Leonardo Momento Zero Pausilya Fountain Pen Review

The Leonardo Momento Zero has been a long-time favorite in the fountain pen world, and on this blog. We have reviewed several Leonardo models since their launch in 2017, and they consistently rate as some of the best on the market. So why, if the Momento Zero has been reviewed many times already, is it worth spilling a few words on again?

The market changed, and the Leonardo Momento Zero is an even better option now than it was a few years ago.

One of the topics I want to focus on in the coming months is to revisit and update some classic pen reviews. The LAMY Safari is on that list, for example, and the LMZ fits the bill as well. Quality pens that remain quality options over years, and sometimes decades, are worth repeated discussions, because as we have all learned, the market can change rapidly.

To be clear, a $200 fountain pen is very expensive, but the Momento Zero more than lives up to the price tag. You can feel it in this pen from the first moment you pick it up. The fit and finish of the hardware and material is perfect, the design is classic and comfortable, and the writing experience is unparalleled. Do you even need another fountain pen? I’d argue that this one could be your one and only. Yes, it’s that good.

Big fan of this material, and the fancy converter.

And the Momento Zero is considered Leonardo’s entry-level fountain pen! The craftsmanship continues on up the product line with larger barrels, gold nibs, and piston-filling mechanisms, but I’d argue you don’t need more. This one is nearly perfect, at least for me.

That said, do we really need a blind cap for any converter-filling pen?

If there is one consideration when trying out the Momento Zero, it is that the grip section design is slightly different than similar pens. It has a taper toward the nib that only begins after a slight transition in the middle of the section. I wondered about this myself back when I bought my first one years ago, but it works well with my lower grip style. I can lock into it, and there is no issue when writing for any length of time. If you have a higher grip, it may not be as comfortable.

From a writing perspective, the Jowo #6 Steel Extra Fine nib is perfect. Leonardo must tune these before shipping because they feel fantastic right out of the box. The Momento Zero uses a cartridge/converter filling system, and I inked this one with Taccia Rikancha, one of their new releases. It’s so good, and matches this Pausilya material so perfectly, that it could have been a Parings Party.

What’s left to say about this great pen? It might be a better value today than it was when I bought my first in 2019. I paid $180 then, and this model ranges from $200-$225 now. That’s not an insignificant increase, but given that this price point was vacated by most gold nib fountain pens last year, it represents the best of the bunch by a good margin.

I think it is obvious how much I love the Leonardo Momento Zero, and I shouldn’t have shelved it for as long as I did. It’s a complete joy, and I’ll be keeping it within reach for the foreseeable future.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 Guilloche 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 Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Every now and then I open a new pen and it's a favorite at first sight. The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 Guilloche gave me instant heart-eyes when I opened the box. It looks amazing. The texture, the finish, the colors--all perfect. I liked the look of it so much that I actually got nervous, because what if the writing experience didn't live up to the looks? There was no need to worry. This is a fantastic pen.

The body of the pen is a cool-toned blue resin that is subtly etched with a geometric guilloche pattern that resembles ears of grain. Each of the different colors has its own etching pattern. This color is called "indigo," though it looks to me to be more of a slate grey-blue. There is also “Iris” which is dark blue and “Verdigris” which is a sage green. They're all gorgeous. The Indigo is the only one that comes with the ruthenium trim, and the gunmetal grey looks perfect with the moody blue tones. The clip is slim and fairly flexible, with a tiny wheel at the bottom to make the clipping process smoother. The cap and piston knob have metal bands that add a decorative reinforcement to these stress points. Speaking of points, both the top and bottom finials are gently pointed. The overall look is very Art Deco vintage elegance.

Under the twist cap, the grip section is engraved with "Leonardo Italy" and you're greeted with a clear resin ink window, so you can keep track of your ink supply. This is a piston filler pen, so the back end unscrews to move a plunger inside the pen that draws ink in through the nib from a bottle. It is my personal favorite ink filling mechanism, as they tend to hold quite a lot of ink, as this one does, but they can be more difficult to clean. There is no way to disassemble the pen for cleaning, so rinsing ink out is a matter of repeatedly filling the pen with water and releasing it till it runs clear. It takes longer and is less effective than a filling system you can take apart, but it's worth it to me for the higher ink capacity, and I don't like reassembling tiny pen pieces after cleaning. I'm always afraid I'll drop one. So, I prefer this. There's no fear of a precious nib falling down the drain.

They all come with either a Fine nib or a Flex Fine nib. Mine has the Flex Fine, because I like a bouncy writing experience. The nib has its sides cut out to create a narrow neck that flexes when pressure is applied. The flex nib also has "Leonardo elastic" engraved on it. This is very much a modern flex nib, which is to say that it's not super flexy. It can take some light pressure and provide some slight line variation, but it isn't bendy like a vintage flex pen would be. What I love about it is that I can get fine lines when writing, but it still has a softer writing experience, and often flex nibs have better ink flow. This combination is perfect for me when I want a longer writing session. Writing a whole short story in one sitting, but don't want to run out of ink or get hand fatigue? This is your pen. Well, no. This is my pen. But you can have one, too.

The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 is available on JetPens for $289, which is perfectly fair. It's a fancy pen and it has a fancy pen price. It is, however, much nicer and more solidly built than some pens that are considerably more expensive. When it comes to measuring cost against quality, I think Leonardo is at the top of the game when it comes to mass-produced pens. All of their pens that I've used have been winners, and this is my favorite one, yet.

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Leonardo Momento Zero Alga 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.)

The Leonardo Momento Zero has been around since 2017, and I think it's safe to say it's been a hit. It's a vintage-inspired design that pays tribute to its Italian roots. On top of that, there are plenty of vibrant colorways to choose from.

I've had a chance to use the Leonardo Momento Zero Alga with silver trim recently, and there's certainly a lot to like about this pen. Let's get into it.

On the surface, the Momento Zero looks a bit like many other traditional fountain pen designs. The shape is well-balanced with both ends quickly tapering to a soft point. There's only one bit of branding on the pen, and that's a debossed Leonardo name and the unique number of the pen located on the back of the cap opposite the clip.

The clip is the same design that many of Leonardo's pens share. It's an elegant shape that compliments the pen shape, and the tip is a functional roller that makes it easy to attach and remove from fabric or other objects. There are three decorative silver bands at the base of the cap, as well as a couple of bands on the pen body that correspond to the connection points of the three pieces.

The material is acrylic resin and is shaped from a solid rod. The Alga colorway I chose is a mixture of deep and medium greens that give it an overall emerald look. It looks like the rods are made by combining many smaller square rods into one. Through turning the material into the final shape, the small rectangular pieces make the material look like it is striped and like the shape of the pen is faceted. The pen shape is definitely cylindrical, but I appreciate the optical illusion due to the unique materials. The combined color of the different greens with their mix of hues and lighter accents make this pen beautiful to me. Some of the materials are more transparent than others, which gives the pen a slightly luminescent quality.

The cap of the pen is secured with threads, and it's easy to use. The cap also comfortably posts on the back of the pen, though I don't like the balance of the pen for writing in this configuration. For me, it's the perfect balance without the cap attached.

It's a "standard" size fountain pen, so it's comfortable to hold when writing. The shape of the grip section is comfortable and provides a nice area to hold the pen regardless of your grip style.

The #6 JoWo nib is a perfect match the size of the pen, and the EF version in this pen works flawlessly. It's a fairly plain nib, but there is some decorative scroll work along with the nib size.

Moving into the pen, I was delighted to find a cartridge-converter included with the pen. The pen takes standard international short cartridges, but this converter is slightly longer than the typical international converter size. It also screws into the section so you don't have to worry about it shaking loose inside the body of the pen. At first, I thought the silver handle on the converter twist mechanism was purely decorative, but I soon discovered that this pen has a hidden feature.

Like any normal fountain pen, you unscrew the pen body from the section to get at the cartridge or converter. But, this pen also has a small blind cap at the end of the pen that unscrews from the pen body completely. When this piece is removed, it exposes about 0.25" (7mm) of the converter twist handle so you can make small adjustments without taking the pen apart. I've found that there isn't enough purchase to reliably operate the converter when filling the pen, but it's fine for a quick turn if you're trying to revive the ink flow after the pen has been sitting for a week or more. It's an intriguing feature, but I think it's more for show than for any real practicality. Still, it will definitely make it easy to clean the inside of the pen body if you ever have any internal ink accidents.

Finally, writing with this pen has been so pleasant. The shape of the grip, the length and balance of the pen, and the feel of the smooth acrylic material after it's warmed up in my hand make this is an excellent writing instrument for long writing sessions. The JoWo nib is smooth and delivers consistent, reliable ink flow. It's a fantastic pen that also has a unique design and beautiful materials. It's been at the top of my rotation lately.

Vanness carry the Momento Zero in a variety of colors — too many to list out, so be sure to browse the in-stock options to find the right colorway for you. Along with the colorway choices, you also have several nib choices from the standard EF-B sizes, but also a fun Elastic (Leonardo's name for flex nib available in EF or F) and a 1.5mm stub nib.

The normal price for the Momento Zero is $199, which I think is more than fair given the materials, build quality, and exceptional writing experience. At the time of this review, the Alga with silver trim model featured here is on sale for $159. I'm happy to recommend the pen at either price point.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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