Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Monami Olika 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.)

After spending some money on luxury fountain pens, it can be challenging to see the sub-$10 tier as anything but a stepping stone to the luxury pens that we grow to love. After all, they are works of art that work exactly as we expect. They become part of our sacred everyday carry. But, there's still something to be said for the more affordable fountain pens in this lower tier. Every time a new pen comes out in this price range, I automatically dismiss it as "junk" without even trying it. Shame on me for doing that, because there's no rule that says any pen under $75 can't write beautifully. And that's exactly what the Monami Olika has reminded me.

At first glance, the Olika is a plastic-barrelled pen that seems more like a gamble than a solid entry level fountain pen. Luckily, $6 isn't much of a gamble, and I'm really glad I tried it out.

Like other entry level pens, the color of the barrel matches the color of the ink. In the case of the transparent models, the rubbery grip section matches the color of the ink inside. I've always enjoyed the matching nature of these cheap pens, and the Olika is no different. I opted for the standard blue model, but was pleasantly surprised once I popped the cartridge in and started writing. The blue is a vibrant, exciting shade that flows smoothly and even has a bit of shading quality. It's not at all what I was expecting, but that's a good thing!

Along with the pen, you also receive three ink cartridges in the color you chose. This is a generous inclusion for such a cheap pen, especially considering the price for a five-pack of cartridges ($5.50, same price as the pen). Even though JetPens doesn't state this, the cartridges will fit most standard international sections. The only difference between this cartridge and the international short cartridges are the diameter and length.

The production quality of this pen is on par with the price. It feels better than the Platinum Preppy, but very similar to the Pilot Petit line. It can surely survive several incidents in your bag, but it will eventually break if you use it a lot. These pens aren't meant to be disposable, but they're also not heirloom quality.

Writing with the pen is comfortable. It's a leightweight pen that features a soft grip section, so long writing sessions are a breeze. The nib I chose is the fine, but you can also pick up an extra fine variant. The extra fine nib only comes on the transparent model, while the fine is reserved for the fully colored barrels.

I've used this pen a lot more than I expected I would. My only regret so far is only purchasing one color. I'll be correcting that on my next order.

The Monami Olika is available in several vibrant, fun colors, and each pen includes three cartridges and costs $5.50. These make great gifts, excellent beginner pens, and fantastic portable pens.

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

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Posted on March 13, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Monami, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Visconti Mirage Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

I'm usually pretty well behaved, so it's no surprise when Santa brings me stationery. I must have been REALLY good last year, though, because Santa did surprise me with my very first Visconti pen—the Mirage, in a lovely Evergreen color.

I've admired Viscontis before, but their high price points mixed with rumors of dodgy quality control have always put me off. I was very excited to finally get a chance to try one.

The Mirage is a new entry-level Visconti pen to celebrate the company's 30th anniversary. Their previous entry-level offerings have often been priced higher than many folks' upper limits, so adding a new tier was, I think, a great idea. I did worry, though, that if the quality of their expensive pens varied so much, what sort of pen would be on offer for 1/5 the price?

Well, apart from an introductory hiccup, I think they've offered a very decent pen. The hiccup, though, required some resources that many new pen buyers won't have.

My first impression of the pen was good--it's beautiful. The body is a rich, shimmery, swirly vegetal resin that catches the light like magic. The body has fluted grooves and a decorative palladium-plated cap band that give the piece a very Art Deco look. It has the signature arched clip with the Visconti name engraved in it. The bottom finial has a metal Visconti logo that can be removed with a magnet and replaced with your initials or a gemstone. The grip section is smooth and round, in the same material as the body. The nib is a new steel design, with more Art Deco-styled etching.

Maybe it's because I associate that clip with high prices, but this pen looks more expensive than it is. With the lower price, as one might expect, it doesn't have a lot of the fancy Visconti features, but it does have a few. That magnetic finial is one, another is the spring-loaded clip, and there's also the self-aligning magnetic cap. The cap holds securely and closes with a satisfying self-propelled click. It's almost too fun, and between that and the springy clip, the cap is a meeting-fidgeter's delight.

The steel nib writes smoothly and with the perfect amount of wetness. It's very pleasant to write with.

My hiccup with the pen had to do with the converter. The converter included with the pen does not actually fit in the pen. It kind of, almost, sort of fits--just well enough that you can tell something is wrong. You can use it, but it doesn't get a good seal, so it's difficult to fill and tends to leak. The metal band at the neck of the section is too narrow for the plastic body of the converter, so you have to wrestle it in place. Mine did not stay in place.

The good news is, Visconti does make a converter that fits. You need to get the threaded piston converter. But that's not the one they included, because--well, because Visconti. Fortunately, I (I mean Santa!) purchased the pen from Anderson Pens, so I was able to bring the pen in, show them the issue, they swapped the converters, and I walked out a few minutes later with a pen that functions beautifully.

Most customers, though, would be purchasing the pen online and having it shipped to a pen-store desert. If you're doing this, be sure to request that the shop swap the converters for you. My worry is more for the casual shopper or inexperienced pen buyer who may pick one of these up, thanks to the accessible price. They're going to struggle to assemble and fill the pen, then get a lot of ink on their hands. If they're not tenacious enough to contact the shop, they may decide that fountain pens are fiddly and messy and nope right out of the hobby.

So, mostly bravo to Visconti for creating a new port of entry into their brand and fountain pens in general, but I hope they'll note this converter issue and start packing them with the proper accessories. If you're going to launch a product priced to attract new customers, you've got to make that first impression perfect. Especially when the product is otherwise so excellent.

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Posted on February 7, 2019 by Sarah Read and filed under Visconti, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pavarotti Arco Verde ASC Limited Edition with Music Nib: 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 been aching for an Arco Verde fountain pen for a long time. I owned an Omas Brown Arco, but I stupidly sold it right before Omas went out of business. I miss that pen, but I actually preferred the Arco Verde color. I thought I was out of luck or that I would have to pay over $1,000 to get an Omas version.

Happily, the Armando Simoni Club (ASC) saved the day! They purchased the remaining stock of Omas celluloid rods, and they’ve been making various pens with the celluloid for the past few years. However, those pens have been oversized versions, and I wanted an Arco Verde in a regular-sized pen. When the Luciano Pavarotti series was announced, I was excited that maybe “my” pen was on the way. Sure enough, the Pavarotti is an Ogiva shape and size, and it’s priced under $1,000!

There are three Pavarotti pens: Arco Verde with rhodium trim and a rhodium-plated 14k gold nib, Blue la Royale with rose gold trim and nib, and Wild Celluloid with gold trim and nib. A couple of other Pavarotti pens also made an appearance in Saft Green and Brown Arco, but these are neither piston fillers nor do they have music nibs.

My pen came in a classy-looking black box that unfolds to reveal the pen and the ASC motto.

The pen itself is sealed in plastic between two black frames. I couldn’t help but think of Han Solo (cue Star Wars theme). Anyway, the pen came out of the plastic “carbonite” in pristine condition.

The words “ASC Armando Simoni Club Pavarotti” along with the number of your pen are engraved on the front of the pen. This engraving is so subtle that it does not mar the celluloid (more on the celluloid later). I love the limited edition number I lucked out on: No. 07 out of 70.

The Pavarotti is a large pen, measuring almost 6 inches/150mm capped and 5.4 inches/137mm uncapped. It is not meant to be posted. It’s a hefty pen (I don’t have a scale to weigh it), but it is well balanced.

The cap has a rhodium clip with the special roller ball to make it easier to attach the pen to papers or a pocket.

The cap band has Pavarotti’s name engraved along with music notes and a treble and bass clef. All of this looks really nice. It’s not overstated or gaudy. In fact, you have to look closely to see the music notations.

The bottom of the barrel unscrews (below a plain silver ring) to reveal the piston knob.

The piston works beautifully--nice and smooth, with none of the problems associated with old Omas pistons. It even has a fail-safe mechanism to prevent over-tightening the piston. If you go too far, you hear a ratchet sound and you know to stop. I honestly thought I had broken the pen when I first heard this horrifying sound, but another owner told me what it was--what a relief!

The barrel steps down to the grip section (all made from one piece of celluloid). The step down doesn’t bother me in the least because it is far from where my fingers rest. The grip is topped with another rhodium ring which is engraved with “Pavarotti Edition 2018.” My fingers touch the threads while I’m writing, but they are smooth and are not bothersome.

In my view, the two most exciting features of this pen are the celluloid and the music nib.

Arco Verde celluloid is like nothing else (well, except for Arco brown, of course). It is a deep, spinach green with silver lines that run through it like grain in wood. One thing I didn’t know about Arco celluloid until I had one in hand is that the front and back of the pen have the striking lines of silver that you see in most photos.

The sides of the pen have very subtle lines that you actually cannot see except in bright light.

The celluloid is simply mesmerizing. It’s hard to do it justice in photographs.

When I purchased my pen from Chatterley Luxuries, I stipulated that I really wanted the celluloid to line up perfectly. I’m very impressed that, if I make sure to match the clip with the top of the pen when I thread the cap, the celluloid lines up every single time. I don’t have to guess where to start threading in order to make things match (I have some pens that require several tries to get patterns lined up). The celluloid on my Arco almost lines up perfectly. It’s just a smidge off, as you can see in the photo below. I only noticed it when I looked closely at my pictures before posting my review; it’s not so drastic that it will drive me crazy, OCD as I am!

The other special aspect of the Pavarotti is the music nib. Unlike other ASC pens that feature a flex nib, the Pavarotti has a three-tine music nib without flex.

It’s a gorgeous nib, adorned only with the ASC logo, the words “music nib” and the gold content.

I was a little worried that this nib would be too wide for my tastes, but it isn’t at all. It measures exactly 1mm wide, and it writes like a nice juicy stub.

The vertical lines measure about 1mm and the horizontal lines measure maybe .25mm.

It’s a very usable nib. I can write large letters with it when I want to do calligraphy:

And I can write in my normal handwriting as well:

The nib is smooth and problem free, though it does have a sweet spot. Occasionally, I will shift the pen a bit and miss a downstroke. But it’s not because the nib is misaligned, I just have to hold the pen correctly. When I do, this beautiful pen sings!

I inked my Pavarotti Arco Verde with Sailor Epinard ink, and it’s been a good combination. I plan to try Robert Oster Eucalyptus next.

Only seventy Pavarotti pens in each celluloid are available. Chatterley Luxuries has one in the Arco Verde celluloid in stock at the time of this post. If you want this pen, don’t hesitate. I’m not sure how long they’ll be around.

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