Nexus Minimal Fountain Pen

[Feanaaro]

There has been quite some talk about this pen after the kickstarter was launched this past summer. I actually learned of it only later on this very forum, and now finally I got it, in black aluminium, fine nib, and the black pouch just to complete the stealth mode.

 

I think the pen is very beautiful, it looks just a tad greyer than in the pic they have on their website, and the matte effect of the anodized (I guess) aluminum is perhaps a little more pronounced. For me, the aesthetics is perfect.

 

It has some heft to it (25g, uncapped and inked) but it is not by any means too heavy to be comfortably used even for long sessions. I would be a little more worried about the titanium version, which is almost twice the weight, but of course without trying it in hand I would not know. It may just be a placebo effect of their market-speak, but it really feels well balanced in a way that most other pens I've had in hand are not.

 

The nib is a #6 Bock, so no surprises there. It writes well, it is reasonably smooth and perhaps just a bit above-average in wetness. I got a fine, which was the thinnest option, but I would probably be more comfortable with an EF, given how these nibs tend to run large. It should be a standard Bock 250 though, so it could be swapped easily later on.

 

Another nice thing I did not notice in the pics and the videos but only once I had it in hand, is that while it is pleasantly large while uncapped (though by no means huge), it looks much smaller when capped because the cap itself is very small. I think this detail got some flak here, or maybe elsewhere, but for me it works quite well.

 

The pouch fits very snugly, to the point of being difficult to use at the moment, but I guess that is ok as it will slack off with use. It could have been just a little taller though, maybe half a centimeter, as it is the pen's height fits in just barely. Actually, looking at it it peek out of the top by 1mm or so. That is not 100% optimal, but I can live with it.

 

Some pics:

Edited February 5, 2015 by Feanaaro

[Jamerelbe]

I ordered a pen with exactly the same specs - actually, no, I think I went for a Ti nib - but this looks great, very reassuring! Thanks for posting this - am looking forward to hearing that mine is on the way...

 

Oh, and congratulations on being the first to review it - that was a pretty quick turnaround time!

[Feanaaro]

Thanks. I'm happy have it, the wait was killing me :-)

 

Actually, after some more writing, I think it is quite wet, not just slightly so. Especially since the ink I am using is Noodleer's Old Manhattan, which itself is relatively on the dry side.

[Jamerelbe]

Thanks. I'm happy have it, the wait was killing me :-)

 

I feel your pain - no, really, the wait is STILL killing me (and several hundred other impatient punters, I suspect!)...

[Icywolfe]

Lets see how my Ti version would do. Too bad Ti people will get it DEAD LAST!

 

It looks like a dip pen though.

Edited February 6, 2015 by Icywolfe

[Feanaaro]

After some more writing, I have to say these Bock 250 units are very wet, or at least the one I got is. I'm really pondering to buy an extrafine somewhere, as this one is really usable (for me, though I recognize that many people would like the wetness) only with very dry inks, such as Pelikan 4001 (which I don't like).

The positive side is that it write pretty well upside down, almost a reversible nib in practice, which gives of course a much finer line. But then, I don't really like writing without seeing the nib anyway.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Feanaaro

[Feanaaro]

Upon request, here is a writing sample (as usual, sorry for the quality!)

 

[The Blue Knight]

Nice review, I liked the pen however it being clipless was a deal breaker for me. I think the packaging is excellent too.

[Feanaaro]

It tends to roll around a fair bit, indeed. But I really like the smooth aesthetics and the small cap.

Meanwhile, I swapped the fine nib with another Bock in extra-fine, which was a little scratchy in the beginning. I just smoothed it today, and now writes very smoothly, except that I perhaps overdid it a little and now it has a slight foot.

Other reviews I read around say that their fine nibs were on the dry side, which wasn't my experience at all, to the point that I was wondering whether they might originally have sent me a medium instead of a fine (I'm a little obsessive like that, yes).

Anyhow, I like extra fines better in general, so I'm happy for the moment... though that titanium nib at 45$...

[zdeveric]

It tends to roll around a fair bit, indeed. But I really like the smooth aesthetics and the small cap.

Meanwhile, I swapped the fine nib with another Bock in extra-fine, which was a little scratchy in the beginning. I just smoothed it today, and now writes very smoothly, except that I perhaps overdid it a little and now it has a slight foot.

Other reviews I read around say that their fine nibs were on the dry side, which wasn't my experience at all, to the point that I was wondering whether they might originally have sent me a medium instead of a fine (I'm a little obsessive like that, yes).

Anyhow, I like extra fines better in general, so I'm happy for the moment... though that titanium nib at 45$...

Where have you found Bock EF nib?

[Djehuty]

That's a beautiful pen! Thank you for the review, and the link. Do you suppose they'll make more of the titanium version?

[Feanaaro]

The Bock EF nib I bought from theclassicnib.com this one, though you could also buy just the nib without the sleeve and feed to save a few dollars, it is easy enough to swap.

 

I have no idea whether they'll make more of the titanium version. You can try asking them, though their record in answering my emails, at least, has not been great. If they do produce more, I'd probably get one.

[Djehuty]

Well, I bought one, and asked about the titanium version as I did so. Maybe they'll answer when the question is attached to money.