Blackstone Axiom Fountain Pen
Hello, a few months ago, Kevin from JustWrite was looking for pen testers to test/review Australian new Fountain Pen offerings… Blackstone brand. I jumped at the offer, I have been a huge fan of Blackstone inks for years now and I was seriously excited at the opportunity to try a Blackstone Pen. 
The Blackstone AXIOM model comes in Carbon Fibre and PU Leather finish. I went for the leather finish because I don’t have any other pen in leather finish and I was interested in experiencing that.
I received the pen just before the Holidays, timing was excellent since there was a couple of pen meets schedule during that time and I could give a pen a true “road test” across fountain pen lovers of every kind (and every taste). 
Specs of Blackstone AXIOM pen I received:
- Black PU Leather/Titanium finish
- Nibss: #6 Ruthenium Plated Jowo nib in B and 1.5 Italic
- Cartridge Convertor
First Impressions:
What can I say… I LOVE the looks of the pen!!!!!. Is dark and heavy and looks like a bad boy in leather (in comparison to the MB146 above... lol) 
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The ruthenium nib (dark gray) matches the titanium finish of the clip and bands perfectly. I tend to like the submarine-type of pens. There are a few flat tops I adore, but in general I tend prefer the cigar shape on pens. The AXIOM with its rounded finials (top and bottom) is very much to my liking.
The leather texture is an interesting one. It has an organic feel. Anyone who has an ebonite pen can relate a little to it. Ebonite has a warm/alive feeling in comparison to just normal resin. The leather has a textured feeling. You either love it or hate it. In my case I like it very much.
The pen is heavy. . again, one of those things that you either love or hate. I like heavier pens and totally dislike the very light ones. Weight is about 50g, which makes it on the heavier side of my pens (Oh yes.. I have heavier pens than that.. lol)
Nib Performance:
My personal taste is for Double Broads, Broad Stubs, Oblique Broads and Calligraphy nibs 1.1 and above. So yeah.. I do like BROADS… the bigger the better.. (You can tell I am not a man.. ). I requested the Broad and the 1.5 Italic nib.
The nibs come all fitted to a neck, so changing nibs is quite easy, just unscrew the neck/nib combo and screw the new neck/nib combo. Total foolproof.
Broad: I find this broad more on the Medium+ size. Not as broad as I would like.. but still bigger than a regular medium. Technically, the Broad size is usually the smallest nib size I like. Performance is good. From start, it wrote like a good ol’ Jowo nib. Pleasant experience. 
Calligraphy 1.5: This is definitely a favorite nib for me. Most times with Lamy and other pens that have a Calligraphy 1.5 nib, I find that they tend to run on the dry side. Is understandable, the nib requires more ink that a regular medium or fine, and most time the feed is not prepared to supply that amount of ink. The AXIOM with this nib works beautifully. Ink makes a difference and is very possible I just pair it with a great ink (Blackstone ink) because the nib just glides on the paper. I definitely like this nib.
Writing Experience:
I have been using this pen everyday since November. I already said I like the looks and feel, so the weight is not an issue for me. The pen has had several fills of Blackstone ink (some of my old Cashmere inks and some of the new Colors of Australia inks). These inks are overall on the wet side and the pen has taken them as a champ. Nibs have not received any adjusting from me and they just glide over the paper. The pen is definitely not postable, it becomes too back heavy if you post. I tend not to post my pens (unless they are too small), so no issues for me.
The section has a nice gentle slope that makes your finger feel comfortable there. The threads are not on the way, unless you grab your pen on the high side... which would be kind of wrong since the shape of the section makes you grab it on the right spot.
I do enjoy looking at the nib, I find the ruthenium matches the pen's looks and is a joy to see it when writing. The AXIOM has become my EDC pen. Only time will tell, but the finish of the pen makes it amazingly sturdy, it still looks like a brand new pen.
Road Test:
I received the Axiom just before the Holiday season. Timing was excellent because I was able to bring it to a few Pen Meets where several of the top connoisseurs of fountain pens in Toronto had the chance to play with it.
The name of well renowned connoisseurs of the Toronto area have been change to protect their identity.
- Terald – Is a fan of celluloids and precious resins… he found the pen on the heavy side, did not like the leather feel and overall he receded to his corner to caress his brightly colored “precious” pens…
- Lischy – Is a delicate lady, her taste goes in to EXTREME fine nibs and petite pens… of the Japanese persuasion… She was not a fan of the Axiom (especially with those BIG WET BROAD nibs) and she also receded to her corner the play dress up with her pens.
- Rags, Lanwar, Tyke and others .. gave the AXIOM a thumbs up!!.. They like the weight, feel and the overall look of the pen. These are big men with big hands.. and they appreciate a substantial pen.
I believe Rags was the one excited about being able to unscrew the bottom finial.. (pic below) He says that because of his big hands, is easier to fill the pen that way (removing the finial and holding the barrel instead of the tiny converter). That was a first for me, I had no idea you could do that. 
Conclusion:
All I can say, I enjoy the pen, but there are elements of this pen that makes it not suitable for everyone.
Overall, this being one of the first offerings from Australia, makes me excited to think what else will come…
Some funky takes with a couple of legendary pens... ... the AXIOM is in good company (Parker Duofold Centennial White Ivorine and Delta Dolcevita ORO Oversize)
C.
Edited by Cyber6, 10 February 2016 - 03:48.
