I'm not very clumsy, but my "writing accident of choice", 99% of the time, involves an instrument, a hard surface and gravity. (I wish I were more prone to spilling ink!)

So, assuming it doesn't land on its tines, what will I be in for if a modern celluloid pen drops from a table onto, say, a tile floor? Will I be looking at cracks, at the very least? Will it... *gulp* ...shatter on impact?

Specifically, I'd love to hear about any and all of Aurora's "Auroloide" pens (Optima, Mare, Mini Fuoco, the list goes on)
I've read that a few people use Optimas as "daily writers", and I'm already daydreaming about doing the same. (Even though I'd need to save up for one...)

But I'm really concerned about their durability...

I have three Aurora Mini's (Optima, Sole, Fuoco) and I don't think twice about using them daily - they are extremely well made, and quite solid and sturdy. My Omas celluloid-nitrate pens feel far more precious in the hand.

It's not really fair to question the durability of *any* pen if you expect to drop it though. Many things can affect the impact of a pen hitting a tile floor... the pen may bounce and skitter... or the cap may break in half. There are no absolutes.

About 10 years ago my MB 149 rolled off the kitchen counter, hit the floor and broke in half. Couldn't be repaired. Best thing that ever happened to me and a fitting end to the worst FP I've ever owned both before and after this blessed incident. Now if only I could engineer a similar fate for my wife's MB 146, but it sits in a box in the bottom drawer of her desk and never sees the light of day. It's the second worst pen that I've crossed paths with: leaks like a sieve from every conceivable nook and cranny; won't start without a boost; skips and stops writing on impulse.

This thread is about the fragility of cellulose, not a plug for MB bashing.

Sounds like your just bitter over breaking your 149 and the 146 never sees the light of day yet your surprised it's a hard starter and skips!!!! go figure.

There is a separate forum for that!

I'm not a Mont blanc owner or even user. I have never seen one I thought wrote better than a good generic fountain pen.

I think I one could make a piece of bird-splat, glue it on a normal pen cap and it would serve the same purpose for 90% of most MB owners. Perhaps there is a market for beanies or welders caps with the MB birdsplat design.

I might just get a bird splat tattoo ... middle of the forehead ...

Ron

It would be even better if the bird splat was from a Kiwi. What I'm bitter about was that my wife and I allowed ourselves to be duped into buying MBs in the first place, which are Kiwi scat. Back to cellulose, are we talking nitrate or acetate? In another thread Richard Binder has provided a good synopsis of the differences between the two and the risks of each. My point is, if a pen of the purported quality of an MB will break in half from falling off a kitchen counter I can only assume that a pen made of either type of cellulose might do the same. The moral of the story is that if you go around dropping your pens, don't buy ones made of either type of cellulose, as they tend to sell at a premium to ones made of resin, ceteris paribus.

Phthalo, you're right—I shouldn't have said "durability". It should have been more like "ability to stand up to unfortunate accident". Thanks for your input. I sat there drooling in front of my monitor reading your Mini reviews.

I'd also love to know how easily scratched it is from anyone who carries an Optima around. Is this an "out of the pen case, use, right back into the pen case" kind of thing, or is it something you'd trust to, say, a normal, relatively un-abused pen slot in a purse? I kind of like to post my pens, too...is this something I should absolutely avoid, or is the wear relatively light? Can minor scratches be polished away with Simichrome or similar?

Lots of questions, I know.

I've seen a few posts detailing the differences between cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate but...I don't remember too much information on either when it comes to a practical standpoint. Most of the emphasis was on how well "old" celluloid burns in comparison, or that it smells more strongly of camphor. Things like that. If I just overlooked an existing thread, I'd love to know—I wandered through so many yesterday that I don't remember what was in them all.

As one last note...I'm not an MB hater or lover. I've heard both good and bad experiences when it comes to writing...but their style just doesn't do anything for me. So I'm not too keen on hearing more about them. Thanks for getting back (and staying) on topic.

Cool! But I don't know who I would impress.

rikki, I have four Optimas, two of which are LE's. I have not hesitated to use them as daily writers and they are in my pen rotation. I have used them only at home, and I am really easy on pens, so they have fared well. Of course, I have no idea what would happen if I dropped any of them, especially onto a hard floor.

I have had problems with one LE, and it would, of course, by my Sole, which is my favorite. Even with easy use, the celluloid at both ends of the barrel has split in several places. The pen still looks great and performs like a champ, but the splits annoy me. I have yet to contact Aurora's customer service to see if a repair or replacement barrel is possible.

These Optimas and my 88 are all very nice writers. I like Aurora's italic nib and I have it on three of these pens. One nib is M, the Sole is a lovely B. I regret that the prices on these pens have gone through the roof, but if you can get a fair price on one, I would say to go for it and give it try.

Good luck.

Well, first, anything is breakable under the right conditions.

Light fountain pen history kind of followed technology.

(1) Hard rubber, breaks fairly easily.

(2) Cellulose Nitrate (Celluloid), breaks less easily. (Parker started dropping pens from airplanes.)

(3) Cellulose Acetate (Safety Film), not as explosively flammable as (2).

(4) Lucite and other modern plastics, harder to break than above, and more fire resistant.

Now, that followed the practical materials use during the age of a fountain pen as a utility tool. Now days, people buy them for other reasons, so you can get things that are rather brittle and require one to be very careful. In general: If you drop things a lot, and you want a light pen, you should probably buy pens made of modern plastics or metal.

FrankB—I've been fortunate enough to try an Optima, and I agree with you that they're nice writers. I'll have to try out their italic nibs when I start doing calligraphy more often. (And I...uh, own one of their pens.) Thank you for your input.
And that's too bad about your Sole. I hope Aurora's customer service helps you out, whenever you get around to contacting them.

It's sounding more and more like—though it might not fly to pieces should anything crazy happen—I should probably stick to using it in a controlled environment rather than whenever and wherever. I had kind of suspected this...but hey, wishful thinking.

...I had no idea Parker dropped pens out of airplanes, RLTodd. I knew the "51" was tough, but wow! You learn something every day.

I have had my green marbled Optima for nine and a half years. In that time it has been used just about any place I have needed a pen. I have carried it in a shirt pocket countless days using it at work, at home, in the library, in the classroom. It has taken several trips on airplanes without leaking, and has gone to both indoor and outdoor shooting ranges with me as well. In other words, this pen has not been handled with kid gloves or babied in the least. I haven't abused it, and it has only been dropped a time or two onto a carpeted floor, with no damage.

I bought it from Artlite in Atlanta, where it was a salesman's demo pen. So, I have no idea what its life was like before I acquired it.

Now as I hold it in my hand and look at it, I cannot find a single mark or scratch anywhere on the pen.

About eight years ago it did develop a crack near the piston knob and Aurora replaced the barrel. So, the barrel is a bit younger than the cap. Nonetheless, I do not consider this a fragile pen to be pampered. All my pens are users and they all get the same treatment--I care for them as I do all things on which I spend my money--protecting them from abuse--but I will not lock them away somewhere or only use them in a protected environment.

I think you can safely use an Aurora Optima anywhere so long as you treat it with the care any fountain pen deserves.

I have several Aurora Optimas, and I've found them to be pretty sturdy.

Not too familiar with Optimas but understand the resin is a composite to achieve the beautiful marbled appearance. Any good pen will not like being dropped. To keep that from happening you will need to have some good work practices so you don't expose them to risk. You should NOT be afraid to use them, after all that's what they are there for. Just exercise your common sense judgement and you will have no problems.

Good luck with your next acquisition. It sounds like you have found your pen.

The only celluloid issue i have had was when a Danitrio broke at the pocket clips and a crack resulted.That crack eventually moved down the cap a bit more.
Other than that,no problems.Then again,i don't drop the Omas and Stipulae i have

Jim

Doug, what an awesome testimonial. It's great hearing that from someone whose use cases are similar to what my "daily writer" would need to endure.

Thanks for all the encouragement...I'll just have to be careful about those floors, which is a no-brainer. (Let's just hope that Murphy's Law doesn't come back to bite me.)

Aurora Optima pens are very durable and can be used as an everyday pen. The same cannot be said for Montblanc, they don't survive drops very well.

I can not comment on other pen manufacturers. I make all of my pen using either Cellulose Acetate, Lucite and Acrylic Acetate. During the drilling and turning process Cellulose Acetate is the most forgiving.

Both Lucite and Acrylic Acetate are about the same, there is a point in the production process if I put to much pressure or heat the material can break. But that means I am abusing the material and my tools are not sharp.

As far as the finished product I have dropped Cellulose Acetate, Lucite and Acrylic Acetate from a ladder 8 foot up onto concrete an the only thing happened was a scratch which I was able to remove. I was making sure the pens would stand up to normal use. The only thing that I have found that will damage the material is if you keep your pens in a car during a hot summer day. Sometimes the material will develop cracks.

So most of the manufacturers today use the same material which should stand up to normal use even a little abuse once and a while.

My Retro Double Eight FP is acrylic acetate - which is the same material as the Aurora Aureolide. So far my Double Eight has been very durable and has survived one 3 foot drop onto a hard floor without a scratch. I get the feeling that it is harder than my celluloid pens (cellulose nitrate) but I have not done any experiments - nor would I want to. It would be interesting, though, to take a couple of already destroyed pens made of these different materials and subject them to some testing such as scratch resistance; tensile, compressive and tortional stress loads; how much sudden force it takes to shatter, etc.

I have two optimas, one blue marbled, the other green marbled. The green has spontaneously (no trauma involved) developed a longitudinal crack in the barrel near the piston. Much like Doug Add has described. I'd like to add that the crack did not respect the marbling pattern, it went strait through. Aurora via Kenro changed the barrel no questions asked (it took a while though). The blue marbled Optima has not developed any such cracks.

I am sorry to hear about your experience. Here is one that is a bit more on the positive side of MB.

I too broke (shattered) a MB ball point about 15 years ago when it fell out of my pocket onto a linoleum floor. I sent it back to MB and they repaired it without charging me a dime. I still have it to this day and enjoy using it when I cannot use a FP.

I just purchased a 1970's era MB 149 and it is a superb writer. I do however have a 144 that is about 20 years old and it does leak, but not too badly that I can't use it. I sometimes like inky fingers! It shows that I am a fountain pen connoisseur!

I might also add that I have dropped other of my MB's several times over the years on a variety of surfaces and none of them have ever broken or cracked except the one discussed above.

I also have dropped some of my celluloid pens without any issues. I am not too concerned about their ability to take the "abuses" that come with normal use. If it were true that these pens could not take a normal beating, the word would get around and the companies that use these materials would not be in business for long or would have changed materials long ago.