The nib is made of steel, features minimal branding, and writes incredibly well. I made zero adjustments to this pen out of the box, and I couldn't be happier with the performance. It's a wet medium that's capable of producing a small amount of line variation if you press down slightly. I can barely feel any feedback from the nib when writing with this pen — it's just buttery smooth. This is exactly the kind of writing experience I expect from a luxury brand, even on their "lower-end" offerings.
While this pen has been an absolute joy when it comes to the writing experience, I have reservations when it comes to recommending it to people. Like I mentioned earlier, I think the real price of the pen is $110 due to the fact that you need a proprietary cartridge-converter in order to use it properly. The $100 price point is an awkward place to be. There are numerous offerings at the $40, $60, and even $80 range that offer more and perform just as well as this Aurora. Likewise, if you're willing to spend just $20 more on a pen, you arrive at an entirely different price and feature tier. A personal favorite of mine, the Pilot Custom Heritage 92, is about $23 more expensive than this Aurora, but I think it's a much better pen (14K gold nib, people!). And, if you decide to look at a pen with a lower cost, you can choose to purchase an additional pen or a couple of different inks to try out.
