The Pencilcase Blog | Fountain pen, Pencil, Ink and Paper reviews

PEN CASE REVIEW: FRANKLIN-CHRISTOPH NEW PENVELOPE

Of all the hardshell-type pen cases I know, the Franklin-Christoph Penvelope (review) sits comfortably in my top recommendations, perhaps only to be surpassed by Visconti's Dreamtouch cases (review) to the number one spot. In any case - hah, pun. - the Penvelope is without a doubt a stylish and practical storage option for your pens, and it's offered at an attractive price point. But despite already having the excellent Penvelope - and an extensive range of storage options overall -, Franklin-Christoph recently introduced a second Penvelope-style case to their product lineup: the 'New Penvelope' (not quite the most original naming ever). So obviously I was very curious to give it a try and see what it's all about!

"Why fix what isn't broken?", one could argue, but the New Penvelope doesn't really feel like they just updated the original. Instead, it's a complete departure from the original, meant to serve a different audience based on what you're looking for in a pen case.

In terms of design, only the signature FC beveled edge on the front flap remains, the rest of the design was overhauled completely. The bottom and sides of the case are now completely closed up with a single strip of hard material. That's in contrast to the original Penvelope which has accordion-shaped (?) soft leather sides that allow the case to stretch out when (over-)filled to the brim. This design change makes the New Penvelope more robust - so in theory more protective for your pens - but it also takes away some of the practicality of having extra room to accommodate small notebooks, cleaning cloths, or even additional pens in front of the pen slots. No extra space to do that here.

Top to bottom: FC New Penvelope, Visconti Dreamtouch, FC Penvelope (original) (all 6-pen versions)

Talking about space, the first thing that stood out is the New Penvelope's incredibly tiny footprint. The original Penvelope is quite a large case, much larger than an equivalent Visconti case, and I can see how that can be frustrating when you want to carry it around in a backpack or purse, or while traveling. The New Penvelope trims off almost an inch (about 2cm) in both height and width, while also being much slimmer. That puts it at an even more compact form factor than the - already quite compact - Visconti Dreamtouch pen cases.

New Penvelope left, original Penvelope right

On the inside, Franklin-Christoph opted for a removable slotted insert made of soft black cotton fabric (gone is the classy ribbed fabric of the 'old' Penvelope, unfortunately). I don't think making it a separate piece was the most space-efficient option, but they pulled it off anyway. The insert is sort of practical because partially sliding it out keeps the flap of the case opened and makes your pens easily accessible. The slots run all the way to the bottom of the insert, so removing the insert from the case won't display anything but the pens' finials, but at least they are well-protected.

One of the unique selling points of the New Penvelope is the addition of - besides the classic boot leather - a leatherless (vegan!) finish called 'Natural Wood Fiber' (NWF in short). It looks like leather (complete with the wrinkly, texture of real leather), it feels like leather (I think it's waxed, not sure though?), it even smells like leather... but it's actually wood-based cellulose made into a kind of fabric. The FC website states it's as durable as real leather, and having the case in hand it sure looks like it will easily stand the test of time. I quite like this material, especially in these muted colorways that FC offers. It's not as soft or cushioned to the touch as the original leather Penvelope though, but I suspect that also has to do with the stiffer and thinner materials used for the structure of the case.

The slots of the New Penvelope are visibly narrower than on the original design

L to R: Pilot Metropolitan (almost invisible), Esterbrook Estie, Leonardo Momento Zero Grande, Edison Beaumont, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

Inevitably, the size reduction does have an effect on the functionality of this case. I maybe wish they hadn't taken the space optimization exercise quite as far, because the small form factor physically dictates the maximum size of the pen you can fit inside. The rather stiff construction of the case doesn't budge too much, so I feel like pens up to 14.5cm (5.7") are about the tallest to fit comfortably. Not at all bad for such a compact case, and plenty for a large majority of pens. Though the FC website goes even further with a maximum of 15.3cm (6"). Optimistic, but indeed possible because the long tab of the closure allows for about a centimeter of additional headroom inside the front flap. You can see that even the 15cm long Leonardo Momento Zero Grande could still fit, but it's a bit too cramped for my taste, whereas it fits just fine in the original Penvelope.

Space is limited inside the case, so clips have to face sideways to get them to fit.

The main size limitation is not so much the length, but the maximum diameter of the individual slots. Here's where I don't agree with the FC website: they say it can take pens up to 0.75" (19mm) in diameter, but I just don't see that happening. The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande was again a good test subject (maximum diameter of 0.66" / 16.8mm). It worked, but it's already an extremely tight fit and difficult enough to get out again. I can't see how anything even wider would be possible without getting pens completely stuck inside the slots. For really oversized pens, this case is clearly not your best friend.

The New Penvelope from Franklin-Christoph is a cool new offering in their extensive range of pen carry & storage options. The NWF material is really neat, it looks and feels almost like real leather. And I think the more compact form factor will appeal to a lot of people that want to slim down - literally - their daily carry. It's almost complementary to the original Penvelope, so I hope Franklin-Christoph will let both cases coexist side by side!

The New Penvelope is not without its faults though: The new closure system doesn't look quite as clean as the magnetic closure, the fabrics used for the pen insert feel a bit cheaper, and the overall finishing doesn't feel quite as premium and plush as the original Penvelope (although that's just due to the thinner and stiffer overall construction I think). The compact form factor also means that this case is simply not ideal for larger pens, although it should still be plenty spacious to fit the majority of 'normal' pens.

In the end, it manages to redeem itself with an incredibly competitive price point though. The original Penvelope already offered excellent value for its 65$ price tag, but the new model sits even lower, at just 45$ (for the 6-pen variant). Of course, you can also go for the smaller or larger 3 and 12 (not 13!) form factors. But regardless of the size you choose, the New Penvelope is consistently more affordable than the original (even if you do choose the slightly more expensive boot leather finish!). That makes it an excellent storage option if you're on a budget, yet still want to keep your precious pens safe and easy to carry around.

This product was provided by Franklin-Christoph, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: NOODLERS AHAB FLEX NIB FOUNTAIN PEN

As you may (or may not) have noticed, I'm sort of on the search for the perfect modern flex nib fountain pen these days. I've reviewed a few flexy pens already, the most recent ones being the Pilot Custom 743 FA and FPR Himalaya, but today it's the turn of the Noodlers Ahab - Thanks to La Couronne Du Comte for sending this one over for review!

The Ahab is somewhat of a long-standing icon in the fountain pen hobby - although not always for the right reasons. The Ahab has sort of a bipolar reputation: some people love it, some people hate it. Me? I'm probably somewhere in the middle between those two camps. On the one hand, it's hard not to like it. For 20$ you get a lot of pen, with a couple cool features to boot. But it's far from the perfect everyday writer, either.

Let's start at the beginning though, and that's the looks. Surprisingly, I ended up appreciating the Ahab's design considerably more than I thought I would. The Ahab has a story to tell, that of Moby Dick, to be more specific! The clip is modeled after the top view of a sperm whale (Google it, the resemblance is actually quite convincing!). The barrel, shaped after captain Ahab's prosthetic leg (made out of whalebone), is perhaps a bit more far-fetched, but I do very much appreciate the thought that went into the design of this pen. The demonstrator finish is definitely my favorite, as it shows the unique plunger-filling mechanism in all its glory. Apart from the metal trim and ebonite feed, every single part of this pen is transparent by the way, which makes for a pretty cool see-through and clean design.

Talking about the material this pen is made of... It may also be the first item on my list of negatives, unfortunately. Noodlers describes the material as some sort of 'vegetal resin', but unfortunately doesn't go on to specify which exact one. It looks good (maybe not as smooth and polished as I'd liken but that probably has more to do with the low price point than anything else), it feels warm to the touch and durable... but it SMELLS. SO. BAD.

The best way I can describe it is sort of a putrid, sickly sweet smell. The smell is terrible out of the box - and may put people off of buying this pen - but it luckily lessens over time (although the parts on the inside of the cap, section, and barrel remain smelly on my review pen to this day - even though it has been continuously on my desk for the past 6 months or so). Some people apparently like the smell - I don't.

The Ahab is a nicely sized pen, I feel. It measures 14cm (5.5") capped, and 12.8cm (5") uncapped. The barrel is not too thin, and the section has that comfortable 'stepped' shape like we also see on the Leonardo pens nowadays (although Noodlers did this design first, I should add!).

The Ahab is certainly a comfortable pen to use, It's a good, balanced size, the all-resin construction is lightweight, and the threads are not that obtrusive to my grip. The cap posts, but not very deep and it often sits crooked on the back of the barrel...which annoys me a little bit.

In terms of construction and build quality, I really don't have much to complain about. I mean it's a 20$ pen and I view it as such. But for the price, everything fits together nicely and feels sturdy. Even the clip has a really nice and solid spring to it.

I also particularly like the plunger-type filling system. It has a very high capacity (approx. 2mL) and is designed properly with a breather tube so it fills up completely with minimal effort (a night and day difference over the so-so mechanism of the FPR Himalaya). You can also remove the plunger and use the Ahab as an eyedropper. But you can't use regular cartridges or converters with this pen. Overall, I've seen a few Indian-made pens at this point (Noodlers pens are made in India, btw) and none have been quite as nicely made as this one.

And then we get to the nib. This is another area of the Ahab where I'm a little divided. On one hand, I'm excited to see a flexible steel nib and ebonite feed on an affordable pen like this, on the other hand, it's not without its flaws. You see: I'm lazy and spoiled, and I expect some kind of instant gratification when I buy a pen, especially a modern one. Admittedly, fountain pens never really are the ideal choice for ease of use. But I at least expect a pen to write properly out of the box, and Noodlers pens have never been known for their nib consistency (I've had the same issues with the FPR Himalaya that has a similar nib and feed).

Frankly, it might as well be borderline impossible to provide a flawless writing performance with a highly specialized nib and feed setup like this, at this price point. It's difficult to make a flex nib work, you know. So to keep costs down, you - as a customer - are more or less expected to take care of the nib tuning yourself. It's probably a bit of a nib lottery, some nibs might be good out of the box, some might take some tinkering. Mine fell under the latter category.

Heat-setting the feed, and adjusting the nib to get a proper ink flow (especially for flex writing!) took me more than a couple tries and some swearing definitely was involved. I got it to a point where I can live with the writing performance, although I probably could've done a better job. This flex nib (fine-ish size) is smooth, but not buttery, and it can keep up with a decent amount of flexing (it opens up to about 1mm line widths). Solely for flex performance, the FPR Himalaya and it's custom modified 'super-flex' nib and feed certainly give much more dramatic line variation. The ink flow is not super heavy but manages to keep up most of the time. You definitely have to take your time when flex writing to avoid railroading, but that's a general remark for most flex pens.

The Noodlers Ahab costs 23€ (23$). That's not a lot. In fact, at that price, I'm willing to forgive the finicky flex nib and smelly resin as a trade-off for a cool design and decent potential if you put in some effort to get the performance dialed in. Is this the perfect modern flex pen? Nah, but it sure is a fun pen if you're willing to give it a try!

NOTE: This product was provided by La Couronne Du Comte, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: FABER-CASTELL GRIP 2011 FOUNTAIN PEN

I don't review enough pens in the 10-20$ price bracket. It's something I really want to change, because there are some real gems to be found in the entry-level range. Faber-Castell is one of the brands that often brings excellent bang for the buck in their lower-tiered offerings, and yet I don't spend enough time with their products.

I guess it's some kind of pen-snobbery once you start getting into more expensive pens. But really, that's just ignorant, and I know it. A while ago I got a couple of pens on loan from Appelboom, amongst which this new-ish Faber-Castell Grip 2011 fountain pen, but also a 1000$ Montblanc (the R. Kipling Writers Edition, should you want to know), and frankly the Faber-Castell more than held its' ground against pens many times the price.

The new Faber-Castell Grip 2011 fountain pen continues on their popular line of Grip 20XX stationery and school supplies. The Grip product range has been around for years and is quite extensive, so it's perhaps a bit of a surprise that it took them so long to add a fountain pen to the list. But hey, they did now, and the end result is more than decent, really.

With their ergonomic triangular designs and easy-to-hold rubberized dots (hence the name 'Grip', obviously), the Grip products are marketed mainly towards a younger audience. The dots are the main design element that set the Grip products apart, including the new Grip 2011 fountain pen.

However, as I said, on most of the Grip 20XX products those rubberized dots serve the simple purpose of providing grip. On the fountain pen that added functionality is gone, unless you grip your pen all the way up on the barrel I guess. So the only reason they're there is to make the design stand out and create a uniform look across the entire product line.

Other than the dots, the Grip 2011 fountain pen is a fairly standard-shaped pen. The cap is round and almost featureless. It has a concave finial on top, with Faber-Castell's jousting knights logo on it. Same as all other Grip products, the barrel has a triangular profile with nicely rounded edges. It's a fairly clean and minimal design really, and in this silver metallic colorway, it actually looks quite nice. Given that this product range is aimed at children mostly, it's still a surprisingly business-y-looking pen (although it's also available in some really bright colors, if "business-y" is not your thing!).

L to R: Pilot Metropolitan, TWSBI GO, Faber-Castell Loom, F-C Essentio, F-C Grip 2011, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

Some measurements then: the Grip 2011 is 13,9 cm (5.47") closed, and 13 cm (5.1") without the cap. It has a comfortable diameter, definitely not too thin. The triangular profile of the barrel continues underneath the cap, with a subtly shaped rubberized section. The section shape is quite interesting actually. It's not super-pronounced, so it doesn't force your grip and feel as restrictive like the notorious section of the Lamy Safari does. But at the same time, you definitely do feel that this is a shaped section. And if you don't have a 'traditional' triangular grip, it may very well still bother you. Aside from the section shape, the Grip is actually a really comfortable pen. The transition from section to barrel is seamless and the pen fits nicely in the hand. The 'dots' -even though you normally don't hold the pen on the barrel- do throw me off sometimes, they are definitely noticeable in the hand - a massage for the web of your hand, perhaps?

What Faber-Castell does absolutely great is make consistently high quality products, no matter the price range. The Grip 2011 is all-plastic, sure. But it's all constructed very precisely. The injection-molded plastic parts are thick and sturdy, and the cap snaps on reassuringly. It's a very light pen (15 gram total), but nothing rattles or feels poorly made, even the folded stainless steel clip feels surprisingly sturdy and has a nice firm spring-loaded action. Not at all bad for a 20$ pen!

Then there's the nib. Faber-Castell's steel nibs are usually the star of the show, but the Grip (and a few of their other lower-end pens) utilize a slightly different nib and feed. So is it still as good? The nib has an almost identical design, the only visual difference is its slightly smaller size (a bit smaller than the usual #5 size nib). It's not removable either by the way, not that there's a need to remove it though.

Performance-wise, this smaller nib is pretty much on the same level as FC's other nibs. It's smooth enough, though has perhaps a touch more feedback than the regular FC nibs. It writes consistently, as I've come to expect from them, and the ink flow is balanced but slightly on the wet side. Interestingly, from my (limited) testing of a couple of these nibs, I learned that this smaller nib writes a slightly narrower line compared to the regular #5-sized nibs. For this review, I tried a medium nib, but I'd say it's more of a medium-fine.

The Faber-Castell Grip 2011retails for 20€, or 23$ from Appelboom (Even 10% less if you use my discount code 'friend' on their website!). The design is -ehrm- different, I'm pretty neutral about it - I don't love it, but don't hate it either. The nib though? Absolutely perfect, just an all-round great writer. It's also well-made, sturdy clip, good ergonomics (if you don't mind the triangular grip!)... what more can you expect really? It ticks all the right boxes for a 20 dollar pen. So if you ask me, the Grip can easily compete with the usual workhorse pens in this price range, like the Lamy Safari or Pilot Metropolitan!

This product was provided on loan by Appelboom, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post contains affiliate links.

REVIEW: ESTERBROOK ESTIE SPARKLE OVERSIZED FOUNTAIN PEN

I typically wouldn't consider myself the target demographic for products that have the word 'sparkle' in their name. So when Bryan from Esterbrook (and Kenro, red.) offered to send over a sample of their new Estie Sparkle oversized, I was actually this close to declining. As a pen-reviewer, I try to stay unbiased as much as possible. But in this case, I was worried I'd be too heavily biased against the pen's aesthetic, given it's soooo far out of my comfort zone. Turns out I was dead wrong for thinking that.

As soon as the box opened, I gasped a little. DAMN. THIS. THING. IS. BEAUTIFUL!

Don't forget, that's coming from the guy who, at the beginning of his pen-blogging career, didn't even think about straying away from colorless, black pens. I expected something obnoxiously gaudy and over the top, but instead this 'Garnet Red' Diamondcast Alumilite material (Made by McKenzie Penworks) strikes a perfect balance of bright red metallic particles captured in a deep, dark red (almost black in some places) acrylic. It sure does catch the eye when the light hits it, but it's really not as overpowering as I expected.

The white specks of diamond dust are subtle, but noticeable up close!

The unique thing about Diamondcast is that it is, well, made with real diamonds. Waste diamond dust from cutting gems, to be precise. The tiny white specks of diamond dust add an extra layer of sparkle to the red metallic flake that is best appreciated up close.

To be clear, this pen will not be everyone's cup of tea. But it wasn't too hard to persuade me, so I guess everything is possible. On the other hand, if you're the kind of person that wants even more bling, the two other colorways ('Montana Sapphire' and 'Tanzanite Blue') are seemingly a bit more vibrant and in-your-face, at least going by the images I've seen online.

The Sparkle is a special edition that does command a rather hefty premium over the standard production colorways of the Estie (more on that later). However, apart from the Diamondcast material, the Estie Sparkle shares the exact same design as the regular Estie I reviewed a couple months ago (review HERE). That's a good thing if you ask me, because I really do enjoy the minimalist, clutter-free aesthetic of the Estie. The Oversized version of the Estie follows the same clean lines as the regular model, just overall a good bit bigger. The large size and clean design of the Estie oversized put all the emphasis on the striking Diamondcast material, and deservedly so. It really shines - literally!

L to R: Pelikan M1005, Esterbrook Estie Sparkle OS, Estie Honeycomb, OPUS 88 Flow, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

What's also striking, is the size of the Estie Oversized! I probably should've seen that coming, since the regular model is already pretty much an oversized pen. But I was still quite surprised when I first opened the box. It's an absolutely huge pen, and especially the added width makes the oversized Estie feel considerably larger than its smaller sibling. Heck, it even makes a Pelikan M1000 or Montblanc 149 feel kind of small! Its size reflects in the weight as well. Since the barrel and cap walls are machined considerably thicker than on the regular model, it feels extremely solid in the hand, and should be able to withstand a good bit of (ab)use. It feels noticeably more substantial than the regular Estie, but at 33 grams it's still far from what I'd call heavy or unpleasant to use.

As far as I can tell, the Estie and Estie Oversized share the exact same section. I did find the Estie a particularly comfortable pen to use in my original review, but the copy-pasted section does introduce one caveat in the much larger (and wider) Oversized variant: where the regular Estie had almost no step at all - a huge plus in terms of comfort - the oversized adds its extra girth in the shape of a substantial step behind the all-metal section threads. While the block threads are subtle enough to go unnoticed in my grip, the step can definitely be felt depending on how you hold the pen. It's not an absolute dealbreaker for me, but in terms of absolute comfort, the regular Estie has a slightly more forgiving form factor.

The Estie Sparkle comes with the same JoWo-made steel nib and plastic feed as the regular Estie. The medium nib on my pen is perfectly smooth and lays down a rather wide and wet line. It's an excellent nib all-around, without a doubt, and the spring-loaded inner cap ensures a reliable ink flow that starts right up when you need it.

One negative is undoubtedly the rather high price of the Estie Oversized and this 'Sparkle' special edition in particular. The production run on these isn't particularly large I was told, so you do get something unique, but there's no denying that an MSRP of 395$ is quite a serious price hike over the 250$ base price of the oversized model (retail price of the Sparkle is 316$ from US vendors, 395€ from European vendors like La Couronne Du Comte or Appelboom). For a pen in that price range, I would've liked to see a gold nib as standard, or at least the option to upgrade to one. That shouldn't be too hard to do, given JoWo's gold and steel nibs are interchangeable, so I'm hoping Esterbrook will add this option at some point.

Being 'worth' that kind of money or not, is of course highly subjective and it maybe shouldn't depend solely on the nib material. Recently, we've seeing more and more brands jump into the higher echelons (+250$) with steel-nibbed pens, which rubs people the wrong way because these pens lack the perceived value that a gold-nibbed pen has. But let's be real here: apart from the prestige, the added value of the gold alloy is almost negligible, and performance-wise there's plenty of steel nibs - including this one - that can easily measure up to their gold counterparts.

If you can live with the price, the Esterbrook Estie Sparkle oversized is not only an excellent writer, it also pulls off a bold - but tasteful - aesthetic that surprised me in a pleasant way. I already liked the regular Estie, but they absolutely nailed it with the Sparkle, and I think they made the right choice to let the oversized model show off the color and depth of the Diamondcast material at its finest!

NOTE: This product was provided by Esterbrook (Kenro), so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post contains affiliate links.

REVIEW: OTTO HUTT DESIGN 03 FOUNTAIN PEN

Of every Otto Hutt fountain pen I've tried so far at this point, I think the one that surprised me most is this one: the Otto Hutt Design 03! It's inherently a pen that wouldn't be my first pick, the only reason for that being the quite slender design. Though in the end, it turned out to be an incredibly interesting pen, for multiple reasons!

The Design 03 is one of the newest Otto Hutt pens, the first pen that came out after they updated their brand for a more modern look and feel. Modern is certainly the word I'd use to describe the 03. The design game is absolutely on point with this one. The pill-like overall shape (technically it's called a stadium shape) that ends in two flattened-out finials (slightly convex finial on the back, a subtle - but noticeable convex shape on the cap finial!), immediately gives a very space-age look to the pen.

The design is further accented with a small center band that's unadorned, and a clip-on clip that sits flush with the surface of the cap (I guess it's technically removable, but I definitely WILL NOT try that). I especially love how the angular and straight clip contrasts the smooth and rounded shape of the pen. On the fixture of the clip is the Otto Hutt branding, as well as a unique serial number.

The available colorways of the Design 03 again reflect the more modern approach of Otto Hutt since the rebrand, with matte coatings and trendy rose gold or black PVD trims. I'm most attracted to this matte, 'all-black'version, rounded up with glossy black PVD trims. Worth noting is that you'll see a two-tone gold and rhodium-plated nib in my images, but they now switched to all black PVD-coated nibs for the pens that have black trims - which rounds up the sleek all-black color scheme.

A somewhat unusual design quirk in the finish of the 03 are the two thin glossy black lines that are painted across the cap and barrel. It's super subtle, but it definitely sets the design even further apart from anything else. The new 'o | h' logo is also visible interrupting this line on the barrel, but the attentive reader will notice that it's actually upside down for right-handed writers... an interesting choice?

L to R: Pelikan M1005, Pelikan M805, Otto Hutt Design 04, Design 06, Design 03, Design 07, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

From the size comparison above, you'll see that the Design 03 is a fairly average-sized pen, I'd say. At 14 cm (5.51") capped, it's only a hair shorter than a Lamy Safari. It is, however, noticeably skinny (11 mm/ 0.43") across the entire length of the pen. Especially the section is noticeably thin, it tapers down to just 8 mm (0.31"), which required some getting used to because I don't often use thinner pens like this (the comparison below shows how thin it really is, compared to other Otto Hutt pens). The diameter, and a rather aggressive step towards the barrel, could potentially be a deal-breaker for some people. The snap cap means that there are no threads to be bothered by, though.

Top to bottom: Otto Hutt Design 03, Design 06, and Design 07.

The weight though! This pen has an incredible - sort of satisfying - heft to it, which totally caught me off-guard the first time I pulled it out of its box. Despite the fairly slender form factor, it still manages to hit about 58 grams on the scales. That's because the entire pen is made out of metal (build quality and overall fit and finish are excellent, btw!), brass I assume.

Uncapped, over half of that weight lies in the barrel, so it's a bit back-heavy. The Design 03's shape does not allow for the cap to post, but it measures a comfortable 12.5 cm (4.92") uncapped so I personally never found the need to post the cap anyway.

As mentioned, the design of the nib is actually not how you'll find it on the pen you can buy in-store today (both the steel and 18k gold nibs are now black PVD coated on the colorways with black PVD trim!). The two-tone 18k gold nib has quite a pretty logo imprint, and I actually don't mind the two-tone plating on it. Although as you can see, this particular example isn't plated very accurately on the design, which I assume is due to the fact that this is not an exact retail version of the pen - Other Otto Hutt pens I've seen have all had an impeccable plating finish on the nibs.

Otto Hutt likes to stick to smaller nibs on all but the Design 07, which means the 03 is outfitted with a #5-sized nib. For once, I actually think the slim and not-so-large footprint of the Design 03 is a very proportionate place to fit a #5 nib.

Enough about looks though, because this 18k medium nib is a FAN-TASTIC writer! It reminds me a lot of the writing characteristic of Montblanc, which is a pretty big compliment I'd say. The nib has a perfectly balanced smoothness to it - almost buttery, but not so much that it becomes unreliable in terms of skipping or hard starting. The ink flow is on the heavier side, which is right up my alley. It's a reliable writer, it starts right up, even after long periods of being unused, and I found that it had a remarkably forgiving sweet spot.

I think Otto Hutt's rebranding was the best move they could've made to get some new exposure. The more modern design language of the Design 03 is a refreshing departure from the more classic older Otto Hutt pens, and it's very well-executed. The slightly smaller and slim form factor combined with its considerable heft makes for an absolutely fascinating pen to pick up and play around with. Though at the same time, writing comfort might be the 03's most controversial aspect - you either love how different it is or absolutely hate it. What's not controversial, is the nib performance: it's just all-round excellent. Their steel nibs are already, reliable, good quality writers, but this gold nib takes the entire experience to the next level!

The Otto Hutt Design 03 prices start at 160€ and go up to 190€ for this all-black version - that's with a steel nib. The 18k gold nib is a 110€ option. Given the quality and excellent writing experience you get, I feel like 300€ (for the most expensive version) is actually a correct price point. So far, the Design 03 is not as widely available online as other Otto Hutt pens. You can order directly from the Otto Hutt webshop (although you might need Google translate to navigate the german site), or our site sponsor Penworldalso has them in stock!

NOTE: This product was provided by Otto Hutt, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: KAWECO SUPRA STAINLESS STEEL FOUNTAIN PEN

Remember the Kaweco Supra brass (review HERE)? It was such a refreshing new product when it launched back in 2016. (yes, that was four years ago!) I think it was generally quite a well-conceived pen, there certainly was a bit of a hype surrounding it for a while (I don't think I exaggerate when I say Kaweco as a whole was a hype brand at that time!).

Back then, I naturally expected Kaweco to follow the same business strategy as with their uber-popular Sport and Lilliput pens: bring out new versions and special editions on a semi-regular basis to keep the product line fresh and relevant, and the customer's interest peaked.

But they didn't. Total radio silence about the Supra.

Four years went by, and just this year - when I thought all hope for a successor was lost - they decided to release the next installment in the Supra product line: the Kaweco Supra stainless steel. In my irrelevant opinion, that's about three years too late though. I feel like people lost interest, and maybe even forgot about the Supra altogether. 'Out of sight, out of mind' certainly applies here.

That's unfortunate because the Supra ~~was~~ is a cleverly designed, cool, well-built chameleon of a pen! Chameleon, obviously, because this pen adapts to the kind of use you want to get out of it. It shines as a pocket pen when the extension piece is removed, creating a pen that's a good bit shorter and even a bit thinner than the Kaweco Sport while still packing a full-sized writing experience and a #6 nib (So far, that's something only this pen and the Schon DSGN Pocket 6 are able to say).

I personally use the Supra with the extension piece in place about 80% of the time. I really like the looks of the Lilliput, but find the form factor just a bit too compact for a comfortable everyday writer. The Supra offers the same, pill-shaped, simple (I want to say 'minimal' but I already overuse that term to death) design as the Lilliput, but with a more normal footprint that I find more enjoyable to use.

The addition of a stainless steel version should make a lot of people very happy since it offers the same hefty feel without the smell that brass and copper give off. From an aesthetic point of view, it's interesting how the all-stainless steel construction gives the Supra a clinically clean appearance, much more modern-looking than the brass Supra and its vintage-esque patina.

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Kaweco Sport, Lilliput, Supra Brass, Supra stainless steel (with extension), Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The more 'normal' footprint of the Supra equates to what's still, for all intents and purposes, a mid-sized to smaller pen. Especially capped, at just 13 cm (5.11"), it's comparatively short alongside a true average pen, like the Lamy 2000 or Safari (which have become somewhat of a 'sizing standard' in my reviews). Uncapped, it retains most of its length though, so at 12.5 cm (4.92") it still hits that sweet spot of a comfortable size without needing to post. Obviously, these are all measurements with the extension piece in place.

With both the extension in place, and the cap posted, the supra is really quite a long pen.

Without it, the Supra shrinks about 2.5 to 3 cm in length, making it effectively as long as the Lilliput. The extra girth of the Supra is the biggest contributor to making this pen feel more like a normal-sized pen.

Even though I prefer to hold the girthier Supra over the Lilliput, in absolute terms, comfort has never been the Supra's strong suit. The threads are cut deeply and have surprisingly sharp edges. Without the extension piece, the barrel has an almost imperceivable step behind the threads, but with the extension piece (which is wider than the barrel) in place, you do get a noticeable step right behind the threads. The section - while nicely concave-shaped - is short, so your grip automatically rests right on those sharp edges. I'm not typically one to complain about threads or steps, but in this case, there's definitely room for improvement.

It sort of speaks for itself, but the construction of the Supra is actually a lot beefier than that of the Lilliput. All parts are machined substantially thicker, and therefore a lot heavier as well (50g total). The machining is clean and precise, bringing the overall build quality to a very high standard. It looks and feels like a precision but also heavy-duty tool, ideal for in an EDC kit.

The Supra can technically take a full-sized converter (however, only with the extension piece in place!), but I continue to find myself using syringe-filled cartridges, just like I did in my original review. It's just a better trade-off than having to switch between converter and cartridge every time you want to add or remove the extension piece, and it's not like you get more ink capacity out of a converter anyway.

If you've recently read the Pen Addict's review of this exact pen, you'll notice that my writing experience was quite different from his. I did adjust the F steel nib a bit upon arrival, out of the box it was a bit too dry for my liking. A few passes with a brass shim increased the flow to a more balanced level that I was happy with. Other than that, the fine steel (Bock) nib has been an excellent writer that's perfectly polished -not too smooth, but still very little feedback- and responsive. I also found that, contrary to Brad's findings and my experience with a great deal of Bock nibs I own, it's a fairly stiff nib, although I don't really have a strong preference for one or the other.

At the end of the day, I've had a positive writing experience with this particular pen, but nib performance is, and always will be a case-per-case unknown. Maybe I got lucky and Brad didn't? Or maybe my writing style is better suited for Bock nibs? There's a lot of variables.

PS: I wanted to write that I feel like there should be a slip-on clip available for the Supra, even if it was just to prevent it from rolling off your desk - but it turns out they already make one! Only available in bronze though, but it's better than nothing.

I don't know if the Supra is a best-seller for Kaweco (probably not, with the fierce competition of their own Sport pens!) or even if it ever has been a popular model at all. But I can't stop wondering what it would've been like if they had updated it more steadily over the years. In any case, I hope they don't forget about it again, and maybe come up with a titanium or aluminium version in the not-too-distant future.

The Kaweco Supra is different, and even after four years I continue to like it simply because of that. True, it may not be my first pick for long, comfortable writing sessions, and the ability to swap between a full-sized and pocket pen on the go might be a gimmick to some people. But it does do a lot of other things very right: It's a fun design, the modularity can actually be practical for the right person, build quality is rock-solid (excellent for EDC?), and it still comes in at a relatively decent price: 110€ / 135$ for this new stainless steel version.

NOTE: This product was provided by Kaweco, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

I'll let you in on a little secret: together with the Field Journal that I reviewed a couple months ago (HERE), the relatively 'new' brand Lochby (previously known as BOND Travel Gear) gets a perfect two for two score with the Lochby Tool Roll. The latter obviously being the topic of today's review.

Even though I previously admitted that the ruggedized EDC styling of Lochby's products isn't immediately my first pick, there's just too much to like about their products. Let me elaborate...

The Tool Roll starts on the outside with very similar styling as the Field Journal: brown waxed canvas, reinforced stitched edges, and a massive metal hook to keep it securely closed. On the inside, I'm happy to see the honeycomb-stitched, warm yellow ripstop fabric make its return. I really appreciate the color scheme and the way it's laid out on all Lochby products, keeping with an overall very work-appropriate look on the outside, but a bit more festive inside. BTW, Lochby also introduced a new colorwayfor its entire product line recently: a super-sleek black outside, with a strongly contrasting sand-colored interior - it looks amazing!

Besides the attention to detail for aesthetics, Lochby's products are also excellently put-together, with neat stitching all around. The rugged fabrics give a durable impression. I've been using both the Tool Roll and Field Journal extensively for the past six months, and they both still look like new!

With a history in more EDC-minded products, it makes sense that Lochby named this product the Tool Roll. Even though the rebranding to Lochby is supposed to be more focused on writing accessories, the 'Tool' roll isn't just meant to carry around pens. The multi-purpose functionality reflects in the many different pockets and elastic loops on the inside. There's a lot of space to put a wide variety of pens, artist's supplies, tools, etc.

Extra-wide elastic loops hold pens and other tools neatly in place

The four smaller elastic loops on the left are ideally sized for pens, three slightly wider slots are perfect for oversized and very wide pens (the Opus 88 Omar, for example). Only the two extra-wide slots in the middle aren't necessarily meant for pens (although, if you don't mind, two pens can cozy up in a single slot for sure). For a more EDC-minded kit, those middle slots fit a multitool without issues (In the images I used a smaller Leatherman Squirt, but it also comfortably fits a full-size Leatherman or Swiss army knife). One thing that doesn't fit is an unsharpened (or relatively new) Blackwing pencil It's nice to have a lot of options, but I'd like to see the option for a roll with 12 (or maybe 11, with three of the medium-sized loops like the ones on the far right in this case) slots, dedicated to carrying pens.

But wait, there's more! Cleverly hidden behind the pen loops, are three wide pockets that run the entire height of the case. It's the perfect size for a pocket notebook, or even a smartphone or something else that's larger but relatively thin. One downside: there are three pockets so you could technically fit three notebooks, but that does make it borderline impossible to properly wrap the case closed without bending the notebooks too much (one or two notebooks works just fine though).

And lastly, to the left of the 'main compartment' there's also a zippered mesh pouch to store small paraphernalia (I put an eraser in it, but I'm sure you can think of more exciting ways to put it to good use!). It can even hold additional pens if you really want to get the most out of your case

The Tool roll measures 20 by 40 cm (8” x 16”) when opened up, and it comfortably takes pens or other 'tools' up to 16 or 17 cm in length (6.7"). That's plenty of room for even the largest pens. Rolled up, it's more or less a cylinder that measures 10 by 20 cm (3.93" x 7.78").

Together with the wide elastic loops, the protective flaps on top and bottom cover almost the entire pens, so they have little opportunity to bump into each other. The flaps can be folded over and tucked underneath so you can display your pens while the case is on a table or something.

Sorry Blackwing, you'll have to go!

The case holds closed by the metal clasp, that can be attached to one of four loops. The clasp itself can also be tightened or loosened on its own strap, so together that gives plenty of adjustment to choose if you want to keep the case slim and compact, or packed to the brim. Filled with pens, it does bulk up considerably, like a well-stuffed burrito (yes, that's the analogue I'm going with).

Now, one remark I have with pen roll cases in general, is that they tend to be less padded (The Lochby Tool Roll isn't padded at all), and less protective than a hard case with individual slots. I'm not the kind of person to put super-expensive pens in this kind of case and throw it in my backpack. But... that's just me and my obsessive OCD of course, because you definitely could.

While it may not be the most protective pen case option out there, it does offer decent protection at a more compact footprint (Compared to a Dreamtouch case from Visconti with a similar 12-pen capacity, this certainly offers an easier form factor to put in a bag or backpack). I do like the Tool Roll for a more casual everyday carry for work or travel, which of course brings us back full-circle to the concept this case was built for - EDC. I guess that's a sign of thoughtful design!

Thoughtful design or not, obviously price is an important decisive factor in making a purchase decision. If this was in the same price range as more 'premium' and protective leather case from Franklin-Christoph or Visconti, it wouldn't be much of a choice. BUT, the Lochby Tool Roll is only 39$, undercutting even the most affordable options from competing products that can hold a similar amount of pens! I must say, it's quite hard to beat at a price like that.

NOTE: This product was provided by Lochby, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

Back in 2016, Namisu launched the Nova. A pen that caused a short circuit somewhere in my brain I guess, because it was this pen that marked the beginning of my love for minimal design, metal fountain pens. Well, it actually took me about half a year to catch up to this relatively unknown -at that point- trend, because I didn’t buy a Nova straight away.

The Namisu Nova Studio Ebonite (reviewed HERE) that I bought a while later - while not a metal pen - was my gateway into the brilliantly simple (Nakaya-like) shape of the Nova - to this day one of my favorite pen designs on the market. The Studio Ebonite also turned out to be the foundation for the pen we'll look at today, which is the latest iteration of the nova: The Namisu Nova Studio.

The original Nova featured an ultra-minimal design, an exercise in clean lines, without unnecessary features or parts. Namisu turned to a bit more experimental and complex - but still minimal - designs after that, with combinations of different textures, metals, and shapes. The latest Naos (reviewed HERE) - another excellent pen - is probably the best example of this style. It seems to be the general direction they're trying to go in with their brand, and I think it fits their overall futuristic design language quite well.

With minimal design, it's the small details that matter. And one of the small details that the Naos, Ixion, and Studio Ebonite all have in common is their coin-insert finials (ok, the Naos only has one on the barrel finial, but still). This is also what sets the Nova Studio apart from the regular Nova: it's all about those finials!

While an absolute design purist may find the separate finials on the Studio break up the clean lines, and distract from the ultra-minimalist, clutter-free look of the 'original' Namisu Nova, I think the finial design adds an understated but cool update to an already understated and cool pen. It makes the Nova appear a bit more refined - a bit more modern, even.

In essence that's about it, though. You can skip through the rest of this review if you just catch this: the Studio has coin insert finials, on which the Namisu - Studio name is engraved in a very small and subtle font. That’s the gist of it. I mean, of course, it’s still a Nova after all, the rest of the design is pretty much identical.

Pretty much identical... But you know me, I'm the kind of person to ramble without end about the small stuff, so here are the other things that changed:

The bronze Studio (top) has a reddish hue almost like copper, both get a heavy patina over time.

The Nova Studio comes in titanium or bronze, with bronze replacing the usual brass or copper variants. Bronze seems to be all the hype these days in metal pen-land. It has the same heft as brass and copper, but the color is somewhere in between those two (leaning more towards the red hue of copper). The bronze studio has a lightly stonewashed finish on the cap and barrel, which contrasts with the polished cap and barrel finials. Under the cap, the section has a brushed/machined finish, which also has a bit more shine to it.

The titanium version of the Studio, on the other hand, has a more uniform brushed/machined finish on all parts of the pen, including the finials. It makes for a sleeker-looking pen, not in the least because the stonewashed bronze Studio gets a very dark brown patina over time, while the titanium pen retains its shiny, clean look.

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Namisu Horizon Ti, Namisu Naos, Namisu Nova, Namisu Nova Studio (bronze & Ti), Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

While the Nova Studio is still very much recognizable in terms of the general design and shape, its size hasn't remained completely unchanged. The Studio version is ever-so-slightly less tapered towards the barrel finial. It's a minute difference - we're talking less than half a mm (1/50th of an inch) thicker! - yet it's enough to give the pen a more robust appearance in my opinion. The Nova Studio also measures 14.1 cm (5.55") capped and 13 cm (5.12") uncapped, which is overall just 2mm (1/16th of an inch!) longer than the regular Nova. The changes are so subtle, you can see the difference when putting both pens side by side, but it's hardly noticeable when writing with them.

The Studio is also heavier. I wanted to write that it's noticeably heavier than the regular Nova, but to be honest I only found out when I actually weighed the pens! I guess I've grown so accustomed to heavier metal pens, I was surprised to see the bronze Studio tip the scales at 106g, and even the titanium version could be considered a true heavyweight at 55g (that makes them both about 10 to 15g heavier than their respective Nova counterparts!). It's not often that even a titanium pen weighs over 50 grams, so take that as a word of caution if you're not a fan of heavy metal...pens!

Since the Nova and Nova Studio aren't quite the same anyway, I'm a bit curious as to why Namisu didn't change up the overall shape and dimensions of the Studio more drastically, to clearly differentiate it. Although why change something that isn't broken, right?

New threads on the left, old on the right.

The section design has always been an area where the Nova still has room for improvement, yet it remained unchanged on this iteration. Ok, not entirely. Just like the rest of the pen, the section is about a millimeter or so longer, but again that's not the kind of change you'll actually notice in use. The straight, tapered section offers enough space to hold the pen, but you'd be hard-pressed to not at least brush up against the threads and the rather large step towards the barrel. In fact, comfort might've actually taken a slight step back as they redesigned the shape of the block threads on the Studio for some reason, which no longer has chamfered edges, making them noticeably sharper to the touch. I was surprised to see that since there isn't a single sharp or unfinished edge to be found on the rest of the pen.

While I aesthetically find the Namisu Nova one of the most pleasing pen designs out there (at least when looking solely at minimal designs), it does make a few compromises for the sake of minimalism. Especially the threads and step are possible downsides to take into consideration when making a purchase decision.

The writing end of the Studio is of course still a steel or titanium Bock-made #6 nib. While not perfect, I do feel like I've had a noticeably higher success rate with stock Bock nibs recently (I don't know if that's because the QC improved, or just pure luck on my part). The nibs on these two pens are both very close to perfectly tuned.

The broad nib on the bronze pen is my favorite. It has a slightly stub-like line variation and is perfectly smooth. The medium-wet ink flow keeps up well. As broad nibs tend to be, it does have a slightly more noticeable sweet spot if rotated. It occasionally hard starts - though briefly, only on the first pen stroke after sitting unused for a while - but otherwise doesn't skip.

Some people have had enough of the 'minimal pen'trend of the last few years. Not me though. I can still very much get excited about a good minimal pen, and I'd certainly categorize the new Namisu Nova Studio as good. Aesthetically, I still think the Namisu Nova is one of the best designs in its category. If you agree with me and - just like me - are a bit of a fan of the Nova, the Nova Studio might be a welcome addition to your collection. The design is a nice evolution from the regular model, and I like that that they made a bronze version to change things up a bit. I don't consider it as an upgrade necessarily, it still very much looks and feels like the pen it's based on.

That being said, no matter how positive my ramble about the design may be, these are very heavy pens, and the section design won't play nice with every grip. Two caveats that prevent me from calling it a great pen. Whether or not they're a dealbreaker for you, is of course highly subjective.

The Namisu Nova Studio Bronze and titanium have an MSRP of 79£ and 110£ (approx. 105$ and 145$) respectively, but Namisu often runs sales so you can usually find them for less (at the time of writing, both are available at 15% off). That's slightly more expensive than the regular Namisu Nova, but in my mind still a very fair price point.

One of the products shown in this review was sent to me by Namisu so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: KARAS PEN CO. INK V2 FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

It was only very recently that I familiarized myself with the Karas Pen Co. INK fountain pen - A metal pen I considered buying at least a million times, because what metal pen collection would be complete without. A few months ago, I traded pens with a member of the Dutch FPNL Facebook group for a brass INK. A few weeks after that, Karas introduced the special edition Ink Pony Express, a precursor for the INK V2 that arrived just this week! So I OBVIOUSLY had to give that one a try as well, to see what's new!

When Karas sent over one of these special edition Pony Express pens, my initial intention was to review it as such, showing the Pony Express with all the accompanying paraphernalia that come with the pen, referencing the short-lived horse-powered courier service connecting Missouri and California from 1860 to 1861. For super-speedy deliveries...in just ten days! (Given the instant gratification zeitgeist, I find the story of Pony Express delightfully ironic). But of course, me being slower than a sloth on sleeping pills (I felt like doing an alliteration!), this limited edition sold out long before I was ready to post about it. So instead, I decided to make this review about my first experience with the Karas Pen Co. INK fountain pen, and how V2 improves on it!

The INK V2 is - IMHO- a pretty significant update over the previous version. And yet, from the outside you won't be able to tell the two apart. The INK has always been a rather unique and recognizable pen though, so I think it's good that they kept the rugged, industrial design language unchanged. While I wouldn't describe the design as 'minimal', the overall shape of the pen is kept very simple, with a straight cylindrical cap, and a featureless, round barrel that tapers slightly towards the back.

The attention is immediately drawn towards the top of the cap, where the interesting stuff is happening: The massive stonewashed clip made from thick stainless steel (note: the Pony Express has a similarly styled clip, made out of titanium) makes the entire design of the pen. The clip runs through the cap finial (extending a millimeter or so above the finial itself), and is attached by two hex screws that are prominently visible from the side of the cap.

Pony Express/V2 (top) vs. old INK (bottom), a noticeably beefier profile

When I think of Karas products, I think chunky and rugged vintage industrial looks, and the clip perfectly ties the INK in with that philosophy. Rugged is a keyword here, as it certainly doesn't look like the sort of clip that'll bend or break. It's a rather stiff clip, but the shape makes it surprisingly easy to use. On an interesting side-note, I noticed that the new clip has a noticeably thicker profile than on the old INK. I'm not sure if that design carries over to the steel clips on the INK V2, or if it's specific to the titanium clip of the Pony Express?

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Namisu Nova, Karas INK, INK V2, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The INK is a beefy pen, but in a side-by-side comparison it's surprisingly not that large. With a length of 13.8 cm/ 5.245", it's only as long as a Lamy 2000. Without the cap, the INK measures 12.7 cm/ 5", a comfortable size for my hand. With a maximum diameter of almost 1.5 cm/ .575" though, the INK certainly is a lot thicker than that Lamy 2000.

The INK isn't just beefy, it's also heavy. The aluminium version weighs a little over 40 grams, hefty but probably still comfortable for a lot of people. The Pony Express I have in my hand is made of bronze, which is comparable to the 'standard edition' brass and copper INK V2 in terms of weight. All three of these surpass 110 grams total, which makes this probably one of the heaviest pens I've ever used. It's very heavy, for sure. And yet it's still surprisingly manageable, which I think is at least partially because of the comfortably shaped section design that provides a positive grip on an otherwise slick, metal pen. The cap does not post, but I never missed that.

V2 on top, old version below

We're getting to the meat of this review, and why the INK V2 is such a drastic improvement over the previous version. Through some clever internal reshuffling underneath the cap, the inside of the INK looks drastically different from what we're used to seeing. The 'old' INK was one of the first pens to my knowledge that implemented a full-sized #6 nib into a pen that was originally designed to hold a smaller #5 nib (Let's not forget, the pen I now call 'old' is actually already an updated version, that came out back in 2015, 2 years after the original). To make space for the nib, it was recessed 5 mm into the section.

In the meantime, Karas Pen Co. started doing custom laser-engraved designs on their nibs, so it's only reasonable that they'd like to show it off as best as they can. The section is therefore made shorter about 2 mm, and the nib itself extends 2mm further, relative to the rest of the pen. The section retains the same pinched shape but is actually more comfortable to hold, and that has everything to do with the threads right behind it.

The threads were redesigned completely, which is the biggest merit of the INK in my opinion. The old threads were extremely sharp and I found them genuinely bothersome in my grip. The redesigned block threads have a shallow and flat profile, making them very unobtrusive. It's a night and day difference over the old design and a welcome change. The step behind said threads is still very much present and remains noticeable in the hand, but the edge is rounded enough to the point where it's not uncomfortably sharp.

Inside the cap, the V2 brings another change that has already been implemented on other Karas pens: the 'Sta-Fast' cap system, as they call it. "The what now?" It's essentially just a rubber O-ring on the inside of the cap, right behind the threads. It catches on the section with just the right amount of friction to give a very satisfying resistance to the final quarter turn when capping and uncapping the pen. Not only does it make the cap stay put (indeed somewhat of an issue on the old INK), it also creates an airtight seal to keep the nib from drying out. Nifty!

Overall, aside from the improvements that the V2 brings, It seems to me that the machining quality and finishing has also been bumped up a notch. Machining lines are still visible (giving the typical 'brushed' finish that pretty much all metal pens have) but the finish is much tidier and consistent across the entire pen. A few sharp edges here and there that I noticed on my old INK have also been addressed in the new version.

The nib, as mentioned, received an aesthetic overhaul with a completely laser-etched design that spans the entire surface of the nib. They started offering in the most recent years (my REVIEW of the Karas Vertex was the first time I saw them IRL), and it's a breath of fresh air amidst all those JoWo nibs with a mismatch of traditional stamped scrollwork and a tiny laser-etched logo in the middle (you'll undoubtedly know what I'm talking about).

Underneath the very clean design, it's a stock Bock nib though. But! BIG BUT! Karas has taken on to individually testing and adjust each and every nib that leaves their factory. A small test sheet included with the pen reminds you of the extra mile Karas went into providing a more hassle-free writing experience. With Bock having the hit-or-miss reputation that it does, I can't stress enough how much peace of mind this brings (also for me as a reviewer, because I feel much more at ease recommending a Bock nib if I know it has been individually tested and adjusted!).

The QC shows, because the writing experience has been nothing short of excellent! The steel medium nib is glassy smooth yet remains surprisingly responsive at the same time. The nib lays down a true-to-size line. Ink flow is balanced, very consistent, and doesn't run dry even with fast writing. No skipping or hard starting to speak of, either (the latter probably in part due to the Sta-Fast cap!). Color me impressed.

It's taken me a while before trying the INK, but I'm glad I finally did! The design strikes me as typically Karas: rugged, definitely EDC-minded, but also with a quirky or unique edge that sets it apart - In this case, the unique clip that really ties together the entire design for me.

What's more impressive, is that Karas basically took every point of criticism I would've had about the old model, and improved on it, creating a pen that leaves me surprisingly little opportunity to fault it. Build quality and overall fit and finish are excellent, and clever details like the Sta-Fast cap and redesigned section and threads show the amount of thought that went into this redesign. Where I would've had my doubts with the original INK, the INK V2 is now a pretty comfortable pen to use - perhaps not perfect, but definitely much improved. And last but not least, the individually checked and tuned nibs are a fantastic selling point in and of itself.

The Karas Pen Co. INK V2 starts at 95$ for the aluminium base model, and goes up to 185$ for the copper version. That's considerably more expensive than comparable metal pens from other brands. If I were reviewing the old INK, I would've made cost an issue (perhaps it's the reason why I held off on this pen for so long?). But in the case of the INK V2, I think the price is more than justified.

This product was sent to me by Karas Pen Co. so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

The Montegrappa Mia is perhaps one of the most classic embodiments of the Montegrappa style. It's the general type of pen I think of when you say the word 'Montegrappa'. Not too surprising, given that it shares its design language with a variety of the brand's pens, such as the Monte Grappa, or the Miya. Even the flagship Extra 1930 shares a lot of its DNA. One could say it's an unoriginal pen, then. But I think that'd be doing it a disservice, because it does have some strong selling points.

So then, what is that Montegrappa design language I'm talking about? Pick up the MIA, and you'll immediately notice its strikingly curvaceous line. Even down to the nicely rounded clip, the MIA is a bulbously-shaped, elegant, flat-top pen. Notice that all but one or two Montegrappa pens are flat-tops, a subtle but consistent element throughout their entire collection!

In the middle of the pen, a wide center band - also not unlike many other Montegrappa pens, although surprisingly simple in its execution on this particular pen. How I see it, the Miya, which is similar in both name and design, distinguishes itself with a more elaborate (and even larger!) center band design... but also a much higher price tag.

Talking about elaborate details, apart from the sort of ornamental sterling silver coin insert in the cap finial with the new Montegrappa logo (It doesn't really stand out that much if I'm being honest), the MIA features a strikingly simple design. I actually find it funny that Montegrappa tends to still be associated with its extravagant special editions (admittedly, a large part of their business), yet the bulk of their collection are actually very simple, elegant and sometimes even very modern pens!

Subtle details like the wide decorative metal band at the back of the barrel, or the slightly domed barrel finial with a little edge machined into it... It's the seemingly small and simple elements like this that make the design of the MIA. I'd maybe wish that all the trim (clip, cap band and decorative bands) was sterling silver, just like the medallion on the cap, but you get what you pay for with Montegrappa... and apparently, you're not quite paying enough yet! In any case, I think they did a good job keeping the design simple and straightforward, which creates a strong focus on the material.

Because let's face it: we're all here for that incredible, jaw-dropping, surreal, [insert any superlative here] 'Montegrappite' material. Yes, this material is developed and made by Montegrappa itself, and it's absolutely stunning. It may just be a humble acrylic, but the amount of depth and complexity, the extremely fine hairline striations of orange, red, transparent yellow, white, grey, and black of this 'Meteor Shower' colorway combine into a material that's unlike anything I've ever seen before. It may sound like I'm talking in hyperboles about this material, but I hope the pictures can at least sort of make you understand why!

L to R Platinum #3776, Montegrappa MIA, Montegrappa Zero, Montegrappa Elmo, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The MIA is a mid-sized pen. At 14 cm/ 5.51" capped, it's certainly not small, but it also doesn't feel as large as a Pelikan M800 for example, even though it's only 2 mm shorter. It IS, however, a rather wide pen (16.5 mm/ 0.65" at the widest point), which makes it appear shorter and stout. Without the cap, the MIA is a decently sized pen for my hand, at 12.6 cm/ 4.96". The cap can post, and it does sit rather deep on the pen to make for a total length of just 15.6 cm/ 6.14" (very manageable), but I don't find it posts particularly secure. With a total weight of just 31 grams, the MIA has just enough substance to it, but still feels lightweight and nimble when writing.

So the dimensions are promising, but that doesn't tell you much, does it? What's more important is that the MIA is just a very, very comfortable pen in the hand. The gently curved shape naturally fits the hand and directs your grip towards the strongly tapered section, which comes down from the rather wide barrel to a relatively normal width. The section is extremely short, which sounds bad on paper, but the block threads (man, Montegrappa really has a knack for threads!) are beautifully machined and rounded off, so they are noticeable at best, but never bothersome. The way it steers your grip is precise and secure, without feeling restrictive. And for those that don't like metal grip sections, you'll be happy to note that it has an acrylic section that matches the rest of the pen.

Being on the lower end of Montegrappa's offering (notice I don't say the word 'affordable', it is after all still a Montegrappa so you'll still pay a pretty penny!), you don't get some of the niceties like Montegrappa's ratchet-style piston mechanism. But the screw-in converter does the job just fine.

You also don't get a gold nib, but since Montegrappa switched to JoWo, you can still expect more than adequate writing experience. In terms of looks, at least, there's certainly no reason to go for a gold nib, since both look more or less identical.

The writing experience is as you could expect from a JoWo steel nib. The MIA comes with a #6-sized nib, and my particular example was an extra-fine, which I find typically has a bit more feedback than the wider nibs in JoWo's offerings. That does make it feel more in line with how Montegrappa's super-feedbacky steel nibs used to be, but it's still a considerable upgrade. The EF nib receives more than enough ink to lay down a rather wet line, and it's precise and consistent in its performance. Nothing new from JoWo, nothing overly exciting either, but there's no denying that they're just all-round good writers.

The MIA rekindled my interest in Montegrappa, and it shows that they're able to innovate even in a lower - for them, at least - price bracket. The Montegrappite material alone should be worth it to give it a try, but it's also just an excellent pen overall. I can already tell that I'll have a hard time sending it back to Italy!

There's a catch though: for some reason, Montegrappa made this pen an Italian exclusive, which seems to have hampered its success so far, a shame for such a nice pen! And then there's the price... I already mentioned that it's in Montegrappa's 'lower' price bracket of pens, but Montegrappa being Montegrappa, that still translates to 290€ (or roughly 280$ outside Europe). Not cheap for a steel-nibbed fountain pen, but it's more or less in line with the pricing trend that most manufacturers are following these days. Of course, you can snag one up from our site sponsor, Casa Della Stilografica, so you can get 10% off with the discount code 'Firenze'.

This product was provided on loan by Casa Della Stilografica, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post contains affiliate links.

So far, I've been pleasantly surprised by my encounters withOtto Hutt. So it only makes sense to look at their 'flagship', a pen that's perhaps even more elusive than the Design 03 I reviewed a few weeks ago (review HERE) - elusiveness being a recurring theme with Otto Hutt's gravely underrated product catalog - the Otto Hutt Design 07!

Otto Hutt sent one over for this review, and I was immediately impressed, so I promptly purchased it. Right off the bat, it's obvious that this pen means business. It's the top-of-the-line design for the German brand, and it indeed feels like just that, showing off a lot of Otto Hutt's quality and craftsmanship - effectively the kind of thing you'd expect from a flagship pen.

The impression of quality starts with the box. I'm a fan of good packaging design, even though I don't always show it here in my reviews. This one deserves a mention, however. The packaging is entirely made out of paper, but the satin white stock is finished with a fabric-like texture. A leather pull tab reveals two compartments in a fluid motion, with the pen in the topmost 'drawer', and a faux-leather pen sleeve, warranty booklet, and ink cartridges (in a matching paper box!) in the bottom one. At this point, I should probably mention that the pen I received still has the 'old' Otto Hutt branding (including the old logo on the pen, and packaging). So I don't know if the box remained the same after their recent rebranding!

Sliding open the box prominently displays the design 07, and as I said, I was immediately impressed. It's hard to not be a little stunned by it: you're greeted by a blindingly shiny, chunky, all-metal pen, with a design thats quite different from anything else I've come across before.

The 07 has a modern flat-top shape with a subtly curved taper to the cap and barrel. The classic, lined guilloché pattern on barrel and cap creates a rather traditional appearance. And yet the pen still looks and feels modern, largely because of the huge, oversized cap - which makes for an unusual cap-to-body ratio - and equally large, rectangular clip which is a chunky piece of solid metal (spring-loaded). The juxtaposition of modern and classic design elements is something that I see on many Otto Hutt designs, and I think it works very well on this pen.

The design 07 is available in two drastically different finishes, which also differ slightly in price: the most expensive option comes with a cap and barrel made out of 925 sterling silver, true to the heritage of the brand. The option I have here is slightly less expensive, but in my opinion, strengthens the modern-vs-classic clash that I described above. The entire pen is made out of brass, then platinum plated. The guilloché on barrel and cap is then covered in multiple layers of a grey transparent lacquer, which gives it a more grey-ish color that contrasts slightly to the platinum trim. The lacquer is perfectly applied and as glossy as the platinum trim surrounding it. Unlike the glass-like feeling of urushi, the 07's lacquered finish feels soft to the touch, almost rubbery perhaps. Nonetheless, it's very durable and seems to hold up well to normal use. Over the couple of months that I've been using this pen, it doesn't even show the slightest scratch. It does show fingerprints though... but I probably should've seen that coming.

In my experience with the brand so far, I'd put Otto Hutt on the same level as Diplomat, Faber-Castell, Dupont - that's to say, excellent build quality, well-put-together with quality materials, and flawless finish... Or, well, almost flawless in this case. The original pen Otto Hutt sent me had an issue where some of the brass base material showed through the platinum plating on the center band. Their repair service promptly sent a replacement cap, but it too has some inconsistency in the color of the plating, again only on the center band. I'm not quite sure what caused just the center band to have issues twice, especially since the rest of the pen is absolutely spotless. On a positive note, my exchange with the repair service went smooth and fast, something I definitely cannot say about a lot of other brands!

L to R: Pelikan M800, Otto Hutt Design 04, Design 06, Design 03, Design 07, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

Somewhat atypical to what you'd expect from a flagship, the design 07 isn't a huge, oversized pen. That puts it in line with design 01 through 06 (Don't you just love how very German Otto Hutt's naming convention is?), none of which are very large pens. The best comparison I found was in the Lamy 2000. The Design 07 is identical in length to the 2000, both capped and uncapped (13.9 cm/ 5.47" capped, 12.4 cm/ 4.88" uncapped). Come to think of it, the Lamy 2000 also has a somewhat similar overall shape - but of course, the Design 07 is a good chunk wider overall. The 07 weighs 62 grams total. That's heavy, but not nearly as heavy as some other all-brass pens. Besides, a good chunk of its weight in the cap alone. So while the 07 is definitely hefty in the hand, it's not actually as bad as you might think.

For those who don't like metal sections, well... I guess the photos say plenty. The section is as slippery, shiny, metal-y as it gets, but the pinched shape and comfortable diameter make up for a lot in my opinion. The threads aren't too obtrusive, and there is a small step towards the barrel, but it's minor. Regarding comfort, the 07 is easily one of the best Otto Hutt pens I've used so far. The overall size is a comfortable fit for me, although perhaps not for larger hands. The cap can be posted to get some extra length, but the pen becomes rather back-heavy and I honestly wouldn't want to risk marring the beautiful finish on the barrel.

I've used four Otto Hutt pens so far, and all have been nothing short of excellent in terms of writing quality. The Design 07 is the only Otto Hutt that has a larger #6-sized nib, but it's otherwise identical. The design on the nib is exactly the same as on the smaller one: a beautiful art-deco-ish pattern and beautiful bicolor plating.

I went out of my comfort zone and tried the EF nib. The JoWo-made 18k gold nib is stiff (typical JoWo), and lays down a true-to-size western extra-fine line. Some feedback is to be expected on a fine nib like this, but it's the pleasant kind of feedback that all Otto Hutt nibs seem to have. The ink flow is consistent and just slightly on the wetter side. The nib is perfectly tuned, doesn't skip, hard start, or run dry. It's in many ways a perfect nib. Yes, that's a weighty statement, but at this point, I'm confident to say that Otto Hutt does something very right in the writing department!

Unlike other flagship pens, the Design 07 lacks an 'exotic' filling system. Instead, you'll find a no-frills cartridge/converter system. Perhaps a bit underwhelming for a pen this price, but oh well, it does the job.

The Otto Hutt Design 07 is a beautiful pen that deserves 'flagship' status. But at the same time, it also has the more practical size, writing comfort, and, well... price, that places it amongst pens like the Pelikan M800 or Montblanc 146 - it's a pen that will most likely appeal to a wider audience than a lot of other over the top flagship pens.

The Design 07 has an MSRP of 520€ for the platinum-plated, and 580€ for the sterling silver version. The retail price is a bit lower, at 500€ and 550€ respectively (at La Couronne Du Comte, with an extra 10% off using the discount code 'Penthusiast'!). I think that's a decent price, but the only thing holding back the Otto Hutt Design 07 is its own fairly limited brand recognition and availability (especially outside Europe!), as opposed to the hugely popular Pelikans or Montblancs it tries to compete with. At least for now that's an issue. But Otto Hutt knows it, and they are actively trying to grow their brand (the recent rebranding being a first step in creating a more modern and appealing brand), an endeavor they should be able to succeed at, given the excellent product catalog they can build upon.

Note: Otto Hutt provided this product at a discount, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

With Opus 88 creating pens that LITERALLY look like a flower vase these days, it's quite clear that they don't mind thinking outside the 'conventional design' box from time to time. The new (ok, new-ish, I'm late to the game, as usual!) Opus 88 Flow shows some signs of the creative madness, but is all in all still a rather tame beast - and I like it for that! The Flow is more or less the perfect balance between the oversized footprint of the Demonstrator (reviewed HERE) and Omar (reviewed HERE), combined with the funky, colorful, occasionally whacky, design of pens like the Fantasia (reviewed HERE) and Flora.

Of all the Opus pens, the Flow has perhaps the least 'flowing' shape, with a straight overall profile. The Flow does get creative with a mix of both a decagonal faceted cap and blind cap, and a round section and barrel. It's enough to create a unique pen, but doesn't overdo it (read: it's not a vase!). The design is emphasized by a colorful material choice, combining an opaque colored resin for the decagonal parts and section, and transparent swirled ('Flow-y') resin for the barrel so you can still see the ink inside.

The red colorway I have here is a clear departure from the colorless demonstrator Opus pens I tend to stick with. I would personally go for the slightly more understatedgrey colorway, but I do have to admit that this red/yellow/black color scheme is quite fun and catches the eye, especially when filled with an equally colorful ink!

The Flow doesn't have decorative metal bands like the Omar does, but instead receives a shiny chrome coin insert in the cap finial, with the words 'Flow - Opus 88' laser-engraved on it. Opus has a tendency to use a different clip design for every pen they create, most of which I tolerate but don't particularly love. While the clip on the Flow does follow the overall straight profile of the pen quite well, the grooved design is a bit too much in my opinion. The Flow is perhaps a missed opportunity to go for a clipless design, since the faceted cap prevents the pen from rolling away uncontrollably. Besides, the Flow isn't an ideal candidate for vest or pocket carry anyway, as it's quite a big pen.

L to R: Pelikan M1000, Esterbrook Estie Oversized, Opus 88 Omar, Opus 88 Flow, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

Talking about size, the Flow measures in at 14.9 cm/ 5.83" capped, and 13.6 cm/ 5.35" open. The section is relatively wide - just like the rest of the pen- and tapers down to 1.1 cm/ 0.43" at the thinnest point, before flaring out slightly. With an all-acrylic construction, the Flow is - unsurprisingly - a rather light pen for its size, at just 28 grams.

The words 'well-executed' and 'excellently put together' tend to fall out of my mouth when describing the Flow, because the build quality is excellent. I probably keep repeating it to death with every single Opus 88 pen I review, but it's simply true, and it's certainly one of the things I very much appreciate about their pens. In fact, it manages to put many higher-priced pens to shame!

Just like the other oversized models from Opus, the Flow borrows a few parts from existing Opus pens. A bit like how car manufacturers build different cars on the same platform: it's cheaper to manufacture, and the parts are tried and trusted! In this case, the Japanese eyedropper mechanism, and barrel are plucked directly from the Opus Demonstrator.

I wrongfully assumed the section to also be identical to that on the Demonstrator and Omar, but it's actually noticeably shorter. Why they decided to change it up, I have no idea, especially because I really like the Demonstrator and Omar for their comfortable section design. That being said, the Flow's shorter section still has a decent size and comfortable shape, and the threads and step don't interfere too much with your grip. Along with its overall substantial size (the Flow isn't made for posting, but doesn't need it), a pleasantly girthy diameter, and lightweight all-resin construction, the Flow still takes a lot of the design ques that tend to make Opus pens excellent for long writing sessions.

As all Opus 88 pens, the Flow is a Japanese eyedropper. The back of the barrel unscrews as you would with a piston filler, but the "mechanism" inside is nothing more than a rod with an o-ring stopper at the end that plugs off the barrel when the pen is not in use, and prevents the pen from leaking. It's a brilliantly simple mechanism, and Opus implements it perfectly in all their pens: the large barrel of the Flow means you won't run out of ink anytime soon, and the o-ring on the section prevents leaks.

Interestingly, Opus has recently made a switch to Bock nibs for some of their pens - a bit like Leonardo does. The only reason I could think of that warrants using both nib brands, would be to lower the dependence on a single supplier? In any case, the Flow only comes with a Bock nib, that means no more Pilot Parallell hack, no more swapping in the awesome Franklin-Christoph music nibs, and probably some people that will hold off on buying simply because it has a Bock writing end.

The Bock nibs come with a simple laser-engraved logo engraved on the nib face, which looks cleaner and in my opinion suits the overall design of the pen much better than the classic flourishes engraved on stock JoWo nibs. It's a small detail, but I do appreciate it.

Regardless of your nib preference swinging towards the Bock or JoWo camp, there's not much to say against the performance of this medium Bock nib. The Japanese eyedropper filling mechanism certainly does output a steady flow of ink, but it doesn't feel like it has a substantially wetter flow than any other Bock nib. The medium nib is nothing out of the ordinary, but it's smooth, responsive and... well, it does the job the same way a JoWo nib would. While Bock nibs at a certain point were noticeably more soft and flexible (giving them a slight edge over JoWo IMHO), I've found them to be much stiffer these days (but at the same time, also perhaps a bit more reliable?).

The Opus 88 Flow is another cool and unique pen from the Taiwanese company. I especially like the mix of faceted and round profiles in the design. The swirly demonstrator acrylics add a playful character to the pen, although I'd love to see an all-clear demonstrator version of the Flow to match the clear Omar and Demonstrator models!

At 116/ 135$ (at Appelboom. Sweeten the deal with 10% off using discount code 'friend') retail price, the Flow provides a hard-to-beat value. It's no secret, I continue to appreciate Opus 88's efforts in creating excellent quality products that turn heads, one way or another. And as long as they keep making those incredibly well-made, oversized, and most importantly, affordable fountain pens, I will happily keep reviewing them!

Note: This product was sent on loan by our site sponsor Appelboom, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post contains affiliate links.

PEN REVIEW: BEN WALSH DESIGN GRAVITAS FOUNTAIN PEN & GRAVITAS TWIST PEN

I started chatting with Irish designer Ben Walsh about a year ago when all this was still a concept idea and a bunch of renders. Ben - who got into the pen making industry with unique, handmade concrete pens - wanted to create a metal pen from scratch, and he was actively engaging with the community to gather feedback. One year, and a lot of exchanged thoughts and ideas later, Ben has released his pen - I should say 'pens - out in the wild via a Kickstarter campaign that took off last week: Gravitas pens!

Now, if you know me and my reviews, you'll know that I have a sliiiiight tendency to get overly excited about cool metal pens, but believe me when I say this is a Kickstarter you HAVE to check out if you're even the slightest bit interested in this type of pens! If you still don't believe me after this review - no offense taken - check out Anthony's review over at UK Fountain Pens. Anthony likes it too, and he's a tough guy to convince!

From afar, you might be forgiven for thinking of the Gravitas fountain pen and Gravitas 'Twist' capless rollerball as a 'been there, done that' design. True, nobody's reinventing the wheel here (not that anyone has done that in the pen industry for a very long time, I'd dare to say), but if anything the Gravitas pens are very good looking wheels! The Gravitas and Gravitas Twist pair up nicely side by side, but they are two relatively different pens in terms of design.

Let's start with the Gravitas fountain pen (and capped rollerball), which has a very pronounced torpedo shape with a girthy, straight cylindrical body. It tapers down sharply towards the cap and barrel finials into pointed ends... but instead of a point, you'll find a small silicon nitride ball on either end!

Despite a somewhat tactical pen vibe, the finials' main intent is to provide a more durable design that could survive a drop better than a bare aluminium finial would. Compared to the more rounded cigar-shaped Ensso Piuma or Namisu Horizon - two comparable pens - the Gravitas has a much more robust and bulky appearance (probably because it IS robust and bulky), which I quite enjoy.

Yeah... too much is too much!

The clean, minimal design is interrupted by a threaded section on the back of the barrel. While I don't find the threads as visually distracting as I thought I would, I'm still happy to know that they will be dropped in the final production version. The Gravitas is more than long enough to be used without posting (in fact, it looks a bit silly with the cap on the back!) so you won't miss those threads at all.

Streamlined!

The Twist pen is a different beast altogether. It's sleeker, skinnier, and has a long and rounded taper towards the narrow tip of the pen. What sets the Twist apart is its flat spot that prevents it from rolling around. With respect to the center of the pen, the flat is angled towards the front of the pen (my photo's don't do this justice at all). This gives the pen a mean-looking 'stance' when it sits on a flat surface, with the tip angled downward - it's quite cool.

The twist mechanism of the Twist (the name certainly isn't far-fetched!) is of Schmidt make, the same as those found in Baron Fig's Squire. It has a pleasant action and feels quite solid (there's a slight rattle, but nothing too distracting). I do wish that the twist knob was a bit longer compared to the rest of the pen, to make it easier to reach and operate. Ben took note of this as well, when I and a couple other reviewers were asked to give input on these production prototypes, and so these changes will most likely end up in the final design.

While the idea is to expand the Gravitas collection with various materials and finishes (including really neat laser-etched graphics that cover the entire pen!), the Kickstarter starts off with three clean-looking anodized aluminium finishes: black, silver and gold. Even on these 'prototypes' (quite advanced proto's, but still...), the finish is immaculate. The aluminium base pen is bead-blasted to remove machining marks, and then anodized to give a smooth matte finish that is very pleasant to the touch.

The Gravitas fountain pen...

And the Gravitas Twist pen

L to R: Baron Fig Squire, Karas Retrakt, Namisu Nova, Ensso Piuma, Gravitas fountain pen, Gravitas Twist pen, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The Gravitas fountain pen is a fairly large pen, noticeably larger than most other metal pens from the likes of Ensso, Namisu, Karas... It measures 14.8 cm/ 5.81" capped, and 13.4 cm/ 5.28" uncapped. The maximum diameter of 1.5 cm/ .59" runs along almost the entire length of the pen, which makes it look bulky and robust. Underneath the cap, you'll find a long, gently tapered section with a comfortable diameter (1.1 cm/ .43" even at the thinnest point) that flares out slightly towards the nib.

Shallow threads and an angled transition towards the barrel create a comfortable writing experience

The threads are shallow and fine, rendering them barely noticeable in the hand. The threads are single start on this prototype, and take a hefty three full turns to cap and uncap. The final production pen will get more common triple start threads that need fewer turns. One of my favorite practical design elements on the Gravitas is how the step towards the barrel is angled to make the transition much more gentle in the hand. It's an elegant and simple design decision that makes all the difference in terms of comfort, and yet you barely ever see it on other pens. It's a larger pen, so even the all-aluminium construction still comes in at 39 grams. I guess you could say the Gravitas has a reassuring... gravitas to it (terrible pun, I know), it sits nicely balanced in the hand.

The Twist pen is a bit smaller than its capped companion, although in absolute terms it's still far from compact. At 14.1 cm/ 5.55" in length, and with a maximum diameter of 1.4 cm/ .55" it's a bit shorter than the fountain pen. Due to the more tapered shape of the Twist, it definitely appears smaller than it actually is. With a weight of 34 grams, it feels positively hefty in the hand, too.

In terms of comfort, both pens score high marks with me. The Gravitas fountain pen has a comfortable design, a lot of the small details, like the shape and size of the section, the subtle threads and angled transition towards the barrel, are the result of careful consideration on Ben's end, taking into account a lot of input he got from the community. The Twist actually has a unique angle (hah! got it?) in terms of comfort, with the flat spot providing a natural area to rest your thumb, index or middle finger (either way you rotate it, it sits comfortably in your hand). The stretched out, tapered design means you can hold it closer to the tip or further up, to get the grip diameter you prefer.

The Gravitas Twist comes loaded with Schmidt's P8127 rollerball refill. While that's not a bad refill, I've recently switched towards gel-based refills for my non-fountain pen writing. Luckily, the P8127 is similarly sized to standard Parker G2 refills (not to be confused with Pilot's G2!), which gives plenty of choices to swap refills to a ballpoint or gel refill (I've been using the Monteverde Ceramic gel refill, which fits perfectly and works quite well, even though it's not quite as fine as I'd like)

The Gravitas fountain pen, on the other hand, warrants some explaining: While the prototype I have in my hand has a Bock nib - common for most metal pens you'll find on the market today - Ben made the switch to JoWo when he noticed the quality wasn't as consistent as he'd like with Bock. It's good to know that a strict QC is in place to ensure each nib functions as it should. As a lot of brands adopt stock JoWo and Bock nibs these days, individual QC is the way to provide that little extra that sets your brand apart. Ironically, the Broad Bock nib on this particular pen has been one of the smoothest, and wettest Bock nibs I've come across. But regardless, I think JoWo is the safer choice, and it's something different from what most other brands are doing!

The Ben Walsh Design Gravitas pens are the result of a million small little details and considerate design choices. It has taken quite a few years, but the culmination of Ben Walsh's effort has led to two great-looking AND functioning pens (technically three, also counting the capped rollerball) that I can wholeheartedly stand behind. Maybe because I've had a teeny tiny say in how they turned out, but probably because they are just fantastic pens - simple as that! If I sound enthusiastic about them, that's because I am.

If you feel like supporting the Gravitas pens, you can check out the Kickstarter page until September 17th. The Gravitas Twist pen starts at 45€, and the capped Gravitas rollerball and fountain pen each start at 50€, which is very affordable. Even at future respective retail prices of 65 and 70 euros, I still think these are a killer deal. Enough blabbing already! I've already gone and put my money where my mouth is, and I think you should, too.

This product was sent to me by Ben Walsh Design so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

Courtesy of Appelboom, a TWSBI Diamond 580 Smoke Rose Gold II (or RG II in short) landed on my desk. I have to admit, it's been a hot minute since I last reviewed a TWSBI... heck, it's been a hot minute since I last held a TWSBI in my hand! Not that I don't have a couple TWSBI's laying around, but for some reason, none of them have been in rotation in the past year or so. Maybe being spoiled for choice as a pen blogger is the main 'hindrance' (hey, you won't hear me complain!) that prevents me from picking up the sleek 580Al (review HERE), uber-functional and fun Eco (review HERE), or even the hugely underrated GO (that I probably should review at some point).

In my defense, TWSBI hasn't exactly been churning out new and innovative products in recent years. Their last pen to really impress me was the Go, but that too was already quite a while ago. So perhaps I was just getting a bit bored. TWSBI's current strategy seems to involve exploring different, sometimes more luxurious, materials and trendy finishes for the existing models in their catalog, and you can hardly argue with the effectiveness of said strategy - every new special edition Eco colorway seems to sell like hotcakes (I too, have to admit being quite tempted by the new Cement Grey Eco)!

So, as I was saying, TWSBI occasionally takes one of their established models and puts them in a more luxurious, shinier outfit. Seemingly in an effort to bump them up into a slightly more premium category. Yes, the Smoke Rose Gold II is the most expensive version of the Diamond 580 to date, but not so much so that it takes away from the value proposition we've come to expect from the Taiwanese brand.

If you can't see the ink sloshing around in the barrel, is it really a TWSBI?

The name of the TWSBI Diamond 580 Smoke Rose Gold II is about as self-explanatory as it is long: You get the demonstrator 580 you're probably familiar with by now, but with the inclusion of a smokey, translucent grey cap, section, and piston knob that contrasts against the transparent faceted barrel. Ultimately the color of the ink dictates the look of the pen, put a darker ink in it, and the result is an overall darker, sleek-looking pen,

The darker resin is offset by a bit of bling that is the rose gold trim. Interestingly, the Smoke Rose Gold inherits the 580Al's aluminum piston mechanism - also rose-gold plated for the occasion - but not the 580Al's metal section. I guess too much rose gold would be too much. The plated aluminum of the piston has a slightly different color than the other rose gold plated trim, but it's not too distracting from the overall picture. Everything combined, this is a pretty stylish - and photogenic! - pen. I'm not gonna lie, that's not something I ever expected to say about a TWSBI!

L to R: Platinum #3776 Century, TWSBI Diamond Mini, TWSBI Eco, TWSBI Diamond 580 RG II, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

Picking up the 580 to write instantly feels familiar again. The slight resistance in the first turn of the cap due to the rubber o-ring that seals it airtight, the subtle texture of the faceted barrel, and a reassuring bit of weight you might not immediately expect from a 'plastic' pen... Ah yes, this feels familiar!

Over the years of me ignoring the Diamond 580, I almost forgot that this is a really comfortable pen to use! It's actually a fairly large pen, at 14.3 cm/ 5.63" capped, and 13 cm/ 5.12" uncapped. The grip is relatively short but has a decent diameter and comfy profile. The transition from section to barrel is only interrupted by a set of threads that are barely noticeable in the hand. Making it a comfortable pen to hold, even if you grip slightly higher up like I do. I find the 580 to be more than long enough to use unposted - Luckily because while the cap can post, it sits quite far back on the barrel and throws off the balance of the pen.

Maybe the one thing, above everything else, that makes me wonder why I don't use my TWSBI's more often is the nib! All the way from the most inexpensive TWSBI Go, to this most decked-out model, I've never come across one that didn't write flawlessly out of the box. In particular, I have a soft spot for TWSBI's 1.1mm stub nibs (it's a shame they never brought back the excellent 1.5mm stub!). The 1.1mm stub on this 580 RG II - rose gold plated to match the rest of the pen - is no different. It's a consistent and smooth writer that provides a very precise and crisp line variation. The heavier ink flow of the stub nib pairs perfectly with the 580's large ink capacity.

It's impressive to realize that in all those years, the 50$ standard version of the TWSBI Diamond 580 is still... 50$! It never went up in price (at least not as far as I know). If standard versions aren't your cup of tea, the 85$ Smoke Rose Gold II is an easy upgrade to recommend. It's still a lot of pen for relatively little money, and the rose gold trim successfully adds some flair to the utilitarian-looking Diamond 580.

As usual, pricing isn't quite consistent depending on where you are in the world. Pricing from EU-based retailers like Appelboom is unfortunately quite a bit higher across the board, with the RG II retailing for 109€ (105$ without VAT) - that's quite a mark-up! Regardless, in the current market where steel-nibbed pens regularly fetch 300$ or more, even the most expensive TWSBI is still an excellent bargain if you ask me. Now excuse me while I go fill up one of my own TWSBI's again!

Stilform is back with another Kickstarter campaign - this time with a new and improved version of the Kosmos Ink fountain pen. The German design brand has made quite a name for itself in just a few years. They chose a style and brand concept, and embraced it in their entire product line - I can appreciate when a brand knows the direction they want to go in. Also, it doesn't hurt if your signature style is as sleek, modern, and minimal as Stilforms' - yes, I am quite a fan!

What's even better: they are dead-set on improving their products along the way. I've seen them do multiple updates on the original Kosmos pen (which was good to begin with, but was made more durable in later updates), and now the Kosmos Ink fountain pen (review HERE) gets a refresh. Did it really need a refresh? No. But did they make some interesting changes? Yes... So let's have a look!

Top: new Kosmos Ink, bottom: old Kosmos Ink

The design of the Kosmos Ink remained largely the same: it's still a monolithic, pill-shaped pen with perfectly rounded finials. Two large flat sides along the entire length of the pen make it sit still on your desk.

Crisp machining and flawless finish

Where other pens go for a seamless transition between cap and barrel, the Kosmos Ink embraces it with a nice double chamfer that mates the two parts perfectly. The polished finish on the chamfered edges breaks the matte, sandblasted finish of the all-titanium pen (the same contrasting finish can also be found on the anodized aluminium finishes). The new version of the Ink can also be had in a special, ultra-durable DLC-coated black titanium version, which looks really cool!

Top: new Kosmos Ink, bottom: old Kosmos Ink

The main aesthetic difference can be found underneath the cap, where they refined the section design to hide the magnet. On the original Ink, the magnet was exposed and its shiny finish contrasted with the matte surface of the section. The new design incorporates the magnet in a housing that matches the material and finish of the rest of the pen, and also provides a slightly more pronounced flared shape. I don't completely understand why they chose to make the cover over the magnet a separate piece from the rest of the section, instead of integrating it into a more seamless, single piece (I suppose it has to do with how the pen is put together?).

The cover over the magnet also serves a functional purpose: It protects the magnet from ink and wear and tear, which apparently caused the magnet to rust on the original pen. The front of the magnet is still exposed though, so I'd suggest to fill the pen from the converter instead of dunking the entire section into ink, just to be safe.

The back of the barrel now reads 'stilform' instead of 'KOSMOS', the font is quite large

Talking about the magnet: It's less strong on the updated Ink. Apparently, some people found the original too strong, but I liked the fact that it could only be opened by twisting the cap to make the magnets repel. The new Ink still stays closed well enough most of the time, but the cap can be pulled off more easily, and I've had a few occasions where I ended up with just the cap in my hand after trying to get it out of a pen case. The weaker magnet also makes the flat spots a bit less inclined to self-align perfectly when capping the pen. It's not a huge deal, but ideally I would've preferred if the magnet strength was somewhere in between the new and old version.

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Stilform Kosmos, Stilform Arc, Stilform Kosmos Ink (old, new), Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

While I think the enclosed magnet is a nice aesthetic upgrade over the previous version, I don't think it's the 'new' Kosmos Ink's biggest merit. The larger overall size, however, is. The new Ink measures 14.5 cm/ 5.71" capped, and 13.6 cm/5.35" uncapped. It's slightly wider overall, too, with a barrel diameter of 1.35 cm/ 0.53". Especially the slightly wider section (1 cm/ 0.39" at the thinnest part) is a welcome improvement and is a comfortable diameter to grip. With a larger pen also comes a bit more heft: the new Kosmos Ink adds about 5 grams to the existing design, to make for a total weight of 43 grams - it has a reassuring density that I appreciate in most titanium pens. Logically, the aluminium version will be a good bit lighter, if that's your jam.

To put those numbers in perspective: The new Kosmos Ink is just 3 mm longer, and .7 mm thicker. While those differences may sound negligible, it does in fact give the pen a noticeably larger appearance and feel. Especially the wider section makes it a bit more comfortable for my hand, and I like the heft of the all-titanium construction.

One thing I miss on the new version, is the addition of a #6-sized nib. The updated Kosmos Ink is more than large enough to accomodate a larger nib, which would make it more proportionate to the rest of the pen IMHO. Functionally, I have no complaints about the maller Bock #076 nib (Which is a slightly wider nib on the feed of a #5 nib, similar to those found on a TWSBI 580, for example). My test pen came with a steel nib in medium, and it has performed flawlessly out of the box. It's a very smooth, wet writer. I was especially surprised by how it doesn't dry out at all, even after more than a week of not being used, it picked up right away. One final detail about the nib that I quite appreciate: the nib unit is attached internally to a separate part behind the section, so that it can always be aligned to the facets on the barrel of the pen.

The new Stilform Kosmos Ink is currently on Kickstarter, with backer pledges starting at 65€ for the aluminium version, and 119€ for the titanium (about 20% off the future MSRP). That makes it all but the cheapest pen you'll find on the crowdfunding platform. But they don't feel overpriced either, especially since there's simply quite a lot to like about them: Stilforms ultra-minimalist aesthetic. Finely detailed machining. Unique use of magnetic mechanisms. And last but not least, Stilforms continued effort to improve their products... the Stilform Kosmos Ink enjoys the same recipe that has made their products some of the most succesful Kickstarter pens around. Take a look at the current Kickstarter campaign, and you'll know I'm not kidding - almost 900 backers and over 100.000$ collected already in the first three days of the campaign!

This product was sent to me by Stilform, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: MONTEGRAPPA ELMO FANTASY BLOOMS FOUNTAIN PEN

It's funny how Montegrappa wasn't really on my radar much (if at all!) in the past years, yet as of late I find myself looking at almost all the new products they put out! Admittedly, the Montegrappa Elmo was probably at the bottom of my personal watchlist, but having it in hand now, thanks to Appelboom, it's undoubtedly a pen that's hard to miss... for obvious reasons!

The design of the Elmo gives me a vague Montblanc M (review HERE) vibe, which is not the kind of pen I want to be reminded of, to be honest. I think the resemblance in the overall shape of the Elmo and Montblanc M isn't too hard to see: a cigar-shaped pen that tapers lightly towards two perfectly round finials on top and bottom. The overall profile is quite streamlined, very uncluttered (not very Montegrappa-like?). In terms of looks, there's also a fair comparison to be made with the Esterbrook Estie (review HERE), in my opinion.

As someone who's sometimes a bit unreasonably picky about clip designs, I like how the slender, concave shape of the Elmo's clip contrasts the slightly bulky appearance of the pen itself.

Ok, to be honest, I find the 'regular' edition of the Elmo a tad bit boring. This particular 'Iris Yellow' colorway though - part of the 'Fantasy Bloom' collection - can hardly be called boring in its appearance. The mad combination of vibrant, pearlescent yellow, green, purple, and brown swirls is an absolute eyecatcher for sure - some sort of oddly intriguing, shimmery barf? Ok, that may not sound too enticing... Montegrappa dares to experiment with their materials, which is something I can certainly appreciate. Talking about experimental materials, I'm especially intrigued by the new Elmo Ambiente, made from recycled plastic packaging!

L to R: Platinum #3776, Montegrappa MIA, Montegrappa Zero, Montegrappa Elmo, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The Elmo is an average-sized pen, measuring 14.2 cm/ 5.6" closed, and 12.7 cm/ 5" uncapped. The section has a diameter just over 1 cm/ .40" which is typically what I find a good sweet spot for me. The pen as a whole isn't too wide, especially compared to the more stubby MIA I reviewed a few weeks ago. The Elmo weighs 30 grams in total, which isn't anything out of the ordinary. But it does have a very apparent center of gravity, with a lot of weight coming from the metal threads on the barrel. It's not a heavy pen by any means, but you'll immediately notice the balance, which lies nicely in the middle of the pen. I quite like the way it balances in the hand. The cap can be posted but it's not as secure as I'd like.

Watch your step!

The cap has lovely threads - the Montegrappa-kind of smooth, which is really something they have down to a science over in Bassano Del Grappa! But the problem with the threads is that they don't hold the pen closed particularly securely. I think that's in part because there's no inner cap to provide a positive stop for the section to tighten up against. It's not a huge deal-breaker, but I found it apparent on this pen, whereas other Montegrappa's I've tried don't have the same issue.

The step behind the threads is SUBSTANTIAL. The section has a slightly concave profile, but not enough to really draw your grip closer towards the nib and away from the step. Luckily the threads are at least smooth and unobtrusive. That step is definitely a weak spot as far as comfort goes, and it's again eerily reminiscent of my experience with the Montblanc M.

The Elmo uses a standard international screw-in converter that is Montegrappa-branded - functional, but nothing particularly special. It has a coil agitator inside to keep the ink from sticking - which is nice - but I was surprised to see it started rusting already after the first fill - not so nice!

One of the better nib designs around IMHO

Montegrappa switching to JoWo nibs has probably been their best decision in years because they're definitely a massive improvement in writing performance and consistency over the old nibs! If you like JoWo nibs, you'll like this nib. It's not a super-special steel nib, but at least you generally get a smooth and reliable writer. This B was a joy to write with, buttery smooth, very wet, and it lays down a properly wide line.

Certain things in life are still a given, and Montegrappa's premium pricing is one of those things. So even as one of - if not the - most affordable Montegrappa pens currently available, the Montegrappa Elmo will still cost you a pretty penny! The starting price of 175€ or 170$ (without VAT) isn't too bad, but realistically you'll want the more interesting 'Fantasy Blooms' colorways, which end up at 210€/ 200$. At that price, it finds itself in the territory of pens like the Leonardo Momento Zero (review HERE) or Esterbrook Estie. Those are difficult pens to compete against, especially since the Elmo -while a good pen - maybe isn't a memorable one, and it isn't without its flaws either!

REVIEW: OTTO HUTT DESIGN 06 FOUNTAIN PEN

Together with the, quite well-known, Design 04 (review HERE), the Design 06 is probably one of the more popular pens that German manufacturer Otto Hutt makes - at least they are the first pens that come to my mind. But while the 04 is perhaps a rather particular design, probably not everyone's taste, the Design 06 seems more of a crowdpleaser. At least from my perspective, the 06 is about as inoffensive as pen design gets - I don't mean that in a negative way, it's just a very simple and elegant design. Maybe a bit more low-key, but very hard to knock.

The 06 - again - shows off Otto Hutt's forte of combining a fairly classic overall design (a strongly tapered cigar-shaped profile with flat finials) with very modern, simplistic details and clean, minimal branding.

Clip brothers!

Probably my favorite small design aspect that Otto Hutt gets right on many of their pens is their fantastically sturdy, spring-loaded clips - Yes, I am a stickler for clips, and this is once again an excellent one: it's extremely robust but still functional and it clips in pockets easily, all while still retaining a simple and minimal design.

Especially in this black lacquer colorway, the Design 06 is a sleek and stylish pen with a certain 'ST Dupont-chic' flair (but more modern-looking than Dupont). It looks and feels more expensive than it really is, and would easily be suited for a formal or work environment. But again, Otto Hutt's balance between classic and modern design also shows in the available finishes: black with rhodium trim too boring? Pick one of the frosted colorways, or the rose gold or black PVD trims, and you instantly get a much more modern-looking pen.

L to R: Pelikan M1005, M805, Otto Hutt Design 04, Design 06, Design 03, Design 07, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The Design 06 is a smaller pen, no surprises there, with Otto Hutt leaning almost exclusively towards smaller pens in their current portfolio (even the flagship Design 07, that I reviewed HERE, is still not an extremely large pen!). The 06 measures 13.8 cm/ 5.43" closed, the strongly tapered design wastes a lot of space inside the cap because you're left with a pen that's just 12 cm/ 4.73" when you take the cap off. That's cutting it close for me, being quite a bit shorter than what I'd consider my personal sweet spot.

Luckily, the 06's section design has an interesting profile with a very strong pinched shape (from 11.3 mm/ 0.45" near the threads to 8.7 mm/ 0.34" at the narrowest point!), which effectively pulls your grip towards the front of the nib and - despite being 'slippery' metal - keeps your fingers in place quite well. Another beneficial side-effect of holding the pen so close towards the nib is that you'll bypass the step, because yes...there's quite a step behind the threads (and it's noticeable when you grip right on it). The all-metal construction makes for a rather hefty 46 gram total, again a given throughout Otto Hutt's product catalog. Uncapped, the weight sits nicely balanced in the hand. The cap can be posted securely (and rather deep onto the barrel), which makes for a heavy pen but doesn't make it extremely back-heavy like I feared it would.

Comfort-wise, this is a very peculiar pen. A lot of elements that don't sound comfortable at first, come together into a design that's surprisingly decent for everyday writing. Would I call this the most comfortable pen ever created? Well, no, obviously, but it's actually not half bad, and I could certainly use it for longer writing sessions without any problems.

If the overengineered clip is anything of an indication of the overall build quality, you'll know that the Design 06 is a very well-made pen. The sturdy all-metal build means this pen can take a beating. Every part is well-polished, the black lacquered finish is spotless, no rough edges to be found. It really is an exceptionally solid writing instrument that just exudes quality, which is something I've found true for every Otto Hutt I've used so far.

Before we move on to the writing performance, the threads on this pen deserve a small word of praise. The Design 06 is, as far as I can remember, the only pen I've ever seen that uses quadruple-start threads! It takes just half a turn to unscrew the cap, which is insanely fast, and yet it still closes securely. It's a seemingly small feature, but it's certainly useful if you need to take notes quickly during class or in a meeting.

The steel #5-sized nib continues my positive streak of excellent nibs with Otto Hutt, this makes for four pens in a row that have all been excellent writers in their own respect. I've actually come full circle in my reviews of Otto Hutt pens: from a simple steel nib on the Design 04, to the 18k gold on the Design 03 (review HERE), a larger #6 18k gold specimen on the Design 07, and now back to steel, with a fine nib this time around. The bicolor plating fits this pen well, with its classic look, and it's cool that they color-match the trims when you go for a rose-gold or black PVD finish.

The fine nib is a wet writer and with that, lays down a line that runs closer to even some Western mediums. I'm pretty sure Otto Hutt uses JoWo nibs, and that's definitely noticeable in terms of having a reliable writing experience. It dries out ever-so-slightly after longer periods of time, but always manages to find its bearings after the first stroke, so that's ok. I remember in my review of the Design 04, I mentioned that it's hard to recommend going for the more expensive gold nib option, and I still think that holds true. Yes, Otto Hutt's gold nibs are excellent - maybe a touch smoother and softer than their steel counterparts - but the steel nibs are nothing to scoff at.

The Otto Hutt Design 06 is a fairly unassuming pen. Where the 03, 04 and 07 are all a bit more different and unique, the 06 is understated and elegant, but still retains the extremely high build quality that I've seen on other Otto Hutt pens. While not the most comfortable pen in the world, the 06 still managed to exceed my expectations in terms of the overall writing experience, and of course you can be quite certain that the nibs will be excellent, steel or 18k.

I have a lot of positive things to say about the Design 06, so I'd say it offers very good value at 145€ MSRP from Otto Hutt's own online shop (It's in German, but Google's auto-translate does a pretty good job), although the price does creep up when moving into the matte colored finishes, and rose gold or black PVD trim options. The 110€ extra for a gold nib is certainly not a bad investment, but IMHO it's not necessary to get a great writing experience.

Hey, I like minimal design. I'm all for it. But the thing is: minimal design is extremely unforgiving! The product has to be perfectly conceptualized, it has to be flawlessly executed. It has to give you that "Aha, I get it now!" moment, when you pick it up. That moment when you realize that it is so cleverly put together, it doesn't lack any of the features that are essential to making a good pen, but conversely has nothing excessive in the way of pure writing experience. Above all, I feel like minimal design should be hassle-free, maybe even soothing... I think you get the point.

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of the Venvstas Magna fountain pen, let me start off by saying the premise of this pen is absolutely promising. But a cool concept is only half the effort towards a great product, and unfortunately, there are a number of small - maybe seemingly unimportant, but they add up - pet peeves that distract from the overall experience you'd expect from a 250$ pen. Even Venvstas' own website, which I visited while researching for this review, was itself a bit of a pet peeve. It's riddled with conflicting and wrong information: no the ink capacity isn't 3.2 mL. Yes, the cap does actually post. And no, the 79€ carbon fiber carrying case isn't actually included with the pen (bummer!). Anyway, on to the pen!

I do enjoy the overall design of the Venvstas Magna. It's positively minimal, with a tubular, linear carbon fiber exterior. The different pieces of the pen are separated by slanted angles, which gives quite a departure from typical fountain pen designs. Through some compromises (which I'll address later), the monolithic shape is interrupted only by two tiny set screws in the section (which hold the internals of the pen together), a brass coin adorns the cap finial and has the Venvstas double-V logo on it, and a nondescript black cylinder that extends slightly from another angled cut at the back of the barrel.

The main 'structural element' if you will, the outer carbon fiber (CF) shell, is nicely made from tubes of extruded linear carbon fiber composite (the extrusion process aligns the carbon fibers all in the longitudinal direction of the tube - quite neat!). The slanted angles on the carbon fiber parts are cut quite clean and precise, and all the pieces received a nice hand-brushed finish that is smooth and soft to the touch. Despite the brushed finish - the comparison with the Lamy 2000 is hard NOT to make here - the carbon fiber pieces don't match up to create a 'seamless' look, although I don't know if that's what Venvstas was aiming for in the first place.

In any case, I'd at least expect all parts to align properly, and that's where I hit a bit of a sore spot in the design of the Magna. Without going into too much detail, the way the steel 'guts' of the pen are connected to the CF section and the way the barrel attaches to that section, leaves wiggle room between all the parts. The nib assembly, but also the entire barrel (which only holds onto the steel inner mechanism) tends to shift/rattle around as a consequence.

Related to this, is that the barrel never really stays seated perfectly flush with the section. You could argue that that's a minor issue, but even the slightest misalignment is accentuated on a clean and straight design like this (see the image above, it's minor, and yet you can clearly see it's off!), and can be felt because the edges are rather sharp.

Contrary to the barrel, the cap holds on to the CF part of the section with a single steel 'spring' insert and has a positively tight tolerance to it (the edges of the steel insert are really sharp, though). It aligns perfectly flush and secure each time, showing that it is indeed possible to get a better fit.

What's even more, the cap is actually held in place tighter than the barrel, so when you accidentally hold the barrel and try to pull the cap off... you'll actually pull off the barrel. Yes, this is easily avoided by holding the pen only at the section when uncapping, yet I still - on multiple occasions - managed to pull the barrel off or slide it back enough to misalign it once again. If the barrel attached in the exact same way as the cap, it would not only be a more secure fit, but it'd also alleviate all of the aforementioned misalignment and wiggle issues I encountered.

It's like the big red cartoon button that says 'DON'T PRESS'...

My biggest gripe with the design is the fact that the back of the barrel is just open. Yes, there's a gaping hole in the back of this pen. The design of the back finial looks cool... until you realize that you're touching the piston's plunger and not just a fixed finial! About half a centimeter of the plunger is exposed through the back of the barrel, ready to be pressed by accident. Why create such a risk? There's potential for an inky mess around every corner: when you slide it into a pen case/pocket/bag, when you're fidgeting with the pen (let's admit it: we all do that unconsciously!), or when you post the cap (the steel spring also attaches the cap to the back of the barrel, but it can easily catch on the plunger and depress it about a centimeter).

Seeing that Venvstas' other, slightly smaller pen - the Venvstas Carbon T - has the same finial design but with an actual, fixed finial and not the piston plunger sticking out, I'd personally opt to decrease the ink capacity from the massive 2mL that it is now, shortening the piston mechanism and just putting the same fixed finial in the back as with the Carbon T. Problem solved, peace of mind restored!

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Pelikan M1005, Conid Kingsize, Venvstas Magna, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The Magna (Latin for 'large') is indeed a rather large pen. The diameter of the entire pen (12 mm/ 0.47") is quite normal I'd say, and sits comfortably in my hand. But with a length of 15.5 cm (6.1"), it's exceptionally long. Even uncapped, at 14.6 cm (5.74"), it's longer than most pens when capped! If that's still not enough for you, the cap can be posted (although as already mentioned, you run the risk of accidentally pushing the piston plunger) for a total length of 18 cm (7.08"). Needless to say, this pen is comfortably sized for pretty much any hand, and the mostly CF build keeps it comfortably lightweight (24g), too.

In terms of comfort, it's not at all a bad writer, but I found it remarkable how often I had to adjust my grip to not hold it right on the edge of the carbon fiber section. The nib sits recessed in a stainless steel tube (also cut at an angle, a nice touch!) that protrudes from the CF outer sleeve.

The section starts further back than on a typical pen with a #6 nib...

...which interferes with my grip

But while the nib doesn't really extend that far out from the section, the angled cut on the bottom of the CF sleeve (where my middle finger rests) does run quite far back on the bottom of the section. That requires you to hold the pen further back relative to the nib, which takes some time to adjust to (and keep in mind that I already tend to hold my pens relatively far back anyway!).

Space-age looks!

The titanium nib (There's no coherent information about the nib supplier, but I assume it's Bock-made, despite it being paired with a feed that doesn't seem to be from Bock) has a clean appearance with very simple "V" branding in the middle - befitting of the overall minimal aesthetic of the pen. The nib on my test pen was excellent. A recent review from Anthony over at UK Fountain Pens pointed out different behavior, but my test pen wrote pretty much flawlessly out of the box. Ink flow is ample and consistent, the nib was properly tuned and aligned for a smooth writing experience, and the titanium nib provides a slightly cushioned writing experience.

The bottom line of the Venvstas leaves me wondering how much novel design is simply too much? As it stands, I feel like 249€/ 240$ without VAT (from our site sponsor Appelboom) is not a terribly high price considering you get a piston-filled pen with titanium nib (a 14k gold nib version is available at a 150€ premium). And the out-of-the-box design is interesting for sure, but it seems like they made peace with a few too many structural compromises to stay true to that purist design ideology. Compromises that continuously distraught me from the joy that I should've experienced from a unique product like this, but instead left me frustrated most of the time.

Nonetheless, Venvstas being a relatively young brand, coming from a one-man operation (now being made by an industrial manufacturer, though), I think there's still plenty of opportunity for improvement. A lot of the issues are seemingly easy to fix, IF Venvstas perhaps dares to step away from the envisioned ideal design in favor of a few more functional details. And if they do, I'll gladly revisit my opinion.

Esterbrook finally came forward with what I thought would be the ideal pen for a revival of such an iconic, 'Americana' brand - a modern re-interpretation of the vintage Esterbrook J, called the Esterbrook JR (or'J Reborn' in full). I think it's the product many of us were waiting for. I mean, why else would you take up the Esterbrook name, if not for establishing a tangible connection to what the brand used to represent almost eighty years ago?

But now that the JR is out, and I have one in-hand (Thanks to Esterbrook for providing this pen for review!), I'm not so sure anymore. There certainly seems to be a strong pro and contra camp formed around the new model, which I guess is to be expected when reviving such a vintage classic? It's a bit of a minefield. The die-hard fans will never be happy about a reimagined version, the uninitiated might not even recognize it as the pen it's supposed to represent.

The JR definitely being a reimagined design, instead of accurate reproduction, I can certainly see how the new design doesn't fully capture the style of the J, but I do feel like some of its essence is there. I'd show the old and new side by side, but unfortunately, I no longer have a vintage J to compare to the JR. I'm sure you've either seen one before or own one... If not, my very old review of the Esterbrook J might help you get a better idea.

I immediately liked the JR, for a couple reasons. It has a distinct vintage-y look, it's smaller than typical modern pens - harkening back to the days when pens used to be a good bit smaller as standard -, it has the characteristic ribbed texture clip, with ridges running along the length of the straight clip - maybe the one element that carries over almost directly from the vintage J.

Nice pearlescence on the Denim Blue acrylic

The three colors available on release - 'Denim Blue', 'Tuxedo Black', and 'Carmine Red' - are all marbled, pearlescent materials that are also supposed to evoke the look of the original materials. They are nice - I even like this Denim Blue, even though I'm not typically a fan of blue pens - and match the vintage vibe excellently, although they're not quite as enticing and unique as the original.

infinity?

But then there are also a lot of design elements that take away from the Vintage J. For example, I'd wish the center band also came with the recognizable ridged pattern to match with the vintage design, but instead it's a rather plain-looking band with the Esterbrook logo laser-engraved on the front. The cap and barrel both have a metal coin finial, with the cap finial engraved with the "infinity" Esterbrook logo. I don't know why they call it that though, it doesn't look quite like ∞ to me? The finials are flat, instead of the ridged, slightly domed finials on the double-jewel Esterbrook J.

But then above everything else, I'm most confused about the very straight and skinny barrel shape. It seems like a very odd decision if you want to remake the J - which had a much more gently tapered profile. It takes the overall design in a completely different direction, and I don't know if I like the abrupt transition from the wider cap to the skinny barrel. It's a bit clunky. The decorative ring on the barrel is also placed oddly high up, which makes the proportions of the JR feel even weirder.

L to R: Kaweco Sport, Pelikan M205, Aurora Optima, Sailor Pro Gear, Esterbrook JR, Esterbrook Estie, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The JR is described as a pocket pen, but I think that's a bit of a stretch. At just 12.6 cm/ 5" capped, and 11.8 cm/ 4.6" uncapped, it surely is a small pen, but it's no Kaweco Sport or Schon P6 either. In the size comparison, you can see that I found quite a few pens that closely match the dimensions of the JR: the Pelikan M200, Aurora Optima, and Sailor Pro Gear, all pens that sort of float in that limbo between pocket- and full-sized. The JR is a relatively slender pen, and the relatively wide cap accentuates the slim barrel even more. The section, with roughly a 10 mm (0.39") diameter, is narrow but not uncomfortably so.

For smaller hands, the JR might be comfortable to use without posting. But for me, it's one of the very few pens that I actually prefer to use posted (it posts very securely, btw). With the cap on the back, you get a very comfortable 15.2 cm/ 6" long pen, and the overall weight is low enough (18g total) so that even posting doesn't throw off the balance.

In terms of comfort, the benefit of the massive step from the cap towards the barrel becomes obvious. Underneath the cap, you get absolutely zero transition from section to barrel. The threads aren't really noticeable either. The section shape of the JR is a peculiar ('peculiar' seems to be a keyword for the JR's design!) combination of a straight untapered part right in front of the threads and a very short pinched section closer towards the nib. The concave part is so short that only my index and middle finger actually grip there, while my thumb naturally rests a bit higher up. It's a comfortable pen to write with, but again the proportions are a bit odd.

The writing end is a #5 JoWo nib. It's also engraved with the X-shaped Esterbrook logo, a.k.a "infinity" (Yeah, the scientist in me has to put that under heavy air-quotes because it just doesn't feel right) logo. Anyway, you're looking at a stock, steel nib and I feel like I've already repeated myself a million times, talking about these. In any case, it's a decent, reliable performer (better than I expected maybe, I'm certainly a bit biased towards #6 size nibs performing slightly better, but maybe I was wrong?) and it's notably resistant to drying out, despite not having the spring-loaded inner cap like the Estie. It starts right up, even after sitting unused on my desk for a week or so, which is commendable. The medium nib is smooth but with just the right amount of feedback while you write. Ink flow is rather heavy.

Even though the JR is really quite an excellent little writer as it stands, I think the Esterbrook MV adaptor (rumored to come soon) will help set this pen apart. Being able to fit vintage Esterbrook nibs in the JR definitely will add some character to the writing experience and bring it one step closer to the original. The gold trim of this 'Denim Blue' colorway might clash with the steel-colored vintage nibs, though?

It may seem that I'm giving the Esterbrook JR a hard time, and perhaps that's true. It's a good-looking, classic-styled design. Build quality and writing comfort are excellent. It's a good, hassle-free writer, with potential for offering a bit more character once the MV adaptor comes in. Those are all positive things when you look at the JR in its' own respect. But when you call your pen the Esterbrook 'J Reborn', comparisons with the original are inevitable, and that's maybe where it misses the ball for a lot of Esterbrook J fans.

The JR has an MSRP of 180$. Retail prices seem to be pretty steady at 140$ in the US, but here in Europe, we're stuck at 175€ (essentially full MSRP!) from retailers like Appelboom orLa Couronne Du Comte. The MV adaptor will most likely cost an additional 40$ extra. Frankly, I think the European price is too expensive. I feel like it would represent a better value around the 120€ mark, which would be more in line with the US pricing. Despite the JR being an overall good pen, at its' full MSRP, there's too much competition (even from Esterbrook's own Estie, which would be my choice at just 20€ more!) for it to really stand out from the pack.

NOTE: This product was provided by Esterbrook (Kenro), so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

REVIEW: SCHON DSGN POCKET SIX FOUNTAIN PEN

Let me start off by saying the Schon Dsgn Pocket six has been perhaps the most fun I've had with a pen in recent history! Knowing that I tend to not use pocket pens very often (simply not enough practical use for them in my daily carry), the fact that I've carried this pen with me more than anything else since I've received it, says quite a lot!

For those of you that don't know Ian Schon, man behind the brand, he's one of the most sympathetic minds in our industry. As an engineer and obsessed with the tiniest details, he's constantly showing new techniques and tricks he found to improve his products, on social media. I've always found this kind of "how it's made" content incredibly fascinating to follow, and especially lately when he started doing unique hammered finishes on the Pocket Six (P6), I was hooked!

But, I'm getting ahead of myself! Let's take a look at the P6, shall we? Btw, thanks to Ian for sending a 'normal' brass version of the P6 along with the faceted copper pen I bought. Since the faceted Pocket Six is only available in limited quantities due to production capacity, it wouldn't make sense to review the faceted version standalone, because it might not be available continuously.

The P6 carries over the sort of industrial minimal design language ofthe original Schon Dsgn ballpoint Pen (that I reviewed HERE), but I feel like it adds some welcome refinement, and slightly gentler lines to the design. The cap finial is subtly rounded for a softer look, and symmetry is still key with the machined line on the cap offsetting the break between barrel and cap - giving the illusion of a 'center band' - so that cap and barrel look like they're equally long (even though they're not). Underneath the cap, you get a nice concave section shape, which is more pleasant to hold than the straight and featureless section on 'the Pen'.

Refined or not, you're still getting a machined metal pen, with a machined finish. Function before form, with exposed block threads at the back of the barrel, onto which the cap posts.

We haven't talked about the elephant in the room yet! Exotic finishes are sort of Ian's trademark, with crazy anodized options available for the aluminium version of the P6, but also this jaw-droppingly beautiful faceted version of the P6, available for the brass or copper versions! As I said earlier, I've been following Ian's journey in hand-finished hammered finishes (which I tried myself as well!), And then he completely caught me off-guard with this semi-irregular machined faceted finish! The way the light hits the geometric pattern... It's amazing in person, and the detail of the machined and hand-polished finish is ridiculous. I guess the photos will speak for itself!

The p6 is clipless, which was an omission on the original Schon Pen too, but that pen eventually received an update with a clipped version ('the clip', simple naming convention certainly is Ian's thing!). I'm not saying the P6 might not receive a similar upgrade later on, but technically I find it doesn't need a clip to function as a pocket pen. True pocket pens like this are small enough to carry IN your pants pocket comfortably, instead of being clipped to them, so I haven't found it a particularly big issue.

L to R: Milim Pro Pocket fp, Inventery Pocket fp, Ensso XS, Schon Dsgn Pen, Schon Dsgn P6, Kaweco Lilliput, Kaweco Supra, Kaweco Sport, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The P6 still comes out as one of the biggest pocket pens, despite its tiny form factor!

The P6 is tiny. Really tiny. Imagine tiny, and then make it a bit smaller still, that's how small this pen is! I had read up enough to think that I had a good idea of the size, but even I was thoroughly surprised when I saw it in real life for the first time.

In hard numbers, the P6 translates into a pen that's 9 cm/ 3.55" capped, and a convincing full-sized 13.2cm/ 5.2" when the cap is posted. The p6 is - in proportion to the length - a bit skinnier than I imagined, although it has to be said that 12.7 mm/ 0.5" is a very decent diameter for a small pen like this. Most notable of all: it's shorter than a Kaweco Lilliput... let's take a second to let that sink in! It's the absolute shortest pen I own, and yet when open and posted, it's comfortably sized in any possible way.

'regular' concave section left, 'new' ridged section right

The P6 is now available with two section options to choose from, after some suggestions that a slightly girthier section would add to the comfort. The new, straight section is a complete redesign from the simple, concave shape of the regular version. The new section has a straight constant diameter of 9.9 mm/ .390", compared to the concave section which is just a millimeter narrower at the thinnest point, at 8.9 mm/ .350". It's noticeably longer and has a grooved texture along its' entire length, which is smooth and pleasant to hold.

Aesthetically, I most definitely prefer how the concave section matches the rest of the pen's clutter-free design... But the larger section does make a fair point in terms of comfort, and even the slight difference in diameter is appreciated. The nib is seated noticeably deeper inside the section to account for the added length of the section itself. The slightly wider diameter of the new section also mates a bit better to the threaded section of the barrel, which makes for a more pleasing and smooth transition. The block threads are noticeable and there is a bit of a step towards the barrel, but given how much section real estate you get on such a small pen (especially with the new larger section!), comfort isn't bad at all for a pocket pen!

A small detail that I particularly like on the P6 is the incorporation of a rubber o-ring on the inside of the cap. It seals against the small straight section in front of the threads (very similar to Karas' Sta-Fast system on the new Ink fountain pen!) and effectively keeps the nib from drying out, or keeps possible ink leaks contained (not that I had any issues with that so far). Just like with the Karas Ink, the o-ring also adds a smooth, reassuring resistance to the capping action.

The flipside of a super-duper-small pocket pen is that a converter obviously won't fit - except maybe one of those Kaweco converters, but those are more hassle than function - so you're limited to cartridges. Syringe-filling is the way I deal with that, but of course, it's a little less hassle-free than a piston or converter.

The P6 gets its name from the #6 sized nib it contains under the hood. It's impressive for a pen to be this compact, it's even more impressive that it also has a large nib! The nibs are stock JoWo, not engraved with any logo except for the standard flourishes that JoWo nibs have - which don't play well with the minimal character of the pen itself, but oh well...

So, one reason why I'm excited about JoWo nibs on a metal pen like this: it's always Bock. It's slim pickings in stock nib world anyway, and metal pens always seem to go for Bock. This is a little different. I feel like JoWo nibs are typically a bit less temperamental, a bit smoother, and maybe a bit stiffer. Stock nibs seem to be a bit of a 'meh' thing these days, and I get the tiredness of always seeing the same nibs (it's a bit boring to review, too!), But there's no denying you're getting a pretty spot-on writing experience. I did open up the tines if the broad steel nib ever so slightly though. It was on the dryer side before, not terrible, but I prefer it slightly wetter.

Now the really exciting stuff happens when you go swapping nibs. I knew way in advance what to put in the exotic faceted copper p6: an equally exotic nib from Franklin-Christoph's stable, their double-slit Music nib. Can I just say what an absolutely nuts combo this is? Good lord... I grinned all the way from here to Tokyo when I first put this pen to paper. It should probably be illegal to pack so much pen into such a small form factor!

Lots of fun - and EDC practicality, let's not forget! - in a small package, I guess that should be the Schon Dsgn P6's bottom line, so I'll end with that.

This small pen comes with a - comparatively - not so small price, ranging from 118$ for aluminium, 142$ for brass, and up to 162$ for copper (the ridged long section adds about 10-12$). In return, you are getting a pen that's made with care in Ian's own workshop and locally produced do warrant a premium in my opinion. With that in consideration, only the faceted pens really stand out to me as properly expensive (250$ to 270$). The reasoning behind the price jump is a considerably longer machining time and more hand-finishing involved in getting the finish as spectacular as it is. 270$ is certainly the most expensive metal pen I've ever purchased... But so far I have not had a single regret!

NOTE: Some of the products featured in this review were provided by Schon Dsgn, so I could write this article. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affiliate links.

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