REVIEW: KARAS PEN CO. INK V2 FOUNTAIN PEN

It was only very recently that I familiarized myself with the Karas Pen Co. INK fountain pen - A metal pen I considered buying at least a million times, because what metal pen collection would be complete without. A few months ago, I traded pens with a member of the Dutch FPNL Facebook group for a brass INK. A few weeks after that, Karas introduced the special edition Ink Pony Express, a precursor for the INK V2 that arrived just this week! So I OBVIOUSLY had to give that one a try as well, to see what's new! 

When Karas sent over one of these special edition Pony Express pens, my initial intention was to review it as such, showing the Pony Express with all the accompanying paraphernalia that come with the pen, referencing the short-lived horse-powered courier service connecting Missouri and California from 1860 to 1861. For super-speedy deliveries...in just ten days! (Given the instant gratification zeitgeist, I find the story of Pony Express delightfully ironic). But of course, me being slower than a sloth on sleeping pills (I felt like doing an alliteration!), this limited edition sold out long before I was ready to post about it. So instead, I decided to make this review about my first experience with the Karas Pen Co. INK fountain pen, and how V2 improves on it! 

The INK V2 is - IMHO- a pretty significant update over the previous version. And yet, from the outside you won't be able to tell the two apart. The INK has always been a rather unique and recognizable pen though, so I think it's good that they kept the rugged, industrial design language unchanged. While I wouldn't describe the design as 'minimal', the overall shape of the pen is kept very simple, with a straight cylindrical cap, and a featureless, round barrel that tapers slightly towards the back. 

The attention is immediately drawn towards the top of the cap, where the interesting stuff is happening: The massive stonewashed clip made from thick stainless steel (note: the Pony Express has a similarly styled clip, made out of titanium) makes the entire design of the pen. The clip runs through the cap finial (extending a millimeter or so above the finial itself), and is attached by two hex screws that are prominently visible from the side of the cap.

Pony Express/V2 (top) vs. old INK (bottom), a noticeably beefier profile

When I think of Karas products, I think chunky and rugged vintage industrial looks, and the clip perfectly ties the INK in with that philosophy. Rugged is a keyword here, as it certainly doesn't look like the sort of clip that'll bend or break. It's a rather stiff clip, but the shape makes it surprisingly easy to use. On an interesting side-note, I noticed that the new clip has a noticeably thicker profile than on the old INK. I'm not sure if that design carries over to the steel clips on the INK V2, or if it's specific to the titanium clip of the Pony Express?

L to R: Ensso Piuma, Namisu Nova, Karas INK, INK V2, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The INK is a beefy pen, but in a side-by-side comparison it's surprisingly not that large. With a length of 13.8 cm/ 5.245", it's only as long as a Lamy 2000. Without the cap, the INK measures 12.7 cm/ 5",  a comfortable size for my hand. With a maximum diameter of almost 1.5 cm/ .575" though, the INK certainly is a lot thicker than that Lamy 2000. 

The INK isn't just beefy, it's also heavy. The aluminium version weighs a little over 40 grams, hefty but probably still comfortable for a lot of people. The Pony Express I have in my hand is made of bronze, which is comparable to the 'standard edition' brass and copper INK V2 in terms of weight. All three of these surpass 110 grams total, which makes this probably one of the heaviest pens I've ever used. It's very heavy, for sure. And yet it's still surprisingly manageable, which I think is at least partially because of the comfortably shaped section design that provides a positive grip on an otherwise slick, metal pen. The cap does not post, but I never missed that.

V2 on top, old version below

We're getting to the meat of this review, and why the INK V2 is such a drastic improvement over the previous version. Through some clever internal reshuffling underneath the cap, the inside of the INK looks drastically different from what we're used to seeing. The 'old' INK was one of the first pens to my knowledge that implemented a full-sized #6 nib into a pen that was originally designed to hold a smaller #5 nib (Let's not forget, the pen I now call 'old' is actually already an updated version, that came out back in 2015, 2 years after the original). To make space for the nib, it was recessed 5 mm into the section. 

In the meantime, Karas Pen Co. started doing custom laser-engraved designs on their nibs, so it's only reasonable that they'd like to show it off as best as they can. The section is therefore made shorter about 2 mm, and the nib itself extends 2mm further, relative to the rest of the pen. The section retains the same pinched shape but is actually more comfortable to hold, and that has everything to do with the threads right behind it. 

The threads were redesigned completely, which is the biggest merit of the INK in my opinion. The old threads were extremely sharp and I found them genuinely bothersome in my grip. The redesigned block threads have a shallow and flat profile, making them very unobtrusive. It's a night and day difference over the old design and a welcome change. The step behind said threads is still very much present and remains noticeable in the hand, but the edge is rounded enough to the point where it's not uncomfortably sharp. 

Inside the cap, the V2 brings another change that has already been implemented on other Karas pens: the 'Sta-Fast' cap system, as they call it. "The what now?" It's essentially just a rubber O-ring on the inside of the cap, right behind the threads. It catches on the section with just the right amount of friction to give a very satisfying resistance to the final quarter turn when capping and uncapping the pen. Not only does it make the cap stay put  (indeed somewhat of an issue on the old INK), it also creates an airtight seal to keep the nib from drying out. Nifty!

Overall, aside from the improvements that the V2 brings, It seems to me that the machining quality and finishing has also been bumped up a notch. Machining lines are still visible (giving the typical 'brushed' finish that pretty much all metal pens have) but the finish is much tidier and consistent across the entire pen. A few sharp edges here and there that I noticed on my old INK have also been addressed in the new version.

The nib, as mentioned, received an aesthetic overhaul with a completely laser-etched design that spans the entire surface of the nib. They started offering in the most recent years (my REVIEW of the Karas Vertex was the first time I saw them IRL), and it's a breath of fresh air amidst all those JoWo nibs with a mismatch of traditional stamped scrollwork and a tiny laser-etched logo in the middle (you'll undoubtedly know what I'm talking about). 

Underneath the very clean design, it's a stock Bock nib though. But! BIG BUT! Karas has taken on to individually testing and adjust each and every nib that leaves their factory. A small test sheet included with the pen reminds you of the extra mile Karas went into providing a more hassle-free writing experience. With Bock having the hit-or-miss reputation that it does, I can't stress enough how much peace of mind this brings (also for me as a reviewer, because I feel much more at ease recommending a Bock nib if I know it has been individually tested and adjusted!).

The QC shows, because the writing experience has been nothing short of excellent! The steel medium nib is glassy smooth yet remains surprisingly responsive at the same time. The nib lays down a true-to-size line. Ink flow is balanced, very consistent, and doesn't run dry even with fast writing. No skipping or hard starting to speak of, either (the latter probably in part due to the Sta-Fast cap!). Color me impressed.

It's taken me a while before trying the INK, but I'm glad I finally did! The design strikes me as typically Karas: rugged, definitely EDC-minded, but also with a quirky or unique edge that sets it apart - In this case, the unique clip that really ties together the entire design for me.

What's more impressive, is that Karas basically took every point of criticism I would've had about the old model, and improved on it, creating a pen that leaves me surprisingly little opportunity to fault it. Build quality and overall fit and finish are excellent, and clever details like the Sta-Fast cap and redesigned section and threads show the amount of thought that went into this redesign. Where I would've had my doubts with the original INK, the INK V2 is now a pretty comfortable pen to use - perhaps not perfect, but definitely much improved. And last but not least, the individually checked and tuned nibs are a fantastic selling point in and of itself. 

The Karas Pen Co. INK V2 starts at 95$ for the aluminium base model, and goes up to 185$ for the copper version. That's considerably more expensive than comparable metal pens from other brands. If I were reviewing the old INK, I would've made cost an issue (perhaps it's the reason why I held off on this pen for so long?). But in the case of the INK V2, I think the price is more than justified.

This product was sent to me by Karas Pen Co. so I could write this review. 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.