Benu Talisman Dream Bean Fountain Pen Review

What’s the most important feature of a fountain pen? Design, nib, filling system, weight, balance … all of those things are important. But the most important feature, I’d argue, is happiness. Yes, all of those features combined contribute to the overall feel of any writing instrument, but does it make you happy when you pick it up and use it?

The Benu Talisman Dream Bean makes me happy. Downright giddy, in fact. And I can’t explain why.

Maybe it’s the Dream Bean itself? After all, these giant seeds are notorious for their ability to “induce lucid dreams that enable communication with the spirit world,” and some of their dust is infused into the barrel material.

That probably explains a lot of it.

The Talisman is one of my favorite Benu Fountain Pen shapes. My preference lies in the more traditional lines of the exterior barrel, which this pen has. It also has different notches and facets shaped into the barrel, giving it a unique look when the light hits different areas. I also like the tactile feel of these divots, not just on the barrel, but in the cap as I hold it in my hand when writing.

Brown and Black are the primary colors of the Dream Bean material, which is further infused with fine sparkles of Green, Gold, and Red. The glitter doesn’t take over the barrel, which is a feature of some other Benu models, so this more subtle one - subtle for Benu that is - may be more up your alley. It’s kind of perfect for the season, too, with full-on Christmas Pudding vibes.

What has turned up the happiness on this pen is how much I am enjoying the nib. It is a stock Fine Steel Schmidt nib, which is normally great out of the box, but something about this one sings. It suits my handwriting well, giving it the edge of a fineliner, which are some of my favorite pens to write with. I can go pages and pages with ease when my letters look as good as this.

I chose Teranishi Guitar Antique Black to ink this pen with, and I nailed it. The Black and Brown tones of the ink pair perfectly with the Black and Brown tones of the pen. Who knew? I knew, and now I’m thinking I need to add my own shimmer to this ink to go full Dream Bean on the page.

I wish I could explain in more detail why I am getting along with this pen so well, but it boils down to what I said up top: it makes me happy.

The Benu Talisman Dream Bean Fountain Pen is $162, along with 11 other stunning Talisman models. If you enjoy fun pens as much as I do, then everything Benu does should be on your radar. Happiness achieved!

(Luxury Brands provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Nahvalur Original Plus Matira Quartz Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Original Plus from Nahvalur is a fountain pen that offers a large ink reservoir since it uses a vacuum filler mechanism. Vacuum fillers seem to be one of the more rare type of ink filling mechanism used in fountain pens today, so it's always exciting to see other options pop up, especially when they're also fairly affordable compared to other options.

For me, my first vacuum filling fountain pen was a Pilot 823, but that's not an accessible place to start. TWSBI has long offered a more affordable vacuum filler with the giant Vac 700 and later the pocket-friendly Vac Mini. Until recently, vacuum fillers could be hard to come by. Luckily, that's changed over the past few years.

I reviewed a PenBBS vacuum filler back in 2022 that only cost around $60 at the time and also worked beautifully. It's definitely possible to make a sub-100 vacuum filler that works well, and Nahvalur has another great example of this in their Original Plus.

The Original Plus is a standard-sized pen (similar in length and diameter to the Lamy Safari or AL Star) that features an enormous ink reservoir and vacuum filling system. Plus, the barrel of the pen is transparent so you can see the ink and filling system in full view.

The colorway I chose is called Matira Quartz, named after the Matira Beach in Tahiti. Aside from the transparent barrel, the other material used by the grip, cap, and blind cap (or finial) all use a translucent white with reflective gold particles suspended in the acrylic. It's a beautiful material, and the rose gold trim goes nicely with it.

As far as build quality goes, this pen is on par with every other Nahvalur pen I've used in the past. It's well-made and feels like it will last me a lifetime if I take care of it properly. All of the tolerances are tight without being difficult to use, and all the various threads have a satisfying feel that leave me sure that they're tightened properly. No one likes loose or ambiguous threads!

The clip on the cap of the pen is substantial and has a lot of gripping power. Despite being so strong, it's still really easy to use. Clipping it onto something or removing it are easy tasks, but I don't have to worry about it coming loose on its own.

The nib on this pen is a #6 steel nib made by Nahvalur. The fine point on this unit was buttery smooth right out of the box. I'm really happy with how this pen writes from the factory. The nib has the same rose gold plate finish as the other trim parts on the pen, but be aware that it's just rose gold colored plating, not actual gold. In my book, that's a great trade-off because it affords a better price!

Writing with this pen has been such a pleasure. The nib and feed provide great ink flow, and the pen feels well-balanced in my hand. I prefer writing without the cap posted, but you can post the cap if you like. I haven't measured to be sure, but you can easily fill more than 1 ml of ink on the first pump of the vacuum system. With this much ink, the reservoir looks about 60% full. There are ways to fill vacuum filler pens all the way, but I don't need that much ink at one time and don't want to risk spilling is spraying ink. Even 60% full is a more ink than I can fit in a piston filler or cartridge-converter pen, so I'm happy with the easy route.

Keep in mind that you have to back the blind cap out a few turns to allow ink to flow properly when writing. When the blind cap is tightened down, the ink supply is shut off from the feed. This is great for transporting the pen, and you can even write a couple of sentences before running out of the ink that was already in the feeds Just remember to open the reservoir a bit and you'll have all the ink you can need!

The Nahvalur Original Plus is just $55 in most cases (there are a couple of models with more expensive material/trim options), which is a fantastic value. Nib size options can vary a bit depending on stock, but in general you can pick from F-B and 1.1mm stub.

There are several interesting colorways to choose from, and they all use the same great nib and large ink reservoir. The price and level of quality are fantastic, and I can easily recommend this pen to anyone interested in vacuum filling mechanisms. It's a great way to it out and compare it to piston and cartridge/converter systems. Good luck picking a color!

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Leonardo Momento Zero Alga Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Leonardo Momento Zero has been around since 2017, and I think it's safe to say it's been a hit. It's a vintage-inspired design that pays tribute to its Italian roots. On top of that, there are plenty of vibrant colorways to choose from.

I've had a chance to use the Leonardo Momento Zero Alga with silver trim recently, and there's certainly a lot to like about this pen. Let's get into it.

On the surface, the Momento Zero looks a bit like many other traditional fountain pen designs. The shape is well-balanced with both ends quickly tapering to a soft point. There's only one bit of branding on the pen, and that's a debossed Leonardo name and the unique number of the pen located on the back of the cap opposite the clip.

The clip is the same design that many of Leonardo's pens share. It's an elegant shape that compliments the pen shape, and the tip is a functional roller that makes it easy to attach and remove from fabric or other objects. There are three decorative silver bands at the base of the cap, as well as a couple of bands on the pen body that correspond to the connection points of the three pieces.

The material is acrylic resin and is shaped from a solid rod. The Alga colorway I chose is a mixture of deep and medium greens that give it an overall emerald look. It looks like the rods are made by combining many smaller square rods into one. Through turning the material into the final shape, the small rectangular pieces make the material look like it is striped and like the shape of the pen is faceted. The pen shape is definitely cylindrical, but I appreciate the optical illusion due to the unique materials. The combined color of the different greens with their mix of hues and lighter accents make this pen beautiful to me. Some of the materials are more transparent than others, which gives the pen a slightly luminescent quality.

The cap of the pen is secured with threads, and it's easy to use. The cap also comfortably posts on the back of the pen, though I don't like the balance of the pen for writing in this configuration. For me, it's the perfect balance without the cap attached.

It's a "standard" size fountain pen, so it's comfortable to hold when writing. The shape of the grip section is comfortable and provides a nice area to hold the pen regardless of your grip style.

The #6 JoWo nib is a perfect match the size of the pen, and the EF version in this pen works flawlessly. It's a fairly plain nib, but there is some decorative scroll work along with the nib size.

Moving into the pen, I was delighted to find a cartridge-converter included with the pen. The pen takes standard international short cartridges, but this converter is slightly longer than the typical international converter size. It also screws into the section so you don't have to worry about it shaking loose inside the body of the pen. At first, I thought the silver handle on the converter twist mechanism was purely decorative, but I soon discovered that this pen has a hidden feature.

Like any normal fountain pen, you unscrew the pen body from the section to get at the cartridge or converter. But, this pen also has a small blind cap at the end of the pen that unscrews from the pen body completely. When this piece is removed, it exposes about 0.25" (7mm) of the converter twist handle so you can make small adjustments without taking the pen apart. I've found that there isn't enough purchase to reliably operate the converter when filling the pen, but it's fine for a quick turn if you're trying to revive the ink flow after the pen has been sitting for a week or more. It's an intriguing feature, but I think it's more for show than for any real practicality. Still, it will definitely make it easy to clean the inside of the pen body if you ever have any internal ink accidents.

Finally, writing with this pen has been so pleasant. The shape of the grip, the length and balance of the pen, and the feel of the smooth acrylic material after it's warmed up in my hand make this is an excellent writing instrument for long writing sessions. The JoWo nib is smooth and delivers consistent, reliable ink flow. It's a fantastic pen that also has a unique design and beautiful materials. It's been at the top of my rotation lately.

Vanness carry the Momento Zero in a variety of colors — too many to list out, so be sure to browse the in-stock options to find the right colorway for you. Along with the colorway choices, you also have several nib choices from the standard EF-B sizes, but also a fun Elastic (Leonardo's name for flex nib available in EF or F) and a 1.5mm stub nib.

The normal price for the Momento Zero is $199, which I think is more than fair given the materials, build quality, and exceptional writing experience. At the time of this review, the Alga with silver trim model featured here is on sale for $159. I'm happy to recommend the pen at either price point.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

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