Space Pen? Space pen! Benu Astrogem Midas

Pen reviews and space, what else does one need

I remember that time when the Pen Addict podcast placed a moratorium on all things Sailor just because the brand came out with a new color way about once a week. I don’t feel like it’s a stretch to say there are more colors of Sailor pens than meteors hitting the Earth; indeed, I am at fault as I’ve tried to collect some of them Manyo finishes, then Cocktail series (the originals, not the gin or tequila sunrises or whatever else), then Moonlight/Sunlight/Daylight over the ocean, and those that look like…

I digress. My point is, Sailor have been the ones with so many new releases that the market got oversaturated, and yours truly now has a haphazard collection of random pens of theirs (but they sparkle). My latest obsession, though? Space themed pens. I know y’all are surprised after that Benu Beam Me Up that I’d save from a house fire before my own cat.

Speaking of Benu, what hit the spot was the fact said Armenian based pen makers then decided to meteor shower us with more and more finishes, and then a new model: the Astrogem Collection. Now my concern is the fact they’re coming out with so many different finishes in such a quick succession that they may be working against themselves, but some of us are pretty happy to see such glorious variety. Especially if the variety also means we’re getting something completely unexpected, and it’s not the Spanish Inquisition.

So, when the collection inspired by the 'Oumuamua asteroid/space object thingy was announced, my very short attention span immediately switched from Sailor to Benu. Again.

It’s not the finish, it’s the shape, I told myself, as I pined and sighed and deliberated and accidentally added one by one to the cart. I swear I just wanted to see how they looked like checked out, you know?

Of course I got one. Now, my first choice, if I had no other pen, would be Echo or Leto; however, I already have quite a few blue and green pens (ew green), so I went ahead and got a maroon and orange and green pen instead, and let me tell you, it is NOT my color (shock, I know). If I could go back in time, Echo or Leto it would have been, and to heck with having too many blue pens.

But boy, does Midas look good on my desk.

Midas in all its glory.

You can’t really tell there’s maroon on the body, so just take my word for it. It was the name that made me get it, though, and I will not be fact checking what specific space object it was named after, instead going with the belief the name came from the mystical King Midas. Because, my friends, this pen is a chonky boi and a king amongst pens.

The intimidating, bulky cap is decently different from most pens, and it’s safe to say it’s fairly new to the scene. For example, 4th Kind Pens and Mayfair Pens do ‘odd’ shapes, but when it comes to pens that are made in bigger batches, this pen is definitely unique enough to catch even the most staunch anti-Benu pen addicts’ attention. When you google the asteroid and put this pen next to the photo of it, they definitely look alike, at least in shape. I kinda don’t think the asteroid is orange and maroon though.

If I’m being honest, if they named this pen Scepter (and I know they have the Scepter model), I would’ve been happy as well. Or maybe a Baseball Bat. But 'Oumuamua is a cool name too.

The pen is smaller than the Euphoria model, thus also almost as big as the Talisman; and, as most Benu pens, it’s relatively light for its size, despite the bulky appearance. I mean, it’s definitely lighter than the asteroid, but I’ve also never handled an asteroid, so YMMV. Midas is absolutely well balanced, and a joy to hold and use and look at. Especially if you like moss green and orange.

Two Stans and an Ollie, it seems; left to right, it’s Talisman (Four Leaf Clover), Astrogem (Midas), Euphoria (Beam me Up).

The Schmidt #6 nib (very likely made by Jowo, of course) also does not disappoint. I went with an M and it lays a nice, wet line, which also means the subpar paper in the notebooks I get at work cannot handle this pen. Regardless, there’s that lovely feedback and consistency that I’ve come to expect from every nib in Benu pens.

Uncapped Talisman, Astrogem, Euphoria.

The threads are prominent on the end of the grip, but you really won’t be holding the pen there. It would be silly. The grip is not slick; it’s comfortable and smack in the middle between too thick and too narrow. It doesn’t make my hand cramp.

The cons? Friends, just go with the color that speaks to you. Don’t be me. Despite my fantastic taste in breakfast foods, I’m not that smart. The color ways are quite striking, so apart from Midas, you have Apollo (basically if Spider-Man was a pen), Echo (blue and gold), Juno (pink), Leto (grey and greenish), and Pallas (blue and silver and quite regal), so there has to be at least one that speaks to you. When it comes to Midas though, if you’re expecting a lot of bling, you may be disappointed, as this pen is less blingy than most Benu pens, but there is still some glitter coming through that would potentially draw too much attention in, say, a meeting. Then again, if I see a cat in someone’s lap during a Zoom meeting, I’m gonna be looking at the cat, not at any pen in the world. If you do in person meetings, don’t be a boomer; but also, you will absolutely draw attention to the pen. If you like that, though — it’s probably not a con then.

So: not that many sparkles, yet the pen is still striking, and it’s not just because of the shape? Of course. There is chatoyance, and a bit of iridescence, and should you hold it in the sun and be stunned? Absolutely. You will undoubtedly love how it looks in the sun.

Would I recommend this pen? Yeah, I would. I think it’s worth it, especially if you already have a Benu and want to spice things up, or if you want to put a Lego mini figure on it and have it kinda sit there while you’re working. New Benu pen lovers, or those who are just starting with the brand, would also enjoy the pen, but it may be a bit overwhelming with how the bulky cap is.

I wouldn’t recommend launching this pen across the room despite its spacelike nature; I’m assuming it would break.

What’s your favorite space pen? Comment down below for a chance to have me probably also want to get the same pen.