First Impressions
The box is nice enough, but I didn’t buy the pen for the box. The Talentum, with its black resin body and contrasting silver-colored trim makes a good impression. The first thing I did was to run a little soapy water through the converter followed by a fresh water rinse. Whether it was necessary or not, the pen started up perfectly after the feed dried and I filled it with ink.
Appearance (4/5)
The fit and finish on the pen is excellent. The pen is long and cylindrical, but the body tapers off a bit towards the end of the pen. The cap unscrews in a very smooth turn and a half. The end cap has no logo or ornamentation, but the cap band has Aurora and Italy engraved on opposite sides and some nice machining for definition. I would have preferred a little more detail, such as an Aurora logo on the end cap and on the side of the barrel. This may not be their top of the line pen, but it’s far from an inexpensive pen. An Aurora logo at the top of the cap would add a lot to the Talentum’s handsome appearance. Despite the Talentum’s flawless construction, I downgraded it slightly for its handsome but generic looks. At this price point, especially coming from a manufacturer with a long history, I expect more design embellishments on a pen.
Design/Size/Weight (4.5/5)
The pen is more or less the same size and weight as the Pelikan 800 series. I prefer to post my pens, but the Talentum is a little unbalanced towards the rear when posted. This is probably because both metal end caps are both pointed towards the rear when when the pen is posted. However, the pen is long enough to write with posted or unposted. I mentioned that the body of the pen is tapered. This allows the cap to post more securely and prevents the pen from becoming too long and unbalanced when posting, a nice design feature. The metal trim is solid and tasteful. The metal clip is sturdy and seems to be made of a flexible metal that performs its function well.
The build quality of the Talentum is excellent. The cap unscrews very smoothly from the body as does the section from the body.
Nib (5/5)
I like this nib! One of the things that attracted me to the Aurora is that they are one of the few fountain pen companies extant that make their own nibs and the nib does not disappoint. My Talentum came with a fine, rhodium-plated 14K nib. It is nice and smooth with enough toothiness to give me excellent control. I was told that the Talentum has an ebonite feed. I assume that is true. The feed keeps up with the pen very nicely and I do see the sheen of ink adsorbed on the surface of the feed. I get the impression that one could keep this pen uncapped longer than most pens with open nibs and have it continue to write.
Filling System (4/5)
The Talentum is a C/C filler. There’s not much more to say about that except that this pen would be a real competitor to the similarly sized Pelikan m800 if it were a piston filler. It still is if you don’t mind refilling the converter more often.
Cost and Value
I believe the retail price for this model Talentum is $325.00. I would not call it an outstanding value at that price because it’s not a piston filler and the pen body has few embellishments. If you buy it at a decent discount from the list price, it is a very good value because the excellent fit and finish and the superior quality of the writing experience.
Conclusion (4.5/5)
This is is a true writer’s pen. I can see it becoming one of my primary pens for long stretches of writing. The build quality of the Talentum is excellent. This pen caught me off guard. I had read some positive reviews about it and knew that Aurora has an excellent reputation, but when I wrote with it for the first time, I enjoyed it more than I expected. This is quite an excellent pen and I think I’ll keep it in rotation for a while.
Mine is burgundy and gold with a medium nib. I agree with this review's points.
