Rubato Pen Studio is a one-woman pen maker who I have met at both the California and SF Pen Show. I am totally enamored with the designs she creates and the experimentation she is employing in her pen development. She comes from a calligraphy background and is definitely an artist (she drew the adorable cat sketch pictured above) so what she is creating are pens that help creative people use fountain pen(-ish?) pens for their creative endeavors. I was initially taken with her use of color and inclusions in her resins. There are pale translucent colors with glitter and creamsicle swirls. She has added wildflowers, leaves, seeds and charm inclusions into some of her pen designs.
The pens are tiny but the caps thread onto the body to create a longer, more comfortable writing experience.
The prices for a complete pen range from about $90-$150 depending on the pen, nib unit and add-ons.
What continues my excitement and enthusiasm for her work is her innovations in nibs and her amazing ink caps made of a clear plastic material with pyramid-like hollows like the back of an alligator that hold ink and look SOOOO COOL!
When ink is flowing, the ink pools into the folds of the ink cap (What should this be called?!?! According to her web site, it’s an “upper reservoir” but I like Ink Alligator!) allowing the pen to be used for longer periods of time as a dip pen or with the ink cartridge without as much of the railroading that can often happen with more flexible nibs if the feed cannot keep up.
The map nib unit holds a smaller than normal dip nib called a map nib for its extra-extra fine lines often used for details on (you guessed it) maps. The map nibs can be quite scratchy and are not for the faint of heart. They are great for detailed linework in sketching and drawing.
I absolutely love using the G nib unit. I had no issues with railroading while using it and I find the G nibs to be pretty smooth to use. The map nib is scratchy for me (lefty here!) but it was not ink starved, just very freakin’ pointy. The incredibly fine line of the map nib has its appeal in some cases but I would not recommend this as an everyday writer or for a newbie.
In general, there is some play to the flex nib units on the Rubato pens so I wouldn’t recommend them to a new fountain pen user in general. If you love the look of these pens, I would recommend starting with her standard Schmidt nib unit to get the great looks with a more traditional nib. If you’e ready to experiment with flexible nibs, then the G nib unit is amazing but may require a little adjustment here and there (the nib and upper reservoir/alligator are friction fit and held to each other with a silicone rubber band which can require being reset or adjusted if it’s been cleaned or bumped. It’s not a big deal but it’s something more experienced fountain pen users will be more familiar with (“are the feed and nib fully inserted into the housing?” type of knowledge) and may require getting your fingers a little inky.
Overall, the Rubato Pen Studio pens and nibs are some of the most unique and innovative that I’ve seen in the maker markets this year. Hopefully, Rubato Pen Studio will be at the California Pen Show in February next year with more of her amazing, unique creations.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Rubato Pen Studio for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
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