Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Aurora Nikargenta 88 Small Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

There's a blurry line between what qualifies a regular fountain pen as a luxury fountain pen, and it usually boils down to the eye of the beholder. After a certain price point, it becomes a subjective notion of how the pen makes you feel and other qualifications you grant it based on your own perceptions and experiences. There's plenty of times that I've looked at a pen that cost several hundred dollars and thought the pen didn't quite live up to the price. After all, it's just a pen, right? Sure. Then, you pick the pen up and start writing with it, and that price suddenly begins to match up with your perceptions.

The Aurora Nikargenta 88 Small is a fountain pen designed after a prestigious 1950s design that oozes class and elegance. From a distance, this pen looks like an average fountain pen, but it's anything but that. Every detail is covered and the writing experience is wonderful straight from the box. When I first handled the pen, I wasn't sure it would win me over. After inking it up and writing a few lines, it almost immediately found a permanent place in my lineup. Writing with this pen is pure joy.

Aesthetics

The Nikargenta 88 Small is a petite pen that sports a classic shape. I think the design is beautiful and timeless, and I think a lot of people agree. When handling the pen, it feels solid and well-made. There's no doubt in my mind that this pen would last a lifetime or more. The piano black finish and bright chrome trim make a statement that's hard to deny. Aurora did a great job with branding the pen — "Aurora" is imprinted on the cap band in a nice script. Apart from that, there is no other prominent branding. There's the scroll work on the nib, but that's normal for every pen maker. There is no etching or other markings on the pen.

The clip is stronger than it looks. In a lot of cases, it requires two hands in order to clip it on to a thick bag or case. Shirt pockets are no problem, though.

It's also surprisingly light, which is a great feature when writing. I'm not sure why I expected to be hefty, but I was happy to find the opposite was true.

The cap is a pressure fit, which means there are no threads on the section or body. For a sleek pen like this, that's a perfect design decision. I love the fact that there aren't any visible threads on this pen. Also, the friction on the cap is perfect — not too loose or tight.

Writing experience

This pen is an absolute joy to write with. The nib on this particular unit is a medium point, and it's smooth as silk. When writing with the pen, the plastic grip section provides a great feel and I haven't noticed any discomfort when using it for longer writing periods.

The feed system on this particular pen is astounding. It can deliver plenty of ink to the nib, which leans on the wetter side. I've a had a couple of incidents involving ink spitting out if the pen is uncapped quickly, but in normal use this wasn't a problem. Any pen with a wet feed is prone to hiccuping ink if slung around. There's never any skipping or slow starts with this pen — it's ready to go as soon as you are, and it keeps up with the fastest pace with ease.

The nib tuning is smooth and efficient. Apart from a more custom grind that I might prefer, this nib is perfect out of the box. The nib is made of 14k gold and features elegant scroll work along with the Aurora name and a "14K" stamp.

Writing with the pen is the exact subjective experience I mentioned above that elevates a normal fountain pen into the upper luxury price ranges. This pen feels luxurious, and it makes the price tag seem fair.

The nib is exceptional for writing purposes, and it also has a fair bit of flex if you apply moderate pressure. Nothing like a truly flexible nib, but more than you'd expect from a normal gold nib. It's definitely a good nib for showcasing inks that shade well.

You can use cartridges or the included cartridge-converter with this pen. The converter holds a good amount of ink, comparable with the Lamy size. It's a mixture of plastic and metal materials, which lines up with the overall price point of the pen.

Overall

The Nikargenta 88 Small follows a specific aesthetic design that you can find in other fountain pens, but I'd wager that you'll have a hard time finding another pen with equal quality and attention to detail as this one. For a luxury pen, it's on the lower side of the price scale, coming in around $350 at online retailers and $550 at full suggested retail. While not cheap, it's an incredible value for such an elegant and lovely pen. If you're in the market for a nice petite pen that features a timeless design, add this one to your list.

(Kenro Industries provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on October 12, 2016 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Aurora, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Aurora 88 Sole Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I've had my eye on the Aurora Sole (both the Optima and 88) for quite some time. In fact, I almost purchased the Optima Sole a few months ago, but couldn't decide between it and the 88. If I were to buy one, it probably would be the 88 simply because I like the shape of the pen, but the Optima Sole is just as beautiful and is certainly less expensive (if you can find one).

The Aurora 88 Sole is a limited edition of 888 pieces to celebrate Aurora's 70th anniversary of the 88 model. This limited edition pen comes with a high price tag, $895 retail, though most pen vendors sell it for a little less than that. It is currently $715 at Vanness Pens.

Made from marbled Auroloide (a cellulose acetate derivative), the pen looks as though it is lit from within. The material is absolutely stunning, especially in sunlight.

The cap finial, piston, and grip are made of black resin. The cap is encircled by Aurora's distinctive clip and a gold band inscribed with the Aurora name in cursive.

The limited edition number is engraved on the back of the cap near the finial in gold. This pen is number 242 out of 888.

Auroras come with a small ink window (about 5mm in width) that lets you keep track of how much ink is in the pen. But, if you run out, there's a reservoir with a bit more ink that will allow you to write one more page. Just unscrew the piston knob and keep writing. The piston works smoothly and draws in about 1.1ml of ink.

My favorite size nib in the Aurora line is the medium. It is smooth and stiff with just a hint of feedback typical of Aurora nibs. By "feedback" I don't mean "scratchy." Aurora nibs just have a tactile pull to them when you write. The scroll work on the nib is beautiful and that's one reason Aurora pens are among my favorite brands. Their nibs are still made in house and are outstanding.

The feed is made of ebonite and the nib size is imprinted on it.

The 88 is a cigar-style design well suited for most people. It's a medium-sized pen, measuring about 133mm capped, 128mm uncapped, and 155mm posted. Posting gives the pen more heft and length if you need that for comfortable writing. The 88 is slightly longer than the Optima, but when you compare them uncapped, the length from the tip of the nib through the grip is exactly the same. The difference in size is found in the length of the barrel.

The Aurora 88 is such a comfortable pen. The length and weight are perfect for my hand, and I love the raised lip design on the grip that keeps your fingers in place.

I think the Sole is one of the prettiest of all Aurora Auroloides. It is a bright marbled orange/yellow that simply glows. However, it should be noted that the Auroloide is translucent and the black portions of the pen show through. If you use a dark ink, that will show as well. I'm not bothered by the translucency, but some may think that the black showing through detracts from the beauty of the pen.

Pros

The Aurora 88 Sole is a beautiful limited edition fountain pen. Collectors will definitely want to have a pristine model for their collections, but it's too good of a writer to keep behind glass.
Aurora nibs are made in house and are exceptional both in design and performance.
I think the medium nib is the best size of Aurora nib, though I like the broad as well. It writes smoothly with just a bit of feedback.
The material on this pen is stunning. It is like carrying a ray of sunshine in your hand.
Aurora knows good pen design, and the 88 is a classic. The size is a perfect fit for most hands, and it's a piston filler (one of the most popular filling methods).

Cons

At $895 retail, the Aurora 88 Sole is very expensive. If you like the material but don't want to pay that much, you might be able to find a used Aurora Optima Sole for about half that price.
Some people may find the feedback from Aurora nibs annoying. The nibs are also very stiff, so if you prefer nibs with a bit of spring, Aurora may not be the brand for you.
Because the Auroloide is translucent, the black portions of the pen show through, and that might be a deal-breaker for some.

(Kenro Industries provided this product on loan to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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*If BB8 had a fountain pen, it would be the Aurora 88 Sole.*

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Aurora, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

The Sheaffer Snorkel

(Ron Gilmour is a fountain pen enthusiast, would-be calligrapher, and librarian. You can find him online at Twitter @gilmour70 and Instagram.)

In the early 1950s, Sheaffer faced significant challenges on at least two fronts. First, there was the tremendous popularity of the Parker 51, with its sleek, modern design. Second, the ballpoint pen was making inroads, boasting ease of use with no messy dipping or filling.

Sheaffer responded with the Snorkel. Its look was clearly influenced by the 51, but with some uniquely Sheaffer elements. Best of all, it could be filled without any mess thanks to a tube that extended from the feed to suck up ink. This meant that the nib need not be submerged to fill the pen.

Most modern fountain pen users are unlikely to be put off by the alleged messiness of filling a pen, but the Snorkel's eponymous tube is unbeatable for getting those last precious drops out of an ink bottle.

Buying a Snorkel

The Snorkel is such a uniformly great pen that your choices in selecting one will be largely aesthetic. Personally, I'm a fan of the tubular "Triumph"-style nib, but Snorkels are also available with conventional nibs.

The original color range was fairly subdued, but starting in the mid-1950s the palette expanded to include colors of Fiestaware-like vibrancy. There were all-metal models (these were rarer), and very attractive "Crest" and "Clipper" models with plastic bodies and metal caps. (See David Isaacson's article for explanations of the 13(!) model names used for the Snorkel.)

For a functional, but "nothing special," Snorkel, you can expect to pay roughly $70-150 US.

Filling

For a pen that boasts the most complex filling system in the history of fountain pens, the Snorkel is surprisingly easy to fill.

Unscrew the blind cap and pull back. This will expose the metal "Touchdown" tube that surrounds the ink sac, and will also cause the snorkel tube to extend. Put the end of the snorkel tube in the ink and push the blind cap back into position. As you tighten the blind cap, the snorkel tube will retract into the feed. You're ready to write.

Cleaning

In principle, cleaning a Snorkel isn't much different from any other sac-filling pen. Just draw water up into the sac and expel it. Repeat until the water comes out clean. In practice, this is easier than cleaning a lever-filling pen, since the Snorkel's filling mechanism can be operated more quickly.

In Closing

The Snorkel is a solid pen that will not disappoint. As with all vintage Sheaffers, the nibs are excellent, though generally very firm. The relatively low cost on the secondary market and the large number of models and colors makes the pen a nice option for a collection as well as a great user.

If you like the idea of the snorkel tube, but don't like the slim body of the Snorkel, you might look at the Sheaffer PFM, a later model that uses the same filling mechanism, but has a chunkier build and a beautiful inlaid nib.