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