Signum Orione Review

[Sazerac]

Signum Orione Review:

 

First Impressions:

The Orione came in a sober box. Included with the pen was a cloth-lined brown leather two-pen pen case. The first thing that jumped out at me was the richness of the resin color. Richard Binder on his website describes the Orione collection as featuring “lovely resins so brilliant and deep that you could almost go swimming in them.” This is an apt description for the color of this pen. It was the vibrant blue accented with the sterling silver trim that attracted me to the Orione. It seems that I have been on a blue pen kick lately, and of my several blue pens, the Orione has one of my favorite shades of blue. I've tried to capture the color in the photos below.

 

Appearance and Finish:

The fit and trim on this pen is excellent – first rate quality. I have already mentioned the beautiful color of the resin, but it also has a softness to it that reminds me of the OMAS cotton resin. It is warm and pleasant to touch. Other than OMAS pens, I have never felt this on other resin pens. I like how it feels. Overall, all of the parts of the pen are well fashioned and fit tightly together. The cap tightens snugly with almost three full turns. The metal threads for the cap on the body are well-placed. The piston knob rattles a bit, but more on that later.

 

Overall Design, Size, and Weight:

I like the fat cap and narrower, tapering body of this pen. Overall, it is larger than it appears in the pictures. (You can find precise measurements on Richard’s website.) With it siting on my desk, I notice that it is almost the same size as an OMAS Ogiva Guilloche, except the cap posts lower on the pen body giving it a shorter posted length, which I like.

 

I find it too light to use unposted, and the pen is narrower at the nib section; this is where one’s fingers naturally hold the pen. It is comfortable, but I would prefer it be fatter at this point as I usually use much fatter, oversize pens. With the cap posted however, it feels a bit more substantial, and the narrow nib section is not an issue.

 

I bought this pen as an everyday shirt pocket pen since oversize pens are too bulky for this purpose. It has proven to serve this function well. It’s light enough to fit easily in a shirt pocket, yet it has some weight to it due to the piston and heavy trim. The well-designed ‘button’ clip allows it to slide in and out of a shirt pocket easily. Due to its vibrant color, I often get comments on it when I use is in meetings or the classroom.

 

 

Nib Design and Performance:

This is the 18k version, and I believe it is a Bock nib. If you start with Bock nib and have it tuned by a nibmeister like Richard, you can expect pleasant and flawless performance right out of the box. I love writing with this pen as Richard tuned it perfectly. It is a real treat to get a pen that works the way I want it to work right out of the box. Everybody should try this at least once.

 

It is a softer nib. No flex, but it gives a bit, which makes for comfortable long writing sessions. I like the Signum logo and design of the nib, so I have included a picture. I think the shiny nib really looks smashing against the vibrant blue resin.

 

 

The Filling System:

This pen is listed as a piston filler, but I think it is an in-built piston-converter. To me these are better than a c/c filling system but are not quite a genuine piston filler such as a Pelikan or OMAS. First, they do no hold as much ink, and second, I fear that if they ever develop problems they will be very difficult to fix. I do not repair or restore pens, so this is my impression as a consumer.

 

What I do like about the in-built piston-converter is that the knob for the piston is quite small. It’s the little silver cap on the top of the pen. I looks like nothing more than a piece of trim. I like how the piston knob is ‘hidden.’ What I don’t like about the piston knob is that it rattles when using the pen unposted, but it does not rattle when the pen is posted. So the rattle is not a problem for me as I always post my pen, especially this one. This rattling of the piston knob is probably my major quibble with this pen, and it is pretty insignificant.

 

Price / Value:

I like this pen a lot and purchased it new from Richard on sale. Considering the pen along with the nifty pen case, the value-added nib tuning, and excellent service, I would say that the Signum Orione is a very good value.

 

Overall Conclusion:

The folks at Signum have designed and produced a fine pen. While it might not have the flash and pizzazz of some pens, it is a well-functioning and very attractive pen. I like using it and anticipate that it will yield many years of fine service. I think that is high praise for a pen.

[southpaw]

Great review of a wonderful pen. I had the c/c version with a steel nib (superb, and it wasn't tweaked at all) and agree with your comments. You've done a good job capturing the beauty of the material, but it still has to be seen to be fully appreciated. The only reason I sold mine was it was just a little too small and, consequently, didn't get much "playing time." Enjoy your new pen!

[handlebar]

Delightful review!!! I have a Signum Nova and adore it.

Many thanks!

 

JD

[alvarez57]

Thanks for the review; I can imagine how it draws attention: that is a beautiful blue. Enjoy!

[omasfan]

beautiful resin color with lots of shading and interesting patterns! The gold nib also looks beautiful.

[Maja]

Thanks for shining a spotlight on the Orione (and for the nice photos and text ).

I have the c/c version with steel nib and it is a wonderful writer a real looker, IMO (I have one in Teal colour) that has never given me any problems. I think the Orione is one of those pens that deserve more recognition.

[Sazerac]

Thanks for all your kind comments. I am glad to see that there are other fans of the Orione out there. It is, indeed, a pen that deserves more recognition.

[PelikanPenman]

Nice review, beautiful blue colour and like the silver furniture. Thanks for sharing.

[acogbill]

Very nice review! I especially like your picture of the nib.

[Brian]

Thanks for a great review of an interesting pen. You are right about the depth and vibrance of the color. If you ever need to perk up to write something, this is the right pen for that.

 

Best Regards