Review: BENU Fountain Pen (Midsummer Bronze, Blazing Gold & Mystical Green Silver)

Today i am going to share with you the latest addition to my collection of pens: BENU Fountain Pens (in Midsummer Bronze, Blazing Gold and Mystical Green Silver colors).

Each BENU Fountain Pen comes packaged in a dark gray box with 'BENU' imprinted in silver on its shimmery surface.

You will find the BENU Fountain Pen beautifully wrapped in brown wrapping paper and tied with a bow-style string. There is a layer of shredded paper beneath to protect the pen, and it certainly does add on to the overall aesthetic quotient of the package.

To my pleasant surprise, the wrapping paper unfolds to reveal an introduction of the BENU Pen and a short set of instructions on product care. Notably there's an instruction within that cautions the user to avoid inflicting strong shocks to the pen, such as dropping onto a hard surface. Unfortunately, i was careless and accidentally dropped the Mystical Green Silver Fountain Pen on the floor even before i got to read that! My first response thereafter was to check for any cracks or scratches. Thankfully, there was none! So BENU Pens can be pretty hardy and durable (Nevertheless, I think it's best to treat your beautiful pen/s with care).

BENU Fountain Pen takes on an ergonomic shape in the form of a torpedo (like the ones below), and is handmade from high quality precious resin with either a pearly lustre or jewel-sparkling glitter to its smooth-texture body. There are no pen clips for these BENU pens.

You can find 'BENU' engraved on the gold-plated brass ring of the pen cap for the Midsummer Bronze and Blazing Gold Pens, and on the rhodium plated ring of the Mystical Green Silver Pen.

Midsummer Bronze

Weighing around a light 22g (or 0.7 ounces), the body of the Midsummer Bronze Fountain Pen has a warm, golden-brown pearlescent shimmer to it and on a closer look, you can see varying hues of brownish-gold. (I like this pen for its simple but yet classy design and appearance.)

The pen cap is the screw-on type with a gold plated brass ring at the bottom.

Notably, BENU Fountain Pens are a tad shorter in length than most conventional pens out there. In fact with its cap on, the total length of the pen is just around 12.6cm. As you may see from below, the BENU Fountain Pen doesn't stick out above the palm. Nevertheless, it fits my hand just perfectly!

Each BENU Fountain Pen comes with a black ink cartridge (Schneider, Standard short international size) within.

To insert the ink cartridge, push the head of the cartridge (with the narrower tip) into the hollow space within the nib (and push all the way in).

Each BENU Fountain Pen comes with a single-slit, Schmidt nib made of stainless steel. On a closer look, you will find the words 'SCHMIDT IRIDIUM POINT' engraved on the nib. The nibs come in varying sizes of F, M and B (F, M and B stands for fine, medium and broad respectively), and you may find either of the letters 'F', 'M' or 'B' in Italic font engraved on the nib (depending on its size).

All nibs (F.M and B) have a rounded tip, which is ideal for producing uniform lines regardless of the direction or angle of the nib on the paper. The roundedness of the tip of the B (Broad) nib is much more pronounced than that of the M (Medium) and F (Fine) nib. Similarly, the M (Medium) nib has a more rounded tip than the F (Fine) nib. Basically, the finer the nib, the finer the lines it's able to produce (and, the broader the nib, the broader the lines it can create).

The Midsummer Bronze Fountain Pen comes with a nib that is gold plated.

Blazing Gold

Weighing merely 22g (or 0.7 ounces) and measuring 12.6cm in length with the cap on, the flashy and eye-catching body of the Blazing Gold Fountain Pen sparkles brightly with fragments of golden leaves and specks of glittering gold throughout. (which is great for those seeking a vibrant and flamboyantly stylish touch to their pen). As the body of this pen is handmade from transparent crystal resin, you may, on a closer look, see what's within through the gaps between the fragments and specks of gold.

Similar to the Midsummer Bronze Pen, the Schmidt nib of the Blazing Gold Pen is made of gold plated stainless steel and comes in sizes of F, M and B (Fine, Medium and Broad respectively).

Mystical Green Silver

Also weighing 22g with a total length of 12.6cm, the aventurescent resin body of the Mystical Green Silver Pen presents a captivating blend of opaque black with glittery waves of light green and silver. (This stylish beauty is my favorite out of the three!)

Unlike the Midsummer Bronze and Blazing Gold Pens, the screw-on pen cap of the Mystical Green Silver Pen is affixed with a rhodium plated brass ring (which blends well with its surrounding colors).

Like the Midsummer Bronze and Blazing Gold Pens, the Mystical Green Silver Pen also comes with a single-slit, Schmidt nib made of stainless steel. However, it has a silvery (instead of gold) finish to blend with the body color.

Writing Experience

The ink flow is generally consistent and smooth. However notably, when each nib is used for the first time, I had some trouble with getting the ink to flow out of the nib (which isn't surprising as most nibs rarely work right off the production line due to the chemical residue left behind during manufacturing). This issue was easily resolved after I place one of the brand-new nibs over a burning flame for one second (I emphasize one second only!). Voila! The ink started flowing out immediately thereafter.

Alternatively, you may also try gentling wiping the brand new nib with a wet tissue (I tried this trick for the other two nibs and it worked).

Below are some writing and drawing samples using the various nibs (F, M and B respectively):

Written using the Broad, Medium and Fine nibs respectively

A sketch of Old Master Q drawn using only the F (Fine) nib

Same sketch of Old Master Q colored using B (Broad) nib

Availability

If you're interested in the pens, check out these links

• Midsummer Bronze (doesn't seem to be sold anymore)
• Blazing Gold
• Mystical Green Silver