Markers | Liners | Highlighters – Pen Venture

Destiny Smith

If the Monster and the Vac 1.0 had a Love Child...

...this would be it! To be completely honest, the Monster's DNA is clearly the dominant factor in this creation! As a matter of fact, it might be more accurate to call this pen the Baby Monster, instead of "Vac 2.0". There are only a few characteristics of the Vac 1.0 that were passed on, such as having an Ultem ink window on the secondary ink reservoir. Speaking of which, shouldn't the "Primary" ink reservoir be the one that connects directly to the nib unit? The back up, or reserve reservoir should be the "Secondary" reservoir, since it feeds the primary reservoir, not the nib unit, but...whatever. Other characteristics inherited from the Vac 1.0 are the conical finials on the cap and barrel, as well as a #6 size nib. Ink capacity of the Vac 2.0 is more than the Vac 1.0, but less than the Monster; at 4.5 ml, it's more than enough to get you through an all night session of writing, maybe even all week!
The nib...unlike other Gravitas nibs, doesn't have a breather hole, and the slit is longer. The metal also may be thinner than other Gravitas #6 nibs, which in combination with the longer slit, may give this nib a bit more flexibility. My nib is very smooth! Ink flow is a little bit less than the Monster's, but more than the Vac 1.0's, and is consistent and predictable with Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue ink.
Fun fact: the ink uptake hole (where ink goes into the pen when you fill it) is located on the underside of the feed, pretty close to where the feed disappears into the grip section. It's like that with almost every fountain pen that's designed to suck ink out of an ink well/bottle. The only one I know of that has the hole way forward toward the tip of the nib is the Lamy 2000. How does that affect you? The farther the nib sticks out from the grip section, the higher up that hole sits from the nib's tip, and the more ink needs to be in the bottom of the ink well to make sure that the pen sucks up ink, not air. The #6 nib sticks out about 7/8" (22mm), the #8 nib (of the Monster) sticks out about 17/16" (27mm). So, unless you plan on transferring your favorite ink into tall, thin ink bottles (like Robert Oster ink bottles), use an ink miser or ink sample bottle, or get creative with an ink syringe, the smaller sized nib of the Vac 2.0 allows you to get more ink out of your bottle before the rest becomes unreachable. With a little patience, practice, and an ample supply of paper towels, you can fill almost any piston filler or vac filler with an ink syringe as if the pen was an eyedropper filler, as long as you can remove the grip section and squirt the ink directly into the barrel. Some pens won't let you remove the grip section, but you can unscrew the nib unit, which will also give you direct access to the ink chamber(s). Vac fillers are more difficult to fill like that, because the piston has to be pushed all the way forward, and then retracted just far enough to allow ink to flow around and behind the piston to fill the ink chamber. If you were to fill it with the piston all the way in the back, you'd just expel all of the ink as soon as you push the piston forward again.
I love that Vac 2.0 has a second ink window, which lets me know when I need to open up the big ink chamber to allow ink to fill the little in chamber. I love the smaller nib, which allows me to better access to ink in bottles that are less than half full. I love how smooth the nib writes, and that the line width is actually pretty close to the nominal "Fine" standard (0.3mm, +/- 0.1mm). I love that the cap and pen body are now mated with titanium threaded parts, with ACME threads, so there isn't the constant feeling of cross threading the Ultem plastic, like every time I put the cap back on my Vac 1.0. I'm still careful whenever I screw the cap on any of my pens, regardless of material or brand, but I'm extra careful with threads on my non metal pens.
So, if like the Vac 1.0, you're going to love Vac 2.0, because I believe all of the Vac 1.0's shortcomings were addressed. If you thought you might like the Monster, but thought it's too big or pricey for you, the Vac 2.0 is the perfect fit. Still more ink capacity than most fountain pens, including many dedicated eyedropper pens, yet almost the same size as a regular full size pen. Robust construction, high quality materials, flawless fit and finish.

Picture shows (from left to right):
Gravitas Sentry in Ultem
Ultemate Vac (Vac 1.0)
Vac 2.0
The Monster

Gravitas - Vac 2.0 Grade 5 Titanium | Machine Finish

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Diamine - Desert Rose | Exclusive Pen Venture | - Bottled Ink 80 ml

Garo

Desert Rose is a beautiful, elegant ink with a soft dusty rose color that stands out from the typical reds and purples. I currently have it inked in my Laban, and it’s a perfect match. The ink has excellent flow, looks sophisticated on the page, and gives the pen a unique personality. It’s a color that always catches my eye when I flip through my notebook.

Diamine - Neptune Blue | Exclusive Pen Venture | - Bottled Ink 80 ml

Garo

A beautiful saturated blue that strikes a great balance between professional and vibrant. It has excellent flow, good lubrication, and behaves well on quality paper. If you enjoy rich blue inks without venturing into teal territory, this is a fantastic exclusive.

Gravitas - Vac 2.0 Filing System Tool

Garo

Simple but worth having. It makes maintenance much easier and fits the Vac 2.0 perfectly. It’s one of those accessories you may not use often, but when you need to disassemble the pen for cleaning or servicing you’ll be glad you have it.

Gravitas - Greasing Oil

Garo

Works exactly as intended. A tiny amount keeps the vacuum mechanism operating smoothly and helps maintain the seal. Nice to have the manufacturer-supplied lubricant since you know it’s compatible with the pen.

Herbin - Les encres creations d'artistes - Shogun 50ml Fountain Pen Ink

Garo

One of the most unique inks I own. It’s a deep black with an incredible gold shimmer that looks elegant rather than flashy. Flow has been excellent in broader nibs and the shimmer stays well suspended with a quick swirl. On Tomoe River paper it really comes alive. Definitely one of my favorite shimmer inks.

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