(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
It's been a while since I've gotten my hands on a new machined pen, so the Gravitas Twist Skittle is a great change of pace. Gravitas is a company run by Ben Walsh out of Ireland, where he focuses on making unique and high-end writing instruments. If the Twist is an indication of the rest of the product line, then you don't have to worry about the quality and functionality at all.
The Twist Skittle is a special edition of the Twist that features a stainless body with a titanium nitride rainbow PVD coating that makes this pen pop. I mean, holy cow the exterior of this pen is just glorious. I can't help but pick it up and stare at all the pretty colors that shift and change so seamlessly across the surface of the pen. From blue, green, purple, and a little red, you can almost taste the rainbow. I really can't get over how awesome this pen looks. As a piece of desk art, I'm really in love with it.
The twist mechanism on the top of the pen is smooth and enjoyable to use. It makes a nice sound (Gravitas describe as a snick snick) when you extend or retract the refill, and it works flawlessly. The refill included with the pen is a Schmidt P900 M blue, which works perfectly fine. I would have been more pleased if it was an EasyFlow 9000 since that's my favorite Parker-style ballpoint refill, but the P900 does a great job. Plus, it's really easy to swap out this refill for any other Parker-style refill you prefer.
There's no clip on this pen (keeps from distracting your eye from the beautiful colors), but it does have a flat surface on one side of the pen to keep it from rolling across your desk. This flat side also adds a little grip texture when writing, and I think it adds a nice pop of visual interest along the side of the pen.
Now let's get to the not-so-great aspect of this pen: the weight. At 82 grams, this is hefty. I don't just find it slightly uncomfortable — it's incredibly difficult to yield properly, and I found a new muscle in my arm that I only use when writing because using this pen made that muscle tired after a couple of minutes writing. That's never happened to me before, and I think it speaks to the practical usability of this pen. It's just not for me. It looks splendid on my desk, and I pick it up to marvel at the colors quite often, but I'm not actually using it to write. Such a shame. I'm not sure why the main material is stainless steel — I imagine it has something to do with providing a suitable surface for the titanium nitride coating, but it just adds so much weight to the point of making it unpleasant to use as a pen. I'm very disappointed by this, but not enough to keep it away from my desk!
The overall size and shape of the pen is really exquisite, and I'm glad they offer an aluminum version that clocks in at just 34 grams — less than half the weight of the steel version. This is a much more comfortable weight for a pen, and I'm really curious how it feels in the hand. The shape of the pen carries a lot of weight above the standard grip area, and I think the aluminum version would feel just right. Unfortunately, you can't get the rainbow finish on the aluminum version! Alas, the compromises we have to make.
At €65 (about $80 USD), the Gravitas Twist Skittle not a cheap pen, but I think it's a fair price for the quality of materials, design, and function. The pen I have is the matte version, but there's also a slightly-more-shiny polished version for the same price. The aluminum version is €5 cheaper and comes in silver, black, blue, and rose gold. These would make great gifts!
(Gravitas provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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