Category: Fountain Pens

Aurora Optima 360 Monviso Compared to Aurora Optima Nero Perla

Laura5 Comments

Aurora 369 Optima Monviso and Nero Perla fountain pen comparison

Since the burning question about the Aurora Optima Monviso limited edition seemed to be how it would compare to the Nero Perla, I thought I’d add a few more photos to those posted earlier.

You’ll notice in some of the photos, especially when you look at the cap, how the Nero Perla appears to have a blue tint. That’s a trick of the light: the Nero Perla is just more translucent, so it reflects the color of the light more strongly than the darker Monviso does.

Aurora 369 Optima Monviso and Nero Perla fountain pen comparison

It’s easier to see the differences between the pens with the Nero Perla in front of the Monviso.

Aurora 369 Optima Monviso and Nero Perla fountain pen comparison

But let’s put the Monviso in front at least once.

Aurora 369 Optima Monviso and Nero Perla fountain pen comparison

Finally, here are the Monviso and the Nero Perla bracketing the demonstrator. All three of these pens have a different capband.

Aurora 369 Optima Monviso, Nero Perla and demonstrator fountain pen comparison

A hidden difference is that the Monviso is limited to only 360 pens, which is why I bought mine right away. The demonstrator is numbered, but there are many more of those — mine is number 1107. The Nero Perla is in the regular line.

Pen of the Day: Pelikan 400nn with Diamine Gerbera

Laura1 Comment

Pelikan 400nn with Diamine Gerbera ink

Pelikan 400nn with medium nib. Again? I just had this pen on about a month ago. Sadly, I only have so many pens. At least until my Aurora gets here.

But the 400nn is worth another look: it’s a great pen. I really like its shape.  Here it is with the classic and better-known 400, for comparison.

Pelikan 400nn compared to Pelikan 400

I know I showed a lot of Diamine Gerbera yesterday. But at least it’s not blue. And I wanted to highlight one interesting quality of this ink. The shading goes from a soft yellow-orange, in the dashed lines, to a deeper, redder orange, but despite that it’s still fairly toned down.

I always like it when an ink has more going on than you expect.

Diamine Gerbera writing sample

Something’s Coming, Something Good

Laura2 Comments

Monviso

There are a lot of fun stages of pen ownership, but the most conflicted must be “waiting for a new pen.” It’s the best of times (excitement) and the worst of times (impatience).

I decided at the pen show that my big purchase wouldn’t be a pen there, but would be the Aurora Optima Monviso due out in June.  With the factory stub, for a change from my usual fines and mediums.

It’s June, and the Monviso is already out. I’ve seen other owners’ photos all over Instagram. But the stub nibs are taking longer, because Aurora had to make those. Despite my impatience, that seems worth waiting for.

Now I’ve gotten word that the pen is here, in the US, and the distributor Kenro is mailing it today to my pusherman (sorry, “pen dealer”). I hope to have it late next week.

By the way, I got that photo from Kenro. It’s so … masculine, isn’t it?  Just to balance things out, I promise that my Monviso will see some especially pretty inks.

Pen of the Day: Kaweco Classic Sport with KWZ Iron Gall Orange Ink

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Kaweco Classic Sport fountain pen with KWZ Iron Gall Orange ink

Kaweco Classic Sport with broad nib. Not so much a Pen of the Day this time, because I’m more interested in the ink, the new-to-me KWZ Iron Gall Orange.

KWZ Iron Gall Orange ink writing sample

If you read this blog regularly, you will not be surprised that KWZ Iron Gall Orange is not so much orange as brown. After all, this is KWZ, the imaginative ink maker that offers a black ink called Dark Brown and a fairly purple ink called Brown-Pink.

I look forward to putting Iron Gall Orange through its paces. This pen is my old reliable, the Kaweco Classic Sport, here with a broad nib.

KWZ Iron Gall Orange ink writing sample with Kaweco Classic Sport fountain pen

Pen of the Day: Aurora Optima Burgundy Auroloide with KWZ Raspberry Ink

Laura3 Comments

KWZ Raspberry ink with Aurora Optima Burgundy fountain pen

Aurora Optima Burgundy with medium nib. It took a good two weeks to kill it, but Blue Week is finally dead. All hail KWZ Raspberry.

KWZ Raspberry ink writing sample

This looks like a nice pink. Not bright or flashy, and neither sweet nor girlish. It’s the perfect antidote to an overdose of blue.

Aurora Optima Burgundy fountain pen nib with KWZ Raspberry ink

I use this lovely pen a lot. It’s part of my Red/Pink Triumvirate, together with a Pelikan Pink and Pelikan Ruby Red. The Aurora is the most dignified. And I like Aurora’s narrow sort of medium nib.

Pen of the Day: Kaweco Classic Sport with Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro

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Kaweco Classic Sport clear with Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro ink

Kaweco Classic Sport with double broad nib. Here’s an ink I had never used, but I found a leftover sample vial with just a little bit remaining. That’s a perfect situation for the Kaweco Classic Sport. I don’t need to go through contortions to fill a Sport from a small sample — I can syringe whatever ink is left into the pen body or a converter.

Here is Ama-iro with the Kaweco double broad nib.

Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro ink writing sample

The Kaweco Sport also lets one easily swap nibs. So here’s Ama-iro from an extra-fine nib, for Fountain Pen Geeks forum.

Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro ink writing sample

But I’m in it for the bling, frankly. So for me the eyedropper is key. Especially when the ink is a beautiful sky blue like Ama-iro.

Kaweco Classic Sport clear eyedropper with Pilot Iroshizuku Ama-iro ink

Pen of the Day: Montblanc 146 (Another One) (Maybe for the Last Time)

Laura1 Comment

Montblanc 146 with Montblanc BMW ink

Montblanc 146 with broad nib. This is actually not the same 146 with broad nib that I was using last week with Caran d’Ache Infra Red. Because, currently, I have two. Sigh. Bad Fountain Pen Follies.

Would you believe that I have two by accident? And if not, what would you believe? Aliens? Amnesia? Feel free to tell me, so I can use that instead.

Montblanc 146 with Montblanc BMW ink

This is my newer 146 with broad nib. And I have been intending to sell it. But, see, it’s lucky that I’ve been dragging my feet on that. Because it’s such a good pen. And because when this Montblanc BMW ink arrived, I had the perfect pen to put it in.

And they say procrastination is bad.

Montblanc BMW ink writing sample

Pen of the Day: Kaweco Classic Sport Clear

Laura4 Comments

Kaweco Classic Sport clear with double broad nib KWZ Azure #4 ink

Kaweco Classic Sport Clear with double broad nib. I decided I wanted to see this next ink. So it was time to eyedropper a Kaweco Classic Sport. And I decided to bring out the monster truck of nibs, the double broad. My usual extra-fine and fine nibs quail before its majesty.

Kaweco Classic Sport clear with double broad nib KWZ Azure #4 ink

I left Azure #4 for last of the five KWZ Azure inks I’ve tested. Because it seemed to have a slight blue-green tint, and I am not a huge user of teal or turquoise blues. So I wasn’t quite as excited about this one.

Which lasted as long as it took me to ink up a pen. Look at what KWZ did here. Another awesome blue.

Kaweco Classic Sport clear with double broad nib KWZ Azure #4 ink