Does The Noodler's Konrad Have More Issues Than The Ahab? - Q&A Slices

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There seems to be more problems with the Konrad than the Ahab and Creaper, can you explain why?
This used to be the case more than it is today
two factors, design and the manufacturer
manufacturer: different factory making them, had some tolerance issues on the grip (not the case anymore)
design, was made to accept a lot of different nib types, with great power comes great responsibility
Nathan changed the design to me more hassle-free, but now it accepts fewer replacement nibs
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[@dominicpigneri6477]

Props, Brian, on the colored undershirt game!

[@alextaplin7354]

No one cares here. Why would you want to do that anyway? It's not technically legal but it doesn't exactly show that your trustworthy or nice.

[@alextaplin7354]

The Konrad is definatly the best of the bunch for looks and size and comfortability in my opinion.

[@alextaplin7354]

The only problems I've had with these pens are that the Ahab has a sort of warm up time before you get your full ink flow and my Konrad is far to wet and causes bleeding with every ink except for Emerald of Chivor which has perfect ink flow I think because the particles reduce the flow, but this is the best pen to put EoC in anyway so it's not too much of a problem for me. Another problem with my Ahab is how both the pump converter and the cartridges react with water to produce a pink solution which can change the colour of very light inks but you shouldn't notice it with more saturated colours. Your really won't find better value for money than what you get from the Noodler's pens, I own an Ahab and a Nib Creaper in Truk lagoon and a Konrad in Apache Tortoise and they are all great, Nib Creaper has no issues and is great as an everyday writer too although it is quite small and has a low ink capacity. A flex nib, ebonite feed, high quality attractive resins and a piston mechanism for £14 really can't be complained about.

[@sdovas]

I just recently purchased a new Konrad from you guys toward the end of the year. I'm curious why it was discounted, I don't know if it's one of the older models you were talking about or not, but it seems to be working fine so far. I've heat set the feed, it writes and draws OK and it hasn't exploded yet. I have 2 Ahabs, one is set with a fixed nib which I use pretty much as a letter writer because I can fill it with a 308 cartridge and just write for hours, the other one with the flex nib is the one that drips a little bit and I've set it a couple times and I'm not sure if it is the fact that the nib is as split as it is and I need to adjust the feed. I have this feeling I need to play with it more but I'm happy with both my Ahab and my Konrad. I will say however that they are not quite as well suited to drawing as Nathan would like us to believe.

[@Gouletpens]

We were overstocked on Konrads that's why they were discounted earlier, not due to any sort of issues with them. They're definitely tinkerer's tools so if you're willing to commit to heat setting and things like that, they can write really well, especially for the price. - Colin

[@user-gd6rq7uc2w]

so basically the pen is better in terms of out of the box quality?

[@khamulshadow]

I own two of each and they both have a lot of problems. The Ahab tends to blot more and the Konrad tends to dry out or strip out its piston knob. I still love these pens but they are not for the casual user.

[@thorerik]

Are they recent purchases? I'm considering getting an Ahab to get to play around with flex without having to spend _too_ much money before I know it's something I'll use.

[@khamulshadow]

thorerik here's the thing: they are steel flex nibs so you will probably get a lot more mileage out of a simple dip nib that was designed for it. But if you don't mind tinkering and having a stiff "flex" nib fountain pen they are good buys. I've been using various generations of Noodlers pens for years now and they haven't changed much. FPR is the only other major source of comparable pens.

[@dustoff499]

I agree. I loved some of the color schemes and size of the Ahab but honestly, I have had nothing but headaches with that pen. Not willing to attempt another Noodlers pen - I'd stick with their inks.

[@galaxyoutcast7377]

The Goulet Pen Company, I really like fountain pens and I've owned 2 so far. My birthday is coming up soon and I'll be turning 14. What pens under about 5o dollars would you recommend. I really like flex nibs, soft nib, and extra fine nibs.

[@Gouletpens]

If you're into flex nibs, definitely check out one of the Noodler's pens (Ahab/Konrad/Nib Creaper), very affordable flex pens. For Extra-Fine, I'd stick to Pilot as I think they have the best EF. So either the Metropolitan/Kakuno/Prera could work well. - Colin

[@galaxyoutcast7377]

The Goulet Pen Company thanks. I appreciate it.

[@13noman1]

So, now in early 2018, are the nibs/section still friction fit? My new ebonite Konrad came in the mail today, pretty good though it looks as though the tines are slightly out of alignment.

[@Anton_the_Vampire]

I'm looking at getting a Konrad, but have been told that the nib has to be "heat set" in order to work properly. I've seen your video on how to do this, but am wondering, do you consider this essential to make the pen work properly?

[@dragorsi]

I spent about 3 days researching these 3 but the reviews were so all over the place that in the end I went with the cheapest option so that I could buy some ink too. :D but I will buy the other 2 as well, because I'm curious. Haven't gotten the nib creaper yet, but can't wait to try. :)

[@Gouletpens]

Noodler's pens are interesting, because they are definitely made for the tinkering type. Things like heat setting the feed can go a long way towards a great writing experience. When considering the price, they're a great deal. - Colin

[@dragorsi]

The Goulet Pen Company yes, I've read that, and tbh at first that scared me away for a while, because I'm still a beginner of the hobby. But hey, I like learning about pens, so hopefully this will be an overall positive experience. :)

[@NovemberOwl70]

Just got my Konrad in and was really looking forward it trying it out. What a disappointment and I stress DISAPPOINTMENT.

[@danielrisner1496]

Hi, I'm wonder how a noodlers flex nib would work for daily use on printer or notebook paper occasionally. Im curious if it would just be too wet or if it could still be useful for my need. Thank you!

[@Gouletpens]

If it's just standard printer/notebook paper, I don't think it'd be a good choice. The flex nib lays down a lot of ink & without fountain-pen friendly paper, it'll feather & bleed through pretty bad. - Colin

[@aedriqwert2456]

any suggestion of a fountain pen for traveling

[@fairguinevere666]

I find my Vanishing Point to be really good. Convenient, durable, and leak-free.

[@Gouletpens]

I prefer the less expensive pens when traveling, just in case things get lost. Something like the Platinum Preppy or Pilot Metropolitan could be good options. - Colin

[@fairguinevere666]

I think what we do while traveling could lead to very different recommendations. When I travel I often stay in fairly comfortable areas, take not too much with me, I often need my phone/laptop/etc which are far more than a 150 VP, and I tend to have infrastructure between the places I visit. However, what some people do for their traveling would be things like backpacking, hiking, and other similar things. If I did that for my traveling then I'd totally use something cheaper. So it really depends on personal wealth and what you do while traveling.

[@alextaplin7354]

I would take my Opus 88 Koloro on 'comfortable' holidays like to a hotel/resort because of its large capacity isolating ink chamber which is leak free on flights and often no need to carry a bottle of ink. My Koloro is in the tan/teal colour scheme which reminds me of holiday hotels and has my custom broad architect grind. My Kaweco Supra with a spare shot in the back for hiking and more adventurous trips as it is durable and reliable, full cartridges tend not to leak in flight and are easily reloaded and because the pen is solid brass I don't care about it taking scratches or damage. The Ahab has reload able cartridges which are ideal for travel too so I will often take one with a full cartridge unopened in the barrel. A lot of people like to use Platinum Preppys or Prefountes for trips away because they are cheap so there isn't much to worry about losing or damaging them and have the slip and seal cap which can prevent leaks.