Review: Staedtler Initium Metallum Fountain Pen @Penworld_be @STAEMars

Thank you to Pen World for sending this pen for review. Hang on to your... pens. This pen will be given away on Serious Nibbage. Thank you to Pen World!

ABOUT

Body Material: Anodized aluminum
Trim: Chrome
Length (capped): 136.7 mm/5.38''
Length (uncapped nib-end): 124.0 mm/4.88''
Length (posted): 152.6 mm/6.00''
Barrel Diameter: 9.4 - 12.2 mm/0.37'' - 0.48''
Section Diameter: 8.8 - 10.2 mm/0.34'' - 0.40''
Nib material: Steel
Weight (all): 52 g
Weight (cap): 24 g
Weight (body): 28 g
Fill type: Cartridge/converter
Price: €150
Where to buy: Pen World

PACKAGING

This pen was packaged in a rectangular box. Outside, there was a white sleeve marked with Staedtler. Inside, there was a box held shut by an elastic. The box is engraved with Staedtler Premium Initium. Inside, the pen sits in a felt nest. That can be removed to reveal a box of cartridges, and the paperwork to go with your pen. Simple packaging, and I like that a whole box of cartridges came with it, instead of just a single cartridge. More bang for your buck!

APPEARANCE

The Initium Metallum is a pretty nice looking fountain pen. It is round, tapering towards the back end, with a round, wide cap. The back end is flat and blunt, with a chrome end plug.The finial is matte silver with the Staedtler logo engraved in it. The clip is very interesting, attached to the ring around the top of the cap. It is straight and blocky, extending to the end of the cap. The cap is engraved with Made in Germany. The section is smooth and round, tapering towards the nib and ending in a ridge before the nib. The barrel is a brushed metal that reminds me of the Lamy 2000 makrolon, except in steel. It's an interesting texture and I think the overall appearance of this pen is great - it's clean and modern, but doesn't look weird.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The steel nib is a broad, with a single slit and breather hole. The nib is engraved with the Staedtler logo and the nib size. It's a very simple nib, aesthetically. I was really pleased and impressed with the performance of this nib. The nib is one of the smoothest steel nibs I've used, and it did not require any tuning. It was wet, smooth, consistent, and reliable. There were no hard starts or skips while I was writing. With pressure, there was a fair amount of line variation possible and the feed kept up well. Very impressive, and very pleasant.

I liked putting inks that shaded well and had sheens in this pen, as the wetness of the nib brought these qualities out and the inks looked great. That's the fun of the fountain pen! If you're looking for a smooth steel nib, this is one to consider.

IN HAND

The clip is lovely - it's designed to sit very close to the cap, so it doesn't stick out too far. I like how that looks on this pen. It's quite springy and easy to use. Great clip!

The section is slightly thin for my tastes and I found it a little slippery as well, because the weight of the pen behind it pushed it forward as I wrote. It was still usable because of the lip before the nib, so that was the saving grave for me when it comes to the section.

Unposted, I found the pen on the heavy side and pretty well-balanced. The cap did post by friction but this made the pen very top heavy and very unbalanced, so for me, I had to use the pen unposted.

For my comfort, I would prefer a section that was not so thin. Even if it still felt a little slippery, a thicker shape would likely provide a more comfortable grip for me. I love how all the seams came together - it made the pen feel really nice while holding it and using it. There were no sharp bits.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

A really good-looking pen, seamless, modern, well-designed, with a superb steel nib. I love the nib - smooth, wet, springy, consistent! The major downside for me was the section being too thin, but I did not find it overly uncomfortable, and the pen was still usable for longer writing sessions; it's just that it wasn't my preferred shape.

I received this pen free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion. There are no affiliate links in this review. This pen will be given away on Serious Nibbage!