Your impartial and comprehensive review site for writing instruments

A fine entry indeed: the Gravitas Entry

There’s really very little I can think of to criticise about the Gravitas Pens Entry. As I said in this video, comparing several pens from the Gravitas range, these are mature and well thought-out designs that are basically flawless in execution.

With that TL;DR out of the way, let’s talk about this model in a little more detail.

I have two Entry pens here: one purple aluminium, which retails at 65 euros, and one in raw stainless steel, at 70 euros. Both have stainless sections with black PVD coating and a micro-ribbed texture. All the parts are interchangeable, so the primary difference between the two is weight.

The stainless version is 62g capped and 39g uncapped, which is pretty heavy; the alu version is 24g uncapped, and thanks to the stainless section all that weight is at the nib end. It makes for an exceptionally flickable, agile feel that actually took a while to get used to.

The Entry is, like all full-length Gravitas pens, a cartridge converter, with converter supplied, and a JoWo steel #6 nib. The nibs on my review samples are pristine unbranded, no curlicues, which I find fits the minimalist aesthetic of the pen perfectly. The only branding on the whole pen is the super-subtle Gravitas logo on the cap lip.

The Entry is a much slimmer pen than its big brother the Sentry, and the original Gravitas pen. But there are no compromises: it still has a very long and comfortable section; the texture on the section is just perfect, grippy without being abrasive.

The section ranges from 11mm diameter down to 9.5mm at the pinch near the nib end, which is just a tiny bit narrower than I prefer.

The barrel is under 12mm wide at its thickest, which is pretty slim indeed, but the cap posts very deeply and makes the Entry feel much more substantial. I’m not a poster, but for this pen I might make an exception.

The aluminium version has a satin texture, and the metallic purple is very purple indeed, a true imperial purple, not leaning too red or too blue. It’s Joker suit purple.

The raw stainless is left with some consistent light concentric machining marks. I’m glad it’s not polished, because it would pick up scratches fast.

The section, as I said, is black on both pens, and that is perhaps my main aesthetic criticism. I would have liked the choice of a raw stainless finish or even body-colour on the aluminium version.

These are generally very tactile, comfortable pens. The threads are spot on under the fingers, and there’s no barrel step. The end of the section is chamfered, the cap lip is thin but not sharp, and the curve of the cap and taper to the barrel are very pleasing to run your fingers over.

The Entry is a pen that just looks and feels right. The only exception is the sharp point on each end of the pen. It looks great, but it jabs.

You won’t find a clip on these pens, and I’ve kept them in a drawer mostly when not in use, so I haven’t exactly put them through EDC hell. But the anodising and DLC finishes are holding up very well indeed.

In practical terms, I’m thrilled to report that the caps spin off as if they’re oiled — two and a quarter turns to uncap, but give them a whirl and they spin off in a moment on their own. Capping is snug and they’re completely airtight, no drying out at all. And for writing? The two nibs, EF and B, were perfect out of the box, no adjustment needed. Gravitas tunes and tests every nib before dispatch. Otherwise you know exactly what you’re getting: these are JoWo steel nibs, they’re like a pair of old slippers.

So: £60ish gets you a very competent metal pen, with a tuned nib, refined design, and high quality finishing… from a small Irish business that works hard to innovate and support the community. If you like a slimmer design, and the weight at the nib end of the pen, the Entry will suit you down to the ground. There’s really very little to complain about. Can’t say fairer than that.

I was sent these pens to review by Gravitas. You can get yours here. If you want to avoid the vagaries of shipping, stacked nib lunatic Jose Munuera will be at the London Pen Show this weekend with some Gravitas models for sale. Worth a punt, I think.

2 Comments

  1. David Firman

    An excellent, to the point, review of an excellent pen. I have three Gravitas pens: an Original (aka “Flagship”) in black, an Entry in Teal and a Pocket in raw copper which is developing a fascinating patina. All three pens do the job for which they were designed, namely putting ink onto paper, comfortably, without fuss and in a consistently reliable fashion. What more does one need?

  2. Charles

    Have to agree and excellent pen have recently added a Sentry (Skittle) and Fountain pen (Blue). Love using all three, they are comfortable in the hand and write really well – what more can one ask. Well Done Ben Walsh!!
    Anthony, thank you for another excellent review and for pointing me in the direction of Gravitas.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

© 2024 UK FOUNTAIN PENS

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑