REVIEW: KILK ORIENT FOUNTAIN PEN

I'm excited because I have an entirely new (to me) brand in front of me for review today! This bright and cheerful orange pen came from Istanbul in Turkey, made by the brand Kilk. I first encountered Kilk pens on the table of Fontoplumo at last year's Dutch pen show, but it took me until this year when Frank (from Fontoplumo) encouraged me to try one out. I'm a sucker for orange pens, so obviously, I couldn't resist their newest model: the Kilk Orient! 

A single glance at the Orient was all it took to be intrigued by the Orient. It has a couple design features that make it stand out quite strongly. 

The first thing that probably caught your eye is the vibrant orange acrylic that this pen is made of (recently, they also introduced a stunning green 'cracked ice' version). Large streaks of pearlescence flow throughout the material and appear to glow when light hits it. You get a slight glimpse of the converter and nib through to the semi-translucent acrylic. 

But it's not just the material. The overall shape and design of the Orient are also quite out there: The pen has a very sculpted, organically flowing shape, especially on the barrel there's a very strong curved taper towards the back. The cap and barrel have flat finials. 

Personally, I find the barrel shape a bit strong, but it is an original-looking pen, to say the least. And as a plus side, the shape of the barrel allows for the cap to post deep and very securely on the back.

The design feature that absolutely won me over, however, is the use of sterling silver for the clip and center band. It's quite rare to see sterling silver on a 300$-ish pen, but not for Kilk. Almost all their pens have at least some silver accents, even their most affordable sub-200$ standard models! The clip follows the same flowy, curvy lines of the rest of the pen. The center band immediately draws the eye with its stark, geometric pattern that counters the organic shapes in the rest of the pen. The clip and center band received a matte brushed finish to give them a more vintage appearance.

L to R: Scribo Piuma, Pelikan M805, Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Pura, Kilk Orient, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

The Orient is a mid-sized pen, measuring 13.9 cm/ 5.48" in length when capped and 13.2 cm/ 5.19" uncapped. It's quite a bulky pen around the center band (15 mm/ 0.59" on the barrel), but a strong taper towards the nib takes that down to 11mm/ 0.43" at the concave of the section. The entire pen weighs just 20 grams, with the balance mostly towards that large silver center band when uncapped. 

The curved, organic shape of the Orient naturally conforms to the shape of your hand. Together with the gentle taper of the section towards the barrel, and nicely flush threads, this is a fantastically comfortable pen to use.

It also has to be said that the production quality of the Kilk Orient is second to none. The entire pen feels incredibly solid and robust in hand. The sterling silver parts were cast very precisely, with crisp details. All the acrylic parts are perfectly polished (you'd think that that's a given these days, but it's not!), and everything fits together seamlessly. 

In fact, my only remark would be that construction is sometimes a bit too precise. There are quite a few crisp edges on the Orient (the finials, the cap lip, the clip). I wouldn't go as far as saying they're bothersome or too sharp... except for the clip! The clip narrows down into a point that, in my opinion, should've been rounded off just a little bit to make it less sharp. The pointy edge could grab onto fabric when you carry it in a vest pocket, for example.

The #6 steel nib comes from the stables of Bock, customized with a clean and simple laser engraving of the Kilk logo on the nib face. This medium nib came very well-tuned out of the box and runs true to western sizing. It's a stiff nib, in line with recent Bock nibs being thicker and stiffer than they used to be a few years ago. The nib is fairly smooth, though has a slight-but-noticeable touch of pencil-like feedback, similar to Bock's titanium nibs. The ink flow is nice and rich, but most importantly, consistent. 

The market of 200-300$ pens is filled with excellent options these days, including many smaller and custom makers. What Kilk brings to the table with their Orient fountain pen, though, is a strikingly original (dare I say, a touch eccentric?), very well-made pen that writes as it should out of the box. Not to mention the beautiful sterling silver details you'd usually only see on much higher-end pens. With all that, 295€ (at Fontoplumo) feels like a very fair retail price for this pen. 

Note: This product was provided by Kilk and Fontoplumo, free of charge, 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: GRAVITAS SENTRY FOUNTAIN PEN

I'm a total sucker for Gravitas pens if you hadn't noticed yet, an addiction fueled by the fact that Ben Walsh (founder of Gravitas Pens) always seems to know exactly what I want in a pen! The last Gravitas pen I reviewed was the Entry, quite a while ago: a well-rounded design, tough construction, great ergonomics, all at a reasonably wallet-friendly price point. 

One of the unique things about the Entry is its slender form factor, something you don't often see on metal fountain pens. Though with my personal preference for oversized pens, I imagined how cool it would be to have a slightly more oversized version of the Entry... Luckily, Ben was already one step ahead of me and by the time I published my review of the Gravitas Entry, he had released this: the Gravitas Sentry! 

From an aesthetic point of view, the Sentry is probably one of my favorite pens of the moment, at least as far as metal pen designs go. Admittedly, the Entry already ticked a lot of boxes for me, so there wasn't much I'd change about it. It shares the simple flat-top design with pointed finials of the Entry. The cap-to-body ratio of the Sentry is still noticeably exaggerated, with a long barrel and shorter-than-usual cap, which creates a pleasing imbalance in the design. Compared to the Entry, the Sentry just gained some weight (literally). Everything is a bit wider, which is especially noticeable on the barrel: gone is the almost paintbrush-like, thin barrel of the Entry, which is now noticeably thicker, though with a similar gentle taper to it. 

Put them side by side, and the Entry appears even more slender! The Flagship model, on the other hand, makes even the Sentry look dainty!

I find the added bulkyness gives the Sentry more pleasing overall proportions than the rather slim Entry. It's hard to put a finger on it, but the way Gravitas executed the flat-top, pointed finial design on the Sentry is just very pleasing to the eye. The Sentry is not quite as minimal and brutalist as the Namisu Nova (which remains another personal favorite). Also within Gravitas' own range of pens, the Sentry definitely feels more refined and elegantly shaped compared to the super-robust and bulky 'Flagship' fountain pen.

Just like the smaller Entry, the Sentry is unadorned on the outside, apart from the clean and minimal Gravitas logo engraved right above the cap edge. The large Sentry is an ideal canvas to show off the laser-etched designs that Gravitas is known for, though so far only the 'Skittles' Sentry can be ordered with etched designs on it (though I'm certain that'll change in the future).

Just like the Entry, the Sentry is available in a plethora of colors and materials: a bunch of anodized aluminium colors, as well as the special 'Skittles' finish, brushed stainless steel, and polished brass or copper.

Under the cap, we again find the PVD-coated black stainless steel sections that are also on the Entry. The black section provides some visual contrast, especially against the raw steel, copper, and brass versions of the Sentry. I would've hoped for matched section materials to create a more seamless look, though I do agree with Ben's reasoning that the steel section partially mitigates the 'penny smell' typically associated with brass and copper pens. The section has machined grooves for grip, a feature that is now standard on all of Gravitas' fountain pen designs (including the original 'Flagship' fountain pen).

Machining on the edges and finials is super-crisp (Some have even described the pointed finials of the Entry and Sentry as 'sharp'. While they sure are pointy, I wouldn't go as far as saying you can actually hurt yourself on them.), showing off the very precise machining and tight construction tolerances, a constant throughout all of Gravitas' pens. 

L to R: Namisu Nova, Ensso Piuma, Gravitas Pocket, Gravitas Delrin, Gravitas Sentry, Gravitas Entry, Gravitas Flagship, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

But also in terms of writing comfort, the Sentry scores high marks. Though that comes with the disclaimer that I always tend to gravitate towards large and oversized pens. The features I already enjoyed about the Entry remain: a grippy concave, ridged section, a smooth and comfortable transition towards the barrel, and threads that are hardly noticeable in your grip. 

The Sentry and Entry are much closer in length than I first thought, only about a millimeter apart (the Sentry measures 14.6 cm/ 5.75", the Entry 14.5 cm/ 5.71"). Uncapped, the Sentry still measures 13.9 cm/ 5.47", plenty long enough to fit comfortably in any hand. Posting the cap is technically possible, but makes little sense. It doesn't extend the pen very much, yet adds a whole lot of weight that you definitely don't need.

Sentry on the left, Entry in the middle, and Flagship on the right, note how the Sentry's section is even wider than that of the Flagship!

Roughly 2 mm added to the overall diameter, that's the key difference between the Sentry and Entry. While that may not sound like much, it drastically changes how the Sentry looks and feels. The added diameter continues in the section, which is a substantial 13 mm/ 0.51" at the widest point (even at the narrowest point, the section still measures a generous 11 mm/ 0.43"). Together with the pronounced concave curve in the section profile, the added thickness makes the Sentry a very comfortable and fatigue-free pen to write with, whereas the Entry feels a bit narrow at times - at least in my hand.

The Sentry being an oversized and chonky pen made out of metal, you can of course expect some weight. If you don't like too much heft, turn straight to the aluminium version for your best bet at a fairly nimble pen - even that one, due to its stainless steel section, still weighs in at a hefty 40 grams! For the stainless steel, brass and copper versions, the total weight jumps up to 84, 89 and 94 grams respectively. 

It goes without saying that the Sentry caters specifically to those that like large, heavy and oversized pens. If you're not certain about what type of pen you prefer, the Entry remains an easier pen to recommend to a wider audience, because of its more middle-of-the-road dimensions.

*Note that these are JoWo nibs, not the new nibs that Gravitas now uses!

Not pictured here (because I got these pens a while ago!) are the new custom nibs that Gravitas now uses. Due to supply issues with JoWo, Ben recently made the decision to design his own nib units and have them manufactured by a different supplier (though to the same spec as the JoWo nib units, so nib units can still be interchanged). 

Unfortunately the new nibs are a tad smaller than JoWo's #6, but compared to the flourished design of JoWo's nibs, they do provide a more clean and minimal look with just the stamped (not laser-etched!) Gravitas logo on them. The new nibs are tuned very well (something Ben does in-house for all his nibs). It's quite smooth, with a line width that runs a touch finer compared to JoWo and Bock (I tried the fine and it's definitely more like a JoWo extra fine). Ink flow also seems to be a bit more towards the balanced side compared to similar JoWo nibs. 

The Gravitas Sentry starts at 95€ for the anodized aluminium versions, steel or brass versions move up to 100€, while the copper version comes in at 105€. While that does put the Sentry at a slight premium over the Entry (which starts at 80€ for the aluminium versions), both pens are close enough in price to not let that be the main differentiator between the two. 

The choice then boils down to a simple matter of preference, between the very reasonably-sized Entry or the oversized -though very comfortable!- Sentry. To nobody's surprise, I think both are great pens, but my personal choice definitely goes to the Sentry. It has rapidly become a new personal favorite, and I expect it to remain a top pick in my daily carry for quite a while!

Some of the products featured in this review were sent to me by Gravitas. 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.

REVIEW: ENSSO PIUMA POCKET FOUNTAIN PEN

The first half of 2022 has been a hectic one for me. Between ramping up the pace on my PhD project, teaching courses, grading papers, guiding student interns, and preparing for my first scientific conference last month, little time (and energy, to be honest) remained to direct towards new reviews - sorry! 

Anyway, I decided to pick up again with a review of a product that I really, REALLY like. Somewhat contradictory, for someone who keeps telling himself that he doesn't like pocket pens, I do find myself -surprisingly often- enjoying the heck out of them! Over the last few years, there has been a surge of fascinating and novel pocket pens, but probably one of my favorite ones to date is the one we'll be looking at today: the Ensso Piuma Pocket. 

The Piuma Pocket perfectly embodies what I like to see in a pocket-sized pen: no compromises (or at least, as few as possible!). Ensso went with sort of a top-down approach here: taking their known and loved full-sized Piuma fountain pen and turning it into a very pocketable design. But it's not just a scaled-down version of a full-sized pen, nor is it an exercise in pushing dimensions dangerously close to the edge of usability (like what you see on the extremely small Ensso XS or Kaweco Lilliput). The Piuma Pocket doesn't trade off portability for comfort; you're not confronted with a pen that, even posted, is barely long enough to hold comfortably, has a ridiculously narrow and short section or a tiny #5 nib. Instead, Ensso created one of the shortest pocket pens out there, simply by clever implementation of a postable cap, and by taking design elements that work (such as the overall cigar shape, or fantastically comfortable grip of the full-sized Piuma fountain pen) and building a pen around that. 

The overall shape of the Piuma Pocket is indeed very reminiscent of the Piuma. The barrel is short and the cap takes up most of the length, as if they took the full-sized Piuma and cut off half the barrel. The Piuma Pocket looks rather stout because its diameter is almost identical to that of the regular Piuma, so  it's quite a bit wider than your average pocket pen. The back of the barrel has a short, threaded section, with very shallow and unobtrusive block threads that don't break too much with the overall clean design of the pen. Talking about the threads: they're short and smooth, making capping and posting the pen swift and easy.

L to R: Kaweco Sport, Schon DSGN P6, Ensso XS, Ensso Piuma Pocket, Ensso Piuma, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

L to R: Kaweco Sport, Schon DSGN P6, Ensso XS, Ensso Piuma Pocket, Ensso Piuma, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

Even though I did say that Ensso didn't go above and beyond to create the smallest possible design, they still somehow managed to make the Piuma Pocket very, very small! At 9.3 cm capped, it's shorter than Ensso's own XS or a Kaweco Sport, and just a hair taller than the super-compact Schon DSGN P6! Even better: when write-ready, the posted cap on the back boosts the length of the Piuma Pocket up to a whopping 13.9 cm. To give some perspective, that's half a centimeter longer than the P6, and about the same size as a capped Lamy 2000! 

Posted, the Piuma Pocket transforms into a very large pen!

So, maybe it's even a bit too long? They certainly could've shaved off a few millimeters and still end up with a perfectly comfortable pen for most, if not all, hands. As mentioned, the Piuma Pocket does look and feel noticeably wider than most pocket pens, because it takes over the exact diameter of the regular Ensso Piuma, which is around 15 mm at the widest point. The Piuma Pocket feels incredibly solid in the hand. It seems like they took extra care machining all parts with thicker walls for extra robustness, never a bad idea for a pocket pen! So, regardless of which metal you choose, these pens have some noticeable heft to them (aluminium: 24 g, titanium: 38 g, brass: 67 g). There's now also an ebonite version though, which weighs in at a dainty 12 grams - for those who like the design of the Piuma Pocket, but not the heft.

The Ensso Piuma (left) and Piuma Pocket share an almost-identical section design

Take the cap off, and you're greeted by an almost one-to-one copy of the section found on the regular Ensso Piuma. And that's where I think this design really shines. Could Ensso have slimmed the Piuma Pocket down to make it even more portable? Sure, but I'm glad they didn't trade writing comfort for that extra bit of pocketability - I highly doubt that those few millimeters in diameter wouldn't have made a difference anyway. Instead, now you're getting a proper, full-sized section that is extremely comfortable in the hand. The pen in its entirety is just very comfortable to hold, and plenty long enough of course. There's a slight step behind the section and threads, but the edge is sufficiently rounded off for it to not be all that intrusive in my grip. In terms of writing comfort, this pen is a 10/10 for me. 

Of course, one limitation can't be circumvented when designing a pen of this size, and that's the filling system. With barely any space to spare, standard international cartridges are the only way to go on this pen. Pretty much par for the course on a pocket pen, and so not a dealbreaker for me, but note that even something like the Mini converter from Kaweco simply won't work (Kaweco's old aerometric mini converters should fit, but they're... well, not great). 

The new ebonite Ensso Piuma and Ensso Piuma Pocket

The ebonite pens have a similar machined satin finish as Ensso's metal pens

HOWEVER! Ensso did just release the Piuma and Piuma Pocket in ebonite. The ebonite version of the Piuma Pocket comes with an O-ring attached to the barrel threads, so it lends itself perfectly to eye-droppering!

On the other hand, because Ensso started from the full-sized Piuma, they did manage to fit in a full-sized #6 Bock nib on the Piuma Pocket. We're seeing somewhat of a general trend towards pocket pens with larger nibs. I fully agree with that change, as I generally find Bock's #6 nibs offer a better writing experience than their #5 counterparts. They also offer the Pocket with a titanium nib as an add-on, which bumps the writing experience up another notch (at least, if you're a fan of the slightly bouncier feel of Ti nibs). I reviewed this particular pen with a fine titanium nib, and while it's noticeably stiffer than some titanium nibs I've come across in the past, it did come perfectly tuned to my liking, straight out of the box. It's pencil-like (as all titanium nibs are) yet surprisingly smooth, and has a nice rich ink flow.

Am I inclined to call the Ensso Piuma Pocket the best pocket pen I've ever used? Yes! I know that's a substantial claim to make... but it simply ticks all the right boxes for me! It's a pocket pen that doesn't feel like one when you're writing with it, exactly how it should be! Construction is super-durable. Form, or rather size, does not overtake function here, and yet it remains just as pocketable. And as the cherry on top, you get a large #6 nib. With the added introduction of an ebonite version, you've also got plenty of material options to pick from, depending on your personal preferences.

Ensso typically makes their pens available in batches, so most models are only available periodically. At the time of writing, the titanium Piuma Pocket is available for pre-order at a nice discount (89$ from 139$) - which is a great deal for a solid titanium pocket pen. The new ebonite Piuma and Piuma pocket were just released on Kickstarter and are now available on the Ensso website for pre-order. Their full retail price will be 172$ once they are released (premium Japanese Nikko ebonite is expensive!), but you can still get in on the pre-order Kickstarter price of 79$! 

Note: Ensso is a sponsor of The Pencilcase Blog. This product was provided by Ensso, 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: WANCHER PRIMO FOUNTAIN PEN

I'd like to say the Wancher Primo is a strange, unusual pen that I didn't see coming whatsoever. But then again, Wancher has never shied away from trying new things and stepping out of their comfort zone - like competitively priced Urushi with the Dream Pen (reviewed HERE), or the unique bakelite (!) Seven Treasures fountain pens (reviewed HERE). The Japanese brand has also dabbled in creating a titanium pen before (with the Dream Pen Ti), but it never seemed to have taken off (possibly due to the high price). 

With the Primo, however, they've approached the concept of a titanium pen from a very different angle. And while I don't love all aspects about it, Wancher did manage to incorporate quite a few very creative and original ideas! 

Take it out of the beautiful traditional Japanese wooden box, and the Primo immediately catches the eye with its minimal, quite futuristic, cylindrical shape, and prominent finials in contrasting material. The main highlight is the titanium cap and barrel, which have been sandblast-etched to create a random 'splattered' texture, and then anodized in different colors (Midnight Blue, Frosty Silver, Russet Brown, and Amethyst Purple). 

There's a subtle, but very pleasant tactility to the surface finish on the cap and barrel

The texture is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I really like how it creates a visual, as well as tactile, contrast between matte and polished surfaces.

But there are also things about the Primo I don't understand - And that starts with the finials. Designwise, I'm not fully on board with how the extremely large and prominent finials look. On the Frosty Silver version, the raw aluminum finials blend in relatively well with the titanium parts for a more understated look. On the other colorways, the raw aluminum finials make the Primo look sort of like a clunky magic wand -an asymmetrical one, at that- but that's of course down to personal taste.

Design reasons aside, the construction of the finials leaves me scratching my head. You see, the Primo is a very stately, bulky pen. It's also quite heavy (48 grams total). The aluminum section and finials are supposed to help reduce weight, but instead they made the finials so large and solid (they're barely hollowed out on the inside) that they actually increase the weight! This makes for a pen that's very noticeably balanced towards the finials, and well... not really all that light. 

The fact that the finials are so solid on the inside, also means they sort of get in the way of the nib and converter when closing the cap and barrel, respectively. It happens frequently that the nib will catch on the inside of the cap because of this. 

That also means there was no space left for a spring-loaded airtight inner cap, despite Wancher equipping most of their other pens with this handy feature. The cap seals off pretty well on its own, but the nib does seem to dry out a bit over extended periods of time, more so than other Wancher pens that do have the inner cap.

L to R: Gravitas fountain pen, Ensso Piuma, Wancher Dream Pen, Wancher Primo, Pelikan M805, Lamy 2000, Lamy Safari

Wancher doesn't scare away from making quite oversized pens, and the Primo illustrates that quite well. Measuring 14.7 cm (5.79") capped, and 13.6 cm (5.35") uncapped, it certainly isn't small to begin with, yet it's not quite as big as Wancher's own Dream Pen, for example. With the Primo, it's mainly the constant, wide diameter of 1.6 cm (0.63") across the entire pen, that really creates the oversized impression.

Going from the very wide barrel, there's a rather large step towards the metal section, which has a diameter of just 1.1 cm (0.43"). The section tapers down further to 1 cm (0.39"), with a short flared section at the end. The design of the section is almost entirely taken over from the Dream Pen (reviewed HERE), which means they deal quite well with the large step. The diameter gradually increases, first up to the threads, then a beveled ring, and finally the rounded edge of the barrel. 

There's one small -but important- detail the Primo didn't take over from the section design of the Dream Pen: the threads! Unfortunately, they took a step back towards traditional, v-cut threads, instead of the more comfortable and precise block threads from the Dream Pen. The threads are quite deep, which makes them especially noticeably if you hold your fingers on them. Despite the section being quite a decent, comfortable size, it's not always possible to avoid the sharp threads in your grip. 

The Primo comes equipped with a steel Jowo nib, but it did receive some (optional) upgrades to make it a bit less 'stock' in terms of looks and performance! First of all, the nibs are color-matched to the color of the pen itself. The plating treatment creates a somewhat pearlescent hue on the blue, purple, and brown nibs. The nib on the Frosty Silver Primo received matching rhodium plating instead of the bare stainless steel finish, which creates a brighter and more lustrous look.

Second are the optional ebonite feeds which, as I understand it, are still manufactured by Flexible Nib Factory. Although the two samples I was sent, both came with JoWo's stock plastic feeds, I've reviewed a couple of Wancher's Dream Pens with the ebonite feeds before, and they're a great addition to the already reliable writing experience JoWo nibs offer. You can't really go wrong with any of the feed options, but the ebonite feed (+30$ for black ebonite, +50$ for red ebonite) does give you a noticeably richer ink flow.

It's hard to put a final verdict on the Wancher Primo. The Wancher Primo retails for 250$, which is quite steep, especially once you factor in paying an additional 30 to 50 dollars for an ebonite feed. 

On one hand, considering the price point of the Primo, I feel like there are a few elements (mainly the clunky finial design and the sharp threads) where I feel like Wancher could've done a better job. On the other hand, I do think Wancher absolutely succeeded at creating a unique pen, one that easily catches the eye. Things like the textured barrel and cap, and the color-matched nibs, are perfectly executed and set this pen apart on the market. But on the other hand, I can't help but feel like Wancher missed the ball on a few particular design decisio

NOTE: This product was provided by Wancher, 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: LEONARDO FURORE GRANDE FOUNTAIN PEN

I'll be honest with you, the original Furore never appealed to me in the same way that the Leonardo Momento Zero (review HERE) did. I'm just partial to flattop designs, that much is certainly clear when I look at their overwhelming representation in my personal collection. That's not to say that I can't enjoy a good torpedo-shaped pen like the Furore of course, but subconsciously I'll always be drawn towards flattop designs (or semi-flattop, or whatever you'd like to call the Momento Zero's general shape). 

The Furore Grande next to the Momento Zero Grande

And then Leonardo introduced the Momento Zero Grande (review HERE). With the Grande's upgrades over the Momento Zero towards a more 'mature' filling system (now in 2020 even a true piston filling mechanism), a fantastic ebonite feed that's made in-house, and just an overall very nice oversized design, the Momento Zero Grande was Leonardo's #1 product for me. The Grande is a more expensive pen, that's right, but it also feels much more well-rounded. And frankly, for everything it offers, it's still very competitively priced IMHO. 

So the Furore didn't stand a chance, and - for me at least - had to live in the shadows of the MZ Grande for well over a year... Until last month, when we saw the release of the Leonardo Furore Grande, which levelled the playing field! 

As you'd expect, the Furore Grande enjoys the same upgrades as that other Grande, but let's first look at the design. I would've compared the Furore Grande to the regular Furore, but I have to shamefully admit that I still don't own one (I'm trying one out soon, though, I promise!). The simple, streamlined Torpedo shape of the Furore returns almost completely unchanged on the Grande version - except bigger of course -, down to the double cap band (instead of the triple bands on most of the Momento Zero Grandes) and of course the recognizable rolling-wheel clip. 

Comparing the Furore Grande to the Momento Zero Grande, it's clear that they both draw inspiration from the same well. For example: the cap design - which was changed on the Momento Zero for their 2020 updated collection - has the same streamlined gradual transition from the cap bands towards the slightly narrower barrel. I must say I actually enjoy the design of the Furore Grande more so than I anticipated. It looks and feels much more streamlined and uncluttered compared to the MZ... even though they really aren't that different apart from the finial design. 

The Furore Grande Hawaii next to the equally beautiful MZ Grande in Dark Hawaii

The Furore Grande launched in four colors: blue, blue, blue, and... purple. Frankly, I think the color palette could've been a bit more diverse, but you won't hear me complain too much because one of those blue materials is the blue Hawaii spaghetti resin, and it's just spectacular! 

That being said, I do wonder if there's not at least something to be said for a simple and elegant black colorway? If you look at the entirety of Leonardo's portfolio, I feel like a few basic (read: less colorful) finishes may be missing. But then again, things seem to be going just fine for their more colorful and experimental material choices, so it's probably not coincidental that that's the path they seem to be focused on.

L to R: Pelikan M1005, Maiora Impronte, Leonardo Momento Zero, Momento Zero Grande, Furore Grande, Cuspide, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000

Where even the regular Furore is already quite a large pen, the Furore Grande obviously takes that a step further. With its 15.6 cm/ 6.14" capped, it's .6 cm/ .24" longer than the - already large - MZ Grande, and it just towers out above all the other pens I put up against it for comparison. Uncapped it's still a very sizeable 13.7 cm/ 5.39". Interestingly, with its considerable footprint, and the addition of a fully metal piston mechanism, the Furore Grande still weighs in at 'just' 30 grams total, which is a very comfortable weight. The streamlined and strongly tapered profile of the Furore Grande makes it so it doesn't feel larger than the MZ Grande, even though it most certainly is. 

The section design hasn't changed from the Original Furore, Momento Zero, and Momento Zero Grande, which will be fine for some people, but a point of criticism for others. It has a comfortable diameter to hold, but indeed the 'stepped' shape is not to everyone's taste, and I get that. In fact; I wasn't convinced by it either, and it took me some time to adjust to it when I tested the regular Momento Zero (maybe it's a mental thing because it looks odd?), but especially on the MZ Grande it managed to persuade me. With the Furore Grande as well, I don't have any issues with the section design. Threads aren't too bothersome to the touch, the step is minimal and rounded off nicely, and the overall larger size of the Grande models certainly does fit my preference quite well. 

I already briefly touched on the piston mechanism, because just like the Momento Zero Grande 2020 model, we're also getting a 'real' piston-filled pen here. I had nothing intrinsically against the captured converter system of the first MZ Grande, in fact it did offer the possibility to check the ink level (something you cannot do with this pen!). But I do think having a real piston - especially the fully metal ones that Leonardo refers to as their 'Vintage' piston - adds a bit to the premium feel. Ink capacity is generous, about 1.5 mL (at least on paper, I haven't actually tested this for myself). 

There has been some discussion online about the piston knob being loose and able to rotate freely when not operating it, and indeed it can come loose when you accidentally twist the knob (though the mechanism doesn't engage straight away, so it's not like you'll have ink squirting out when that happens). However, when screwed closed tightly I've found it to stay put quite well, and it doesn't move or rattle at all while writing.

Leonardo continues to use a mix of Bock and JoWo for their nibs (although it seems that the majority of nibs on the Grande models these days comes from JoWo. The Steel 1.1mm stub on the Grande Furore that I was sent for review is, in fact, also JoWo. It's a nice stub, and I enjoyed getting back into the writing experience that these untipped steel stub nibs offer - after not having used one of those for quite a while. It has some tooth to it, that I find quite enjoyable, and the custom ebonite feed creates a fantastic rich flow for this, somewhat more demanding, stub nib. The 1.1 stub width is also a re-discovery in terms of how practical it still is compared to normal round nibs. It's certainly a beefy nib, but it gives wonderful line variation, and I actually found it to still be relatively usable in day-to-day writing tasks (where a 1.5mm stub would certainly be too wide for that).

The feed certainly helps to provide a responsive writing experience. I'm very pleased to see more and more brands turn back to ebonite feeds, which almost always offer a noticeable benefit in terms of the ink flow consistency, which in turn lifts up the entire writing experience. I have quite a few Leonardo's with ebonite feeds now, and so far they've always been very reliable and juicy writers.

 

On a side note (Probably unrelated to the feed, and more so having to do with the internal design of the cap), I've found the Grande models to be substantially less prone to drying out when capped. That was an issue I encountered on the original Momento Zero, but none of the Grande models that I've tried after that - including this Furore variant - have dried out on me, even after multiple days or even weeks of little to no use.

I've been waiting for a Grande release of the Furore, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. The streamlined shape is something different from Leonardo, and it has grown on me. If you like bigger pens like I do, the Furore Grande - just like the MZ Grande, of course - offers a very enticing option: As always, the Italians don't disappoint in terms of design and beautiful materials, but they're also just very well-made pens, and the piston-filling mechanism and ebonite feed are two great features that - in my mind at least - justify the 295€/ 295$ (at our sponsors Casa Della Stilografica, La Couronne Du Comte, and Appelboom) price tag. 

NOTE: This product was provided 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.