Review- Acriv Statement Titanium Nib

[Arijit]

In the Indian Pen Show in Mumbai this year, we got to know about a new fountain pen maker. Acriv, run by Mr. Ajay and Ms Diya Varodaria, introduced Titanium nibs to the Indian market.
Titanium nibs are not exactly new, but Acriv has two facts going for it. Firstly, Acriv is the only Indian manufacturer of Titanium nibs- Kanwrite has not officially released its titanium nibs yet. Secondly, all the pens cost around Rs. 1100-1600, i.e. 16-25$. A Bock titanium nib would cost around 55$. Anyway, Acriv has three models right now, a pocket pen, a clipless acrylic pen (Statement) and a translucent acrylic model.
Today I will be reviewing the clipless Acriv- the Acriv statement.

FIRST LOOK

The pen comes in a pouch, with a genuine leather pouch and a spare #6 steel nib.. Nothing much to unpack, just very securely packed. It looks absolutely gorgeous. There are four colour options, of which this is the pearl white version. The pearlescence is very difficult to how on camera, but it adds an extra depth to the brilliant colours.

 

SIZE

The pen is quite large- it is one of the largest pens I own.

The pen is compared to a Platinum 3776 and an ASA Azaadi.

 

CAP

The cap is a single acrylic piece with a spherical roll stopper and a breather hole. I think the pen dries up too fast with the breather hole, so I sealed it.

I haven't faced any burps yet.

 

NIB AND GRIP

The nib is an in-house untipped titanium nib and an ebonite feed, with all the benefits and issues of untipped nibs and titanium nibs. My nib showed insane skipping and drying out at first, so I tried to get it to work. In the process, I ended up bending the tines.

Thankfully, Ms Diya was kind enough to send me another pen (FOR FREE!!), and this one wrote well enough out of the box.

As for the original one, I experimented the hell out of it, grinding the nib to a stub, smoothing it out and heat setting the feed, and finally my nib is a gorgeous pseudo-1.1 mm, with insane ink flow.

The grip section is not too thick, and is long enough so that the big step between the grip and the body is not of any consequence.

 

BODY AND FILLING SYSTEM

A standard eyedropper filler, the body is made of a single piece of acrylic. The body is amazingly well smoothed, with no tool marks or other imperfections. It looks a bit like a tasty candy, tbh. I love it.

 

WRITING

The proof of the pen is in the writing.

I have reviewed both the default 'M' (a good F-M, in my opinion) tip, and my custom '1.1 mm' (effectively a broad with line variation) here.

The nib is rather dry, and somewhat dry, out of the box. Heat set the nib, and it is a juicy wet writer. It is quite bouncy too, but titanium nibs WILL get splayed if you flex it too far. It needs a bit of smoothing with a 5000 grit, but it will never be buttery smooth. It will have a bit of feedback, but it is not unwriteable by any stretch of the imagination.

The best part of the titanium nib is that you can use any ink you fancy. I have used IG inks, Krishna Kot Massi Permanant blue black to be exact. No problems AT ALL.

 

CONCLUSION

I got the pen for its gimmick- the titanium nib. If you are like me, then you do need a bit of work. Heat setting and smoothing IS required to optimize the pen.

The reason I stayed, and got another pair of Acriv pens, however, is because of how well-constructed the pen is. Sturdy, well made, attractive, with a titanium nib as a bonus, the pen is a great contender in the sub-30$ price range. If you want a nib that will just WORK, switch to the included #6 steel. But, spend one hour to optimize the nib, and it will be AWESOME.

The lack of a clip might be an issue with many. Well, you can get the Colour Snap clipped pen for a similar price. I will review it too, once I get it.

[SoulSamurai]

An affordable Indian titanium nib is interesting, but untipped? I'm not sure what to make of that.

 

Interesting review, thanks for posting.

[TheVintagelife]

Hey...thanks for the review. I was considering buying one of the Statement series pens. But I am a little unsure of the supplied nibs (both Ti and the steel one). Do you think they can be replaced by a Kanwrite nib if required?

 

Also, what did you use to plug that breather hole.?

 

Thanks in advance

Edited August 1, 2020 by TheVintagelife

[mssethi]

Hey...thanks for the review. I was considering buying one of the Statement series pens. But I am a little unsure of the supplied nibs (both Ti and the steel one). Do you think they can be replaced by a Kanwrite nib if required?

 

Also, what did you use to plug that breather hole.?

 

Thanks in advance

[mssethi]

You could use wax

[mssethi]

My Acriv Ti nib pen came yesterday.

The nib is not untipped, It surely has a tip which is integral to the nib. The tip has been formed from the nib sheet itself probably by some forming method. It is a very ingenious idea. All I had to do was heat set it and it works fine.

[mssethi]

 

Hey...thanks for the review. I was considering buying one of the Statement series pens. But I am a little unsure of the supplied nibs (both Ti and the steel one). Do you think they can be replaced by a Kanwrite nib if required?

 

Also, what did you use to plug that breather hole.?

 

Thanks in advance

[mssethi]

yes a kanwrite nib can replace the nib provided.

[Subashish]

The nib is untipped, but folded, which gives the impression of being tipped, and the required writing experience.