The New Edison Minas

Disclaimer:  I have not been compensated for this review and am not related to Brian Gray or the Edison Pen Company. These pens are owned by the Edison Pen Company.  I have been offered the opportunity to buy one or both of the pens, which are the subject of this review, at a discounted price.

[You can click on any of the photos to enlarge for more detail]

When I attended the NYC Pen Show back in October I had the great pleasure of meeting Brian Gray, of Edison Pen Company, and his lovely wife, Andrea (they are two of the nicest people you will ever meet).

While I was there, Brian gave me a sneak preview of the new model that he was working on and asked me if I would be interested in testing and reviewing it on my blog.  I am honored that he thinks a review here at WHATEVER is worthy of his beautiful pens.

Brian introduced the new Mina models on November 30 on Goulet Pens Write Time.  He also showed me a photo of the new overlay pen that he's planning (I can't wait to see that pen in real life).

Last week the Mina's for review arrived on my doorstep and I have been carrying and using them for the past week, so as to get a real feel for the pens.  Brian was extremely generous and provided me with one of each of the new Mina models, the standard Mina in Cappuccino Flake acrylic and the extended Mina in Black Acrylic.

These are extremely elegant pens.  The first thing you will notice is that these pens have no clip.  I honestly am not sure if the will ever be available with a clip as the tapering toward the center of the pen would not be particularly conducive to a clip.

The other thing I want to point out, if you are someone who absolutely MUST post the cap on their pens, you will not like this model.  It simply cannot post.  The opening of the cap is smaller than the end, posting is not possible.

Now, my two cents worth.  First, I'm not a big fan of pocket clips so the fact that this pen has no clip does not bother me.  I like the clean elegant lines that are provided by a pen without the clip, especially on Brian's pens.  Second, I NEVER post.  This is a carryover from shorthand class, where I was taught that the cap on the end of the pen disturbed the balance and so posting was a no-no.  So another non issue for me.

The next two photos will give you some size perspective.

From top to bottom: Visconti HomoSapiens, Edison Mina extended, Edison Huron bulb filler

From top to bottom: Lamy Safari, Edison Mina standard, Pelikan M200

Although a much slimmer pen, the Edison Mina extended is by no means a small pen, measuring 5-7/8" capped, while the Mina standard measures 5-1/8" capped.  Both of these pens provided extremely comfortable writing experiences and I was able to write with them for extended periods with no issues.

Brian provided two distinctly different writing experiences with these pens also.  The extended Mina featured a monster 1.9mm italic calligraphy nib.

This is definitely a specialty nib and not an everyday writer.  Now, if you are not familiar with the way that Brian produces his pens, these nibs are completely interchangeable by simply screwing one nib out and a new one in, pretty much like a Pelikan or an Esterbrook.   This is just another wonderful feature of Brian's pens.

The standard Mina came with a beautiful 18k F nib.  Easily usable for everyday.

The Mina is an extremely worthy addition to the Edison line up and a great option for the writer who wants a fine custom pen with a smaller girth.  Don't forget that Brian makes these pens for you personally, so you pick your material, nib, etc and can even watch your pen being born (I have a video of my Huron's birth).