Noodler's Ahab Flex Fountain Pen - Medieval Lapis
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 blue 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!
We do our best to photograph the pens to show how they will appear in person, but due to the nature of the material, there will be some variation in the pattern seen here. This adds an element of uniqueness to the pen, with no two patterns being exactly the same. We cannot honor special requests.
Click here to download the printable PDF instruction sheet for the Noodler's Ahab.
- Condition
- New
- Brand
- Noodler's
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Blue
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- No
- 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
Really bad. I flushed the pen with pen cleaner and then inked it up. It worked fine for half and hour and then it began to leak. I wiped up the excess ink and continued to use it. A moment later all of the Platinum Carbon Black ink came gushing out all over my hands and and my clothing. It cimpketely ruined a $38 shirt and a $45 pair of pants with permanent ink that will not come out. I'm now afraid to try to use it again as the nib had not been removed and was in snugly. This pen was a very costly mistake , not only for tge price of tge pen but the ruined clothing.
My new favorite pen!
My first fountain pens were the Lamy Safari and TWSBI Eco - both great pens, easy to work out of the box. Eventually I wanted to try something different, and the Ahab seemed like something that might fit the bill. It's now one of my favorites.First of all, yes, they smell funny. The odor does minimize over time, but I've honestly come to like it over time. Secondly, they do require some tuning right out of the box. These pens are designed for tinkering, so you can make it yours, so to speak. They need a good cleaning out of the box, and the feed will work better once you've done a heat set on it. Adjusting the feed will also manage the ink flow to some degree. I have larger hands, so I love the way the pen fits my grip. It's a pen I could write all day with, and have no fatigue. I have two Ahabs at the moment (Medieval Lapis and Apache Tortoise), and I'll probably get another just to have an arsenal with all different nib and feed setups. For the price, I think anyone interested in a flex nib pen should give the Ahab a shot. Just be patient with it. Tinker with it, change the feed positions, swap nibs, get ink on your hands!
This is my first Ahab. I bought it primarily to experience a flex nib, and that was a little underwhelming, but the grip is really comfortable and I'm impressed with the standard ink capacity. I can't imagine a need to convert to eyedropper. I cleaned it thoroughly before inking, and it worked great right off.
Love this pen, really wet to keep up with the way it flexes. Flexes very well and is very comfortable in the hand. A true joy, good looking, and not to pricy.
