Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Leonardo Momento Zero Blue Hawaii Fountain Pen Review

If you have paid attention at all to the fountain pen scene over the last year, then you have seen the rise of Leonardo Officina Italian fountain pens. Susan has reviewed two for The Pen Addict already (here and here) and I’m finally ready to spill a few words on my own Leonardo Momento Zero Blue Hawaii fountain pen.

Leonardo Officina Italiana was launched in 2018 by the Matrone family, who have a combined 45 years in the pen business, primarily with the now-shuttered Delta. All Leonardo Pens are manufactured in-house in Italy, where they also manufacture pens for Armando Simoni Club. This experience has led the the creation of one of the best new entrants in the pen market in years.

What caught my eye with the first batch of Leonardo pens were the materials used. The acrylics in the Momento Zero lineup (they also use celluloid and ebonite) are stunning. Choosing my first proved to be difficult, but I zoned in on the Blue Hawaii early on. The only issue was the color was so popular that it took me a while to acquire one with rhodium trim!

My time came all the way back at the 2019 Atlanta Pen Show, and the Momento Zero has been a regular in my rotation ever since.

While the material used for this pen is what caught my eye, what good is the material if the pen barrel isn’t nice to use? The experience of the makers show that they know how to make a great feeling writing instrument, not only a great looking one.

The grip section has a slight taper in the middle, allowing for a natural feeling finger placement. The barrel length (5.5 inches) and diameter (0.6 inches) both fall into the standard size category for me, and the 0.8 oz. weight give it a perfectly balanced feel. It uses a cartridge/converter filling system, with a blind cap on the back end of the pen as an added way to access the converter. Speaking of which, this is a fancy converter that I very much enjoy.

If you were to force me to list any negatives about the Leonardo Momento Zero, I can come up with two, but only barely. One, the materials on the barrel do not line up. There are six areas that the materials run through, and none match up. They aren’t trying to line the material up and it’s off - it’s not supposed to line up at all. I think of it like the pattern on a calico cat, and I think it is great. Some may not like it.

Two, Leonardo uses Bock nibs. If I had my choice, I would choose Jowo every time, but it’s pretty clear that these nibs are being QC’ed and adjusted if needed before leaving the shop. This steel EF nib was perfect right out of the box.

With a street price of $199 these are not inexpensive pens, but I feel that they represent good value. And, with a bit of shopping around, you can bring that price down on this model a good bit. I recall paying $180 for mine from Dan Smith at the Atlanta Pen Show, and site sponsor Pen Chalet has several models for as low as $159. With the number of models and colors available, you are certainly able to find one that suits your style if you are interested in Leonardo Officina Italiana fountain pens.

I know I am interested, as I just picked up my second one a week ago. And I feel like it won’t be the last.

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Posted on March 9, 2020 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Leonardo, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Narwhal Piston-Fill 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 latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

I hadn't heard of or seen a Narwhal fountain pen till I watched Brad unbox his on his Twitch stream. Even after seeing the video, I kept my expectations low. With its price tag of $45, I assumed it was more likely to be cheaply made and slightly overpriced than well-made and underpriced. When the pen arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe even shocked. Possibly flabbergasted.

The first thing I noticed about the pen is how substantial it feels. It's very solid. A bit heavy, but in a reassuring way. It doesn't feel like the plastic is fragile or cheap, the way some economically priced acrylic pens sometimes do. In the hand, it does not feel like a cheap pen at all. The joins and corners are all smooth and seamless. The threads are precise, both for the cap and for the piston. Because, yes, this is a piston filler! The mechanism resembles the one in a TWSBI ECO, and it holds a comparable amount of ink. As in, a lot of ink.

The piston is operated by twisting the end cap. The cap, end cap, body, and grip section are all in the same pretty, swirly acrylic. The ribbons of color have a great depth to them and it's a lovely effect. The grip tapers smoothly and is very comfortable to hold. The threads at the top of the grip section are so smooth that you can hardly feel them. There is a silver clip that has the perfect amount of grip and spring, and a silver cap band that says "Narwhal." The clip design even looks like a fountain pen! There is also a silver ring at the join for the end cap. Every fitting is absolutely seamless. I don't think I've ever seen this level of precision on a pen under a hundred dollars. Heck, I have some that cost over that that are less well fitted.

Narwhal also make their own nibs, which sounds bold, even foolhardy, but--again--they've exceeded my expectations. This is a good nib. Perfectly wet with no skipping. There's a bit more feedback than I personally prefer, but it doesn't feel too scratchy, and it doesn't feel dry. It also has one of the coolest engravings I've seen on a nib--a leaping narwhal (their company logo). The nib only comes in Fine, but it's not a true fine, in my opinion. It's closer to a western medium, or even a Japanese broad.

When uncapped, it's perfectly balanced. With the cap on, it's very cap-heavy, as there's a chunk of metal at the finial. The only negative I can name so far is that it does not post. I know that can be a dealbreaker for some folks. If it did post, though, that metal in the cap would be a problem. It's a large enough pen that it does not need to be posted, and would even be a bit unwieldly if it was. It's slightly longer than a TWSBI ECO.

I highly recommend this pen if you're looking to try a piston filling pen and want great quality for your money. I can't quite fathom (haha, get it?) how they've kept the cost so low while offering such high level of finish. They could easily be charging quite a bit more for these pens. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Narwhal comes out with next. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this new brand.

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

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Posted on March 5, 2020 by Sarah Read and filed under Narwhal, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen Review

I’ve been able to spend a couple of weeks with the Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen, and I am confident in saying this: This is a good pen. It looks good, feels good, writes well, and is fairly priced.

That’s the TL:DR version of this review. Why not end it right there? Because there is a whole lot more to discuss with this pen than whether it is good or not. And that conversation may help you determine if it is good for you.

Let’s start with this: What is Bakelite? That’s a great question! Reading the Bakelite Wikipedia page (which made me want a whiskey) told me that it is a synthetic plastic, developed in the early 1900’s. Over the past 100+ years, it has been used for a wide-range of products - from jewelry, to radio knobs, to equipment coatings. The raw material can be molded into almost anything, including pen barrels.

The Bakelite formula changed and improved with the times, but as other synthetic materials were created, it was pushed aside due to its added cost of manufacturing. Wancher chose to bring Bakelite back with the Seven Treasures fountain pen, and I’m glad they did.

The feel of this pen reminds me of a combination of two materials: G10 and Micarta. Both of these are fibrous materials, manufactured in sheets and pressed together to build the structure of the finished product. G10 is rock hard, and Micarta is sturdy, but softer and more porous. This Bakelite lands right in the middle of those materials to me. It is firm, but has a warmth to it, and if you look closely, you can see the underlying material fibers.

I bring all of this up because at first glance and feel, the Seven Treasures Bakelite doesn’t seem to be a pen that would absorb ink if dipped into an ink bottle. It seems like any other polished acrylic that you could wipe the ink right off of. That’s not the case, and Wancher has designed the pen taking this into consideration.

The grip section is removable from the barrel, but not in the way you would traditionally think. It’s a sleeve, designed to be removed so the pen doesn’t get stained when filling. You wouldn’t know that by looking through the campaign page though - it’s not pictured, even once. It’s not in the shape and size diagram either, despite having its own fixed measurement. The filling system is shown in the video without the sleeve, dipping into an ink bottle. That’s about it other than it laying on the table in a few shots.

Why is that? Backers should know what they are getting upfront. I don’t think it is a technical issue, but if Bakelite stains, and you’ve designed a way around that, it should be shown in the campaign. By no means is this a dealbreaker, and in fact I think it is a smart idea that other companies could pick up on. I just find it odd it is never mentioned.

Aside from Bakelite, Wancher added another unique aspect to this pen. Shippoyaki is a traditional Japanese art style, and is featured prominently on the pen cap. Each piece is handcrafted by Master Okagaki Yukie, who has over 60 years experience in this form of artwork. And I have to say, all four pieces available are stunning, and really make the pen.

My pen features the Sangria artwork, which represents the Sun. It’s a wonderful match to the red barrel and gold trim of this pen. You can also choose from three other styles of Shippoyaki - Moonlight, Cosmos, and Verdant - all of which add a spark to the overall pen design.

For Kickstarter projects, I generally go with the stock steel nib and feed options, which is what this pen uses, but you can upgrade to Wancher’s own 18k gold nib, and even add an ebonite feed. The steel nibs are Jowo, and this medium works perfectly out of the box. The pen ships in a large balsa wood box, and includes a beautiful silk pen sleeve.

*Wancher Seven Treasures vs. Lamy Vista*

The big question left is will I back this pen. The answer is no, but not for any of the reasons I listed above. It’s because this is a big pen - too big for my daily use. I love the Bakelite idea, as well as the Shippoyaki artwork, but the size and style of the pen don’t fit my usage needs right now. If the Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen checks all of your boxes, I think you will enjoy it, and I think you are getting it at a great price, so back it confidently.

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

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