Review: Constellation 88 Crux Pocket Pen

Have you heard of Constellation88?

If you’d asked me that question a few months ago my answer would have been a resounding no. But instagram has brought a lot of small and new brands to my attention lately and this was one of them. All the way from Mumbai India comes this very cute pocket pen.

Called the CRUX in honor of the same constellation found in the milky way, it’s made of a multi-colored checkered resin and it fits in the palm of my hand. Those vibrant blues and reds and yellows were what initially drew me to this pen. I also liked the idea of a pocket pen that once posted becomes the size of a regular pen.

Yes, I like the size of pocket pens for travel purposes, but for writing purposes not so much. So the fact that this pen solved that issue was one of the reasons I purchased it. It’s also beautiful to look at!

Now the tiny hiccup here is, the nib is medium.

All the pens come with a medium nib. There was no area to select the size of the nib while purchasing. It’s one size fits all for the Crux and luckily it was a nib size that I usually like to use. True it’s slightly finer than I want, but otherwise the pen is exactly what it seems. As long as it writes, it’s done its job, otherwise there isn’t anything particularly special about the nib itself.

Over all, it’s very light weight, perfectly palm sized, and works right out of the box. BUT, and this is a big but, it doesn’t come with an ink converter. And since the barrel of the pen is so short, I will admit I had a moment when I thought none of my other converters would fit. Luckily the tiny Kaweco converter came to the rescue. Thank god! It fits perfectly inside the pen with no issues.

At $88 which includes worldwide shipping, I’d say that’s not a bad deal. For me this pen was kind of like a taste test. I wanted to try it out without dropping loads of money on the first try. I like what I’m seeing so far.

The color, is really spectacular.

If you aren’t aware, Constellation88 also makes custom hand-painted pens as well, so check that out for yourself, it’s worth a look.

Another that I especially liked was the Elements pen in Bromine. Turns out, this is a brand I’m gonna keep my eye on.

Thank You For Reading!