So glad to see your video pop up. I was concerned that you might have been affected by the bad weather. Now I need to get on my June pen and ink selection.
Hi Rita -- we have been fine here but just a few hours to the North of us ... people have really been dealing with terrible storms and damage and power outages. It's so sad and having been thru some of that in the past, I can imagine what they are going thru.
@@ChrisSaenz13 Lovely ink you want to use + juicy writing broad nib... yeah. 😂 I know we can eyedropper most BENU pens, but I have never tried it. I don't tend to fully fill pens anyway because I switch inks so often. But I love to see others write out their fills. 👍🏾
Congratulations on that beautiful BENU! You chose a fabulous ink combo. I have used Yama Budo and then Organics Studio Nitrogen in my TWSBI Vac700r Iris nib. They match the gorgeous rainbow colors well. And just for fun, I carry my Moonman Q1 clipped to my teacher lanyard at school. I also use Yama Budo with my EF nib. It’s quite the conversation piece. I always enjoy your videos! 💗
Hi Chris, great video. I love the Fuchsia de Magellan, I pondered over that ink for a while. Ha ha, whilst you were unable to resist the Benu Euphoria Pink Champagne, I just had to have the Benu Euphoria Rose Tea from Goulet Pens . Those Benu folks just keep making these irresistable pens. I am glad the hard start was user error, I haven't had any problems with my Iced Caramel Latte which handles even the shimmering inks really well. Thanks for the video. 🙂
Hi David -- The Goulet Rose Tea Euphoria looks so beautiful too. :) I'm going to have to use caution around Benu pens for sure! Whenever I hear myself saying "just one more then that's it" I know I'm in a zone where it's hard to resist. LOL And right now I just finished telling myself I'd get the clear/silvery/glittery Vodka on the Rocks Euphoria and no more. Eeeks. That may be my Christmas pen but how to stop seeing all the beauties coming out. :) When you get your Rose Tea pen I'm curious if it looks more red or more pink to you in person.
@@ChrisSaenz13 Hi Chris, I'll let you know when it arrives. I'm hoping it'll be more deep pink. I was on the verge of pushing the buy button on the Early Grey when this one came along. Too many irresistable Benus.
Hi Chris! Another fun video from you :) The glitter on the Benu pen is out of this world. I didn't mind the surprise start from it, it shows that you really enjoyed writing with the Benu 😆I'd love to try one in person. I have small hands so pocket pens or TWSBIs, which don't cap, have been my go-to. I hope you are staying safe too! Glad to hear Coco is doing well on the new diet :)
So happy for you that the new Benu is writing so well! My newest pen (new to me, it is vintage from 1970s) writes dry very quickly too, because it fits a smallish platinum converter. And as much as I love vintage pens I only do piston, converter, or cartridge…
That little Moonman Q1 is adorable. And with a smooth EF nib! I have a couple vac filling pens and at first I was frustrated but then I watched a couple utube videos, Goulet has a good one, so it’s something you get used to but it’s not my favorite filler system. Just bought a Lamy All Star Fiery that I put a Lamy cursive nib on.
Hi @lizdelisle1912 The Benu pens just seem to lift my spirits! I had no idea how much I'd love sparkly pens. I knew I loved bright colored demonstrators and a bit of bling but I never would have believed prior to about a year ago that they would be such favorites!
I don’t want to tell you that Goulet Pens has a new Benu pen called Rose Tea! Gorgeous, but I really like yours too! I just bought the Navalhar Rainbow wrasse pen after Hemingway Jones did his review on it! I got the medium Nib and love it with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama Budo, chefs kiss on the pair!
Hi @joistevens7754 -- I saw that gorgeous Goulet exclusive pen with the Rose Tea finish -- it's so pretty. :) There are literally dozens of beautiful fountain pens coming out these days. I seriously debated the Navalhar Rainbow one ... if it had been any other filling system other than vac filler I bet I would have purchased one. :) They look gorgeous!
Great video! I know what you mean about how buying one pen evokes immediate desire to shop for another. That happens to me too! I just got two new fountain pens and now I find myself browsing for more. I must stop myself though.
Hi Marilyn -- this is what I am going to have to do as well: STOP LOOKING! LOL It is contagious the new pen syndrome I guess. And there are dozens of new pens showing up weekly in our favorite pen stores. :)
Lovely video, Chris! I’ve been eyeing the Benu Pink Champagne and the Nahvalur Goldspot exclusive sparkly pen. 🤩. I have a Navhalur Original Plus. To clean it easily, the nib unit can be unscrewed and you can use a syringe to clean out the body. So much easier than flushing it out using the piston! I enjoy my Navhalur pens but I found using a wetter ink works better. Take care!!
Hi Beth! How do you get the nib unit really clean? I've used the ink syringe to clean out my TWSBI Vac filler after taking off the nib unit ... I guess I just don't have the right size (or need to cut one down) syringe to go over the nib unit to get that clean too. :)
@@ChrisSaenz13 I try to clean the nib with a syringe and then let it soak in water for an hour or so. When drying, I place the nib against an absorbant cloth or paper towel to draw out any additional ink. I know that some people use an ultrasonic cleaner. I haven't purchased one (yet) but that would work, too.
Thanks Chris always enjoy your journey, I ordered that Magellan ink after watching video, but the pen is sold out. Rats have a huge collection of them really enjoy them use a few collect the rest. I have not used shimmer inks before but I think I will try them, I will use my Chinese pens first since if they cause trouble lot easier to replace parts
Oh wow that's fast that the Pink Champagne pen sold out ... Goulet also has a new Euphoria called Rose Tea - it's gorgeous and I imagine that will sell very fast too. It's nuts. I was only lucky that the release aligned (with the Goldspot one) with my ad revenue check. :)
High Chris, you have such an interesting lineup for June. I myself only have one Benu that was purchased as a Goldspot Mystery Dip. It was their Limited Exclusive Benu Talisman Royal Flush. It's sparkly like the Vodka on the Rocks model, but with a little more color. It's one of the very few sparkly pens in my collection.
Hi @zeus52452 - my wishlist pen to get next is the Benu Euphoria Vodka on the Rocks. I think it's so pretty and sparkly and I'll not mind putting ANY ink color into it. :) I missed seeing the Royal Flush Talisman. I need to probably avoid Goldspot as they have such tempting pens. :)
Hi Ms Turtle!!! I hope you are staying safe with all the wild weather going on! Oh yes ... apparently I wrote a LOT more than I thought with the new pen!
@@ChrisSaenz13 yes, we have lost power a couple of times for a few hours and the dogs have been unhappy but otherwise we have been doing fine over here. Keep us in your prayers though!
I recently bought a pen from BENU's new AstroGem collection and I'm really enjoying it. You may want to take a look at those when you're ready to consider purchasing another BENU. Best wishes. 🙂
Hi Steve -- they sure are pretty -- I was looking at them. I'm not crazy about the pen shape but then I wasn't really in favor of the Euphoria pen shape either until I actually wrote with one! :)
I always enjoy your videos! I currently have one Benu that I am trying to love. I live in the middle of nowhere and have to order pens online (no trying before buying). While I love the LOOK of my Benu, I can't stand the nib. I prefer smooth nibs, and this one grates on my nerves to write with it. I'm debating getting a nib unit to see if I like it better, but I'll be really disappointed if I find out I just don't like Schmidt nibs. I'm spoiled for my cheap Jinhaos that usually write great. (And if not, I don't have a lot invested in them or don't mind experimenting to get them to write better.)
Hi @christadicken296 -- there may be some nib swapping options for you even just pulling only the nib out of that housing and replacing with another #6 or #5 nib would work .... which model Benu are you working with? I ordered a nib unit from Goldspot Pens for one of mine that came with a F and I wanted a B nib. But then I realized I could have just pulled the nib out and slid in another nib from my stash. :)
@@ChrisSaenz13 it's a Euphoria. I tried pulling the nib, but I can't get it to come out. I was afraid to hand it off to my husband or son because they're not familiar with nibs and might mangle it unintentionally ... Is there a trick to getting it out?
Hi @disisd - it really is gorgeous I saw that yesterday! I am "after" the Vodka on the Rocks Euphoria next because I want one that is neutral enough for ANY ink color! :) That Rose Tea one will be hard to resist once I have my next pen allowance in hand though. :)
Hello Chris, I have not yet taken the plunge with Benu. Sometimes I think I like the look of them and then I am not sure! They are just so different. I have not heard of a bad nib review yet so it is the writing that counts 😂 . I find Narwhal pens quite dry so not really a favourite brand. I hope the weather is okay for you.
Hi @anneh3185 - we have had such extreme heat but over the weekend when it dropped just slightly we felt almost cool with heat indexes below 104 ... the relief compared to the 114 - 120 heat index was quite noticeable. :) Benu pens .... I saw them so different before I actually got one in my hands last spring .... they are just so shiny and beautiful. I have many pens with the steel smooth B nibs so I know it's the beautiful pen bodies that call me in the Benu pens. :)
Vac filters are very simple, and a vac with a removable nib and/or section is easier to clean than a piston filler. If you could share why you imagine them to be difficult, it would allow us to address your concerns.
Hi @jacobus57 - well at the risk of sounding really stupid ... here goes. With my TWSBI Vac700R I can take off the nib unit and get the inside of the pen barrel nice and clean no problem but I then that leaves the nib unit which I can rinse but really I don't feel it's getting clean enough not flushed like I could do with a piston or cartridge converter pen. I think it's definitely the cleaning part that I don't like. I have managed it by using the vac system to flush a few times then rinsing the nib unit some more and syringe cleaning the inside. It just has seemed like twice the normal cleaning hassle. Maybe if I had a syringe that fit over the nib unit just so it would help.
Nibs can be different, even from the same manufacturer. All of my pens are basically proprietary nibs, so you might think they'd be very similar, sizes being equal. But... I've mentioned, over and over, my love for the vintage Esterbrook pens. And my experience with their 2668 firm medium being why I continue to use fountain pens for 40+ years. But I didn't like extra fine in any brand, until I got a basic black 1948-52 Esterbrook J with a 2550 extra fine posting nib (an accounting nib.) I've had several 2550. A 1550. And a 9550 (different versions of the same nib. The 9550 is tipped like almost all modern nibs.) None work as well as this one. Might be the combination with Waterman Mysterious Blue, but NO scratchiness. A joy to fill out the small spaces some forms seem plagued with. Then after my many 2668s, and even 9668s, (2668 really seems I'm convinced was a default nib for Esterbrook) definitely say that the majority are still a favorite of mine, but even those sold as new in box can sometimes take a bit of tweaking. A fun looking selection of pens and inks, Chris! Apparently you're really happy with your new Benu/ink combination. 😉 Same basic pens and inks for me, currently, but I am returning a late 1930s Esterbrook fountain pen and mechanical pencil to the US (bought them from a seller in Argentina.) And I have a transitional Esterbrook J (black. Surprisingly I have had trouble finding this in black) with a 2968 broad nib on the way, too. Broad, I don't use as much, but they can be hard to find, and all told, I only paid $10 plus shipping. I'm not a big mechanical pencil user, but the set? Pen can be $100 or more, and the pencil runs around $50. And, all told, paid $29, with free shipping. The set is copper/"root beer",and the earlier cellulose acetate that they used was really pretty and chatoyant. I didn't have the color, the price is good, so... Still trying to get an Esterbrook Dip-Less nib holder for my niece. 😁 Hope you, Manuel and the cats are having a good month and continue to do so!
Hi Paul - it is always so interesting the variation between nibs ... I see it most in my collection with the TWSBI Broad nibs. Some are so nice and wide and write so generously and others seem more like a mislabeled medium. :) Take good care Paul!
Could you do a video about the various pens that you can use the same pen body on? You mentioned that the Jinhao 159 in your line up has a Knox? Pen body or nib unit? Thanks! 😊
Interesting idea! I mainly use this for my silver trim Jinhao X750s and 159s ... it allows me to move my Broad nibs around from pen body to pen body without pulling the nib ... since the sections with nib unit are interchangeable. Once I realized I could do it I figured I might be the last to realize lol. :)
Maybe I need another Benu. I had trouble with one of my Narwhal BB nibs, until I got it worked on by a nib smith. (Skipping caused by a bit of Baby's Bottom). Your results may vary, of course.
