I fell for one of these (piston version), and regretted it just about immediately. The angle of the aluminum part of the front of the pen was a huge problem, as you described -- it was impossible not to get ink on it while filling, which meant that it could (and did) find its way to the back of the pen.. It was a mess. They were offended at my feedback on this, and claimed I was the only one who had a problem. Maybe I was just ahead of the curve. I thought it was funny that their video showed someone filling the pen at a 45 degree angle from a shallow dish, as if that's what fountain pen users commonly do. I called it a triumph of attractive-looking design over actual function. They are obviously so committed to that design that they haven't changed it, and even their c/c pen doesn't function properly. Faugh! Time to scrap this design and make one that actually works like a fountain pen.
Dear Venustas, What if you tried to make a really cool looking pen that was really easy to use and you didn't have to be careful how you opened it, filled it, held it, etc.? Thanks, David!
I've had one of the first versions of the Magna with the piston filler for about a year now and I have found it to be pretty comfortable. I was looking to add a titanium nib to my collection, and honestly it is probably one of my favorites despite its unorthodox design. Remarkably I haven't had any issues with the piston accidentally getting pushed in even after pocketing it for days. My only gripes with it might be that the middle section and the portion with the feed has a bit of wiggle in the direction of the screws and its near impossible to get that last bit of ink at the bottom of the bottle with it.
To me it looks like a pen designed by a person who has never used a pen :). Good looking, nicely machined - but I would not use it even if I got one for free. Who knows, maybe they will take notes from reviews and there will be version 3.0.
@@grahamjl766 Cannot agree. There are pens like Pilot 845 which are quite above $25 - but in every aspect of them you see there is something "extra" added; be it felt lining of a cap, to not scratch the barrel, or perfect way the nib glides on paper. You can feel that every time you use it.
I so wanted to like these pens, but the devil is in the details and well... Question: the nib slit looked really odd, as if it isn't cleanly cut. I guess I'd sum it up as a great concept that fell short on execution.
Adding complexity in design, materials and usage seems illogical to me. What are the benefits over a more conventional form other than being unique? This thing is pushing the $300 mark, and I'd say get a Lamy 2000 and save some money. Nice review though.
Time was, I would've been very interested in the engineering/design of this pen (honestly, still am) but the older I get, the less I like what I think of as "fiddly" pens (filling mechanisms) or other aspects; removing the converter to fill qualifies as "ink-convenient"! BTW, happy to see the Franklin Christoph 66 in the comparison! Mine's sitting right in front of me.
I bought one Venvstas Magna in May 2020 from LCDC. I guess i am the first customer from Turkey who bought this pen :) It was really a big disappointment for me. Pen chooses ink, it doesn't write with every ink. It makes skipping on all types of paper. Because of this reason i use inks which has self lubricant characteristics. When i asked this situation, Alan sent me an email and wrote: "Inks as Lamy and Pelikan 4001 we do not recommend, instead and for a similar price (here in europe) you can get J. Herbin which is fluid, it has nice colors and is gentle with the pen. The Japanese inks are good in general. But for instance, Pelikan 4001 we say to customers NO, don't use that, here in Europe a bottle cost 3 euros, and for a little more you can get J. Herbin where you can see the quality, one brand is a huge industrial consorsium, the other one is a maker of materials for artists, so you can see the difference." In addition, when I pull the cap, I constantly see ink on the cap's steel part. The cap creates a kind of vacuum i guess. Maybe they have fixed this problem in new models. But the old model has an "engineering" problem. "Well designed, poorly manufactured."
i dont know how i feel. I remember people complained about this pen on r/fountainpens and the owner started arguing with members of the community. until this design is without flaw, it'll have to be a pass from me.
They argued with me on FPN, possibly because I was pretty blunt (in their thread) about the shortcomings in design. Lesson one: listen to your customers, don't argue with them. I think they should scrap this design and start over.
it'd be nice if they made a more affordable version of this pen. i love the look... but $240? I don't love it THAT much. A plastic or resin version for like $50 would be so good
I'm surprised to hear you be so equivocal in your review. You obviously have problems with this pen but you seem loath to discourage people from buying it. It have had three pens from this maker one was a Carbon T that leaked for which they sent me a replacement that also leaked. I liked the carbon fibre and the simple stylus-like shape so I tried again later on with a kickstarter. That pen took many months beyond its promised date and also leaked. The metal parts of the pens are soft and constantly have to be pushed back into shape. Urging people to fill the pen without dipping is just plain lazy. If you make a pen that leaks you need to fix the leak. The price is way too high but for any price would be way to high for an attractive but ultimately terrible pen.
