REVIEW: LEONARDO TREDICI FOUNTAIN PEN

Despite being incredibly active in releasing new special editions and unique colorways - it seems like every week they make a cool new pen I want! - Leonardo's product catalog is more or less established around two main product lines: the Furore (or Furore Grande), and the Momento Zero (or Momento Zero Grande). Of course, that's not including the handful of limited editions (like the Cuspide, Messenger, or Speranza), though even those often take strong design cues from pens like the ever-popular Momento Zero. 

But the pen we're taking a look at today - a limited edition that's yet to be officially released, mind you! - brings quite a different look to the table through the introduction of a fully faceted design: the Leonardo Tredici! My thanks go out to the people at Leonardo Officina Italiana, for giving me the opportunity to check out this pen well in advance of its launch! 

The Tredici appropriately gets its name from the Italian word for 'thirteen', the number of facets on the pen. Though the Tredici is unmistakably a Leonardo design (put it side by side with the Momento Zero, and the kinship is easily spotted), it does bring a more angular, tapered, design style to the table, whereas the Momento Zero and Furore are a bit more gently curved and rounded. 

The lack of decorative trim rings on the back of the barrel or section, the fine rolling wheel clip, and the three cap rings, together with the faceted design of the Tredici, make for a pen that - in my opinion, at least - embodies the 'vintage' styling that many Leonardo pens try to capture, even better. The comparison with an old Omas paragon wouldn't be too far off either, I think?

The Tredici wouldn't be a true Leonardo pen if it wasn't for some bright and colorful materials. So for this limited edition (70 pens for each color), it'll be available in two distinct acrylic resins: Hawaii, and Arlecchino (Harlequin). Both materials have already made an appearance on previous Leonardo pens. The Hawaii is of course a tried-and-true staple among many of Leonardo's pens, and it never fails to impress me with its complex mix of blue and brown hues, pearlescence, and translucence, all mixed in through the striped acrylic material. 

The colorful yellow/orange/green flecked Arlecchino material (an acrylic recreation of a celluloid Omas used to use back in the day) is a bit less common and tends to only be used for limited editions. Being partial to orange pens, I quite enjoy the eclectic and vibrant mix of solid colors in the Arlecchino, but it's certainly a love-it-or-hate-it material! 

While I think there's something to be said for both colorways (both will definitely turn heads!) I'd also like to see the Tredici in a different - more muted - material choice, as the emphasis on the faceted shape is perhaps a bit lost in the 'busy' patterns of these two materials. 

Since these are pre-production pens, there are a few (small) details that I was told would still be addressed before final production: While the thirteen facets on cap, barrel and piston knob align fairly well (the cap has triple-start threads, so only one orientation will align them), it's not absolutely perfect. The faceted trim rings on the cap will also be fine-tuned a bit in the final production, making them sit more flush and aligned with the surface of the cap. These are relatively small details, but making them perfect is key (and shows a keen eye for detail from Leonardo), as the facets are of course the centerpiece of the Tredici's design!

L to R: Pelikan M805, Leonardo Furore, Furore Grande, Momento Zero Grande, Tredici, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

The Tredici is slightly shorter than the Momento Zero Grande and appears a bit skinnier as well (partially due to the strongly tapered shape). Though with a capped length of 14.8 cm/ 5.83", and an uncapped length of 13.3 cm/ 5.25", it still certainly classifies as a large pen. The Tredici weighs just 25 grams, which makes it very lightweight and nimble, especially for a rather large pen like this. For those that prefer an even larger pen, the Tredici can be posted very securely, and the cap doesn't add any noticeable backweight. 

For the Tredici, Leonardo went with a traditional hourglass-shaped section (very similar to the section of the Cuspide, but narrower) as opposed to the stepped design on the MZ. Just like the rest of the Tredici, the section is on average about a millimeter narrower than the Momento Zero. While that's a relatively minute difference in thickness, it is indeed noticeable in the hand. The section on the Tredici is decently long, and the threads are shallow and unobtrusive. Though in terms of comfort, the Tredici does take a slight hit with a fairly sharp drop off towards the barrel, which I did notice in my grip. The Momento Zero Grande has a similar step, but the rounded trim ring on the edge makes the MZ gentler to the touch.

Under the hood, you'll be greeted by a 14k gold nib (no option for steel nibs, as is the case on most of Leonardo's Limited Editions). Leonardo made a complete switch to JoWo last year, so that's what you're getting here, regardless of the nib width you choose. I tried out both a regular medium and one of their 'elastic' (read: soft, not flex) fine nibs. The 14k gold nib is backed up by Leonardo's own ebonite feeds, and metal piston-filling mechanism, the same as on Leonardo's 'Grande' models.

The fine elastic nib - with its distinct cutouts on the sides - has a noticeable feedback to it when you write, and the softness creates a line width on the broader side of a western fine, perhaps closer to medium. The cutouts are meant to create a more bouncy, cushioned writing experience, not for wet noodle vintage super-ultra flex line variation. That said, you can certainly get enough line variation out of it for some elegant flourishes in your writing. 

For the medium nib, I anticipated the fact that all my Leonardos with ebonite feeds have all been very wet writers, so I tried to balance it with the super dry Kyo-Iro Stone Road of Gion ink (lovely shade, but man is it a dry ink!). Unfortunately, even the very generous ebonite feed was no match to the desert-like dryness of Stone Road, so I went with Diamine Evergreen instead. After that, the medium nib performed wonderfully; a very smooth, responsive writer, backed up by a rich flow from the ebonite feed.

The Tredici is a fresh design from Leonardo's stables, a bit outside of the comfort zone of their current pens. In my opinion, it's probably their best representation of the vintage Italian design language, so far, and the attention to detail is on point. 

As the faceted design inevitably increases the production difficulty, this, unfortunately, translates in the retail price of the Tredici: 595€ (653€ for the soft nib). That's 100 euros more than the Momento Zero Grande with a gold nib. Though for a limited edition of just 70 pieces in each colorway, the Tredici still comes in far below other Leonardo LE's (like the 850€ Cuspide)!

NOTE: The pens in this review were provided on loan by Leonardo Officina Italiana. I was in no way paid, or influenced in the making of this review, the opinions shared in this review are completely my own. This post does not contain affiliate links.

RE-REVIEW: LEONARDO MOMENTO ZERO GRANDE (2020) FOUNTAIN PEN

It's of course no secret that I've been enjoying Leonardo pens quite a bit in the last year, maybe even a bit too much! As if they're made from catnip, I found myself strongly drawn towards almost every new pen they released in the past twelve months... and they released A LOT of new pens, mind you! A consistent personal favorite among all those new creations has been the Momento Zero Grande, as well as all the special editions based on this model. I already reviewed the MZ Grande once, back in 2019 when it first came out (review HERE). However, shortly after,  in 2020, the MZ Grande already went through a bit of an update. 

In a - futile - attempt to somewhat keep up with the ruthless pace of new Leonardo releases, I'll be covering the changes that were made in the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande '2020 model', and in two follow-up posts, we'll highlight some hot off the press colorways, as well as the new #8 nib version - So stay tuned for a proper Leonardo overdose in the coming days! 

Before we start though, I'd like to thank Salvatore Matrone - owner of Leonardo Officina Italiana - for being a true enabler, sending a lot of new creations over for me to try! Needless to say, barely any pens made it back to Italy and my Leonardo collection expanded quite a bit in the process of writing these reviews (with my wallet in the background, crying for help!).

Putting the 'old' and 'new' side by side, what has actually changed about the Momento Zero Grande? Four vibrant new colorways entered the standard collection, replacing the mostly darker materials of the original release. The one shown here is the 'Luna Rossa' acrylic, a beautiful red flecked material that's quite beautiful and by far the least 'flashy' of the new colors. But besides that, the differences are admittedly quite subtle. Especially in terms of design, you're looking at an almost identical pen. 

However, the one subtle aesthetic change does manage to alter the looks of the pen a bit IMHO: gone is the vintage-looking 'step' on the cap lip. The new cap design still transitions almost seamlessly into the barrel, but now with a straight taper. Admittedly, it's not the worlds' most exciting change, though the new, more streamlined design does make the MZ Grande tie in a bit better with the shape of the standard Momento Zero.

The major change of the MZ Grande 2020, is one you won't see from the outside! The inside of the pen was reworked entirely, and the MZ Grande meant the first real foray for Leonardo into creating 'true' piston-filled fountain pens. While the original Grande already came with a special, large capacity captured converter, operable from the blind cap on the back of the barrel, this custom piston mechanism adds a filling system that's often perceived as more 'luxurious' - a feature you might come to expect on a pen that does cost close to 300$. The mechanism is all-metal, so longevity shouldn't be a concern. The change to a piston mechanism brings an even larger ink capacity (1.5mL vs. 1.2mL). Though as a trade-off, it takes away the possibility to check the ink level, since there is no ink window. 

Despite the change in filling mechanism, the barrel design didn't change at all

A minor detail about the piston mechanism that might annoy some users, is that the piston knob doesn't tighten extremely securely against the barrel. While it coming loose won't cause accidental ink spills, it is indeed a bit of a pet peeve and it'd be nice if they found a way to improve on it. (Perhaps an idea for the 2021 version, Salvatore?)

L to R: Pelikan M805, Leonardo Momento Zero, Furore Grande, Momento Zero  Grande 2020, MZ Grande (2019), Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

As I already mentioned, the Momento Zero Grande didn't really change much design-wise, so the dimensions all pretty much hold true. While the Furore Grande (reviewed HERE) is now the biggest pen in Leonardo's product lineup, the Furore's streamlined profile doesn't quite convey the imposing stature like the bulkier MZ Grande - though both are of course massive pens without a doubt!

On paper, the MZ Grande measures 15.1cm/ 5.595" capped, and 13.6cm/ 5.36" uncapped. In the hand, those numbers translate to a pen worth every part of its 'Grande' nametag. The attentive reader will notice that the 2020 measures one whole millimeter taller than the old version... though that's negligible, of course. Weighing in at 30 grams - 5 grams less than the previous version, despite the all-metal piston mechanism! - the 2020 version gets rid of the slightly back-weighted balance, which only adds to the comfort of an already comfortable pen.

Under the cap, the section shape remains the same. That's to say: a slightly quirky two-step taper, which isn't as weird in the hand as it looks, though I understand that it might not appeal to everyone. (a good friend of mine - you know who you are - actually doesn't own a Leonardo solely because of the section!) The step towards the barrel also remains present. Though just like before, I find that the rounded-off metal ring creates a rather comfortable transition that doesn't interfere with my grip too much.

Left the 'old' Bock nib, right the new nib from JoWo

While Leonardo started out using Bock nibs exclusively, they gradually made the change towards JoWo. The release of the MZ Grande 2020 was caught in the middle of that change, and so it could be that you either got a Bock or a JoWo nib. In 2021, we should be seeing exclusively JoWo nibs, though I don't know if that's already the case. I own both, and across the (too) many Leonardo pens I own, I've only had maybe one or two behave slightly subpar out of the box. Other than the odd exception, both the Bock and JoWo nibs are fabulous writers - in no small part due to the in-house made ebonite feeds that provide a rather heavy, juicy ink flow. 

Don't take my word for it when I say the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2020 is a fantastic pen - I'm a fanboy and I cannot lie. Instead, I think it's quite telling how Leonardo managed to become one of the hippest and trendiest pen brands of the moment on such short notice... they must be doing something right. Right? 

It's nice to see that the inclusion of a piston mechanism didn't drive up the price. As before, the Momento Zero Grande still retails for 295€/ 295$ without VAT (at Site Sponsor Casa Della Stilografica, use discount code 'Firenze' for 10% off!). While that certainly makes the Grande a step up from the rather accessible regular Momento Zero, you do get some worthwhile 'upgrades' for the premium(the ebonite feed and piston mechanism), which the regular version doesn't have. I also just really enjoy the large, oversized footprint, though that's of course a very personal preference!

NOTE: I received a discount on the purchase of this product by Leonardo Officina Italiana, so I could write this review. 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 affiliate links.

REVIEW: TIBALDI BONONIA FOUNTAIN PEN

In my first post of 2021 - 2020's year roundup of my favorite products - I highlighted Tibaldi as one of my favorite discoveries that entered the playing field. The pens I've tried from them so far (The Perfecta I reviewed HERE, and the N.60 I reviewed HERE) have demonstrated their ability to create modern, fresh designs that still hold a strong tie with their vintage predecessors.

When I first saw product shots for their latest pen, the Tibaldi Bononia, I was very excited to get my hands on one. Although not so much for their characterful vintage reimagination, but instead for the fantastic material they put front and center with this release. My thanks go out to Tibaldi for sending this pen my way to check out!

Left the Leonardo Furore, right the Tibaldi Bononia

The Bononia is, once again, based on a pen from one of Tibaldi's previous lifetimes, and resemblance with the original Bononia from the '90s is indeed striking. While the Bononia (which is Latin for Bologna) follows a vintage design language - especially with the triple decorative cap bands - it doesn't quite have the same distinct, and old-school looks that set the Perfecta or N.60 apart. The streamlined torpedo shape of the Bononia isn't too uncommon to see from other brands (notably, its closest competitor, the Leonardo Furore!), but that doesn't make it any less of a good-looking pen of course. With fairly little decoration, the trim on the cap edge and the tie-shaped clip are the only elements that take your eye away from the main focus of this pen: the material!

Tibaldi chose two 'spaghetti resin' colorways that I hadn't seen before, and they're just absolutely stunning. This Martini Olive green is probably my absolute favorite of the spaghetti resins I've seen so far, even topping the - also stunning - Hawaii resins. The material is dark and subtle for the most part, with slices of bright, pearlescent green and white and some almost brown-ish hues. I'd even dare to say that the stark contrast, especially with the black acrylic layers in between the strips of green, actually comes very close to Arco celluloid. 

On the other hand, the red Seashell Mist (the name really doesn't match the material IMHO) is vibrant and bright, with an almost candy-like appearance! There's also a simple black resin version - which does align well with Tibaldi's business-chic style - but I wouldn't say it's the color I'd choose here (and that's coming from someone who does tend to more subtle color palettes!). 

The Tibaldi branding is engraved in a large, modern font above the cap bands. The engravings don't really stand out or distract from the overall clean looks of the pen.

The tie-shaped clip that we already saw on the N.60, makes a return on the Bononia. While I quite enjoy the design of the clip, functionality isn't its strong suit - as was the case on the N.60. It just sits too close against the cap to actually slide something underneath, instead, the tip of the clip will just catch on whatever fabric you'll try to attach it to (unless, perhaps, the fabric is very thin). If they made the clip a bit less low-profile, that would probably make a world of difference in terms of usability.

L to R: Edison Collier, Montblanc 149, Leonardo Furore, Tibaldi Bononia, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

Just like the Tibaldi N.60, the Bononia has all the elements to make a comfortable writer. It's a large pen on the outside. With its 14.6 cm/ 5.75" (capped), it sticks out above the Leonardo Furore and Montblanc 149 by just a few mm. While comfortable in size for my hand, the uncapped Bononia is surprisingly not quite as large as the closed dimensions might suggest, at a fairly average 12.9 cm/ 5.06". 

The design of the Bononia allows for a section that transitions almost seamlessly into the barrel, with only the threads in the way of your grip. The edge of the threads is slightly noticeable, but the threads themselves are shallow and disappear in your grip. The section itself is short but has a comfortable shape and diameter. It tapers down subtly from a generous 12.3 mm to 11.5 mm, before flaring out slightly. The Bononia is a fairly lightweight pen, just 24g in total, due to the all-acrylic construction. The metal threads of the section don't add any perceptible weight but do shift the balance slightly towards the front. The cap posts fairly well and transforms it into a large but not particularly unwieldy pen.

Build quality has been excellent on all Tibaldi pens I've tried so far, and the Bononia is no different. The entire pen feels solid and robust, fit and finish are top-notch, the cap lip is nicely rounded off, threads are smooth, etc. In this price range, there are competitors that come with more intriguing filling systems, but frankly, I have very little against the practicality of a simple cartridge/converter-filled pen like this. 

The first two Tibaldi's I tried, were both quite capable writers, so that set the bar rather high. This time, I went for the BB nib (steel) on the Bononia, since that's a size you don't often come across as a stock offering. While the ebonite feed is once again a perfectly capable piece of the puzzle, the nib itself unfortunately didn't blow me away. The tines needed some realignment, as it wrote rather scratchy out of the box. Alignment issues aside, I was most disappointed by the line width, which isn't noticeably wider than any regular western broad nib. 

I continue to appreciate what Tibaldi is doing, faithfully reincarnating pens from their rich company history. Even though the Bononia is perhaps a bit less distinctive or recognizable (compared to the Tibaldis I previously tested) it easily manages to captivate with two stunning material options, and an overall sleek and comfortable design with a vintage flair. Tibaldi has proven by now that they know how to present a very well made and smart-looking pen, which makes it all the more unfortunate that the nib on this particular pen didn't manage to live up to the expectation. 

At 195€ (at our site sponsor Casa Della Stilografica), the Bononia hovers around the same price as the Tibaldi Perfecta and N.60, and comparable offerings from other Italian brands like Leonardo or Maiora.

Note: This product was provided by Tibaldi, so I could write this review. 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 affiliate links.

REVIEW: TIBALDI N.60 FOUNTAIN PEN

Not so long ago, the Tibaldi Perfecta pleasantly surprised me (review HERE). And today we're taking a look at another Tibaldi: the N.60 (or "Modello 60") fountain pen.

With pens like the Perfecta and N.60, Tibaldi is returning to the company's roots, stepping away from the high-end pens they were known for in most recent years, and instead focusing on recreations of their own vintage designs of the previous century. I think their "re-envisioning" opened up quite a bit of potential going forward. We all know that vintage-inspired pens typically are quite well-received, and so the N.60 - in that regard - should be an interesting pen as well. 

Tibaldi N.60 next to the smaller Tibaldi Perfecta

As I said, the N.60, just like the Perfecta, is heavily drawn from vintage Tibaldi pens. I didn't know before I recently got to talking with the people of Tibaldi, but they actually have quite a long-standing history in pen manufacturing. All the way back to 1916 in fact, so there's plenty of material to draw inspiration from!

The original celluloid Modello 60, if you look it up online, is indeed immediately recognizable here.  The N.60 is quite a large pen, with a subtly curved, flattop design. From to the stepped finials with 'jewel' inlays (a design element also found on vintage Esterbrooks and Parker Vacumatics, for example) on cap and barrel,...

... the tie-shaped clip,...

....the three small cap bands, to even the pinched shape of the cap lip,... all the details of the original made its way into this design, which is really cool. I like that they stayed true to the original. Some modern interpretations seem to try too hard to do things differently, they miss the ball completely (Esterbrook JR, I'm looking at you!), and ultimately lose connection with their historical counterparts.

The design feels positively vintage, down to the material choice. Of course no longer celluloid like the vintage counterparts, but they're nice flecked resins nonetheless. I particularly like this more subtle ruby red colorway, it has some nice chatoyance in the dark red flecks. You can also go for more vibrant green or amber yellow, or perhaps the bold blue-yellow flecked 'Samarkand', which mimics one of Tibaldi's vintage transparent blue flecked celluloids (They sent me a coffee table book with information on historical models, so I can now pretend like I know these kinds of things!). 

Maybe the only thing I'm not so fond of with the N.60, is the functionality of the clip. It's true to the original clip design, yes, but it's far from practical in my opinion. The clip is very springy (good), but it hugs too closely for it to actually be able to slide over the edge of a pocket or a pen case slot.

L to R: Platinum #3776, Esterbrook JR, Esterbrook Estie, Tibaldi Perfecta, Tibaldi N.60, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

For a recreation of an older pen, the N.60 may look a bit too large to really be truthful to the original. But actually, the original Modello 60 was supposedly fairly similar in size. The N.60 measures 14.9cm/ 5.87" capped, and retains a very comfortable length of 13.3cm/ 5.24" when uncapped, making it quite a sizeable pen. The section measures roughly 11.7mm/ 0.46", which is slightly on the wider side but should fit most grips quite well.

Talking about grip: writing with the N.60 is a treat! The section isn't extremely long, but it tapers nicely and flares out right before the nib. There's no step to speak of, the threads are almost not noticeable, and the fairly light total weight of 28g makes it a fatigue-free writer. I found it plenty long to use unposted, but posting is possible if you so desire. 

Just like the Perfecta lacked the safety filler mechanism of its vintage counterpart, the N.60 has a standard cartridge/converter filling system instead of the original Modello 60's piston. The converter is a screw-in type, just like Montegrappa's pens (remember, Tibaldi is part of Montegrappa!), so it can't come loose accidentally. Of course, a piston filler would've been nice, but then again that would've inevitably also reflected in the price.

As mentioned in the review of the Perfecta, Tibaldi outfits their pens with steel nibs by Bock. I like the modern Tibaldi logo laser etched on the nib, but perhaps a more vintage-appropriate design would've fit the overall aesthetic a bit better? 

It's good to see more and more brands go back to using ebonite feeds!

As last time, the N.60 also benefits from an ebonite feed, which provides a fairly heavy ink flow that I like. The steel medium nib is smooth, but not glassy smooth, it has just the slightest bit of feedback to it. It's a well-behaved nib, and together with the comfortable design, the N.60 offers a very complete package for long writing sessions.

Tibaldi is specifically targeting a younger, more business-oriented audience with their new product lines, and they seem to be keen on keeping within the 150-200$ price range. The N.60 in particular, is priced very reasonably at 185€ (179$ without VAT) at Appelboom (use discount code 'friend' for 10% off!), about the same as the Tibaldi Perfecta I reviewed earlier. 

I honestly have nothing but praise for what Tibaldi is doing right now. Between this and the Perfecta, they managed to perfectly capture vintage designs in well-made, modern pens. The ebonite feeds are a nice thing to see these days, they are good writers, and the price is in line with what I'd expect to pay for a pen like this. The 'new' Tibaldi brand may still need some time to regain traction with the larger audience after their complete rebranding. But the way I see it, I think they can definitely stand up to competing Italian brands like Leonardo, Maiora, and the like.

Note: This product was sent on loan by our site sponsor Appelboom, so I could write this review. 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 affiliate links.