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I wanted to let y'all know that I've had a very good experience with Benu customer service. My pen kept leaking, and although I tried to troubleshoot I couldn't figure out why. When I finally reached out, they had me try a few things but to no avail. So they sent me a new converter, nib and feed. I'm still not sure what was causing the problem(I suspect the feed or nib housing is the culprit), but the pen works fine now that it's reassembled with replacement parts. The only downside is that the nib in the pen originally had been customized by Mark Bacas to a CSI. Maybe he can salvage the nib if that isn't what's caused the leak and attach it to something else... I was impressed with the customer service from Benu. Fast, thorough, and helpful.

So I should have known better. I bought a Benu Euphoria because it was so beautiful, in spite of being the wrong size and wrong weight for me. I had it engraved without having tried it, so there was no going back. (For those of you who hate engraving, no one else would even notice as I had the clip engraved and not the body). I was so distracted by the light. It sparkles! It glows in the dark! I made sure to get a Benu I could post.... I didn't like how it wrote, so I got it ground, which improved it, but I would have ordered a larger nib size to begin with had I planned on grinding it. Now that it has been made usable, I find that the international converters I have on hand don't seem to be playing nicely with it. I've given up for the moment and put a Herbin long cartridge in, but the pen really calls for colors I have in bottles but not cartridges. This may be the rare pen of mine that I put in a display case to remind myself to listen to my gut and not talk myself into purchases because I want them to work, even though I know they will not. It sparkles! It glows in the dark! Anyway, has anyone successfully using an International converter with a Euphoria? I think Goulet claims you can ink dropper them too. I haven't tried that yet, either.

I had bought a Benu that is a lovely pen but whose nib seemed "meh". I decided I would try a grind on it, but wanted to experiment with an inexpensive pen first so I tried a CSI (all remote, as this is Covidland) on a TWISBI Go, and thought it worked well but was a bit too wet. I sent the Benu off for the same grind, and got the Go adjusted to be less wet. Now that they're here I'm finding that they are difficult for me to write with comfortably, as they demand more precise positioning than I am accustomed to and my angle, rotation, etc. varies with where I'm seated and how I'm writing. The nibmeister suggested converting the Go to an RSI to see if that suits me better, and then depending on what I think I can either have the Benu adjusted or throw up my hands and replace the nib with a different one. Thoughts? My handwriting is a cursive/print hybrid. Are custom grinds not the best for people who don't always write in the same way? It had been such a long queue at the nibmeisters, too!

I have a beautiful new Benu that sparkles and glows in the dark. Unfortunately, the pen's nib is very underwhelming. I really do want to use this pen regularly (I only buy pens I plan to write with) but the contrast between its very pedestrian nib and the eye-appeal is enormous. I suspect that if a nibmeister were to tune the pen for me, I would be quite happy with it. It looks as if it would be a heavy pen, but is actually pretty lightweight and sits well in my hand. Is there any sort of list of nibmeisters by region, city, etc.? I know of none. I can make figure eights if I have to, but I'd rather give this to an expert. Thanks!

Apparently the stresses in my 5-pen sleeve were too much for a recently purchased pen. I've ordered a replacement, but I'm wondering if there are any suggestions for an adhesive/solvent that might make this one functional again. As can be seen, the threaded insert to the barrel cracked -- taking a small amount of barrel with it. I'm vacillating between trying an acetone family solvent (Just checked -- the canister IS acetone) or a brush-on super-glue. Thanks all...

NOTE: This is a short version of my review posted in Rants of the Archer (http://bit.ly/BENUGhostWhiteFP). Since 2008, I have reviewed a number of fountain pens from Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. I have also reviewed pen-related products from Australia, China, France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Now, for the first time in Rants of the Archer, I am honored to write the first-ever review of BENU Pens' Classic fountain pen, an emerging and promising pen brand from Russia. I came across BENU Pens in October last year, a few months after the Moscow-based brand was launched. I was impressed by their wide selection of vibrant pen colors and material textures. I saw colorful, shiny, and pearlescent pen barrels, some of which have gold and silver inserts. In March, I was surprised to be discussing pen reviews with one of BENU's founders, Kate Dmitrieva, who let me choose three pens to review at my blog, Rants of the Archer. One of the pens I chose was a white pen, and Kate sent me the Ghost White fountain pen in silver trims. It was love at first sight. The Ghost White fountain pen is elegant, sophisticated, and classic. BENU Pens is a young pen company launched in early 2016 by co-founders Alex Semanin and Kate Dmitrieva with one goal in mind: to make writing instruments and desk accessories for those who prefer bright colors and new designs that are playful, stylish, and fun. BENU fountain pens are presented in elegant gray cardboard boxes that are lined with thin and long shreds of paper. Inside the box, the pen is wrapped in kraft paper and secured by jute twine. Printed on one side of the kraft paper is a brief description of BENU Pens, and product care for their pens. The pens have uniform shape and size, all handcrafted and made in-house in the company's own Moscow-based workshop. The pen in this review is a fountain pen, but it is also offered as a ballpoint. The company currently offers three collections of fountain pens and ballpoints: The Classic Collection includes fountain pens and ballpoints in over 30 color combinations. Most pens in the Classic collection have pearlescent or aventurescent effects and various inserts, such as golden and silver leaves, to achieve a luminous, eye-catching look and to enrich pen’s color. The Ornate Collection includes fountain pens and ballpoints with geometrical or skull pattern. The Sublime Collection includes a limited number of fountain pens with contrasting color combinations. The Sublime collection is produced in limited editions, numbering from 1 to 10 pens only. The Ghost White Silver fountain pen belongs to BENU's Classic Collection and is also available with gold-plated trims. BENU Pens designed it to echo the alluring romanticism of ghost stories. Crafted from misty, airy pearlescent material, the Ghost White fountain pen is drenched in the mystique and lightness of a white phantom. I used the Ghost White fountain pen daily for a week, and found it to be an excellent pen. It's a good pen for all fountain pen users -- newbies/beginners, collectors, students, and artists. Uncapped, it weighs 22 grams (similar to a Lamy AL-star's weight) which is just right in the hand. This bullet-shaped compact pen measures 4.9 inches long (only a bit longer than a Kaweco Sport). The Ghost White fountain pen is a light and compact pen that is just right for daily use: note-taking, journaling, and even sketching. I also noticed the pen's exceptional gloss and shine. The cap, section, and barrel are spotless, shiny, and very smooth to the touch. The aventurescent resin from which this pen was made from was perfectly polished to a beautiful shine. Due to their streamlined compact size, fountain pens from BENU's Collections are not fitted with converters and can only accommodate cartridges. Each fountain pen is packaged with a short international Schneider cartridge, but I filled the Ghost White fountain pen with Iroshizuku Asa-gao. BENU Pens has indicated that they are about to launch a new fountain pen collection soon. The new fountain pens will be longer in size, fitted with converters, and will have clips and postable caps. The cap and barrel of this pen are made from high-quality, non-toxic, scratch- and wear-resistant aventurescent resin. BENU pens are created from high-quality resin of different colors with glossy, pearlescent, or jewel-dazzling star effect. To ensure one of a kind look, BENU's artisans prepare the resin for each pen separately, and carefully matches the colors by hand. BENU Pens took great care in creating a pen ergonomically designed to fit a hand perfectly. The cap and barrel of this fountain pen are bullet-shaped and taper off toward the end, making the fountain pen comfortable to use. It is noteworthy that in BENU pen production, the last step is cap assembly. Their fountain pens have screw on caps, and to secure the locking mechanism of the pen’s cap, the company uses the square thread. Though difficult to fabricate, the square thread has the lowest friction, which makes it the most efficient thread form known. This pen's design does not include a clip, and won't allow the cap to be posted as well. But that's fine, as I do not post my pens. I am missing a clip, though. Also, I am not comfortable that I cannot fully take apart this fountain pen. I usually disassemble pens for thorough cleaning and even drying. Cleaning pens for reinking or storage is always a must for me. BENU pens have decorative cap rings in rhodium plated brass or gold plated brass. These rings are attached to the cap and bear the BENU logo. BENU fountain pen parts are handcrafted in-house, except for their nibs. BENU fountain pens are fitted with Schmidt nibs that have high-quality JoWo and Bock nibs. The available nib sizes are Fine (F), Medium (M), or Broad ( . My fountain pen has a medium nib that wrote very smoothly out of the box. I did not experience a hardstart, skipping, or ink blobbing. I love writing with it, especially in my bullet journal. The Ghost White fountain pen's section is very comfortable in the hand. Despite its gloss and shine, I did not experience my writing fingers sliding in the section's surface. If you are a new fountain pen user or a collector, this fountain pen (and other BENU pens) is for you! The Ghost White fountain pen is elegant, yet strong. It writes smoothly, durable, and is available in more than 40 colors! The Ghost White fountain pen is available for purchase BENU Pens Online Store.