Fountain Pen: PenBBS 535 - Year of the Ox
- whimsicaleccentric
- Jan 21
- 3 min read
VISUAL
It makes me weirdly happy to try out pens that do things completely differently. The PenBBS 535 is such a quirky and unique take on pen design! This pen was released in 2021 for the Year of the Ox. It features an ox engraved on the rose gold nib, as well as a small engraving of an ox on the cap and another on the finial.
This pen has a short cap and the most adorable 'clip' that is functionally just a roll stop. A labradorite cabochon is set into the clip. I love labradorite, and I was so happy to see a slight bit of the flashy 'labradorescence' in this stone.
The pen is a very long pen. The cap is just large enough to cover the nib, threading into the nib end of the flared section. The entire section is left uncovered. It widens to smoothly transition into the barrel, which features a huge ink chamber. There is a faceted rose gold band right before the concave piston knob.
TACTILE
The constantly changing yet smooth width of this pen feels very interesting in the hand. I feel like every choice in this pen's design reminds me of how long it is. It's an interesting experience! In actuality it's about the same size as a posted LAMY Safari, but it feels like it should be longer. It's a comfortable pen in the hand, and it's so satisfying to not have threads or a step up between the section and the barrel.
PRACTICAL
This nib is slightly upturned and a bit dry. It's not my favorite nib, but because of the engraving I don't particularly want to swap it out for another PenBBS nib. The rose gold finish is also fading from most of the nib, leaving it a bit blotchy.
The tiny cap screws on to post and weighs next to nothing compared to the rest of the pen.
I really like this pen's unique mechanism. The pen is a dual chamber piston filler, which means that when the piston knob is fully screwed in, a seal separates the small upper chamber, nib, and feed from the rest of the ink in the pen. Most of the ink is then sealed away from air and the risk of evaporation. In exchange, you have to keep an eye on the amount of ink in the upper chamber as it can be exhausted pretty quickly if you're writing a lot. These types of rods are more common in vacuum fillers or eyedropper-designed pens. The way that this pen handles being a piston filler is that you need to fully retract the rod, then rotate it the opposite direction to screw it into a piston seal at the base of the ink chamber. Once that is engaged, it acts as a really large piston filler. It can be a bit tricky to figure out what direction to rotate, and again which direction disengages the piston action. It's so interesting, though!
STATISTICAL
Pen Measurements:
Weight: 27.87g
Weight of Cap: 4.5g
Length Capped: 160mm
Length Uncapped: 153mm
Length Posted: 166mm
Nib: 6mm 'Fine' Steel
Body Style: Cinched
Fill Method: Piston
Fill Volume: 3ml
Comparison Pens: Pilot Metropolitan, LAMY Safari
OVERALL
Pros:
Huge ink capacity!
Unique take on a filling mechanism is actually pretty fun to use
Cons:
Dry nib has some flow issues
Some patina or fading already showing on nib
This is a pen that asks you to be very dedicated to an ink color. If you ink it up, it will remain inked for ages! It has its eccentricities, but this is probably still my favorite PenBBS pen to date.
DISCLAIMER: Pens and inks purchased by myself. Photos and opinions are my own.
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