I’ve been watching the relaunch of the Tibaldi brand closely over the past serval months, and finally decided to pick one up for review. My intent was to grab the Bononia model, with its Leonardo-esque material design and barrel shape, but a different model caught my eye on the way to adding to cart.
The Tibaldi Perfecta is a throwback to the early-to-mid 1900’s safety pen model, a pen shape and design that I have always loved. Now, the modern Perfecta does not have all of the interior features that those classic pens had - this is a cartridge/converter filling pen after all - but on the outside, this is a nice throwback.
Tibaldi kept that classic style with the Rich Black model, featuring a full black barrel and cap, but it was the Tortoise Beige model that got me with its black and tan mosaic cap making all the difference.
When the pen arrived and it was time to ink up, I knew there was only one color I was filling it with: Black. A classic color for a classically designed pen. I even ordered a new bottle to mark the occasion. A perfect match.
It only took a minute or two of writing to feel at home with the Perfecta. The stainless steel EF nib, marked with the Tibaldi logo, worked perfectly out of the box. The lines were clean, and the ink flowed well. The upgrade to an ebonite feed likely helped in that area.
With all of my fawning words so far, you’d think this would be a no-brainer recommendation, right? Wrong. As much as I am enjoying it, there is a lot to consider when checking off the pros and cons for the Perfecta.
First off, the barrel design. Specifically, the grip section. It keeping with its classic safety pen aesthetic, the cap threads on the barrel hit smack in the middle of where most people would grip the pen. It looks great in pictures, but at the expense of functionality. I can grip below the threads, I can grip above the threads, and I can even grip on the threads (they aren’t that sharp,) but the fact I can’t grip the pen consistently in one spot is a bit frustrating. Picking it up blindly from the desk always requires an adjustment to get into the proper writing grip.
Secondly, I really don’t like the clip. It’s a poor design that stands out on an otherwise well—designed pen. It’s strong and sturdy enough, but it doesn’t look right. Maybe it they finished it in the same glossy style as the rest of the barrel instead of the satin/matte finish they used? I don’t know. It looks cheap.
And that leads me to last issue: It’s not cheap. At $187 this pen has all of the competition in the world, and it beats very few of them in that range.
That’s the dilemma I am having with the Tibaldi Perfecta. Despite is flaws, I enjoy using it. Despite how much I enjoy using it, I would never recommend it over the Leonardo Momento Zero or Furore, Montegrappa Elmo or Fortuna, and a whole litany of other pens in the $150-$200 price range.
If that’s the game you are going to play, you better bring your A-game. The Tibaldi Perfecta is a B. That’s a great grade in a vacuum, but the fountain pen market is a competition, and I think it falls one grade short from the best.
(I purchased this pen at 10% off from PenChalet.)
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