Italian pens place well in many of our collections.

Which brand is your favourite.Also list second place as many might not have a first.

Just for fun!!!

Jim

Aurora, I like very much the fact that its product range covers all the needs: from the cheap school pen (the Idea) to the high end limited edition.
At the second place there is Delta, I like the pens and they produce them close to my home (~20Km away).

genny

I wanted to add Stipula to my list as tied with Omas.Both are far and away my favourite.
Best in colours and nib quality.Especially the older Omas,pre-2005.

Jim

First place: Omas (heck, I own twelve of them, more than from any other maker; great celluloid, piston-filled, ebonite feed and springy nibs, what else does one need? )

Second place: (second generation) Tibaldi (I love their creative celluloids)

Third place: Montegrappa (beautiful pens in great finshes with wonderful nibs and ebonite feeds)


I love the older Viscontis but I am not so much a fan of the new ones. That clip just doesn't sit well with me. It destroys the classic looks of the nice celluloids that they offer. Also, after owning the Opera Club for some time now, this body design is just too angular/squared for me.

Stipula: I have yet to try. They make some beautiful pens
Delta: own a medium Dolce Vita. It's a nice pen, but the internals are boring, and the monotonously uniform barrel diameter doesn't sit well with me, either. It stays mainly in the box
Aurora: nice pens, I have yet to buy an Optima. I've test-driven their nibs and found them rather dry and a little scratchy.
Nettuno: they are nice pens but I find them overpriced for what they offer
The recent Tibaldi: ugly plastic sticks and totally overpriced. Lost all the charme of the first and second Tibaldi companies.

This was a tough poll, another "which of your children" choice to made. I went with Montegrappa only because it's the best performing of my Italian pens. Because it's tuned by Binder, I don't know. It's just far and away the best out of my Italian collection. And I have several Stipulas, and Viscontis, as well as one each Omas, Aurora, Tibaldi, and Delta.

I agree with you Jim, Stipula has some beautiful Celluloid which is probably why I'm attracted to them, and of course they write extremely well out of the box. Mine are all stock factory with the exception of a Etruria Volterra, that needed some help to smooth out the nib.

Ask me in an hour and I'll have a different favorite.

Favourite Italian? Giancarlo Gianinni...

...a great actor.



andrew

Visconti as my first place - I've now got 6 of them
Delta as my second. I've only got one, but it's so good there WILL be more.

'Love those italian celluloid pens :-)

1. Omas

2. ...but very close to 1. Tibaldi

3. Aurora

4. Montegrappa (close to 3.)


Cheers

Michael

Jim

1. Visconti
1a. Ancora
2. Aurora
3. Filcao


Visconti Van Gogh and Ancora Perla have rushed the leader board in a hostile takeover. Still love my Optima.

Joi

Based on limited experience (All my Italians listed below):

1. Aurora - Optima Blue with a fine nib - writes beautifully, gives a very nice sense of pen on paper (though I also love the smoothness of my Sailor)

2. Filcao - Columbia, also a very nice pen, but not in the same class as the Optima

What should be next?

So...
1-Tibaldi (before aquila brand), for limited edition (trasparente, iride) and model 60 in celluloid;
2-Omas , for 360,The Paragon and its celluloid;
3-Visconti, for Wall Street Celluloid and its double reservoir power filler;
4-Montegrappa1912, for 1930 Extra in celluloid;
5-Stipula, for Da Vinci;
6-Delta, for limited edition and celluloid (papillon, pompei, venezia, caruso).

I voted Nettuno, Omas and Stipula - in no particular order of preference.

I have 3 Nettunos - a Skipper Lunare M which has the smoothest nib in my current collection, beating out even my Sailors ; the huge, sinuous Nautilus with a wet and smooth B; and a Barracuda with an astounding steel M. They were all bought new and ALL of them wrote very well out of the box, the only Italian brand that I have which does so consistently (pens bought pre-owned do not count as their previous owners would've adjusted them to write well). The resins in the Lunare and Nautilus are just amazing, but the unusual shapes (and size) of the Nautilus and the Barracuda make great conversation-starters.

The 2 Omases that I own write well too - the Omas Extra Demonstrator F and Roma 2000 Giubileo M. I believe the ebonite feed is the secret behind their excellent and consistent flow, but the Giubileo (which I had bought new) had to be tweaked a bit to write just the way I like it. I do not have any issues with the Extra as it came pre-owned. The Extra looks like a plain throwabout pen, but the blue 20-faceted Giubileo is an immediate attention-grabber.

As for the Stipulas - I have 4 of them. A Duetto with a smooth & flexy Ti 0.9 italic bought pre-owned from FPN here, and a Giardino di Boboli F, Novecento Cromo F and Pinocchio M all bought new. NONE of the new Stipulas write well out of the box , requiring some tweaking and a rather extended 'break-in' time, but now that has passed, they make great writers. The cellocride in the Duetto is great, the unusual shape of the Pinocchio attract questions, the black polished ebonite barrel of the Novecento Cromo with its olive woodgrain ebonite ends is elegance personified, while the green celluloid of the di Boboli is just too beautiful to describe in words - you need to see it in person to really admire its beauty


BTW, I don't see Marlen, Ancora, Filcao and Grifos in the poll. I do own pens made by these brands too, and with the exception of the Marlen E-Com (its captured converter developed a leak and it took a good 6 months (!) to come back from Italy, and now the flow is inconsistent ), I've been very satisfied with the pens made by them.



Shahrin

For me its gotta be DELTA - today my limited edition Israel 60 yr anniversary pen arrived - my 1st Delta (I tend to focus on vintage) & all I can say is WOW - quality is outstanding, detail incredible, aesthetics unforgettable. This is a large pen but written with it all afternoon & it is surprisingly comfortable and unassuming in the hand. I LOVE IT

grace

Oxpen

I don't have any Italian pens at present, but I voted for Omas because they hold the most appeal for me, and the 360 (or 360 Mezzo) is the next pen on my hit list.

I just LOVE my Stipula Etruria, with the 1.1 italic nib! It is number one in my book! A close second is the Omas Ogiva, but only because I had the nib meistered. The only other italian pen I have right now is a Marlen Basilea, which does not thrill me much, and may be going down the road soon! But never fear, I am looking to replace it with a Visconti or another Stipula, thanks to Anthony at PenWorks!

Scott.

This is a good poll. Thanks handlebar.

After many years, my favorite Italian remains Gina Lolobrigida (sp). For FP's, I rate Stipula as my first choice. I have only had problems with one Stipula over several years of using them. The O/S Etruria is one of my all time favorite models, and I own seven of them. I love the Stipula stub/italic nib, and I have all three sizes represented on my Etrurias - 0.9 mm, 1.1 mm, and 1.3 mm. The O/S Etruria has a lovely ergonomic feel combined with just the right physical size for me. Fortunately, there are, and have been, several great materials and colors available which has allowed me to obtain several and to continue to pursue them.

My second choice is Delta. I usually like stub or italic nibs, but I do not think Delta offers them. I have Delta's M nib on five different pens, and those M's are so good I love them and refuse to mess them up by having them customized (to stub or italic). I recently got a Dolce Vita Soiree with a M nib, but it wrote too fine a line for me. I had the nib swapped to a B and it writes like the older M nibs.

I like the older Visconti models and own several. I also do not like the current production clip, nor do I care one bit for the metal sections Visconti has taken to producing.

I also like Auroras. I have a couple Optimas and an 88, all of which I like and use regularly. But I would not rank them as #1 or #2 in this poll.

Favourite Italian : Laverda.....................

I voted Omas because of my pre-2005 Milord; however, I'm not to fussed over the 2005 Milord and Paragon: iffy looking clip and cap ring, not to mention the super-sizing of the Paragon. I like the looks of the Aurora Optima Auroloide, but I haven't seen one in the "flesh" yet or written with an Optima nib.

I voted Aurora. Torino's firm is the only one who's got everything at my eyes:

- Long tradition and milestone products
- A wide present range covering the whole market
- Production of every piece in-house "from nibs to caps"

Second would come probably one between Visconti and Delta: they represent the tipical Italian small artisan firm, with points of excellence in design and quality materials.

And here I was all ready to vote for Sophia Loren and everyone is talking fountian pens!

I just purchased a 2005 Arco Milord and it is a stunning pen in all ways.I do actually prefer the pre-2005 Omas pens and own 5 of them.Beautiful,aesthetically and in use.My Stipula Etruria is my best writer and i have used the Montegrappa Extra Turtle brown with great results.

But Omas,with their storied history,splendid products and easy access, have become my favourite. If you are a fan of Omas,the book by Dolcini is a must.
They are rare but there are some floating around out there. Worth every penny.Now if i could find the pens contained within,especially pre-1950,at a garage sale,i could be THAT Sumgai!!!

Jim

1a. Monica Bellucci, 1b. OMAS, 1c. Tibaldi, 2. Aurora. Best,
David

Aside from fountain pen I see people voting for Gina Lollobrigida, Sofia Loren and Laverda. I suggest to refresh your idea of Italy giving a look to (for example) Monica Bellucci, Laura Chiatti and Ducati .

Genny

STIPULA VENTIDUE WHITE MISTLETOE (Gen II with 14kt Nib).

Even with a Broad nib, outside of my element and typical comfort zone, it feels sooo good.

1. aurora: I like the fact they produce everything themselves - nibs, feeds, body, clips and ink, everything just goes together well, and its nice to be able to get the complete package, and it all screams quality - I also like the label.

2. visconti-while not a complete package I like the Van gogh and I like some of their innovations, plus they produce some good ink.

I like the look of omas and montegrappa-but don't own or feel the need to get one yet...one day

**Would'nt this be a great poll in an Italian forum??**

Favorite Italian? MONICA BELUCCI!!!!

I am not a big expert of Italian pens but I do own 3 Italian pens

1.Omas Paragon old style
2.Delta Dolce Vita OS
3.Delta Israel 60 Special LE.

My favorite Italian penmaker is hands down OMAS.
Dekta is amazing too but comes second to the Omas.

can't argue with this....


anyway, going back to pens, I am surprised that no one else has mentioned Signum, although it is in Jim's poll.

I own 2 Signums, and they have sweet nibs --- the pen bodies look and feel like a real craftsman made them.

I pretty much am focusing on Pelikans and Signums in my collection at this point.

I owned a Signum until a few weeks ago.A great pen!!The Signum Nova. But a sacrifice had to be mad to acquire the Omas Arco.

Jim

I'd have to say Visconti - Wall Street in particular.

I would say that Tibaldi second generation (produced during the 1990) shows the best craftsmanship, attention to detail, and consistent, reliable performance. None of the Iride I have tried has failed to write as it should.

Delta and Omas, even though I do not yet own an Omas, I certainly am drooling over about 4 of them. Especially...

This one: http://www.stylophilesonline.com/images/09-06/09arc1.jpg

and this one:

I do own several Deltas including this one in the green celluloid:





And these Deltas are on my want list:

http://www.giardino.it/pens/delta/IMMAGINI/IndiosVerde.jpg

http://www.giardino.it/pens/delta/IMMAGINI...soAPvermeil.jpg

Splendid choices!!!!

Jim

My favorite is definitely Aurora. I enjoy the unique feel of Aurora's nibs, and the Optima is probably my favorite pen shape - absolutely perfect for slipping in my shirt pocket.

Next would be Omas. I've had an old style Paragon, an Emotica and an Ogiva. All of them were very nice - just not Aurora nice, in my opinion.

Last, I'd probably go with Signum. This is an underrated brand in my opinion, and the couple of Oriones I've owned have had superb nibs.

Aurora! Aurora! Aurora!

Cheers,
Eric

Good turn out so far!!!
Keep those italians coming!

Jim

Great topic!

I voted for Aurora, only because it is the most consistently reliable Italian brand....with a sense of style as well! I also have, and love, pens from Omas, Stipula, Delta, Visconti, and Montegrappa.

Sophia Loren

Hi,

I like Aurora and have a limited edition as well as one of the lowest model Ideas (Plastic cap and barrel).

Omas is a favorite I have two Omas Princesses which are my favorites as well as a 361 and an 80.

Dillon

Great poll, Jim!

For my #1 choice, I waffled between Omas and Stipula, then voted for Stipula. In our household, we own 6 Stipulas, and all have been great writers straight out of the box. My everyday Stipula is a red Vedo that writes "like buttah" plus I love seeing the color of the ink (viewable through an ample transparent window).

#2: Omas: love them nibs (I own an Extra & a 2000)

#3: Columbus (has anyone mentioned this brand?). I own a Scriba, wonderful writer, plus I love its flashy look and comfortable weight.

#4: Montegrappa (although it wrote *flawlessly* I sold it because it was so rarely used)

I own 1 Visconti (Van Gogh midi) and 1 Delta (Delta Dolce Vita mini) and both tend to skip periodically, which can be frustrating. One of these days I'll send the Van Gogh to Binder, and maybe the Delta too (because it's already been returned 2x for repair to Delta).

My first Aurora (Fuoco) is arriving any day (birthday present to myself). I vacillated between an Optima and Fuoco, then opted for the fiery, smaller Fuoco.

I wanted to ad more italian brands but figured i would pick the most popular and well known.Sorry if i didn't include your favourite.
But so far the cross section of results seems to indicate that Omas and Aurora are doing well.

Thanks for all of the great responses!

Jim

That's too bad about Aurora being so popular, as I've been oggling an Optima in Auroloide for some time to add to my pre-2005 Omas Milord. If the survey continues this way it could just push me over the edge...but I must have strength.

How can i forget my Aurora Carlo Goldoni???

Interesting that the two companies that specialize in piston-fillers are the ones with the most votes. I have long thought that piston-fillers are the most easy-to-use fountain pens on the market, so I would expect companies like Omas and Aurora to perform consistently well in popularity contests because of their commitment to piston-filling mechanisms (just as Montblanc and Pelikan do with German pens).

I'm frankly surprised that Stipula and Montegrappa have moved away from piston-fillers and that Delta and Visconti have not yet embraced this filling mechanism. For the record, I do not consider the fixed-mounted-converter that appears in some Stipula and Montegrappa pens to be a true piston filler.

I've tried other peoples' Viscontis (Wall Streets and a Divine Proportion LE); I've only owned Stipulas (1 Florentia and some Etrurias), OMASes (MOMA and the Green Arco that I still have) and Auroras. To date, I haven't been moved to try the other Italians... yet.

Bearing all that in mind, my personal outstanding favourite is Aurora. Since there's no need to explain why, I'll leave it at that.


raf.

Sophia Loren
Gina Lollabidgida (sp)
Ferrerai
Da Vinci
Alfa Romeo
Visconti
Bolognese
Pinot Grigo
Monza

That covers the subject nicely...

No fair, Aurora had a nice lead to begin with, but I think this poll does reflect OMAS' popularity in the topics of this forum. In fact, I am surprised Aurora has such a large share of the vote, as generally they aren't mentioned often.

Oh, I voted Aurora by the way, I only own one and it is my only Italian, but it;s everything I could possible need; so the other Italian companies can go hang as far as I am concerned... if I buy other Italian pen it is going to be an Aurora.

Hmm... My ex-gf was my favorite Italian... But now it would be a tie between Aurora and Omas.

I just bought my first Italian pen, an Aurora Ipsilon. At first I was a little disappointed by the feel of the nib. It seemed a bit like writing with chalk, but afer many pages of writing, I actually started liking it. The pen is wounderfully balanced when posted (which it does with a nice suttle click). The writing is flawless, it requires no pressure at all to draw a continuous line writing as fast as I dare. It feels like a feaher, which I find it to be a nice contrast from most of the other pens in my collection. I love this pen.

I'm now looking for a Visconti Van Gogh. It seems Italian pens have a unique character and I look forward to finding out that of a Visconti and later an Omas.