Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Aurora Optima Fountain Pen Review

This is all my fault.

Aurora was not a brand that had been on my radar since my fountain pen obsession started several years ago. Slowly, over the past year, I started seeing them pop up in my friends feeds. This one in particular.

Now that’s a Brad-looking pen if I’ve ever seen one. Still, I didn’t know much about the brand, but they were officially on my radar.

This all came to a head around the time of the 2016 DC Pen Show. Aurora had recently instituted a sweeping 30% MSRP price drop across their product lineup, and I was able to get my hands on them to try out. That bit of double trouble was all I needed to come home with my first Aurora: The Optima Red Demonstrator. And for less than $500.

We all have different things that make a pen perfect for us. The combination of weight, feel, nib, and style make this pen perfect for me. It’s not too heavy, and not too light. There is a density and balance in the barrel when I’m writing. The nib is firm and fine and well-tuned. The style fits my aesthetic perfectly.

This set me down a path of Optima love. I use this pen all of the time, and talk about it too much. My friends at Kenro of course enjoy this immensely, so they sent me and the staff nearly one of everything to check out. So now it’s my turn to fawn over a pen and a brand that has been reviewed many times over by Jeff and Susan.

Despite already owning my own Optima, I wanted to test out a loaner in a different nib size, so I chose the Burgundy Auroloide with Chrome Trim with a medium 14k nib. My expectations going in were that this pen would equally as great as my personal Optima, and it absolutely was.

The primary difference was the nib. The medium nib is much wider and wetter than my extra fine. This is obviously expected. It is too wet for my daily use, but I’m admittedly an outlier in nib preference. The medium nib is super smooth and really lays down the ink.

All of the Optima are piston fillers, and has some of the most solid mechanics I have used. The piston feels strong, yet easy to turn, and it draws in a full barrel of ink. I’ve found it easy to clean too, with just a few flushes of water through the barrel to get it ready for the next fill.

I also love the flange at the end of the grip section. I have a traditional writing grip, and where I hold the pen rests comfortably right where the raised section is most comfortable. The Optima feels tailor-made to my hand.

Another great feature that Aurora offers is easily swappable nibs for the Optima lineup. The nib and beautiful red ebonite feed screw out for easy cleaning and replacing. This also helps with cleaning too.

Overall, this is one of my favorite pens I own. The feel in my hand is unlike any other pen I own, and the nib is a joy. For the price - around $450-$500 depending on materials - I prefer it over the Pelikan M600/M800 lineup, which is its primary competition in this bracket.

Fountain pen show season is about to kick off again in January and if you make it out to a show definitely give an Aurora pen a test drive. I think you will be impressed.

My thanks to Kenro Industries for loaning me this pen for purposes of this review.

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Posted on December 12, 2016 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Aurora, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Lamy LX Fountain Pen Review

Lamy has made some interesting design decisions this year. The highly anticipated Lamy 2000 50th Anniversary pen fell flat in my eyes, and the announcement of the Lamy Lx - aka the iPhone pen - looked to be a marginal Al-Star upgrade at a non-marginal price.

I wanted to check out the Lx myself to see if the over 50% price increase from the Al-Star is worth it. Are you getting enough value to justify the price?

I don’t think so.

The selling points of the Lx (pronounced “Luxe” if you are wondering how Lamy sees this pen) are upgraded anodizing - barrel, clip, and finial - plus coated black steel nibs. The packaging is upgraded too, featuring a tube to match the color of your pen. Don't forget: You pay for packaging.

While the visual differences between the Al-Star and Lx are minimal, there is zero difference in the feel of the pen. Blindfolded, I would assume this is an Al-Star. It writes like one, which is to say wonderfully, and has the same molded plastic grip, weight, and balance.

If you are interested in the Gold or Rose Gold models, I can see the justification for purchasing the Lx. Those colors don’t appear in the rest of the product lineup, and the clip anodizing is more of a standout feature compared to the Palladium and Ruthenium models. If the latter two interest you, I would consider the Al-Star in Black or Graphite Grey and save some money. If you just want to experience the nib, like the EF in my review, you can drop down to the Safari and not miss a beat.

On it’s own merits, the Lamy Lx is a good pen. If the Al-Star didn’t exist, I would dare to say it is fairly priced. But the Al-Star does exist, so you will need to weigh the pros and cons between the two when making your buying decision.

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

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Posted on December 5, 2016 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Lamy, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Aurora Optima Blue Auroloide 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.)

I've been spending some quality time with a couple of Aurora fountain pens lately, and I've been really happy with them for the most part. A few weeks ago, I was focused on the Nikargenta 88, but I've recently been spending a lot more attention with the Optima Auroloide. The Optima has roots in the 1930s, which is where the external aesthetic shines so well. Compared to the slim Nikargenta, it's thicker and more stout, but still offers a fantastic writing experience. No matter where the inspiration for this design came from, the combination of the shape, feel, and beautiful Auroloide material make this a real winner.

Aesthetics

Now, like I just mentioned, Aurora calls this material "Auroloide," which is their own name for the antique celluloid material they use. You've likely seen similar materials used in many, many other pens and manufacturers, and it never fails to stun when seen in person. Sure, photos look nice, but they don't fully capture the depth and charm that the material offers. The model I have is the blue Auroloide, and it has a combination of medium to dark blue hues that glisten under light. I'm extremely partial to blue, so I was in love from first sight, but the other colors look equally stunning based on the photos online.

The shape of the pen is classic. The top and bottom are both flat, while the body widens to the middle section and tapers off to form a comfortable grip. The cap is large and ornate, featuring gold trim and prominent Aurora branding. The clip is strong, but features are very smooth, rounded tip that makes it easy to mount and dismount every kind of material.

Apart from the branding on the cap band, there's also a stamped brand on the body of the pen. I'm sure many manufacturers do this, but the first example that comes to mind is Edison Pen Company. They use the same stamp method that evokes an antique feeling and nods to the fountain pen champions of the 20th century.

Now, the nib on the Nikargenta was pretty, but it's a slim pen overall. Of course it has a petite nib to match the overall design. But, that's where the Optima has room to shine. With a stout body, this pen flaunts a bodacious 14k nib that never fails to catch my eye. It's tastefully adorned and fits the rest of the pen perfectly.

Apart from that, this pen is a piston filler, and has a spacious ink window between the body and section. It's never difficult to see how much ink is sloshing around inside the reservoir. And, surprisingly, this pen holds a lot of ink. I did not measure the exact amount of ink used, but it's very similar to a TWSBI 580. Very ample.

Writing Experience

The nib looks outstanding, but it also writes like a champ. The point on mine is a medium, and it performs very closely to the Nikargenta. It's not quite as smooth, but it falls well within satisfactory tolerances for a stock nib. It's an absolute pleasure to write with — never any skipping or hard starts. Ink flow is exceptional without being too wet. And, given the size of the nib, it showcases inks very well.

The grip section is smooth, polished plastic that ends with a small lip at the end to provide additional stability for your fingers. It's done in a way that is comfortable. Some pens that utilize this grip design can feel uncomfortable after a few minutes of writing because the lip edge is too dramatic or sharp. The Optima grip is smooth enough to maintain comfort for longer sessions. And, the overall diameter of the pen adds to that comfort as well.

Overall

I'm impressed again by the quality and craftsmanship found in the Aurora fountain pen line. The Optima is a pen designed with a nod to the pens of yesteryear, and it pulls this off with exceptional style and poise. Not only that, but it's a fantastic writer. The Optima is not a cheap pen, but the price is fair and justifiable in my opinion. It's a luxury writing instrument, and it feels like one when you use it. MSRP is between $500 and $550 for the fountain pen, depending on the color and trim. Anderson Pens sell the entire line of Aurora (fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints, and pencil), and the version pictured here runs for just under $495. In most of the fountain pen versions, you have a choice of EF, F, M, and B nibs.

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

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