BENU Tattoo fountain pen in Green
The BENU pen company has brought out many creative and eye-catching designs since it began in 2016. For those of you that have been following my blog, one of my first reviews was the BENU Jolly Chameleon fountain pen as well as the Supreme New Year limited edition. The good people at Luxury Brands sent me one of the BENU Tattoo fountain pens to review and giveaway! Thank you for sending this to me, I hope it makes someone Holiday season by winning it. Be sure to check out my Instagram @Pengeek13 to enter.
Packaging: The slender white box has the word BENU in gold foil, as well as a fragment from “Novel in Letters” by A.S. Pushkin around the lid. Inside the box there is a bed of shredded filler cushioning a user/info sheet and a BENU branded paper sleeve containing the pen. This packaging is the same that the Jolly Chameleon and Supreme came in and I still love it. It is simple and effective, and small enough that it does not take up a crazy amount of space if I want to keep it.
First Thoughts: As someone who loves tattoos the design brought me so much excitement! The slightly shimmering green material with the black contrast is beautiful.
Design: The pen has a classic somewhat Duofold style shape with a flat top and bottom, but that is where the comparison stops. The pen is a shimmering green color over black acrylic, so the tattoo shapes stand out raised in black. The top finial has a slight dome shape with a raised black swallow in the middle. Below the finial, there is a ring of black stars and a set of dice, which sit above a steel clip band. The steel rocker clip is a simple sword blade shape. It is easy to use and holds firmly onto material. Beneath the clip band, the barrel has the following raised tattoo designs: a sun with rays below the clip, multiple roses, crossed Colt Peacemakers, and a star. There is another a steel cap ring separating this area from the bottom of the cap which has “BENU” in a raised ribbon that wraps the barrel. The bottom finial is a black dome resting on a band of black stars. The barrel is tapered in a black section to allow the cap to post and reaches a slight step up for the remaining barrel which has the following tattoo designs: a snake wrapping around the barrel, a skull, flames, and roses. A tapered stepdown leads to the black section and barrel threads, which like all BENU pens are smooth and almost unnoticeable. The grip section tapers again to a flared finger stop before the nib.
Nib Performance: The nib is a stainless-steel broad Schmidt nib. There is decorative scrollwork around the nib with “Schmidt Iridium Point” engraved and the letter “B” for broad. The nib is buttery smooth just like the other nibs I have used from BENU. I had no hard starts or skip throughout the testing on both cheap notebook paper and nicer Rhodia paper. I think Schmidt is an underrated nib company as they produce some of the best writing and most consistent nibs I have ever used.
Filling System: BENU pens come equipped with a standard international converter but accepts cartridges as well.
Value: $190 USD
Overall: This is a pen you use if you are a tattoo lover or want to grab people’s attention. BENU produces some of the most creative and beautiful pens that I have seen and used. $190 is a bit high for a steel nib pen, but I have never seen anything designed like this and I think it is worth the price.
Specs:
Name: BENU Tattoo - green
Design: Acrylic resin/ colored patina
Length: 143mm (5.6 in)
Posted: 175mm (6.8 in)
Diameter: 17mm (0.6 in)
Weight: 25g (0.8 oz)
Nib: Schmidt Stainless Steel
Filling System: Standard International C/C
Pros: Amazing design and finish, great nib, super unique
Cons: Pricey for a steel nib
In the same price range:
Lamy 2000
Diplomat Aero
Platinum #3776 Bourgogne
