I’m always interested in modern pens, so when the chance came up to review the Venvstas Carbon-T Fountain Pen (€123.14 or $149 from Appelboom), I took it!
Venvstas is manufactured in Italy and their Carbon Collection is made up of several instruments designed in “a consistent minimal approach… [in] materials, function and details.” Indeed the sleek carbon body hides a piston system in a way I hadn’t seen before!
The pen is made up of carbon and steel and boasts a titanium nib. Nibs are available in fine, medium and broad. I received a broad for review and it was nice and juicy, laying down a satisfying amount of ink.
Left to right: Caran d’Ache 849, TWSBI Eco, Venvstas, Platinum 3776, Carolina Pen Company Charleston
Then pen weighs in at 24g and is longer than most of my other pens coming in at 155mm or 6 1/8″ with the cap on. Even with the cap off, the pen is still long, owing to the piston. The body is a consistent circumference of approximately 40mm/1.5.” There is a small step down near the nib, but not enough of a section to hold it there. I did find that my small hand found it a bit wide for my liking. The cap defined as a “snap on” although I would say there’s no real snap there. It does fit fairly snugly.
To fill the pen with ink, simply pull off the back of the pen to reveal the piston.
I did enjoy writing with this pen. The nib, as I said, was really smooth and wrote nicely, laying down a decent amount of ink. It would be a great pen for your sheening or shading inks since you can get a lot of ink down on the page. My only major complaint about the pen is that the nib dried out super quickly. I filled it up with ink last week and used it on and off. When I went to use it again today it was COMPLETELY bone dry. I had to walk to the sink and let the nib run under water for a few seconds to get any ink out of it and then it still took a bit to start reliably. I do have a few ideas on why this is. First of all, I am living in the Midwest in record cold temperatures and running the heat constantly so the air in my house is very, very dry. That said, I don’t feel that the materials allow for an optimal seal on the cap and I do think that contributed to the nib drying out. If I’m being honest, the dry nib alone is a bit of a deal breaker for me. No matter how much I love writing with a pen, I feel like constantly having a dry start would annoy me over time.
However, that’s really my only complaint about the pen (the width wouldn’t be an issue if my hands weren’t small and I think many writers wouldn’t even notice it.) So if you’re willing to risk a dry nib sometimes, test this one out and see if it’s a good fit for you!
- Papers: Write Notespads Dot Grid Steno Pad ($14)
- Pen: Venvstas Carbon-T Fountain Pen (€123.14 or $149 from Appelboom)
- Ink: Robert Oster Crushed Velvet (50ml for $17)
DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
That’s never 40mm. The TWSBI beside it is 12mm at most. 40mm is wider than a bratwurst.
I believe she meant to type 4mm which is equivalent to 1.5″
Nope! I meant 40mm circumference – I was talking about the girth of the pen!
Hey Laura, I believe the pen you reviewed here is the more expensive Venvstas Magna (290$), not the Carbon T! I was surprised to read you had drying out issues with the nib, I didn’t encounter that when I reviewed this same pen. The cap on my sample sealed rather tightly though, so perhaps that helped?
Italian here, making a conjecture about an Italian brand…
Possibly the real name of the brand is VENUSTAS (beauty in Latin), as in Latin inscriptions (of which the font used on the package is strongly reminiscent) a capital V can stand both for a :v: or for a :u:
Have found keeping a bottle with distilled water with eye dropper for a lid works great for my dry pens. Just put a drop or two underneath the nip does tge trick.