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Aurora Ipsilon Review


Waterman007

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I finally got that Aurora Ipsilon I had asked about on here earlier and I thought I would give reviewing it a try.

 

Box and packaging: 5/5 comes with a nice carboard outer box with a red paper lining the inside with and additional leather or vinyl box that the pen is actually in. Mine came with 1 black cartridge and 1 convertor which is large compared to some convertors I have seen. It looks very much like a Parker style convertor in fact you can use Parker and Aurora cartridges interchangeably but I much prefer Aurora ink.

 

Fit and Finish: 5/5 I know it may not be the fanciest of pens but it is made incredibly well. There is a brass liner to the plastic barrel which adds some heft and strength this is not a heavy pen, nor is it a lightweight, but the fit and finish are flawless at least on my example.

 

Nib/writing: 10/5 I know this is a Broad nibbed pen and that Aurora is a company known for tooth but this particular pen with this nib is literally like butter, though I question just how broad it really is, I have it filled with Aurora black ink (which as we all know is probably the best black ink there is) it appears to me to leave a line more like a Parker o Sheaffer Medium, I have some medium pens that actually lay a much thicker line. This is no problem as I prefer American Fine and Medium size nibs anyway. That said it is super smooth and best of all as I was told on here it ALWAYS puts ink on the paper, my biggest peeve with a fountain pen are ones that occasionally won't print parts of words for whatever reason, that is NO PROBLEM with this pen it touches paper, it leaves ink.

 

All in all for around 100 bucks I think it would be very difficult to buy any finer a pen and if this in any indication or Aurora quality I will be buying more of them. I had never really looked at Italian fountain pens before, and I must say I didn't know what I was missing.

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I have an Ipsilon Deluxe and it is one of my best writers (better than the Aurora Optima that I own.) This is an under-appreciated pen that deserves more good press.

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I have an Ipsilon Deluxe and it is one of my best writers (better than the Aurora Optima that I own.) This is an under-appreciated pen that deserves more good press.

 

Yes, Strang, I agree with you. The Deluxe is my best writer, too; it isn't an object of prestige, but I like the understatement of it's design. I've inked it up with my favourite ink, Yama-budo of the Iroshizuku line, that combination is just splendid.

 

The only one to be compared with it among my bunch of pens is the Pelikan M605 inked with Levenger Skies of Blue, they've got similar characteristics in their behaviour, although the Pelikan looks & feels like a teutonic blue Giant against this little italian "Sportscar" coloured in "Rosso Corsa" :glare: .

 

@Waterman007: Congratluations for your Aurora, you've bought something real handsome and very reliable pen. And it's always a joy to write with it!

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

 

Albert Einstein

 

The very best Accoustic Liveband in the wild South of Germany: http://www.opportunity-music.de

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Moving this thread to the Pen Review Forum, with a link left behind in the Italian pens.

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I heartily agree, the Ipsilon is a great pen, and a value. I have one in satin orange that is nearly a decade old, yet, shows little signs of wear that has always been a good writer. Last week I bought an identical pen for a friend who just earned his Ph.D. He really likes it. Although I did not test before I bought, the pen writes just as nicely as my old one. I think the only thing they have changed over the years is the packaging, which is better now.

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Hey, thanks for this review. I've been looking at the Ipsilon, as I'm trying to build my collection with pens that are $100 or less. So far I have the Lamy Studio and Pelikan 215.

 

So which Ipsilon did you get? Isn't there one with a steel nib and one with the gold plated nib? I think the price difference is maybe $20.

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Almost picked up an Ipsilon recently, but the Paradise I visited in Portland was out of everything but rollerball/ballpoint sets. Boo.

 

This one's on my list now.

http://twitter.com/pawcelot

Vancouver Pen Club

 

Currently inked:

 

Montegrappa NeroUno Linea - J. Herbin Poussière de Lune //. Aurora Optima Demonstrator - Aurora Black // Varuna Rajan - Kaweco Green // TWSBI Vac 700R - Visconti Purple

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I registered on this site just so I could say how much I love my orange Ipsilon! It is my first really good fountain pen, and it is such a well-balanced, smooth writer that I can write for hours without tiring.

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I also have an Aurora Ipsilon deLuxe, which is in my regular rotation. It's currently sitting in a glass of water, rinsing between fills of Noodler's Legal Lapis.

 

I noticed the slip ring on the body has cracked, it looks like it was made of plated plastic rather than metal. I'll have to fix or replace it sometime.

The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.

 

~ Bernard Shaw.

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I don't get it, I have an Aurora Ipsilon that was a gift and it is the worst of all my pens. Feathers and bleeds through every paper. I have had the nib adjusted and not much improvement. Did I get the lemon of the batch that day? psf

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  • 1 month later...

The model I got was the standard Ipsilon with gold-plated Broad nib. The Deluxe model comes with a solid gold nib I'm not sure how many karats though. In my opinion this Aurora broad is more like a Lamy Medium, great pen though, and Aurora ink is the best.

 

In regards to the person having problems with theirs, this is my first Aurora, but they are consider among the best on the market so if you are having that much trouble yours must be a lemon. The only thing I can think of is it could be a ink related problem depending on what your are using. I personally only use inks made by Waterman, Aurora, and Pelikan. Aurora and Waterman inks have great flow and tend to be wetter, from my experience I have found Pelikan ink to be a drier ink, so you might want to give Pelikan a shot in you pen. Just a thought.

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My Ipsilon was my favorite pen. Theother day the pen was in my shirt pocket while performing with my band and I just felt it snap in half. My bass went into it just at the right, er wrong angle and snap.

I tried to fix, but only made it worse.

As soon as I type this, I'm looking for another one.

I miss that pen, sob

 

Andy

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My Ipsilon was great from the beginning, 14k gold nib, fine point. It's incredibly precise -- very thin lines with zero skip (Aurora Blue) and I love the heft for the value. It feels like a solid pen. Bought my daughter her first fountain pen 2 years ago, an Ipsilon from DC pen show. She's now a convert. Aurora has a complete style stem to stern that seems inimitable. (right word? :unsure:) Anyway, during any trip to a pen store or show you can pick out the Auroras always from across the room. :thumbup: Thanks for the review. I'm now thinking pairing it up but one with a broad nib.

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Just got mine through the post today - the Orange Satin finish. It looks great - the orange certainly helps you find it on a messy desk!

 

Its much lighter than I expected and as mentioned above the Medium nib is much closer to a fine. On the plus side the nib is smooth and it seems well made. Its probably not going to tempt me away from my Lamy Studio as an everyday pen.

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I also have an Aurora Ipsilon deLuxe, which is in my regular rotation. It's currently sitting in a glass of water, rinsing between fills of Noodler's Legal Lapis.

 

I noticed the slip ring on the body has cracked, it looks like it was made of plated plastic rather than metal. I'll have to fix or replace it sometime.

 

+1 on the plastic slip ring; cracked after about a year's use...

"And gentlemen in England, now abed, shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day."

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  • 1 year later...

I've got a medium nib, writes wonderfully! My current 'marking' pen.

"Full Effort is Full Satisfaction."

- Mahatma Mohandos K Gandhi

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  • 5 months later...

I am set to order the Aurora Ipsilon but am wondering if most owners have the same opinion expressed here? If I order a Bold nib is it closer to the Lamy Medium? The seller said there is no difference and a Medium is a Medium. I appreciate hearing your experience. Thanks.

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  • 1 year later...

Interestingly enough, the woman at the store that I bought my ipsilon deluxe from said that Italian nibs are broader than American nibs and not finer. This seems to be true, at least with my pen which has an EF nib but lays down a line comparable to an American F nib. Not sure what anyone else thinks but that is what I have seen so far.

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