Benu Tribute Double Review!!! Swan Lake and Arctic Mirage
Benu Fountain Pens has continued to expand the Tribute collection of pens with a number of new models. The Tribute collection is focused on celebrating the stories, melodies, and masterpieces that leave a mark on the soul. A little while back they generously sent me the Swan Lake and Arctic Mirage pens. The Swan Lake, is designed to “Capture the fragile balance between beauty and sorrow- a quiet reflection of grace, devotion, and dreams that linger long after the music fades.” “A tribute to elegance and emotion, Swan Lake celebrates the power of love to outshine fate- a moment of stillness, of light, that never truly disappears.” While the Arctic Mirage pen “pays homage to one of the most mesmerizing natural spectacles on Earth — the Northern Lights. For centuries, poets, explorers, and scientists have looked to the polar night sky in awe as luminous ribbons of color unfurled across the darkness. Born from the dance of charged solar particles and Earth’s magnetic field, these ethereal curtains of turquoise, violet, sapphire and emerald shimmer in perpetual motion, painting the heavens with an otherworldly glow.” Thanks go out to them for sending this to me for review, and you can find your at Benu’s website.
Packaging: The Swan Lake comes in the usual Benu white rectangular box, with “Benu” printed in gold on the lid as well as depictions of their various pen models in greyscale. Inside the box is a white paper pen sleeve again with “Benu” printed in gold. Under the pen sleeve is an instruction manual and warranty/care guide, and a blue long cartridge. The Arctic Mirage has a different style box. It is a white lift off lid box with Benu printed in gold on the lid. It is almost a presentation box inside, with the pen slotted into the bottom allowing it to stand up framed by the bottom of the box. Inside the lid is an instruction manual, a thank you card, converter, and blue long cartridge. Both packaging options are nice and effective, but I almost prefer the presentation style box due to the layout and being able to display the pen if you would like.
First Thoughts: Benu truly has the most amazing materials. The Swan Lake has shades of deep blue to light blue, white, a slight purple shine, and of course a generous amount of sparkle that Benu is so well known for. As each pour has variations, your model may differ slightly as the material changes. Arctic Mirage is just breathtaking, and it somehow captures the beauty of the Northern Lights in a pen.
Design: Since both pens are from the same collection, the overall shape and design are the same, the difference is in the materials. The cap finial has a convex depression and is dark translucent blue. There are 12 flutes around the barrel running vertically from the finial to the cap band. There is a thick silver clip ring with the Benu sword shaped clip. Below the clip ring, the cap transitions into a lighter blue to white material with silver glitter. Continuing down, there is a thing silver cap ring above a blue translucent section with “BENU” engraved in silver. The bottom finial is an icy blue slightly concave dome. The barrel gradually widens until reaching a silver barrel band which leads into a slight step down and the smooth cap threads. There is a slightly tapered grip section which stops at a flared finger stop. Since the materials can vary by model, yours may be different, but on mine, going from the bottom finial to the grip section, there is a transition in material color from light blue to dark blue with white swirl and silver sparkle.
The Arctic Mirage has a deep purple cap finial, purple section below the cap band, and grip section. The body and middle of the cap are made of swirls of greens, blues, purples, and silver. This material is amazing and captures and reflects the light in a way that makes the material come alive and, in my opinion, move like the actual Northern Lights. I would love to see more models in this material.
Nib Performance: The Swan Lake came with a 1.1 Schmidt stub nib, and the Arctic Mirage came with a medium Schmidt nib. As usual, Benu’s nibs are phenomenal, laying down a smooth perfectly balanced flow. Even with long periods of sitting, the nibs wrote without any hard starts or skips.
Filling System: Standard International Cartridge Converter
Value: Swan Lake has an MSRP of $210 and Arctic Mirage has an MSRP of $260
Overall: Both of these models capture their subjects perfectly. Swan Lake is one of my favorite ballets and the coloring and shimmer in the body is a great reflection of the dancers costumes and the set. Arctic Mirage somehow captures not only the color but the life and emotion of the Northen Lights. Even when the pen is sitting on my desk, the material catches the light and looks alive.
Specs:
Name: Tribute Collection: Swan Lake and Arctic Mirage
Design: Resin
Length: 150mm (5.9 in)
Posted: 183mm (7.20 in)
Diameter: 14.28mm (0.56 in)
Weight: 29.6g (1.04 oz)
Nib: Schmidt #6 Stainless Steel
Filling System: Standard International Cartridge Converter
Pros: Breathtaking material, great balance, tuned nib, did I mention the materials?
Cons: Only if you don’t like shimmer and sparkle
In the same price range:
Lamy 2000
Pilot Custom 74
Visconti Mirage Mythos
