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Pen Mini Reviews

Posted in Fountain Pens

While I certainly think it’s worth reviewing some of these pens I picked up at the 2021 DC Pen Show, this post is really just an excuse for pen porn and penabling. You’re welcome. 🙂 I’m doing these in the order I bought them at the show.

As usual, click on any image to view it larger.

Five of my six 2021 DC Pen Show acquisitions

Only interested in certain pens? No worries, jump to specific reviews.

Iron Feather Creative | Gravitas | Divine Island Designs | Namiki | Mythic Pens

Iron Feather Creative Art Deco Nibs

Iron Feather Creative Art Deco Nibs full pen

Anyone who knows me even a bit knows that I ADORE Iron Feather Creative‘s carved pens. I don’t know if this pen actually had an official name, but given the styling, I’m calling it the Art Deco Nibs pen.

It’s absolutely stunning, as all of Mr. Weaver’s pens are. The design is well thought out and expertly executed. The longer you look at it, the more details you notice.

Iron Feather Creative Art Deco Nibs center of pen

I love that it bears the hallmarks of hand carving. There is life and love in this pen. Even the finials are elaborately engraved with balanced designs.

For the amount of work, the Art Deco Nibs was a steal. I can’t emphasize enough how fabulous Iron Feather Creative carved pens are. If you have the chance to pick one up, do so!

Gravitas Pens Rose Gold Aluminum Black Skull Edition

Gravitas Rose Gold Skull full pen

A Gravitas Pens Skull pen was already on my wish list. So when I found out Susan was selling hers, I jumped on it.

Ben Walsh commented on my haul photo to say only 4 had ever been made due to the manufacturing process.

The crispness of the design is stunning. Based off of Ben’s demonstrations of his finishes, I’m guessing this one is pretty sturdy. Not that I plan to test it.

I have to hold the pen a bit further back than I typically would, since the grip flares out at the end. But, it’s pretty comfortable.

Gravitas Rose Gold Skull section flare out

I really enjoy this pen, and look forward to using it for día de muertos with my Mr. Cypress.

Divine Island Design Seashore

Divine Island Design Seashore full pen

The Seashore is a really fun pen that Divine Island Design debuted at the DC Pen Show. It’s the first kitless pen I’ve seen with sand, starfish, and sand dollar. While fully enclosed, the texture you can see in the sand is incredibly cool.

Divine Island Design Seashore sand close up

It has one oddity. Apparently, the difference in environment between Florida and DC resulted in a slightly tight fit when capping the pen. But, it’s nothing bothersome. I’ll be interested in seeing if that goes away as the pen “gets used” to its new home. Not that it really matters to me either way.

I have three minor, nitpicky, critiques about the Seashore. These are less about complaining of an issue, and more about my thoughts on how to make an awesome pen even more impressive.

  • I wish the water pattern was seamless. It’s not a big deal, really, but it would have been phenomenal to just have “ocean” without interruption.
Divine Island Design Seashore vertical ocean line
  • Along the same lines, the sand on the pen body needs to come down a bit further, or the “ocean” needs to extend higher. You can see the edge of the paper (I’m assuming it’s paper) in a couple of places if you look closely.
Divine Island Design Seashore horizontal ocean line
  • On mine, the top section of the cap doesn’t meet the body of the cap at the clip. Unscrewing and rescrewing it on didn’t make any difference.
Divine Island Design Seashore cap gap

On the excellent side of things, I love the length of the grip and the flaring at the end of it. This makes for a very comfortable pen.

Divine Island Design Seashore grip

The mermaid — or turtle, seahorse, palm trees, starfish, or shark — finials and clip engraving are a great touch. And I love the choice of font for their name on the clip. For those who don’t want the hardware, you can get one without.

Divine Island Design Seashore finials and clip

Overall, a very cool, unique pen.

Namiki Yukari Rock Garden

Namiki Yukari Rock Garden full pen

THIS pen is a masterpiece. I fell in love with it in Raleigh, but owning it is something else. The nib glides across paper like skates on ice.

I love the understated elegance of the minimalistic design.

Namiki Yukari Rock Garden design close up

The 3D stones are my favorite part. There’s a dusting of silver powder a few layers down that gives each stone a lovely sheen.

Namiki Yukari Rock Garden rock macro

It’s a weighty little pen for its size, which I find comforting. The Rock Garden doesn’t just look expensive, it feels expensive.

As an update to the job news, as of writing this, I received a tentative offer letter, pending the standard bg checks. So this pen doubles as my celebration pen even though I got it with my “escape clause.”

Mythic Pens Aeschylus

Mythic Pens Aeschylus full pen
This material is SO difficult to photograph. This photo really doesn’t do it justice at all.

The Mythic Pens Aeschylus is a fairly standard pen shape, well executed. I love how the edge of the cap, and the top and bottom finials are rounded so there are no hard edges. Even the “edges” on the section and step down for the threads are rounded. That’s some fabulous attention to detail.

The pen is expertly polished, which really lets the material shine. Like all Brooks materials, the Peacock Koi does not disappoint. The depth and swirls are great. Add in the purple and gold shimmers and it’s mesmerizing. I’m pleased I decided to get this one after all.

That’s it For Pen Porn

Well, that wraps up my mini reviews. The ARTUS pen will get its own post, because the amount of pictures necessary to do it justice require a post of their own.

Do you enjoy posts like this? Mini reviews with lots of pen porn. If you do, let me know in the comments so I can do more of them. I certainly have fun taking the pictures, and it’s nice to promote indie brands.

4 Comments

  1. I do enjoy the mini reviews! These look like some fun pens too!

    December 22, 2021
    |Reply
    • Awesome. 😁 And yes, they’re great pens.

      December 22, 2021
      |Reply
  2. David Deep
    David Deep

    Thanks for sharing. Really nice selections, Rachel!

    August 24, 2021
    |Reply

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