I love Noodler's Ahabs.
At around $23 or so, they are affordable and the epitome of frugality. They are also very comfortable in my hand (and I have large hands). Ahabs are sturdy, hold an ample amount of ink, and they can be easily converted to an eyedropper if you need a truly massive amount of ink. They have a unique piston cartridge converter and can also use the recently released 2.7 mg re-loadable cartridges. Also, I find the design very attractive and they come in a wide range of colors as well as a clear, demonstrator version.
Like many other pens from India, they are made of vegetal resin and have a funny smell. The smell dissipates with time and I have found that it grows on you. And if you throw an Ahab into a landfill, the pen body will reportedly biodegrade, making it environmentally friendly.
Besides its perfect size, one of my biggest attractions to the Ahab is its easily modified ebonite feed and its ability to use standard #6 nibs. As I have a growing collection of these sized nibs, it makes it easy to change nibs "on the fly".
Currently, the two Ahabs shown are fitted with Nemosine fine and extra fine nibs. I also like to use stock italic nibs as well custom-ground stubs. Every once and awhile, I will also load up the stock Noodler's flex nibs to have some fun. I heartily recommend the Ahab!
Buy the Noodler's Ahab demonstrator here: http://amzn.to/2kTkOrt
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I love Ahabs too, Tony! have 20 of them in different colors.
ReplyDeleteThough my hands are smallish, I like large pens with a hearty feel.
I make zen doodle and tangle patterns in multi colors with several pens loaded with different inks and the original flex nibs.
The resin smell has grown on me too.
I urge everyone to have at least one to fiddle with, especially for pen drawing!
I agree with you on this. When I first used my Ahab I remember thinking "why do I need these other more expensive pens...".
ReplyDeleteWell there are reasons, but not as many as you might imagine.