Benu Astro Gem Christmas Review: A Limited Edition Fountain Pen Built for the Holidays

Introduction

Benu, the Armenia-based pen maker, has released a limited edition holiday fountain pen called the Astro Gem Christmas, and it leans fully into festive flair. The pen arrives in a holiday-themed gift box complete with a ribbon so the packaging can even be hung on a tree. Inside, you get a standard Benu box, a standard international long cartridge, a use and care guide, and the pen itself in a card stock sleeve.

The Astro Gem Christmas sells for right around $160 through a large number of authorized Benu retailers, which puts it in line with the brand’s other offerings. It is a limited edition of 500 units, so if it is on your gift list, buying early matters both for availability and for shipping time before the holidays.

Design and Materials

The pen is based on Benu’s Astro Gem model, a multifaceted conventional shape that can look a bit haphazard at first glance but is actually rather symmetrical in its own unique way. The resin is fairly translucent, lighter and clearer near the tips, and progressively darker and more opaque toward the middle of the pen. Embedded in the material are small sparkles, silver foil, and large snowflakes.

Benu pens are known for a large amount of flair, and this one certainly qualifies. It will not suit every taste, but the brand has improved noticeably over the years at incorporating elements into their resins compared with their earliest, less refined offerings. The execution here is noticeably more polished.

Parts and Features

The rounded cap top carries a concentration of sparkle and transitions into an interesting clip that angles up slightly rather than running parallel to the cap. That clip is also hinged: pressing down on the top extends it, which eases use with materials of varying thicknesses. The cap is thick and bulbous, chiseling down near the end, debossed with the company name, and finished with a resin band that holds the limited edition number. The number is engraved and filled with silver lacquer, making it easy to read despite its small size.

A medium-sized step separates the cap from the barrel, which runs straight for about an inch and a half before tapering to a rounded end. The cap twists off in two rotations to reveal a Schmidt stainless steel number six nib, available in fine, medium, or broad; the review unit carries a broad nib. The section is a bit thin but comfortable, with a generous length, and there is a medium-large step up to the barrel.

The pen is long enough to use unposted, which is how it writes best. The cap does post, but the significantly wider cap gives it a mushroom look that some will not love. It accepts standard international cartridges, both long and short, and a converter is included. The barrel appears to be a one-piece construction, so eyedropping should theoretically work, but that is done at your own risk.

Writing Performance

The Schmidt stainless steel nibs have long been underrated, and this broad example is very pleasant. Line variation is minimal, but the broad nib is generous and the ink flow is very generous as well. Reverse writing comes out slightly sharper and lays down a nice medium line, and during fast writing the feed keeps up just fine.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The translucent-to-opaque resin gradient is a genuinely interesting touch, letting you glimpse a bit of the nib through the tip section before the material turns opaque toward the middle. The trade-off is that the flair-heavy design is polarizing, and the posted configuration is awkward. The thin section may also not suit everyone, though the generous section length compensates for many hand sizes.

Buying Advice

At around $160, the price sits comfortably alongside Benu’s other special releases, and the limited run of 500 units gives it genuine gift appeal. Since it arrived well before Thanksgiving in the US, it may feel early for a Christmas pen, but anyone planning to gift it should buy now to guarantee delivery in time for the holidays before it sells out.

Conclusion

The Benu Astro Gem Christmas is a very nice pen overall that fits well with its holiday theme. The refined resin work, hinged clip, comfortable unposted length, and smooth Schmidt broad nib make it easy to recommend to anyone who enjoys festive flair, whether as a gift or as a treat for yourself.