ENNSO PIUMA FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

How many times have I said that I like Minimalist design? Probably at least a million times, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the pen we're looking at today, the new ENSSO Piuma, is right up my alley! Ensso is a relatively young company, with this only being the second pen project from their hand. The Piuma is a clean, rounded cigar-shaped pen that fits in perfectly with their minimal design mindset. Just like their first pen project, the Piuma started out as a kickstarter campaign. 

Without a doubt, Minimal design is by far the most popular category among Kickstarter projects. Definitely not something I'll complain about, I'm a huge fan of simple and clean products. Of course that's a very personal opinion, if you don't get excited when you hear the word minimal, this might not be the pen for you. 

Minimal packaging with just a bit of bling in the branding

Talking about Kickstarter: I'm quite a fan! Despite not being a frequent backer, I do like it as a platform that enables creative people to start a business. The products that arise from it are often much more exciting than the things we see from established brands. It's like a breath of fresh air! I'm not saying ditch the established brands and let's all focus on Kickstarter products, but I do like the variety in products it creates.

But enough blabbing, let's take a look at the pens. I couldn't decide, so I got one of each metal finish availaible: matte black anodised aluminium, solid brass and solid titanium. Once again -this is something I always enjoy when a metal pen is available in different metal finishes- each metal has its own feeling, advantages, but also disadvantages.

The rounded shape is not only pleasing to look at, but also just fun to hold and play with in your hands. Minimal design is not everyone's cup of tea, yet the design of the Piuma is rather versatile and forgiving I think. It's hard not to like it once you pick it up, it's a shape that just...works. 

Whereas the Namisu Nova (another brilliant minimal design) has a lot in common with the Nakaya Piccolo, the Piuma could well be influenced by something like the Nakaya Cigar. It's funny how many similarities can be drawn between traditional Urushi pens, and modern minimal metal pens. Then again, it's undeniable that brands like Nakaya know a thing or two about pleasing designs, so perhaps brands like Ensso and Namisu are onto something, reaching back to those traditional influences.

The Ensso Piuma titanium next to the Namisu Nova titanium

As is always the case, there isn't much to say about the design of the pen. No flashy details, no unnecessary clutter here, just the bare minimum. The only detail on the outside of the pen is the small Ensso logo. It's neatly engraved near the bottom of the cap, and I think it is tastefully done without distracting from the minimal feeling. 

As I said, I always find it interesting how different materials make for an entirely different pen. The aluminium Piuma is understated and stealthy, especially with the black coated nib. The anodised finish is coarse and gives the pen a pleasant texture in the hand. But I do generally find the aluminium version perhaps a bit bland, compared to the other two. 

The brass version is more my kind of thing, Disclaimer: it's insanely heavy, but that's actually something I really enjoy. It just feels solid, and actually quite balanced in the hand, and the material on itself is stunning when it ages. 

Finally the titanium version, the most expensive of the three. Once again, I think the titanium version has the upper hand over the other metals. It's just a really good compromise between weight and comfort. Titanium metal has an interesting warm, slightly darker grey color compared to bare aluminium. Frankly, before I bought my titanium Namisu Nova, I thought titanium was a much darker grey metal. I thought it would look like those titanium bock nibs, which is a matte dark grey. But apparently the smooth machined finish makes it appear more silvery and shiny. I would like to see a pen manufacturer make a titanium pen that actually matches the finish of a titanium Bock nib, which I think shows off the material at its best.

One downside about the titanium version is that the block threads feel quite rough, and they make an annoying squeeky noise when opening and closing the pen. The aluminium version also has that 'gritty' feel, but it doesn't make that noise. Surprisingly the brass version has buttery smooth threads. The threads on the titanium pen seem to break in over time, and it has definitely improved, so I hope the squeeky noise goes away completely at some point (however, there's no telling how long that'll take).

Uncapping the pen, squeeky or not, reveals what I think is the strong suit of this pen. Ok the design and all is nice, but the section is really where the Ensso Piuma shines. Minimal design often implies simple shapes, yet the section of the Piuma is not simple and it still fits in perfectly with the overall design.

The section has a slight bulge, and it tapers down towards the nib with a flare at the end. Compared to the straight (and relatively short) section of the Namisu Nova, the Piuma has a huge advantage in terms of comfort. Inherent to the design of both pens (flush cap and barrel), there's a noticeable step behind the threads. Yet on the Piuma it doesn't give any issues, where the Nova kind of lacks in terms of comfort. The larger, and more comfortably shaped section make this an enjoyable pen to write with, despite being a metal section.

L to R: Kaweco brass sport, Baron Fig Squire, Namisu Nova, Ensso Piuma, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

In terms of size, the Piuma is a relatively large and bulky pen. It measures in at 14 cm (5.51"), and 12.8 cm (5.03") uncapped. The diameter of the widest part measures 1.5 cm (0.59"). The cap is not designed to be posted, but since this is a larger pen, I didn't have any issues using it unposted.

As for the weight, the aluminium of course comes in lightest, at 32g. The titanium weighs in at 54g, solid but balanced. And the brass is a hefty 94g. Safe to say if you generally like light, resin pens, you might want to stay away from the brass one.

Bock nibs: black coated steel, polished steel, titanium.

I may have said this before, and I'll repeat it now: I really like Bock's #6 nibs. I really do. I've gone from zero to about nine or ten in under a year, and so far I've had little to no issues with any of them. The broad steel nib I got on the brass Piuma had a slight baby's bottom to it, where it would occasionally hard start. Nothing a little micromesh couldn't fix, but that was pretty much the only issue I've had with any of these #6 nibs out of the box.

The black coated steel nibs are a bit coarser in the beginning when the coating still needs to wear off on the tipping, but other than that I couldn't notice any difference in performance to the steel or titanium nibs. The titanium nibs also have a bit more tooth to them, but if you want something with a little bounce, and even some decent line variation (if you know how to use it), they are well worth the premium. I did a quick comparison with a couple different nibs to show the flexibility of the titanium nibs, which is actually quite impressive when compared to a 600$ Aurora 88 Anniversario with a dedicated 'flexible' gold nib (you can see the impressive line variation in the comparison below).

Flexibility: (top to bottom) Bock #6 steel EF, titanium EF, titanium M, Aurora Anniversario 14k Super Flessibile F.

The Ensso Piuma is a very interesting pen. They nailed it on the minimal design, and managed to also make it a very comfortable pen to use. All three material options have their pros and cons, but as usual the titanium version comes out as the most versatile middle ground. I personally really like pens with Bock nibs due to the wide variety in sizes and materials, ranging from simple (but capable) steel, titanium for some flex, up to gold nibs (that I haven't tried yet).  

Prices vary based on the material and nib options, with base prices (steel nib) of 79USD (aluminium), 99USD (brass), or 139USD (titanium), the titanium nibs command a 40 dollar premium. Pricing is fair (quite comparable with other similar machined metal pens), given the quality of the Piuma, and the fact that they are designed and made in the USA. The latter definitely being worth a premium if supporting local businesses is something you care for. 

Note: I received a discount on the purchase of this product from Ensso. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.