Gravitas - Monster Aluminium | Teal

I absolutely love this design, but item I received left a lot to be desired in terms of quality and attention to detail. First, the nib suffered from hard starts. Furthermore, in the pen I received, the microengraving on the finial band is so far off centre that the taller letters are clipped at the top (please see attached photo). For me, neither of these is acceptable at this price point. After exchanging a number of e-mails with Gravitas customer support, they agreed to send me replacement parts for the filling mechanism (including the finial band) and the nib unit.

When the parts finally arrived, I was shocked and disappointed to see that the new filling mechanism did not work at all (the two parts at the tip of the plunger are stuck together, even a generous application silicone grease did not get them to move freely). Furthermore, the colour and texture of the anodising on the end finial of the new filling mechanism did not match the original pen, and the finial band has a serial number that was never present in the original pen (see attached photo). I can’t help thinking that someone out there has a “unique limited edition” pen with the exact same serial number on their pen as I do on my spare filing mechanism, which feels wrong. I contacted Gravitas customer support again, and they informed me that the anodising colour cannot be matched perfectly between batches (strange, considering that the anodising on all the parts of the original item I received was well matched), and that the serial number is not a warranty issue, so they will take no further action to try to remedy the situation. After inquiring about the faulty filling mechanism that didn't work even after generous application of silicone grease, I have not received any reply at all from Gravitas, which is disappointing to say the least.

After nearly 2 months, I am now left with a selection of mismatched and dysfunctional parts and disappointment. I find this to be a huge shame since the design itself is so lovely. Some of the issues I raised above are certainly nit-picky, but in my opinion reasonable expectations to have at this price point. Anyway, I hope that my review will at least allow others to have more realistic expectations of the quality of this product.

*UPDATE*
Earlier this week, I received parcel that contained another Gravitas Monster pen body, with nicely aligned microengraving, matching anodising colours, no strange serial numbers and a functioning filling system. There was no accompanying message or e-mail, so I was very surprised. I screwed in the replacement nib unit I received in the previous parcel and was delighted to find that the pen writes perfectly: smooth wet line with no hard starts or skipping. I am very surprised and delighted to say I can finally enjoy using this pen.

Straight to the point, the nib is a large, smooth, wet sensation.
The section has a little less flare than the Piston Carbon Black (PCB) but the surface finish is a perfect blend of smooth but not too slippery. The body of the pen is a little girthier and longer. This is a large pen. The huge ink window makes it easy to see what’s inside. The quality of the machining is the best you will find on any fountain pen. The filling mechanism is just beautiful. While large the pen is very comfortable and would suite a writer who has a lot to get down on paper. The ink capacity is HUGE. The attention to quality and the practicality of the design have created an almost faultless result. I do like the PCB’s little bit of extra section flare.

The teal Monster looks better in real life than in photos, and I have paired it with the Iroshizuku ku-jaku (‘Peacock’) blue green ink.

I was surprised - and reassured - to get a handwritten message from Emy written in my dipped pen, both to test the nib and to convey Pen Venture's good wishes. The EF was slightly scratchy at first, but quickly settled down and is now very smooth. The ribbed section gives a secure grip.

Overall I’m very pleased - a lot cheaper than my CONID (piston) or Visconti Crystal Dream (vacuum), and with even more ink capacity. (The Visconti had to be sent to a nib meister before it would work properly, which hasn't been required with the Monster.) The steel nib doesn’t seem any less smooth than the gold nibs of these two. A more modern styling, and seemingly technologically advanced compared with the others. I’m undecided about the lack of a clip - it’s sleeker, but it rolls on (off, if I’m not careful) the desk.

All in all an excellent pen and great value, with great service from Pen Venture.

Elegant in its simplicity. Fit and finish are top of the mark. Every Gravitas pen I own is a pleasure to write with. I always have one as my daily carry.

Got the Monster (Teal) over a whim. I kind of was drawn in by its ink capacity, the #8 nib and also the option of the nib being replaceable.
I had placed in a request to Emy to help check the pen and the nib before shipping.

Very soon it was in my hands and I immediately fell in love with it. Tuned so well that the nib glides and writes beautifully. Quite well balanced. Yes, a bit heavy if posted, but not too much. Un-posted, it is just perfect.
I keep picking up this pen over the others I have, just can’t stop using it.

I liked the Teal one so much that I ordered another Monster in Black. I am going to be carrying these pens wherever I go, that’s for sure. My love, My precious..! :)
Both my Monsters are with the super juicy Broad nib.

Thanks Emy, Gravitas and the Pen Venture team for the great experience.

Great Pen. Attractive, fits my small hands, wonderfully smooth medium nib, fills like a dream! Great pen.

Perfectly tuned nib, ultra-precise assembly that ooze of quality and comfortable to write with. This pen redefined what a grail pen is for me. I didn't buy it as a grail pen, I have way more expensive pens in my collection, many with gold nib yet when I pick this one it feels really special, every time.
I'll never see steel nib the same way after this pen, Gravitas shown that a steel nib can be as good as any gold nib.
Thank you Gravitas and Pen-Venture this pen is special !

The pen is really large, as well as the nib. Filling mechanism works very well.
Surprisingly I'm still consuming my first fill ;-)

Great customer service as always!

Since I haven't inked the pen, I won't make any comments about the writing. The construction of the pen is solid. I always prefer to have a pen I can maintain. The weight is nicely balanced. The nib is in great shape; I don't need to adjust the tines. The machining is tight. This pen will provide years of fantastic service without major maintenance. This pen is worth the cost.

First the pen is amazing. Ben Walsh is a fantastic innovator. Emy at Pen Venture is stellar. I'm so glad that Ben and Emy partnered together to get these pens out into the world. This is my third Gravitas pen and definitely won't be my last.

Ben if you are reading this, thank you for the continuous innovations. It is exciting to see what you are up to next.

Three days to go from Romania to San Francisco California. Wow!

The pen holds an insane amount of ink. Definitely going to need to order more ink. The filling should be done in ink bottles with a larger opening and an almost full bottle. The number 8 size nibs needs to be covered for the pen to fill.

The nib is nice and wet (Medium). There is no skipping or any other issues with it writing. The pen feels great in the hand with perfect balance. The nib is incredibly smooth and rivals most of my gold nib fountain pens that cost several times what this pen costs. Being a clipless pen make sure you have a nice pen rest for your pen.

I will stop gushing now. Buy one, you won't regret it!

this pen is just awesome. big ink capacity, well build, comfortable to hold and write with. Smooth writing... I have all 3 versions and I am very happy. this pen is definetly worth buying. and it is not very expensive so I can recomend to everybody who likes bigger pens.