I just thought this pen is the coolest. Why? Well I have a fondness for black pens, plus I have a fascination for Día de los Muertos, and who doesn’t like pirates. There are many “skull” pens on the market but this is the one for me.
The Company Line
Inspired by our childhood dreams of piracy and adventures. Rebellion and daring design is created for those who share the same ideals. Skillfully crafted by hand from glossy resin with its hand-friendly shape and black decorative ring the Classic Black BENU Skull Pen is a member of the Minima line of pens. Use a short international standard ink cartridge. Please note that due to the pen’s miniature size it CAN NOT be used with a standard size converter, only with mini converters that are no longer than 4.0 cm / 1.6 inches.
My Pen
I was super excited when I got this pen, and of course, I found a deal on it (40% off MSRP). I bought it for my birthday and gave it to my wife to give to me as a present (married life is great). This review will sound like I hate the pen and I am ranting, but really, I like the pen. I am highlighting how different this pen is.
Merely stating the obvious, it is a cigar-shaped black plastic pen covered with raised skulls and a screw-on cap. BTW, all the skulls are smiling. Since it lacks a cap clip it is difficult to determine which end is the cap and which end is not. If you take a minute to actually examine the pen, the cap is determined by the shorter distance from the cap band to the end or by the direction of BENU on the cap band. But really, who has time to examine the pen or read the logo each time they remove the cap. I only complain because I want the writing end of the pen in the hand I write with when the cap is removed.
The pen is made of resin which has a different feel and it sounds different. That sounds silly but it is the first thing I noticed when I held the pen – it feels different and when I ran my fingers along the barrel it sounded different. The next thing to note is that the pen is short and the cap cannot be posted, thus if you have a large hand or long fingers you will hate this pen.
It came with a #5, Schmidt, stainless steel nib with iridium tips. I choose the Medium width. Also included is a single short international cartridge. Benu recommends a “Kaweco Squeeze Fountain Pen Converter for the Sport & Liliput lines” if you prefer a converter. Plus Benu also states the pen can be converted to an eyedropper fill.
One final comment, this is a light pen. Benu says it weighs 18g, and with a fully charged ink cartridge installed mine only weighs 17g. I noticed no hand fatigue as I’ve used it consistently for a week.
After inserting the cartridge, it took a moment to start the ink flowing. It is a fairly wet nib, once the ink starts it likes to flow. The writing was initially a little scratchy but quickly smoothed with use.
Vital Statistics
- Capped length: 125mm
- Uncapped length: 114.5mm
- Barrel diameter: 16mm
- Cap diameter: 16mm
- Weighs in at 17g
Chronicles of a Fountain Pen 