Montegrappa Tarvisium with Dolce Nib Fountain Pen Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I recently got the opportunity to do some work for Kenro Industries, for which I was compensated with a Montegrappa Tarvisium. Released around September of this year, the Tarvisium is offered in 3 colorways - Paris in Bloom, Paradise Falls, and Carson. Like some of the other Montegrappa models, the Tarvisium sports a Jowo 6 nib, which is available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, and 1.1 stub. In addition, you can upgrade the Tarvisium with the new Dolce nib, which is what I will be writing about today.

Montegrappa Tarvisium, Carson (named for the son of Tim Crowe of Turnt Pen Company who helped make the material.)

The Tarvisium is an update of the Venetia model which has more pointed ends. I prefer the Tarvisium’s flat top with the Montegrappa logo on the silver toned finial. The bottom of the barrel has a very subtle point compared to the Venetia. The grip is very comfortable with a flare at the base of the section, so your fingers don’t slide into the nib. I hold my pens very close to the nib, but there is plenty of room to hold the pen higher up. If I held the pen higher, I could feel the metal threads, which didn’t feel uncomfortable to me, and if I held it higher still, the taper has a smooth ridge, instead of a sharp step, where the cap meets the barrel.

Montegrappa logo on the Tarvisium’s finial.

The step down on the barrel is very smooth and is not a big step down either.

Holding the pen close to the nib.

Gripping it on the threads, which was not uncomfortable.

While unusable for me, folks who like to hold their pens further back will still find the pen very comfortable to use.

Here is the Tarvisium (middle) next to the Fortuna (left) and the Mia (right), not to be confused with the Miya or the Mia Carissima.

The Tarvisium doesn’t post very securely and it’s also a bit too long/unwieldy, but it’s posted here for comparison.

Similarly sized pens (L to R): Leonardo Momento Zero, Platinum 3776, Esterbrook Estie, Montegrappa Tarvisium, Pilot Custom 823, Sailor Realo, Pelikan M805.

The new Dolce nib option is available on any Montegrappa that uses the steel Jowo nib in silver trim, such as the Elmo 01, 02, Brenta, Tarvisium, etc. The Dolce nib grind is done by well-respected nib grinder, Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio, who also makes the popular Journaler grind for Esterbrook, another Kenro brand. Per Ryan Sirignano from Kenro, they wanted to replicate the Journaler nib while making it a little bit different for Montegrappa, so the Dolce is ground from a Medium nib into a slightly finer cursive italic grind than the Journaler nib.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I have a very steep writing angle (70+ degrees), so I am always a bit nervous about getting a pre-ground nib that wasn’t done specifically for me. I was pleasantly surprised because it wrote great out of the box. It wasn’t scratchy at all, nor did I have any of the problems with the nib catching in the usual spots (going counter-clockwise on the upper right portion of the stroke). I also made some not-pictured scribbles at less insane angles and can confirm that it writes great at those angles too. The line variation isn’t as noticeable partly because it is a finer CI, but also because I started off with Montegrappa Violet, which is moderately wet ink. After switching to a slightly drier ink, Robert Oster Cosmic Swirl, the line variation was more obvious.

Writing sample on 68 gsm Tomoe River. The top was written with Montegrappa Violet, the bottom with Robert Oster Cosmic Swirl.

More line variation with Cosmic Swirl (bottom) than with the Violet ink.

Cursive writing with the Tarvisium inked with Violet.

Typewriter printing while inked with Cosmic Swirl.

Retailing at $337, the Montegrappa Tarvisium is priced in between the Elmo (starting at $250,) and the Venetia ($495) models. It is not an inexpensive pen, but it’s also a Montegrappa, so that’s not really a surprise, right? The upgrade to the Dolce nib is an additional $60, which is surprisingly reasonable, considering Gena’s Journaler and Cursive Italic grinds are $50 (as of this writing). The fact that this nib grind is available on several of the models, and at such a good price, really makes this a great option for upgrading your next Montegrappa.

(Disclaimer: The pen was my payment for work I did for Kenro Industries. I was not paid to write this review. The Bossman decided I might as well write a review of it since I already had the pen and nib. Other products mentioned/pictured in this review are my own, as are my opinions.)

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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