I normally would. The good news is that they work perfectly well for normal writing.

Seems like there are a lot of other inexpensive fountain pens that would make good firsts, but I'll save the specific recommendations for other people.
 
Seems like there are a lot of other inexpensive fountain pens that would make good firsts, but I'll save the specific recommendations for other people.
That's my feeling.

I'm sure the Ahab is a fine pen once adjusted properly and to the user's pressure and writing style.
Mine was a mess...

View attachment 206914

I completely disassembled it and cleaned it again last night, put it back together with the feed pressed in tighter, and now it won't write at all unless I push on the piston to start the flow.
Once I do that, it seems to do fine until I put it down for a couple of hours.

By comparison, the bottom two lines were a matter of "pick up the Lamy Al-Star (not AS2000) and write", just like I would with a rollerball.

Good pen? Perhaps.
Good for a newbie? Absolutely not.
 
For an inexpensive pen, I found the Ahab, with a good cleaning and a little bit of work to be a nice pen that will see alot of use. There are other pens out there that would be better for a beginner being more trouble free and good writers with no effort. One that comes to mind (I have four of them) are the older Parker 45's that can be found at very affordable (under $10-$15) prices from many sources. The bottom line is that wether you get an inexpensive pen from Noodlers or an older low end used pen, fountain pens, with a little bit of practice and patience are wonderful and fun to use.
 

Alacrity59

Wanting for wisdom
I guess I lucked out. Both the Ahabs I received worked right out of the box. Now all of this discussion makes me want to see if I can tweak them.
 
As a pen newb myself I recently acquired a bunch of new pens. A few Platinums, a few Noodlers, and a Shakespeare. In that were 2 AHABs. I do not like them, they did not write well out of the box and I don't know enough about how to adjust them to get them to work. Definitely NOT a beginner pen. I'm sure the AHAB is a great pen, once you get it adjusted correctly, but I don't have the time to figure it out.

I do love my Shakespeare from Benton Clay. I was my first one and I was surprized how easily it wrote, not as different from a ball point as I expected.
 
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My Ahab has written perfectly from day one. But I would probably steer a new person to something else with less degrees of freedom. Pilot 78G (bold nib), Platinum Preppy, or even a Pilot Varsity give you a very low cost of entry into the fountain pen world so you can decide if you like it.

If you do start with an Ahab (or really for any new pen), Nathan (Noodler creator) suggests a good flush with water. I like to do a drop of dishsoap in the first few washes followed by a clean water rinse.
 
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Wow, I didn't expect the polarized views on this pen. As a testament to their website, I have to say that the more I've looked at them, the more I want one even if it's not the best first pen. I am partial to small companies and I like the way they market themselves. Over-all it's very appealing to me. Plus, I guess, now that I see the pen as a challenge, which may have been part of the appeal of getting my first DE a couple of years ago. At least I won't have to suffer the trials of learning with blood, as I did with shaving!

However, after reading the responses I have decided I'll pick up another, easier pen as well. I started keeping a journal this fall as part of a requirement in a course I've been taking in the evening. I have been doing it on the computer, and while I love and embrace technology, I thought it would be nice to do it on paper. My journal includes some sketching so again, the fountain pen would suit it. If I can make them work it would be nice to have a couple, loaded with different inks. We'll see. I'll be passing by a pen shop tomorrow where they seem to have a large selection, including the Ahab and most mentioned here so I'll have a chance to test a few out.

Thanks so much for all the advice!
 
The size of the thing is fantastic. Feels great in the hand. But then again, I like big pens. The resin construction is beautiful and durable (did Noodlers work with Ranga pens in India for the ebonite?). Mine works great out of the box. Might be a combination of getting lucky and NOT filling it with Noodlers ink (which I hate beyond words....takes 319 years to dry on decent paper and wet-writing nibs). The nib both looks good and has good flow with less of the "blobbing" that plagued last year's offering, and with Conway Stewart ink, writes beautifully.

That said, for a first fountain pen I would steer a newbie toward a Pilot 78G or a cheapie Hero.
 
Nice first post.

Did you see the earlier thread about disclosure? Where's my sweater, it's getting a bit shilly in here.

I just read a couple of your others, and it turns out that you, yourself, are relatively new to fountain pens. You ordered a Lamy Al-Star just recently as your first pen. Your own inexperience may be a contributing factor to your problems with the Ahab. My friends fared just fine, but that might just be because I read enough to understand how to clean the pen and adjust the feed to help them.

I'm a long time lurker on many forums. This forum lead me to a Merkur 38c, silvertip badger brush, and an assortment of soaps a couple years ago.

I posted this first time because I felt like I had something valuable to contribute with first hand experience. I relayed to you my real life story with real life people exactly how it occurred. I'm thrilled that my friends have taken to the Ahab, and now I have others with whom I can share this hobby. I'm ecstatic that the Ahab has brought enough enjoyment that my friends are sharing their fountain pen experience with others too.

You know I always found lurking on forums attractive because I could gain knowledge without ever feeling compelled to interact with people like you. Thanks for the warm welcome to The Nib, with your accusing me as a shill because I felt like I should share with this guy that yes a relatively recent convert to fountain pens and his total newbie friends could enjoy a pen that you don't like. People like you make it easy to never have the desire to contribute further.

I'm glad in your three months here where you've racked up nearly 1,200 posts, no one called you a shill and discouraged you from posting.
 
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Intrigued

Bigfoot & Bagel aficionado.
Hi codster! Welcome to B&B! :001_smile

I enjoyed reading your first post. I'm really new to fountain pens though I've have already acquired several. I too have enjoyed my Ahab and have two more that will be Christmas presents for my sons. Mine worked well out of the box after giving it a good flush with a little dish soap and water followed with a clear water rinse. I do have better fountain pens, but I like having a pen that I feel free to play with and not worry about destroying with my vast ignorance in regards to fountain pens. I don't know if it's a great choice for an "only " pen, still it serves the purpose for which I think it was intended. With it I am fearless..... okay almost fearless... :001_unsur
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Welcome to B&B codster, thanks for your time in explaining the experiences you've had with your Ahabs. I haven't tried one yet but with all the talk about adjusting and tinkering I'm sure it would be satisfying for a mechanical guy like me . . . although maybe not for the first time fountain pen user who might not want ink all over her fingers. Writing with flexy nibs and pulling out feeds is probably something to try after getting the hang of a "normal" fountain pen and using it for awhile. Your analogy to a standard transmission was a good one but not everyone wants to adjust the clutch before driving their new car, if I may add something to it.

I have a lot of experience with both fountain pens and old-fashioned shaving, not as just a hobby but as a lifelong daily practice. Internet forums are more of a new thing to me. I understand that B&B is a gentlemanly place and it bothers me to see sarcasm and name calling between members here and especially in this particular forum, the Nib. So can we please stick to the pens and avoid the personal comments, I think the original question was answered and the OP has decided on his first good pen.
 
That's my feeling.

I'm sure the Ahab is a fine pen once adjusted properly and to the user's pressure and writing style.
Mine was a mess...

View attachment 206914

I completely disassembled it and cleaned it again last night, put it back together with the feed pressed in tighter, and now it won't write at all unless I push on the piston to start the flow.
Once I do that, it seems to do fine until I put it down for a couple of hours.

By comparison, the bottom two lines were a matter of "pick up the Lamy Al-Star (not AS2000) and write", just like I would with a rollerball.

Good pen? Perhaps.
Good for a newbie? Absolutely not.

I've got 3 Noodler's pens (none is an Ahab) and won't buy any more. They have cool features at a great price, but all of mine look like your example. Ink belchers which leave spots everywhere. It's a shame, because I really like the feel of the ebonites, and I love Noodler's ink, but the pens I've had were nearly useless. At a similar price point, I recommend the Pilot 78g. Not flashy, nothing particularly cool about them, but every one I have had has been a solid writer. In fact, in my three pen holster right now, I have a Lamy Studio, A Pelikan 200, and Pilot 78g, and the pilot hangs just fine.
 
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