Lamy And International Cartridges On A Sub 50 Bucks Pen?

[VENVSTAS]

We would like to present to you a new model that will be available SOON.

 

The all new Venvstas D'art.

 

We have been looking on this and other forums of the like, blogs, u-tube channels, and in a plethora of similar branches, and its remarkable how much chinese clones seem to gain terrain offering decent pens for the money and to some extend not only “inspired by” but falsifications of a very known german pen (in the picture below). Why somebody as a maker would like to make a falsification? Anyway.

 

We have been looking with attention on how other metal pens inspired by, that are looking like this or that are also gaining space, wgy not to make something different? Is it possible?

Well, yes!

 

 

The pen is made of plastic (lets finish with the precious resin strategy to charge more for ordinary plastic, no plastic is precious by definition, if you want a precious resin, look for amber maybe), the nib is in steel and it is a cartridge pen, but, not only you can feed it with international/european type of cartridges but you can also feed it with your Lamy ones. We think this is important, as whats the point to be buying stuff that's not compatible if you like certain inks?

 

We think we now can offer you an alternative in the sub 50 bucks zone, where very few are offering something that looks good, if you are looking for something different, at a reasonable price and with little waiting time.

 

 

*ergonomic design

*design that is TODAY and will be TOMORROW

*Designed and made in Paris,

*Nibs made in Germany.

*Price below 40 euros

*Lamy and Pelikan/european/international compatible.

[The Blue Knight]

Does it post?

[jchch1950]

nice design.

[Astronymus]

Doesn't look very ergonomic though.

[VENVSTAS]

The pen can be found here, more pics and info.

 

https://www.venvstas.com/dart

[christof]

Cool pen, looks very uncommon.

The description says: "...Hexagonal irregular section ..."

Does this work for lefthand writers too?

Thanks.

C.

 

PS: is the pen entierly made in France?

Edited February 23, 2018 by christof

[LanceSaintPaul]

Like the design, but I can't tell if I'd like it in hand or not. I appreciate this company's designs that expand the envelope. Price seems very reasonable.

[Sasha Royale]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-vs-original-box-with-free-ink-cartridge-Mutil-color/263429602957?_trkparms=pageci%3A0dde7b0a-1981-11e8-8b5e-74dbd180155e%7Cparentrq%3Ac8ad868f1610abc02602d0c0fff60b5c%7Ciid%3A1&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236

 

I just saw this on Ebay. Everything about it says "Safafi", but the description says that it will accept an International Standard cartridge.

 

Is it a LAMY ?

[Astronymus]

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-vs-original-box-with-free-ink-cartridge-Mutil-color/263429602957?_trkparms=pageci%3A0dde7b0a-1981-11e8-8b5e-74dbd180155e%7Cparentrq%3Ac8ad868f1610abc02602d0c0fff60b5c%7Ciid%3A1&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236

 

I just saw this on Ebay. Everything about it says "Safafi", but the description says that it will accept an International Standard cartridge.

 

Is it a LAMY ?

Imagine someone clinging to the peak of the empire state building, screaming "Fake!" and you can still hear them on the ground.

[finnegans]

Ugh. This is a rabbit hole I didn't need to fall down. I don't know about this pen (though it looks like fun) but the other pens on their site are amazing. Does anyone have recent experience with these? It sounds like the kickstarter pens had their issues, but it also sounds like the maker was meaningfully engaged with the redesign process. It's a bit much to lay out on a relative unknown, but the carbon fibre pens in particular are gorgeous.

[Honeybadgers]

Well I just bought one. I'll report back.

[Honeybadgers]

I got mine about two weeks ago and I have to say... I'm terribly disappointed in it.

 

First, the good:

 

It's beautiful looking. I love the style. Shipping took over a month, but he did give me a discount code for his store that I may use since I do suspect (and hope) that this pen is an outlier.

 

And the bad:

 

It's a horrible pen. The converter feels cheap. the fitment of said converter is awful. The pen itself feels like a textured black lamy safari (this one is purely personal, but I think that's the cheapest feeling plastic I've ever touched)

 

The EF nib writes fairly, nothing special. It has a lot of drag but is not scratchy, I find it very dry (borderline skippy) with waterman blue. Disassembly looks very, very annoying.

 

The plastic body had a TON of machining residue everywhere, covering the nib and every time I closed the body (which does snap tightly closed) the converter would be covered in plastic dust.

 

The cap could definitely have been made to post in the same way that it caps the pen if the tail was made slightly less slender. But it does not. and it's not a comfortable cap to just hold between your fingers.

 

I could get over all of that if it weren't for the pen's two worst features that make it genuinely unusable:

 

It dries out. less than 8 hours sitting and the entire converter was almost dry, the nib was bone dry. The cap is vented very strongly, and I suspect either that or that the feed was in contact with the cap liner and it wicked out the ink because the inside of the cap was bone dry but saturated blue. You literally can't use this pen for more than one day.

 

And the body is nearly impossible to hold. I honestly like the geometry of the shape, but it needs to be a solid 30% narrower at LEAST. the nib just looks tiny, and it's so insanely broad that I have to hold it in the most bizzare, awkward ways. I was expecting a more square cross-section in terms of dimensions, but this thing is almost twice as wide as it is high, and there's just no comfortable way to hold it. If it didn't dry out, its size relegates it to an insanely uncomfortable signature pen at best.

 

Overall, I'm terribly, terribly disappointed. it's a pretty little thing, but I don't even want to give it away because of just how badly it writes.

Edited April 23, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[WarrenB]

A glance at the photos leaves me cold. I keep imagining a gelfling trying to slot it into a giant purple crystal.

 

The pen is made of plastic (lets finish with the precious resin strategy to charge more for ordinary plastic, no plastic is precious by definition, if you want a precious resin, look for amber maybe)

 

Refreshing aversion to marketing bumf...

 

D'art is more than just a fountain pen, its a statement, a jewel in a segment neglected by the concurrence as we think that design and uniqueness are anywhere, anytime

... and we're back to square one.

 

I don't know about this pen (though it looks like fun) but the other pens on their site are amazing. Does anyone have recent experience with these?

Second that.

Edited April 23, 2018 by WarrenB

[christof]

I find it unfortunate that the OP does not answer questions in this thread. I got the impression that his post is pure advertising.

For my son (left-handed) I now ordered a Lamy Safari SE all black.

C.

Edited April 24, 2018 by christof

[VENVSTAS]

Yes you can make put it in the dark crystal and finish the Skeksis ruling.........

A glance at the photos leaves me cold. I keep imagining a gelfling trying to slot it into a giant purple crystal.

Refreshing aversion to marketing bumf...

... and we're back to square one.


Second that.

[VENVSTAS]

We just do not enter here often.

The pen went on its first series.

 

I find it unfortunate that the OP does not answer questions in this thread. I got the impression that his post is pure advertising.

For my son (left-handed) I now ordered a Lamy Safari SE all black.

C.

 

[VENVSTAS]

well.........we're very sorry you're so disappointed. Others are not:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3djG8EQQSI4

It was the first run so we had some issues with the plastic casting, the problem you describe won't happen in following series, you can send back the pen.

 

The aim of this pen is to be something different in a range where there are not so many alternatives. We are changing the whole line and also making changes in the manufacturing process, so there are a lot to adjust still. That's why we stop the marketing of the pen until we get enough feedback. You got along with the discount a note by the designer, telling just that, that it was the first series and feedback to the company was very, very much appreciated, as,

* the pen is very unusual, even for us.

* the design is quite radical

* the material is plastic and its our first "plastic" pen. We use carbon fiber, basalt fiber, fiberglass, steel and brass. The result is something different.

* its in a range we have no experience still.

 

I think you already have some other Venvstas pens, if we're not confused by the user's name, but the "d'art" project is something really, really different we're carrying out even for us.

 

Future series will have a re-design in some parts according to data from people who shared their impressions with us.

Colors will be introduced (first red - d'art inferno) , plastic is to be changed.

Future pens will not feature converters, this is a cartridge pen,

The pen was not designed for the "fountain pen hobby" we posted here to see people's reaction. We think hobby pens are other pens we have like:

https://www.venvstas.com/magna or

https://www.venvstas.com/avantgarde

 

The dust, we are sorry about that, but we are introducing changes.future ones won't have anything. Pre series models hadn't, we had a problem with the manufacturer of the plastic parts, we thought all pens were ok, buts clear yours was not.

The first series was very limited until we can recover enough information of the pen, a process will take still a month, therefore we gave the discount first, and the discount code second, as if you apply to a Shamsh for instance, you get the money back, so the pen was for free!

https://www.venvstas.com/shamash

 

We don't know if we'll continue doing the pen beyond the second series, so its likely this will be a rarity on the range, we think its a very interesting pen, but it has to be not so much of a love/hate thing, its a shame, because this is how nice designs sometimes are going out of the market, and its just as you see that everything looks the same.........well, by people being aggressive at describing what they bought.

Well, thank you for trying out something really different.

 

I got mine about two weeks ago and I have to say... I'm terribly disappointed in it.

 

First, the good:

 

It's beautiful looking. I love the style. Shipping took over a month, but he did give me a discount code for his store that I may use since I do suspect (and hope) that this pen is an outlier.

 

And the bad:

 

It's a horrible pen. The converter feels cheap. the fitment of said converter is awful. The pen itself feels like a textured black lamy safari (this one is purely personal, but I think that's the cheapest feeling plastic I've ever touched)

 

The EF nib writes fairly, nothing special. It has a lot of drag but is not scratchy, I find it very dry (borderline skippy) with waterman blue. Disassembly looks very, very annoying.

 

The plastic body had a TON of machining residue everywhere, covering the nib and every time I closed the body (which does snap tightly closed) the converter would be covered in plastic dust.

 

The cap could definitely have been made to post in the same way that it caps the pen if the tail was made slightly less slender. But it does not. and it's not a comfortable cap to just hold between your fingers.

 

I could get over all of that if it weren't for the pen's two worst features that make it genuinely unusable:

 

It dries out. less than 8 hours sitting and the entire converter was almost dry, the nib was bone dry. The cap is vented very strongly, and I suspect either that or that the feed was in contact with the cap liner and it wicked out the ink because the inside of the cap was bone dry but saturated blue. You literally can't use this pen for more than one day.

 

And the body is nearly impossible to hold. I honestly like the geometry of the shape, but it needs to be a solid 30% narrower at LEAST. the nib just looks tiny, and it's so insanely broad that I have to hold it in the most bizzare, awkward ways. I was expecting a more square cross-section in terms of dimensions, but this thing is almost twice as wide as it is high, and there's just no comfortable way to hold it. If it didn't dry out, its size relegates it to an insanely uncomfortable signature pen at best.

 

Overall, I'm terribly, terribly disappointed. it's a pretty little thing, but I don't even want to give it away because of just how badly it writes.

[christof]

We just do not enter here often.

The pen went on its first series.

 

Okay, thank you for your reply. But do you think the pen might work for a 12 years old lefthand writer?

C.

[VENVSTAS]

The second series will feature smaller section (25%), we're already working on them, but to your question, left hand writers and fountain pens is always a special thing, each one of them have a different way of holding the pen, we even made our roller collection specially for them or we have specially tuned pens, we have no feedback for this particular pen, we would then recommend a Carbon T or a Carbonmeister or an Alpha or a 78, although all are sold out except the 78. He can try a D'art and see if its good for him, if it doesn't he can send it back, the first series will be sold out soon, so, if you can wait a month or so you may get the second series, which will be thinner, but I will recommend this, as it also has more nib options:

https://www.venvstas.com/78

Okay, thank you for your reply. But do you think the pen might work for a 12 years old lefthand writer?

C.

[VENVSTAS]

Ugh. This is a rabbit hole I didn't need to fall down. I don't know about this pen (though it looks like fun) but the other pens on their site are amazing. Does anyone have recent experience with these? It sounds like the kickstarter pens had their issues, but it also sounds like the maker was meaningfully engaged with the redesign process. It's a bit much to lay out on a relative unknown, but the carbon fibre pens in particular are gorgeous.

Find here some reviews:

https://www.venvstas.com/reviews

And an independent review from this particular pen from a client:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3djG8EQQSI4