Vacation Time and a Mid-Year Review

Things might be a bit slow around here this week, as I'm getting ready to leave on vacation this morning.  I'll probably have a couple posts up through the week, but I won't be sticking to my regular schedule. For today, I'll do what I did around this time last year and publish a little "Mid-Year Review," linking back to the five most popular articles/reviews of 2017 so far, as well as some of my favorites that didn't make the cut on the basis of pure metrics. Without further ado: 

Five Most Popular Posts of 2017 (So Far)

I was surprised at how well the multi pen / pocket pen reviews did this year, though I guess from my own usage there's a reason: they're extremely practical. 

1. Guide to Multifunction Pens: Picking the Best Multi Pen for Your Needs

2. Pen Review: The Fisher Space Pen

3. Pen Review: Sailor Imperial Black Multifunction Pen

4. Pelikan M800 Souverain Burnt Orange Special Edition

5. Pen Review: Pilot Custom 74

Some Additional Favorites

These posts might not have received the most traffic, but they include reviews of some products that I've enjoyed using or that otherwise surprised me. 

1. Review: Baron Fig Mastermind and Nomad

2. Cool Analog(ue) Products: Book Darts

3. Pen Review: The New Parker Urban

4. Pen Review: Sailor 1911 Black Luster

5. Pen Review: Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Filler

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all of you! 

Pen Review: Introducing Benu Pens (and Another Giveaway!)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Kate Dmitrieva, the co-founder of Benu, a pen company located in Moscow, Russia, asking whether I'd be interested in reviewing some of their products. Intrigued by the unique designs and some really cool looking materials, I agreed and a couple weeks later the pens arrived at my door. Overall, I'm very impressed with the design and the quality of the writing experience, though many might consider the price point a touch high. Benu will be launching a Kickstarter for a new collection at some point in the future, so be on the lookout.    

Design and Build

Benu bills their products as "casual chic writing instruments for work and leisure," that are "designed to surprise and delight." There's definitely a certain playfulness to these pens that make them fun to use, somewhat reminiscent of the many different variations Kaweco has released in its "Sport" line. The compact size, light weight, and streamlined "bullet" shape makes these pens a good choice for pocket carry. Benu pens sells its pens in two "collections": the "MINIMA" collection, which is more of a true pocket pen, cartridge-only, and does not post, and the "Essence" collection, which is slightly larger, accepts an international converter, and does post. (Comparison photos are available in the gallery below.)

View fullsize

A size comparison between the Benu "MINIMA" Skull Pen (right) and the "Essence" in Silver Galaxy (left)

Benu describes their pens as handmade from a variety of interesting "pearlescent" and "adventurescent" acrylic resins, and certain designs feature intricate etchings such as geometric and skull patterns.  The four pens I was sent for review include the Classic Black Skull with gold trim and Mystical Green Silver from the MINIMA collection, and the "Silver Galaxy" and "Purple Night Silver" from the Essence collection. All of the acrylics are eye-catching with lots of depth, and I found the detailing on the Skull Pen to be very attractive.  

View fullsize

A close-up of Benu's "Silver Galaxy" Resin (left) and the Skull Pen (right)

Nibs and Overall Writing Experience

Benu uses high quality stainless steel nibs from Schmidt. To be honest, the Schmidt nibs surprised me with how well they wrote directly out of the box. The broad nib I tested could almost qualify as a stub, and laid down a thick wet line of ink, while the fine nib wrote equally as smooth.  

A shot of the broad, gold-plated Schmidt nib on the Benu Skull pen. Check out the almost stubbish shape of the nib! 

The first thing some people might notice is that the section features a relatively large "step down" from the barrel, but this should end up being a non-issue for most people unless they grip the pen very high. The long section offers plenty of room for a variety of grip styles, and never caused me any problems. 

View fullsize

Despite the steep "step down," the long section should provide plenty of room for most hands to get a comfortable grip. 

While both the "Essence" and the "MINIMA" pens were quite comfortable to hold, I found the slightly larger "Essence" pen to be the most practical for longer writing sessions, due to just the touch of added length, better balance, and the ability to post the cap.  

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I've enjoyed using the Benu pens for the past few weeks, and I can definitely see them entering my "pocket fountain pen" rotation.  The skull pen was an especially pleasant surprise, as I found the somewhat "wild" design to be more understated in person. Benu has been making the rounds lately on the pen blogs, so I'd expect to see more of them in the future as they expand their line and increase availability. The one potential sticking point I see is the relatively high price point (discussed further below), which might intimidate some potential buyers, since Benu is an newer brand that sells exclusively online and doesn't yet have much of a track record in the larger pen community.   

Currently, you can only purchase Benu pens directly from the company's website, though I've also been informed that there will be a Kickstarter project to launch a new collection at some point in the future. Pricing on the Benu Pens ranges from $80-120 for the MINIMA fountain pen collection, and $90-120 for the Essence fountain pen collection. The MINIMA is also available as a ballpoint for $90, and the Essence as a rollerball for $95. 

View fullsize

Points for practical and eco-friendly packaging - Benu pens come in an easily reusable or recyclable cardboard pen box, packed in shredded paper and wrapped in an information sheet. (It also makes for easier international shipping-see giveaway rules below!)

While this price point seems high, it's comparable to pricing on the Kaweco Art Sport, which is Kaweco's higher-end collection that periodically features unique resins and acrylics. From what I can tell, however, the Art Sports are limited-run pens that don't seem to be part of Kaweco's permanent lineup, which gives Kaweco a bit more pricing leeway. Over the long term, I'd like to see the pricing on the Benu pens come down by about $15-20, which would make these pens competitive, given the relative lack of serious competition in the $50-100 price range and how well these Benu nibs write. That said, I have no idea how expensive/labor intensive it is to make this particular pen design, especially with some of the crazier materials like Silver Galaxy or the detailing on the Skull Pen.  

Last But Not Least - Two Pens to Give Away! 

Benu was kind enough to send me multiple pens to review, and I will be giving away two to readers: one MINIMA Fountain Pen in "Mystical Green", and one Essence Fountain Pen in "Purple Night".  Giveaway Rules and Conditions are as follows: 

1. In order to enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this blog post indicating which pen you want. While you don't need to provide your full name, be sure to leave at least some identifying information. (A first or last name plus an initial is generally sufficient.) I've included links to the Benu website in order to provide details on each pen, including pictures and retail value.
2. The giveaway will end at 11:59pm Central Time on Sunday, May 28, 2017. 
3. At the close of the giveaway, I will assign each entry a number and pick two winners using a random number generator. I likely won't be able to ship the pens until early June, since I will be traveling over the next couple of weeks, but I will announce the winners on the blog the following Monday or Tuesday and give each winner exactly one week to contact me to provide a shipping address. Information submitted by entrants and/or winners will be used by me solely to ship your item and will not be sold or otherwise provided to Benu or any other sponsor. In the event more than one person indicates a preference for the same pen, the person who reaches out to me first to claim their prize will have first refusal. 
4. Limit one entry and one prize per person. Your odds of winning are directly proportionate to how many people enter. This giveaway is open to everyone, non-U.S. residents included, though I will have to use the cheapest shipping option available, which may not include tracking. 

Disclaimer: I was sent the pens featured in this post free of charge by Benu Pens for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. This post may contain affiliate links.

Laurence King Publishers Giveaway Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered to win last week's giveaway for four journals kindly donated by Laurence King Publishers. The winners are: 

1. Laura S (Johanna Basford Secret Garden Mini Journals)
2. Julia Van der Wyck (Art Deco)
3. Sarah Fowler (Marrakech)
4. Kathryn Jackson (Art Deco)

To claim your prize, Please contact me using this form on the website, or email me at joe (at) gentlemanstationer.com. Two winners expressed a preference for Art Deco, so the first to claim their prize gets the Art Deco and the other winner takes home the Heraldic journal (which is also really cool). The winners have one week to contact me before I pick someone else.

Ink Review: Robert Oster Midnight Sapphire and Astorquiza Rot

Robert Oster Signature Inks from Australia is one of the most prolific ink brands on the market right now, seemingly introducing new colors on an almost weekly basis. I recently reviewed their acclaimed "Fire and Ice" ink, and ended up enjoying it despite the fact that I typically avoid highly saturated inks with a lot of sheen. Every Robert Oster color that I've tried has behaved so well - both in pens and on paper - that I'm making an effort to try as many of the inks as I can. A huge thank you to Vanness Pens for providing me with the two ink samples featured in this review.

Robert Oster Midnight Sapphire

View fullsize

The Midnight Sapphire struck me as a touch flat. Maybe it's a bit too gray for my taste? 

While Robert Oster Midnight Sapphire is an excellent ink that can serve as your everyday "blue-black," this color left me wanting something more. I guess the "sapphire" reference led me to expect a bit more blue "pop" than this ink delivers. Once it dries, it actually turns out to be a fairly standard dark blue-black ink with grayish undertones, though it does exhibit some nice shading, especially in a wet nib on Tomoe River paper. 

Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot

View fullsize

Astorquiza Rot is a gorgeous red ink, just not what I expected, and not a color I currently need in my collection. I didn't find quite as much shading as with the Midnight Sapphire.

I would characterize Astorquiza Rot as a darker red with hints of brown, orange, and/or copper. I originally picked this sample because I hoped it could serve as a replacement for my rapidly dwindling supply of Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock Red. As it turns out, the Hitchcock doesn't have nearly as much orange and might have a touch more black. A better comparison to the Astorquiza Rot would be Montblanc's latest William Shakespeare Limited Edition. The search for a Hitchcock replacement continues! 

View fullsize

Robert Oster Astorquiza Rot (top) compared against three other red inks: Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock 2012 L.E., William Shakespeare Velvet Red (current L.E.), and the Diamine/Cult Pens collaboration Deep Dark Red. 

Takeaways and Where to Buy

While neither of these inks blew me away from a color perspective, that's more of a function of my ridiculous ink collection/hoard than anything else. I simply have too many other inks that are too close to these. That said, if you're looking for a nice standard blue-black ink with a fair amount of shading, Midnight Sapphire would be a solid choice. Similarly, if you're looking for a brick/blood red, Astorquiza Rot is a perfectly serviceable red ink that seems to be fairly low-maintenance, which can be rare with colors like red and orange. Both inks flow well, dry quickly, and didn't crust up or demonstrate any other "behavioral problems."  

View fullsize

Robert Oster's Signature Ink Bottle

You can purchase both Midnight Sapphire and Astorquiza Rot, as well as all the other Robert Oster inks, from Vanness Pens. I'm a big fan of Robert Oster's bottles: their tall-and-slim design makes them easy to store, and at $16 for a 50ml bottle, the price is right. 

Further Reading

I've previously reviewed several other inks from Robert Oster. Check out these reviews here:  

• Brand profile plus a review of Robert Oster Direct Sun, Tranquility, Khaki, Lime Green, and Claret
• Review of Robert Oster Fire and Ice and Melon Tea

Disclaimer: I was provided with the ink samples in this post free of charge, for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.   

Updated "Best Pens" Recommendation Resource, with New Additions!

A revised “Best Pens” page is now live on the blog! I haven’t updated this list in a while (since September 2016), and I wanted to account for several changes that have occurred since then, both in the market and in my personal use. 

So What's New?

On the lower end of the pricing spectrum, nothing changed at all, other than some minor additions to the "Pocket Pens" category. Moving towards the “higher end,” I restructured things a bit. Major changes include: 

1. Splitting my “Best First Fountain Pen over $100” list into two separate categories: gold nibs and steel nibs. The category is getting crowded, and I find myself becoming more and more a fan of higher-end steel nibs, especially those coming out of Germany. I suspect that using steel nibs allows pen companies to be more creative with their design and materials, while still keeping the price point reasonable. Faber-Castell, Diplomat, and Franklin-Christoph are all good examples.  
2. Dropping Delta. The Delta Fusion 82 sat in the No. 5 slot on my “Personal Favorites” list for a while, and I still love the pen. The problem is that Delta seems to have discontinued this model and jacked the price up on other “Fusion” pens, and appears to be in the midst of reshuffling its entire product line. While my experience with Delta pens (and especially their nibs) has been on the whole positive, I have absolutely no idea what to recommend to people at the moment. 
3. Overhauling my ballpoint and rollerball recommendations. I’m using a lot more non-fountain pens these days, and my tastes have evolved. These recommendations probably won’t surprise many people, as they are decidedly mainstream, but I go with what works. 

Enjoy! I don't have a regular schedule for updating my recommendations pages, but I do review them a few times a year to make sure they still reflect my opinion and my own personal use.