Input on Signum and Taccia

[jeffbg]

I've had my eye on a Signum or a Taccia and thought I'd hear everyone's opinions about which one would be best.

 

I've been looking at the new Carina in rose mist (too feminine?) or the Orione in the Teal color. I'd probably get these modified to a cursive italic, but I'm looking for input on the build, OOTB nib feel and so on.

 

Another option would be the Taccia Mother of Pearl or Imperial Portuguese.

 

Comparisons of these two brands and input on the best colors would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

-- Jeff

 

p.s. sorry about putting this post in reviews. Moderators, please feel free to move it!

Edited June 19, 2006 by jeffbg

[TimButterfield]

If you are interested in a modified nib on a Taccia, it may be best to buy from Richard as he both a nibmeister and a Taccia retailer. That way, you can get the pen with the nib already modified instead of having to send it to a nibmeister post-purchase to get the work done. I have not used a Signum, but have been very impressed with the Taccia brand. I consider them to be very underpriced as they are still working to build their brand image. My Taccia Doric is my best 'value' pen in my 30+ pen collection. My wife's Taccia Mother of Pearl Harmony is her favorite pen. I am considering getting a second Mother of Pearl, the Stained Glass, for myself if I can talk Richard into an ItalliFine stub for it. (I haven't asked yet.) I cannot recommend Taccia highly enough. My buying from Richard just ensured (if needed?) that they wrote well.

[Richard]

I sell both Signum and Taccia.

 

Signum is an Italian brand of superb build quality. Fit and finish are excellent. The Carina is a tiny bit larger than the Orione but looks smaller because of its straight-line cap. The Carina's metal section and more elaborate cap-crown decoration make it a bit heavier than the Orione.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/sales/signum/zoomed/carina.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/sales/signum/zoomed/orione.jpg

 

I too am very much attracted to the Rose Mist Carina, but Barbara told me quite explicitly that it's a girly color and I'm not permitted to have it. Cappuccino is another lovely color that isn't quite so feminine. For me, the best of the Orione colors is Sapphire, but I'm really partial to rich blues, and that may not appeal to you.

 

Taccia is an American company; they assemble their pens in California using imported parts. Most Taccia models are at a lower price stratum than those of Signum; the materials are less expensive (but not cheap!) and most Taccias are sold with steel nibs (but can be fitted with gold). Shu-Jen Lin, the founder of Taccia, is a member of the family that makes Laban pens; she left to start her own company because she was dissatisfied with Laban's quality and with their decision to make pens that are not, in essence, much different from pens made by other makers. Shu-Jen wants to do more original designs. The Mother of Pearl is a lovely pen, very well made; I note that it is very heavy and requires a firm push to post. The Imperial Portuguese is an elegant departure from ordinary designs, featuring a section with the cap theads down at the edge instead of up at the barel joint. If you hold your pen higher than usual on the body, the Imperial Portuguese may well be the one pen you like because the threads don't annoy your fingertips. As for colors on these pens, my MOP favorite is Harmony, and I like the Forest Marble Portuguese best.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/sales/taccia/zoomed/taccia_mop.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/sales/taccia/zoomed/imp_port_fm.jpg

 

in sum, both are great brands, well worth their prices.

[offbase]

I bought my Signum Carina from Richard. It arrived with a very smooth nib, but of course Richard smooths his before shipment ... which guarantees a smooth nib out of the box, plus he'll do the mod to your nib straight away. If you check out his site, he has the Carina in many finishes. This is a pen on a par with most $325 street priced Italian pens.

[Libertas]

Any chance of getting a weight measurment on the Orione? I love piston fillers, but the Omas Ogiva is a little too light!

 

Greg

[njoyingaz]

The Orione weighs 1.0 oz. I won a scarlet Signum Orione on eBay and I was surprised how good this pen feels in your hand. The medium steel nib I have is very smooth. A great pen to write with.

 

...Lee

[jeffbg]

I too am very much attracted to the Rose Mist Carina, but Barbara told me quite explicitly that it's a girly color and I'm not permitted to have it.   Cappuccino is another lovely color that isn't quite so feminine. For me, the best of the Orione colors is Sapphire, but I'm really partial to rich blues, and that may not appeal to you.

 

Taccia is an American company; they assemble their pens in California using imported parts. Most Taccia models are at a lower price stratum than those of Signum; the materials are less expensive (but not cheap!) and most Taccias are sold with steel nibs (but can be fitted with gold). Shu-Jen Lin, the founder of Taccia, is a member of the family that makes Laban pens; she left to start her own company because she was dissatisfied with Laban's quality and with their decision to make pens that are not, in essence, much different from pens made by other makers. Shu-Jen wants to do more original designs. The Mother of Pearl is a lovely pen, very well made; I note that it is very heavy and requires a firm push to post. The Imperial Portuguese is an elegant departure from ordinary designs, featuring a section with the cap theads down at the edge instead of up at the barel joint. If you hold your pen higher than usual on the body, the Imperial Portuguese may well be the one pen you like because the threads don't annoy your fingertips. As for colors on these pens, my MOP favorite is Harmony, and I like the Forest Marble Portuguese best.

Thanks for the detailed response Richard!

 

I'm partial to blue pens too, and now feel like that is all I have so that is why I was leaning towards the teal.

 

As for the Taccia MOP, how heavy is heavy? Say, relative to a MB 146.

 

On a related note, you state that Taccia mostly comes with steel nibs, rather than gold. Is there a key advantage to upgrade from steel to gold?

 

Thanks, Jeff

[Kelly]

Hi there,

 

I don't own a Signum, but I can tell you about my experience with Taccia. I own both the Imp. Portugal in Forest Marble (simply rich, gorgeous, and warm in person) and a MOP in Stained Glass. Both were purchased from Richard and have steel modified nibs. The Imp Port has a 0.75 curisive italic and is my most favorite nib - period. The MOP has a 0.6 stub and is smooth as glass. They are very well-made and I've had experiece with the Taccia customer service (dropped the Imp Port cap on a tile floor and it exploded) and they were top-notch. The MOP is pretty weighty but not in a horrible, unmanagable way - stunning to look at as well. You really can't miss with either on of those. Great, great pens.

[meanwhile]

I was thinking of buying a Taccia Doric from a particularly principled ebaky seller - he warned me to check the dimensions and think whether I wanted a pen that big - they are definitely bigger pens than most. (Usually 0.75 inch diamater?)

 

Regarding what Richard said - I really applaud Taccia's intention to design distinctive pens and it makes me even more eager to buy one.

 

(The end of the story is: I got outbid!)

Edited June 19, 2006 by meanwhile

[Libertas]

Does signum use plastic or ebonite feeds?

[smudgy]

I don't have a Taccia, but can vouch for the Signum Orione being an excellent pen out of the box. One of my favorites!

[Richard]

Does signum use plastic or ebonite feeds?

Signum feeds are the standard Bock plastic feeds that many other makers use. I consider this the right choice, as modern ebonite feeds are generally not designed properly and do not work well. Flow problems with several high-profile Italian brands can almost always be traced to ebonite feeds, and I frequently replace a modern ebonite feed with a plastic one in order to get the pen to work as it should. In cases for which there is not a compatible plastic feed, I modify the ebonite feed -- usually but not always with success.

[Stylo]

As Richard mentioned, the Imperial Portuguese is a very nice pen, both in terms of finish and writing. As a relatively high gripper, I appreciate their clever location of the screw threads.

[meanwhile]

And I've just realized that I regard the screw threads on several of my pens as useful non-slip grips!

[Stylo]

And I've just realized that I regard the screw threads on several of my pens as useful non-slip grips!

The ones with a nice smooth finish can feel that way, but the ones with sharp edges that stick out, such as on the Pelikan m200, are just downright annoyig to me and they interfere with my writing.