Benu Grand Scepter Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I love browsing my pen box and seeing what pen I'm in the mood for, but some pens are a mood unto themselves. The Benu Grand Scepter is one of those pens. The original Scepter is fancy enough, but slap the word Grand in front of it, and I feel like using it should have a dress code that includes a tiara. I'm game.

The Grand Scepter is the same size and shape as the Scepter--it's only the nib that differs, with the Grand sporting a larger #6 nib instead of the original's #5. It does indeed lend a better balance to the overall appearance, I think, but both are fantastic pens. If you like a bit of bling.

The Scepter pens are shaped acrylic, with swirling facets around the pen that end in twin flared, gem-shaped ends. It's an odd shape, and doesn't look terribly comfortable, but it is surprisingly nice to hold. The flared end balances the section nicely, and the wider part rests against the hand. The grip section, which is plain black, is quite narrow, adding to its somewhat odd silhouette, but it is also a comfortable fit for me. The slightly tapered end of the grip prevents slipping too far, and the step-up to the threads and body is far back enough that it doesn't interfere with the hold at all.

The cap screws on, and ends in a black cap band with the word "Benu" embossed on it. Its shape mirrors the facets of the body, and when closed, all of the facets line up--a feat which impresses me greatly, as I've seen far fancier pens fail to do this. Of course, with the flared ends, this pen does not post at all.

This is my third Benu pen, and so far all have had excellent nib performance. Just the right amount of ink flow, with smooth lines and the perfect amount of feedback. This Grand Scepter has a broad nib, and it lays down a smooth trail of ink like hot butter on glass. It will be perfect for shimmer inks, because why not add even more sparkle?

The glittery look of the Benu Scepter is created by suspending some seriously sparkly flakes in the acrylic itself, which creates a beautiful depth to the look. Some of the acrylics even glow in the dark, lending luminosity to an already bright effect.

These pens are wild and certainly won't appeal to everyone, but they're well-made and write beautifully. The fact that it makes me feel like a queen is an added bonus. I shall use it to write my royal decrees.

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

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Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu Blue with Elastic Nib: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Ahhhh. Nakayas. Nobody warned me that buying one Nakaya would lead to buying another and another and another. I honestly thought I might own one or two at most because they are freaking expensive. But then I scroll through the Nakaya listings at Nibs.com, swallow hard, contemplate the beauty, and rationalize why I must have another one.

The Nakaya Shinobu in blue is a pen I've coveted for a long time. I was entranced by the fern pattern carved delicately into the ebonite. One evening, depressed over signing my terminal contract as a professor, I pressed the "buy" button on the Shinobu at Nibs.com. The next day, remorseful, I sent an email, requesting that they cancel my order. But during the pandemic, no one was monitoring emails, and two days later, I received confirmation that my pen with its special elastic nib was ready to ship. What's a girl to do--send it back? Are you kidding???

All Nakayas come in a softwood box lined in red velveteen and wrapped in a pen kimono.

When I removed the Shinobu from its kimono, I gasped, stunned, as always, by the craftsmanship and beauty. I took the pen into our Florida Room to see it in sunlight. It glows as if it were lit from within.

The base color of the pen is black urushi. Nibs.com describes the crafting process:

Many stages go into making the special surface of this pen. First layers of urushi lacquer are applied over the natural hard rubber. Then the pattern is hand engraved into these layers followed by an application of blue pigment, first applied then removed leaving traces in the carved crevices.

Look at the exquisite details:

Even the grip is carved:

I was excited to find the Shinobu in the Neo Standard, a model I did not yet own. The Neo Standard is lightly tapered at both ends, and the barrel has a subtle curve.

This is a medium-sized pen, measuring 5.9 inches/150 mm capped and 5.3 inches/135mm uncapped. You cannot post the cap. Although the barrel at its widest is about 15 mm, the grip is only 10 mm. Ebonite pens are not heavy. The Neo Standard weighs 24 grams capped and 20.5 grams uncapped and inked. The pen is perfectly balanced in the hand.

I chose a medium soft, two-toned nib and requested the elastic modification. An elastic nib is created by cutting out notches on each side of the nib. This customization gives the nib a bounciness similar to a paintbrush. It lends the nib some line variation, but not as much as a flex nib.

Out of all the different nib styles, the elastic nib is my absolute favorite. It is like writing with a paintbrush, but with much more control. The nib makes writing soothing and pleasurable. It's meditation with a pen!

The base price for a Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu in blue is $1,800. Yup. This baby is expensive. You will pay more for a two-toned vs. single-toned nib, and the elastic modification adds $100 to the total (_so_ worth it!)

I was lucky that Nibs.com had this pen in stock when I decided to click "buy." A pen like this can take twelve or more months to arrive if it is not in stock. I promise that it's worth the wait, though!

(I purchased this Nakaya Neo Standard Shinobu in blue with my own funds.)

Kaweco Supra Stainless Steel Fountain Pen Review

The Kaweco Supra is one of those products I am happy exists, but I am unsure how it fits into my day to day use of fountain pens.

The Supra is a modular pen, meaning it is built to be taken apart and configured to fit your preferred writing style. It can be a full length, metal barrel, postable cap, standard converter fountain pen, or it can be a shorter, pocketable, short cartridge, EDC-type fountain pen.

I love having all of this choice, but in the case of the Supra, I wonder if it is too much.

My preferred build of the Supra is the shortest build, with the center barrel section removed. In this configuration, it looks like a supersize Kaweco Liliput. Maybe that’s where the name comes from? Who knows, but this is a great setup. It allows for a shorter, more portable pen, with the benefit of the larger #6 sized nib. When posted, like the Liliput or any Kaweco Sport model, it turns into a full-length writer.

One issue I’m having with the Supra - which is common with metal-barrel pens - is that the threads are very sharp. My fingers often land on the threads at the top end of the section where the cap screws on. The sharpness of those threads is noticeable. Maybe with repeated use the edge gets knocked off, but right now I have to adjust my grip to stay clear.

The long-barrel setup of the Supra is an interesting one. It bulks up the pen with the barrel section in place and turns it into more of a desk pen. It’s definitely heavy in this scenario, but usable. Just don’t consider posting the cap on the end of the barrel unless you are looking for a post-workout cool down session.

Number 6 nibs aren’t the norm for most Kaweco’s and I appreciate the decision to build around it for the Supra. The downside is that the nib performance itself isn’t good. Kaweco’s nib manufacturing has been a source of conversation for years: Are they Bock? Are they Jowo? Are they Kaweco? The best answer I’ve been able to get is that their nibs are a combination of all of the above.

Kaweco used the Bock factory in the past, and now uses the Jowo factory, to make Kaweco’s own proprietary nib and feed design. Once plagued with inconsistent nibs, the past couple of years have been better from a QC perspective, at least as far as all of the #5 nibs I’ve tested go.

The nib in the Supra is a throwback to the bad old days. To me, this is 100% a Bock nib, with all of the inconsistencies that come along with that. The nib feels thin, which makes the tines flex, which leads to line inconsistency, and sometimes scratchiness. In short, typical Bock steel nib performance. I’m sure I can manipulate it into something better, but I’m not sure I will.

There is a lot to like about the Supra, but if I were in Kaweco’s shoes I would break up the party and turn this into two pens. One would be in the short configuration - a Liliput XL or a Sport Supra - with similar metal materials in use. The second would be a more traditional long Supra, but with acrylic materials and no separate middle section.

I think Kaweco could fit a pen in their lineup that’s a step up from the Perkeo, and more fun than the Student, with a price point in the middle to match. How about a nice, long test tube-looking eye dropper?

Whatever they decide to do with the Supra - keep it as-is, reimagine it, or scrap it completely - the one choice they need to make is to apply the changes to their #5 nib manufacturing to their #6 nibs. That alone would make a world of difference in this pen.

At $135 for Stainless Steel, and $130 for Brass, I think the Kaweco Supra is fairly priced. In fact, if this pen only came in the short configuration I would happily pay that for what is essentially a Liliput XL. Anyone considering this pen will need to determine exactly how they will use it, and decide if the small issues will turn into major annoyances.

(The Pen Addict purchased this pen at a discount from Goldspot.)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!