AURORA 88 OTTANTOTTO ANNIVERSARIO FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

Huge anticipation preceded the new Aurora Ottantotto Anniversario limited edition, and with reason, as it was announced to come with a new flexible 14k nib. Who doesn't want some flex action these days?! 

But of course, anticipation means nothing when the product doesn't deliver. So the hype partially dissapeared when the first reviews hit, in which the flexible nib was written off as, well... not so flexible. Of course, the mixed reviews only made me want to try it out more (maybe my scientific background makes me a critical thinker, maybe I'm just stubborn... probably the latter.). So I caved when Dennis from La Couronne Du Comte showed me the brown version that was released last month. 

But before we talk about whether or not the nib lives up to the expectations, let's just look at the pen itself, which is basically a regular Aurora Ottantotto. All eight versions of the Anniversario have one thing in common: they are all fairly simple variations on the regular Ottantotto model. Each version is made from a different color solid acrylic, or silver/gold (plated I suppose) metal. But neither of them has an exotic material, or special finish, something Aurora is usually known for. Each Anniversario is, in essence, a regular Ottantotto in a different color, nothing more than that. 

But then of course that's what you pay for. The Anniversario's are priced similarly to the regular 88's, given that the flexible nib commands a 100-150$ premium over the normal nibs (which is in line with what they will cost in the future, when they will become readily availaible on more models). I would've expected something more exotic for an anniversary limited edition, but in the end Aurora really just wanted to focus on the new nibs, not the pen around it. So that's what they did, and the result is a good looking but maybe rather plain pen. 

And that's basically the first reason why the Anniversario hasn't received the attention it deserves. It's a plain pen, but it retails for more than most other Auroras, some with much more intricate and fascinating materials. The Nebulosa, for example, was released around the same time as the Anniversario pens, and it kind of overshadowed them in popularity. Frankly, I can't blame anyone for being more exited about the new Aurora Nebulosa, which shows off a beautiful and intricate purple acrylic.

Whilst it may be rather plain, it's definitely not an ugly pen, far from it really. The Ottantotto, or 88, is a classy looking model. It's subtle all the way around, with minimal engraving on the center band, and a gently curved clip with a ball end. It won't turn heads, but then again a subdued design doesn't mean an ugly design.

The brown version has been my favourite from the moment I saw the lineup of colors that would be released, for the simple reason that I think the subtle brown color matches the overall subtlety of the pen. The choice of solid acrylic colors may have been a strange choice for an anniversary pen, but I think they pulled it off and made a classy looking pen.

The Aurora Ottantotto is actually not too different from the Optima I reviewed a while ago (read here). It's basically the same pen, but with rounded top and bottom instead of the flattop design of the Optima. The center band is also different, but that's as far as the differences go. Because the Optima is basically an 88 with the top and bottom snipped off, there is a noticeable difference in size.

L to R: Pelikan Souverän M800, Sailor Pro Gear, Aurora Optima, Aurora 88, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The difference in length, added by the rounded finials, is actually quite significant. The 88 measures 13.7 cm closed (5.4"), and 13.1 cm open (5.16"), which is almost a centimeter longer than the Optima (The Optima actually being a rather small pen). Other than the difference in length, both pens actually have a similar diameter (perhaps even identical) of around 1.4 cm (0.55") at the widest point. The section is long and wide (avg. 1.1 cm/ 0.43"), and has a pleasant tapering shape which flares out near the nib. It's a fully acrylic pen, so the total weight of the pen is limited to around 21 grams without ink.

The section is identical to the one on the Optima, which I already found quite excellent. The added length of the 88 however, makes it even more comfortable in the hand. Everything combined, the 88 is an extremely comfortable pen to write with. I've never felt the need to post the cap, but it's actually quite comfortable and balanced (the cap sits rather deep on the pen body) with the cap posted.

Let's take a look at the nib... Where do I start? Designwise, It's a simple but aesthetically pleasing nib that fits the design language of the rest of the pen. The imprint is based on a vintage design of earlier Aurora pens. I've read somewhere that imprints on flexible nibs are kept simple to reduce stress in the material, as repeated flexing can cause cracks in the nib.

As for how it performs, it's a perfectly fine Fine 14k nib (see what I did there?). It may be advertised as a flexible nib, but that doesn't mean it's not perfectly usable for everyday writing. Aurora nibs have a tendency to be slightly less polished, so you can expect a little more feedback but a lot more consistency. The ebonite feed provides a steady, slightly wet flow (I would assume it's tuned slightly wetter for optimal flex, although it seems to perform in line with the regular Aurora nibs I tried).

The reason why this nib is actually very capable for everyday writing is because it's rather stiff (which may sound a little odd, given that it's a flexible nib). You shouldn't expect an incredibly soft, springy nib like on vintage flex, or even modern titanium or soft gold nibs. It's a snappy nib, very responsive, but it requires some pressure to flex.

I'm not an expert on flex writing, but I did get some decent results out of it. The line variation is decent, but I'd call it a good semi-flex nib, calling it full flex is maybe slightly exaggerated. You'll be dissapointed if you're expecting wet noodle vintage flex like you see on Instagram (Thanks Azizah!), but you can still get very decent line variation from it nevertheles.

In my simple, not very accurate, test I could get line variation equivalent of EF to BB. Comparing to some other (semi-) flexible nibs I had on hand, the Aurora nib is definitely on the finer side, and I found it comparable in performance and flexibility to an EF titanium bock nib (although the titanium nibs feel softer and less responsive). Flex writing from something like the Wahl-Eversharp may look more impressive, but the fine nib is super wet and the line width appears much wider to begin with, so the actual variation is not necessarily better.

I've noticed a couple of people that had problems with the feed not being able to keep up with flexing, resulting in a lot of railroading. I've had it happen too, but I have a strong suspicion that it's mainly due to the choice of ink. Out of three different inks I tried (Aurora Black, Robert Oster Lemongrass, and Sailor Souten), only the Robert Oster ink (presumably the least lubricated and driest of all three) caused railroading issues. With the other two inks I could actually push it quite far without issues, even with fast writing.

There are a lot of pros and contras to this nib, but in the end I actually quite like it. It's perhaps a bit stiff, but because of that it's also perfectly usable for normal writing without having to keep a featherlight touch.

Each color in the Anniversario range is a limited edition of just 188 pieces. Because of these limited runs, they are bound to sell out fast. In fact, some of the colors are already becoming scarce, so acting fast is key. To buy or not to buy? That depends, it's a tough choice if you're just interested in a flexible nib. It does give line variation, but it's nothing like a good vintage flex, and the same effect can be had with a 50$ titanium nib. If you were already looking to buy an Aurora anyway, and you're not too keen on the more elaborate material options, the Anniversario offers a subtle yet playful option that should be considered.

In the end I think Aurora did a great job on the complete package. I'm glad I own one, but I personally wouldn't buy it just for the nib. As I mentioned earlier, all Anniversario pens retail for 620 EUR / 650 USD. If you're just looking for a flexible nib, that's too steep. But as a complete package, the 150$ premium over the regular Ottantotto is actually quite fair.

Note: La Couronne Du Comte is a sponsor of this blog. I received a discount on the purchase of this product.  I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own! This post does not contain affilate links.

AURORA OPTIMA MONVISO 360 FOUNTAIN PEN REVIEW

Since the demise of Omas, another Italian brand took over the 'hip and trendy' status Omas had at the time when they went into administration. People raved about Omas, and now they rave about Aurora. Let's just hope they don't go down the same road...

The Aurora pen company has been around since 1919, an impressive feat on itself. The Optima, a smaller pen with a distinctive flattop design, was introduced in 1930, and has been one of the flagship pens for the brand ever since, along with the Ottantotto (similar design, but with rounded finials).

Part of the charm and attire of their pens comes from the fact that they make every part in-house, down to even the gold nibs! Only a couple brands still do that today, so for that alone they are quite unique!

What's also unique are the custom materials they use for most of their pens: Auroloide, a more modern kind of celluloid that is supposed to be more stable (If you saw Inglorious Bastards, those film reels burning vigorously: ... Celluloid!).

The pen I have in front of me today is the Aurora Optima Monviso 360, a limited edition (almost sold out at the moment, so yes I'm terribly late with this review!) of 360 pens, dedicated to the Monviso mountain in the Italian Alps. The standard version of this pen comes in a variety of Auroloide colors (all equally beautiful), but for this limited edition they went with a subtle black and white flecked auroloide.

In the recent years I've changed my opinion about colorful pens quite drastically, though when I have the choice I'll still go for more subtle materials. In this case, the strong contrast between deep black and pearl white flecks offers a stylish, business-like appearance, yet it's much more appealing than 'just another black pen'. Together with the wide, greek-key engraved, center band, and the subtly curved clip, the Monviso makes for a sleek pen that doesn't scream for attention, yet with just enough visual interest to keep it from being boring.

Limited to only 360 pieces worldwide, the few that still remain probably won't last long!

Worth noting is the exceptionally precision with which each piece is made and assembled. I can usually find at least one flaw on a new pen, but in this case that has yet to be the case. It's dangerous to call something perfect, but this definitely comes close.

The Optima is a fairly small pen at 12.7cm (roughly 5 In) closed, and  12.3cm uncapped. For a short and stubby pen, it has quite a decent width, which makes up for the shorter length. It's a really comfortable pen to use because of the long and tapered section, and the lack of any sharp edges or threads to distract from the writing experience.

L to R: Pelikan M400, Pelikan M805, Aurora Monviso, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari.

A small, but clever detail that perfectly shows Aurora's expertise, is the filling system: its a normal piston-filler on first sight, with a large, clear ink window behind the section. But when you start running low on ink, the ink stops flowing. At that point you have to unscrew the piston, which acts as a step up to allow the remaining bit of ink to flow. It may sound useless, but when you look at the pen and notice the loose piston knob, you'll know it's time for a refill. Clever!

The nib, as I said, is also completely homemade, and features some scrollwork along with the gold content imprinted in the middle. I would've preferred if they placed the Aurora logo in the middle of the scrollwork, and put the '14k' somewhere else at the bottom, but that's just my two cents.

Aurora is known for their 'feedbacky' nibs, comparable to how most Japanese nibs write. It may take some getting used to, but it provides with a consistent, skip-free writing experience. The flow is balanced slightly on the wet side, and it keeps up flawlessly, in part because of the ebonite feed.

Not everyday you see a red ebonite feed, especially on modern pens!

Regarding nib sizes, Aurora seems to lean more towards Asian style pens, and they tend to run quite a bit finer than most European counterparts. On this specific pen, the 18k broad nib wrote more like a regular medium. That's good news for those that like EF and F nibs, but somewhat dissapointing if you want a wide, juicy writer.

After spending some time with this pen, I definitely understand why these pens have become so popular in the recent years. The craftmanship is immaculate, the design is stylish, and the performance is on par with what you'd expect from a 600 dollar pen. It's a lot of money for a pen (something I keep telling myself everytime), but I think it's safe to say that you get a quality luxury product in return. On top of that, Aurora apparently lowered the prices on the standard collection recently, so the regular Optima colors can be had for around 450 USD (Here  in Europe 550 EUR, which includes VAT).

Note: La Couronne Du Comte is a sponsor of this blog, I received a discount on this purchase, so I could write this review. I was in no way influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared here are completely my own! This review does not contain any affilate links.