TWSBI GO 1.1mm Stub Nib 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 TWSBI GO isn't that new any more, but I've only just recently picked on up to play with. It always spoke to me as a great candidate for being an ink testing pen due to the simple filling system. After using this one for a while, there's definitely a lot more to like about this fun pen, and it will be more than just a testing pen.

I went with the fully transparent model with a 1.1mm stub nib as my intro to the GO. This is also my first time trying a TWSBI 1.1mm stub nib. Lots of firsts going into this pen experience!

There are plenty of TWSBIs in my collection already, so I knew what to expect in terms of the nib and build of the pen. With this being their lowest-cost entry point, I'm actually more impressed than I thought I'd be. For less than $20 USD, you get a lot of pen. I'm embarrassed that I waited so long to check out the GO and see what the fuss was about!

For the uninitiated, the GO is a plastic-barrel pen that features a spring-powered piston filling system. The large spring under the transparent body also adds a fun visual for the pen as well as being functional. It uses the standard TWSBI nib, but without the convenient threaded nib/feed module that you'll find on the more expensive models. You can still swap out the nib without much trouble, but it's not as quick and easy as with other TWSBIs.

This is the only TWSBI I've used that has a friction-fit cap instead of a screw-on cap. I still make the mistake of trying to unscrew it! The cap works really well. Capping and uncapping the pen is really stable and makes a satisfying click. You can post the cap on the back of the pen, but this makes the pen too long for my preference. The uncapped pen is the perfect length for me when writing.

The grip section is a really nice shape. It has a nice taper down to the nib, and then there are three flattened edges that add a nice aesthetic to the grip but also a good spot for your fingers to hold steady.

To cut down on costs, there's no clip on this pen. It does have a small nub on the cap to keep the pen from rolling on your desk, but you can't clip this pen to anything. For the price, I'm not complaining. I'd rather have the cool spring filling system over a clip for this price.

Like every other TWSBI nib I've used, this is a great nib that worked great out of the box. It's my first time using the 1.1mm stub nib, and I've been really happy with it. The flow is smooth and the nib lays down a nice layer of ink with ease. I've tried several inks with it already, but I'm currently still loving the Laughing Kookaburra Wing with this pen/nib combo now.

The TWSBI GO is a fun pen, and I wish I'd tried one out sooner. The design is so much fun, and the large spring in the body catches everyone's attention. People can't help but pick up this pen, and that's exactly what I like to see with a pen that's marketed toward newcomers to the hobby. It's crazy what you get with this pen for less than $20 USD. Cool transparent body? Got it. Included converter that doesn't need cartridges? Even better — this pen has a built in piston filling system that can hold lots of ink. Good nib? Yup. I don't think there are any other options under $20 for getting a good 1.1mm stub nib. All considered, this pen is a phenomenal value that is perfect for newcomers who are interested in non-cartridge fountain pens and stub nibs. But, it's so much fun that it's great for those of us that already have too many pens!

The playful and unique design makes this a great pen for your collection that can also be a workhorse. It also makes for a great gift for those fountain-pen-curious folks in your life!

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

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Kaweco Perkeo Infrared Fountain Pen Review

The Kaweco Perkeo is one of the best starter fountain pens on the market. At $18, it provides a great bang for the buck, and adds fun colors that break the traditional fountain pen mold. That combination of price, functionality, and style is right on the mark, so why would you add $11 to that total and spend $29 on what is ostensibly the same pen?

Have you seen the Kaweco Perkeo Infrared? Throwswalletatcomputerscreen

Kaweco excels at making stationery fun, and the Infrared, at least for me, is funner than most. I’d like to think that if I were given a day in the Kaweco laboratory that this is exactly what I would come up with.

From an aesthetic perspective, it is completely off the charts. The red, almost hot pink, translucent faceted plastic barrel and cap are stunning, with subtle silver lettering on the cap, and a small finial on top. The clear feed underneath the silver plated nib is the final piece of this awesomeness pie, allowing you to see the ink in action.

The only nib options for the limited edition Infrared are Fine and Medium, so of course I chose the narrower of the two. The nib and ink flow have been great, at least on my second go around.

What happened the first time? I discovered that shimmer ink and smaller, #5-sized nibs and feeds, are a questionable combination.

As a somewhat regular user of shimmer ink, I do consider what pens I use them in. When I ordered this pen from Vanness Pens, I added in a bottle of their amazing Robert Oster Shake & Shimmer Free Spirit Ink, which I thought would be a perfect compliment to the Infrared. I was right, except it didn’t flow well. I’m so used to never having any shimmer ink issues that I didn’t even consider the smaller nib and feed area for the ink to flow through, but it was a definite roadblock, and a lesson learned.

The shimmer ink cleaned out flawlessly, and I re-inked it with the equally as bright Robert Oster Blue Lagoon. That’s more like it. The ink flowed through the feed and out the nib perfectly, and the Fine nib was firm and controllable.

There is a ridge inside the barrel that lines up on the last turn to “lock” into place with the notch above the section threads.

The Perkeo barrel itself is lightweight, and comfortable to hold. Like many starter pens, the grip section is molded in such a way to promote a traditional grip, so that could be a problem for some. The cap snaps on and off firmly, so there are no threads to unscrew. The barrel does have threads, and a unique “lock” section to keep it from twisting apart easily. Sounds like a great every day carry setup to me.

Postable, if needed.

That’s what I think of the Kaweco Perkeo as a whole. It’s a great starter pen, while offering enough quality and performance for experienced users to add to their regular rotation.

As I mentioned above, at $29 it is $11 more than the standard Perkeo for no difference other than the unique limited colorway. And neither model ships with a standard international converter, only short Kaweco cartridges. That’s a large price jump that’s absolutely not worth it if you aren’t in love with the color like I am. And honestly, it surprised me that Kaweco priced it as such. That clearly didn’t stop me, and I’ll definitely be getting my money’s worth from it.

(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.

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

BENU - Did someone say Bling? A Comparison Of All BENU Pen Models.

(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!.)

BENU: They’re either “omg, gimme all the sparkles” or they’re “too much” ==insert hand waving== ; but either way, they are definitely not boring! Originally founded in Russia and as of last year, now based in Armenia, BENU is known for their sparkly pens that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. After working a couple of shows with Luxury Brands of America (the US distributor for BENU Pens), I thought it would be cool for people to see the different models, though they really need to be seen in person to get the full effect. My poor photography skills will have to suffice 🙂 Thank you to Bryce Gillett of Luxury Brands of America for loaning these pens for review.

Sparkly, shimmery, colorful and not mistakable for other brands!

All BENU pens are packaged in a Benu-branded white box with an inner paper pen “pouch”, warranty information and a long standard international cartridge (pretty rare to find long carts!). Standard international converters are included for models that fit them.

Features:

• BENU uses stainless steel Schmidt nibs in sizes 5 or 6, and come in Extra Fine to Broad. Size 5 nibs come in silver or gold-tone, and size 6 only comes in silver-tone. 18kt Gold nibs are only available on some special editions only available on the BENU website.
• Nib units are screw-in and interchangeable with other pens that take the same size (e.g. you can swap size 5 unit into another size 5 pen)
• Entire grip sections are also interchangeable with each other as long as they fit the same size nib unit
• All models can be eyedropperable.
• Pen are primarily made of resin/acrylic so are fairly lightweight.
• Some of the models even glow-in-the-dark!!

Size 6 (left) vs 5 nib, also note that the tipping size is inside the square above the word “Schmidt” - in this case B and M, respectively.

Models:

Ambrosia

The Ambrosia model is typically only offered as direct from BENU exclusive, so I don’t have one to show off, but here is an example of the Blue Lotus Ambrosia. It is slightly shorter than the Minima and has a raised/textured cap band.

Nib: 5

Clip: No

Postable: No

Converter: No

Retail Price: $132+

BENU Ambrosia Blue Lotus. (PC: BENU)

Briolette

One of BENU’s most popular models, the Briolette sports gem-like facets on the cap and barrel with a black band at the base of the cap.

Size: 5

Clip: No

Postable: No

Converter: No

Price: $98-106 USD

BENU Briolette in Magenta Frost - bright colors and sparkles galore!

There is a fairly pronounced step down from the barrel but I don’t notice it because my fingers don’t touch it, and it’s also a smooth.edge.

Hexagon

The Hexagon model is named for its hexagon/honeycomb-textured barrel as well as the hexagonally “faceted” cap band.

Size: 5

Clip: No

Postable: Yes

Converter: Yes

Price: $119 (USD)

This is the Hexagon A, which is a subtly shimmering black with not-so-subtle gold shimmer flakes and grey transparent band and grip.

Minima

The Minima is one of the smallest pens in the BENU lineup. It is a slightly pointy, cigar-shaped pen that typically has a black cap band, but occasionally sports a metallic one.

Size 5:

Clip: No

Postable: No

Converter: No

Price: $106+ (Pen pictured retails for $152)

Minima Blazing Gold also sports a gold-colored cap band and nib.

This small pen still feels very comfortable to me, but then again I write with Kaweco Sports unposted, lol.

Skull & Roses

The Skull & Roses pen has, wait for it, skulls and roses on the pen and cap. There are textured skulls around the cap band while roses and branches adorn the rest of the cap and barrel. It is the same size as the Briolette but is not faceted due to the patterns in relief.

Size: 5

Clip: No

Postable: No

Converter: No

Price: $163

This Skull & Roses is called Smolder.

Even though the barrel is textured, it isn’t very noticeable for me because of the smooth grip section.

Scepter

Clip: No The Scepter is a spirally-faceted pen, which is tapered in the center (where the cap meets the barrel). It is definitely one of the more unique pen designs!

Size: 5

Postable: No

Converter: Yes

Price: $117

This blue and silver pen is the Scepter VIII.

The spiral facets did not interfere with my grip. It was comfortable to hold.

Grand Scepter

The Grand Scepter is the same length as the Scepter but has a slightly girthier grip section to accommodate the size 6 nib.

Size: 6

Clip: No

Postable: No

Converter: Yes

Price: $140

Grand Scepter X.

It is difficult to tell the difference between the regular (left) and Grand Scepters when they are capped.

The grip section of the Grand Scepter barely feels larger than the regular Scepter.

Euphoria

The Euphoria is the largest pen in the BENU lineup and is typically the model for BENU exclusives, including their hand-painted limited editions. It has a 10-sided faceted pen & cap. Even though it is postable, doing so makes the pen quite long, since the barrel already has some length to it.

Size: 6

Clip: Yes

Postable: Yes

Converter: Yes

Retail Price: $149

These are the only two BENU that I own - the Pen Addict exclusive (top) and Jazz. Jazz was my first BENU because it was less “out there” than the others.

It is comically long when posted.

Talisman

The Talisman series was created “as a tribute to the ancient myths, legends, and tales that were used as inspiration for the design”. The material of each Talisman pen is infused with the actual item that it is named after. For example, there is powder from the foxglove flower in the Foxglove pen, peacock ore mineral powder in the Peacock Ore pen and so on. Each pen also includes an information sheet about the item which inspired its creation.

The texture of the Talisman is unlike any of the other BENU or even other pens. The best way I can describe it is that it has alternating gentle facets, but pictures are more helpful.

Size: 6

Clip: Yes

Postable: Yes

Converter: No

Price: Starts at $154

There is actual Dream Bean powder in the BENU Tasliman Dream Bean pen!

Luxury Brands has a handy chart with the dimensions of the pens.

I laid out the pens in the same order as the above chart (minus the Ambrosia) - Talisman, Jazz, Scepter, Grand Scepter, Briolette, Skull & Roses, Minima, Hexagon.

Here are comparisons with other pens (L to R): Diplomat Aero, TWSBI Eco, BENU Talisman, Leonardo Momento Zero, LAMY Vista, Pelikan M800, Pilot Custom 823, BENU Euphoria, Scepter, Grand Scepter, Briolette, Skull & Roses, Sailor Pro Gear, Pro Gear Slim, BENU Minima, Pelikan M800, BENU Hexagon, Platinum 3776.

Same lineup as above but I moved the Sailor Pro Gear to be in between the Scepters and the Briolette.

The Schmidt nibs write well, though they did take a wee bit of priming to get the ink to the nib. If you are using a cartridge for the smaller pens, you might need to set it nib side down for a bit in order for the ink to flow or dip it into water to get the capillary action going. As you can see below, the EF and F had nice fine lines but the Medium and Broad were quite a bit broader. The steel Pelikan Broad nib gave similar lines to the Medium Benu nib! If you like a wetter/broader line, the Medium and Broad nibs are both great options. I generally don’t use many EF nibs, but was surprised at how nicely the EF wrote.

BENU pens were inked up with Kaweco Blue so you can see the line differences are based on nib size, not ink. Comparison with several Fine to Broad nibs in steel and gold.

If the color, sparkle, and shapes of the BENU line of pens are right up your alley, consider checking out BENU pens. They are fun pens that also write well and don’t hit the wallet too hard either. I’m happy with my two BENU pens and am relieved that these sparkling beauties didn’t tempt me too much (though I might need to look at other Hexagons).

(Disclaimer: All BENU (except the two Euphorias) were loaned to us for review by Luxury Brands of America. All other pens were purchased by me.)