Ensso Piuma Fountain Pen Review

Ensso go for the minimalist look with their pens. Their first product, the Pen UNO, wasn’t much bigger than the refill it held and was a pretty good pen. The Piuma is fountain pen with a similar no-thrills design.

Price: $99
Filling method: standard international cartridge/converter
Barrel options: this one is brass (obviously!); aluminium and titanium versions also available
Nib options: Bock #6 stainless steel in extra-fine, medium, broad, 1.1mm; black stainless steel in extra-fine, medium, broad; titanium (extra $40) in extra-fine, medium
Size: 14.0cm capped; 12.8cm uncapped; 1.5cm diameter
Weight: 94g capped; 68g uncapped

When I opened the simple black box this pen came in my heart sank. I’m trying to save my pennies and the last thing I needed was to be sent a pen that I was really going to want to buy. I’m a sucker for metal pens and the Piuma is a beauty. The only material more lovely than shiny new brass is patina’d old brass.

The pen is a classic cigar shape, beautifully proportioned. ‘Ensso’ is etched near the rim of the cap and that’s all the decoration there is. Very classy.

The cap screws on to close and will post, although Ensso state the pen’s designed to be used unposted. I think posting might end up scratching the barrel but if you’re okay with that, I found it didn’t affect the balance unduly.

The grip section is long and the threads are thick and in any case well out of the way of your fingers. It makes for a comfortable grip although being brass it’s going to get a little slippery for some people.

The Piuma uses standard international cartridges or converters.

There are quite a few nib options which is always good to see. The Piuma uses a #6 Bock and this pen has a good medium one. It has good flow and writes smoothly.

Now, I have big hands and I’m well used to the weight of a brass pen. The Kaweco Brass Sport is one of my most used pens. However, when I picked up the Piuma I knew my bank balance was safe (for now). This pen is very heavy. It’s over half as heavy again than the Brass Sport. We all have a limit on how heavy a pen can be before it becomes uncomfortable to use and unfortunately the brass Piuma is over that limit for me. After just a few sentences my hand was beginning to ache.

Ensso say:

PIUMA borrows its name from the same Italian word, which means feather. It pays homage to the simplicity of the first pens made from bird feathers

There’s an irony in naming a pen this heavy after a feather.

You might be okay with the weight, in which case I can highly recommend this pen. It’s well made and looks beautiful. If you’re not, then there’s an aluminium version available. Perhaps my wallet’s in trouble after all.

This pen was lent to me by a fellow United Inkdom blogger, Scribble for the purposes of this review and will be returned to him shortly. Interestingly, Scribble didn’t mind the weight at all.

Pros

Very very beautiful
Good nib

Cons

Very heavy