I would welcome anyone who can help me understand why Aurora Optimas are priced so high. Retail pricing, new, hovers around $500. Stipula Etrurias are less. Pelikans are much less. Even Yard-O-Led can be had for less. And these pens are -- I think -- at least equal in quality. So why the price differential?

Thanks

either a function of the us distributor's margin requirements, or the vendor, or both

Even at common online discounts, Aurora high-end pens are expensive. They are less expensive than comparable Omas or Visconti pens, however. My theory is two fold:

1. High prices mantain the "luxury" brand image

2. Aurora is one of the few remaining in-house nib crafters

You can find better prices on new pens if you keep your eyes open. Penwa.com and Oscarbraunpens.com have been good to me.

I agree, Auroras are disproportionately priced. However, I bought an Optima from Pam Braun last year for lower than I've seen the pen listed anywhere else. It was still expensive, mind you.

Best,
David

I was having a discussion recently with a friend and the question was besides Montblanc, what company comes immediately to mind when you think of overpriced pens? We both thought of Aurora pretty quickly. In fairness, their mid-price point pens (Ipsilons and Styles) are reasonably priced.

I also think Aurora has perhaps the worst quality control of the major brands. I own several Ipsilon ballpoints and rollers; almost every one of them had some sort of small scuff or scratch issue to the resin. I could go on but that is for another thread. I still like the Ipsilon line; more then I should, really.

I agree the prices have gone up but I find that my italic Optimas are some of my favorite pens. My blue and green medium italics are so pretty, and my Africa and Asia are as well. My husband's Pope pen is one of the most gorgeous pens I've ever seen. It's right up there with our Agatha Christie pens. All of our Auroras have gone to Richard Binder or John Mottishaw to increase ink flow, but we end up doing that with most of our pens. If you like italic nibs, Aurora Optimas are so special.

I would have to disagree with you on Aurora's Q/C. I recently sent out(on 12 May 08)my Optima Sole to have several cracks
in both the barrel(at the ring just above the piston filler)and the cap fixed. I was told previously by the repair tech at Kenro
(Aurora's American subsidiary)that it would take 6 weeks to have the pen worked on and returned. I received the pen
back in 5 weeks. They also did something that I never asked them to do--they regilded the pen number at the top of
the cap. I would add that the pen had to go back to Italy.

I'd say that's really good service.

John

I agree; it sounds like you got very good customer service from them. However, as I desribed above, that isn't my issue with Aurora. Though I too recently dealt with customer service (Kenro) and it wasn't entirely positive.

I'll tell you about the last two Aurora pens (both Ipsilons) I purchased. One was a black Ipsilon Deluxe bp which had, not surprisingly, a very noticeable scuff on the barrel. Fortunately, I was able to buff it out almost entirely. But that wasn't the only problem with the pen. The first time I put it in my shirt pocket, I literally scratched myself. The very bottom underside of the clip was jagged; the metal wasn't polished and smooth like the rest of the clip. I sent it back to the retailer for replacement.

The other pen was a blue Ipsilon Deluxe which was shipped directly to me from Kenro. It had a very noticeable scratch on the cap that buffing did nothing to remove. I contacted Kenro and the first thing the rep asked me was if I had tried to buff it out. I told her I had but to no avail. We agreed that I could send the pen back for replacement. I asked about their reimbursing me for my return shipping; the rep was not enthusiastic about that at all. She finally agreed to send me an extra refill instead. The replacement pen arrived and it too needed a bit of buffing but turned out to be acceptable. We had agreed that I would get a black fine bp refill in lieu of payment for the return shipping. However, a blue fine was included instead with a note that they were out of black fine points. Though they had my email address and could have gotten my phone number from the retailer, they chose not to contact me to see if a blue fine would be ok.

Not good customer service in my book.

I am really seriously thinking about buying an Aurora...... more food for thought from this post.

IMHO,they are worth the price to get--but get them cheaper if you can.
I'm also one of those that believe that their prices are a little too high.

John

I have found a UK site selling most models 1/2 price - it's the only way I could get one ...... so I'm guessing then that half price is good.

I am waiting to phone them to see what nib selections they have as ideally I'd like an italic the question then is whether to go with the Optima, the Ipsilon delux or the Talentum.......

Do you think it would be best to try out an idea first or just go straight for the woohoo??

I’ll speak to my experience. The two Auroras I have – an Optima in green Auroloide with a B nib [.6mm] and a black/chrome Optima with an italic nib [.9mm-ish] – rank right up there with my other fav brands: ST Dupont, Pelikan, Sailor, Pilot/Namiki, and Bexley. They are beautifully made and have performed flawlessly. The italic is bold, it has great line variation, and is very smooth with MB Racing Green when I’m not writing at break-neck, note taking speed.

The Talentum is a good pen, but it is a c/c not a piston-filler. The Ipsilon just didn’t do it for me, but that’s my take on it.

I suppose I got lucky with the Optimas, so I recommend them. If you haven’t already, and you have the opportunity, try these pens out in person. There is a difference in the way those three models feel in the hand.

Between those three, there is no comparison: the Optima is the one to buy. Though I find it a tad overpriced, the Optima is a wonderful pen, on par in terms of quality with my other pens. Best,
David

Thanks god for the secondary markets of the pen boards and ebay.
You can find Auroras there are much more reasonable prices.
I was incidentally playing with a photo of some Optimas today. Enjoy!

Beauties!

Most of those I've seen,but you have two that I haven't seen before--the green one(4th from left),and the brown
one(7th from left). Were they special to the European market only?

John

Now you have two pens there that I would LOVE but are just not even in the running at 1/2 price for me........ the Europa and the Asia
[BIG SIGH]..............

If there was a green auroloide availabel I would have that for sure - its a great looking pen!!

Antonios you have wonderful collection.

As for the increase in prices, this is the way Aurora chose to deal with decreasing market share. Let's see where it leads.

I don't know if I am comparing apples to oranges, but the finish and tolerances on an Auora Optima are light years away from a Pelikan M800. This being said, the Pelikan nib-feed combination is one step above Aurora's.

So far, I prefer the writing quality of my Aurora Optima to that of my M620-series and M1000-series. However, it's much more common to use the Pelikans as a swap-o-rama style of pen.

Antoniosz, you've got too many pens! I am jealous of your Aurora collection!!!! Oh, how I love the Mare

Great pens, antoniosz !
Are there a Brazil and a stilofetti between the Optimas ?
Best
Dirk

Thanks for the photo, Antonios. Now I can go confess the sin of envy.

I have just three Optimas - a regular production blue, a Primavera LE and a Sole LE. I paid less for my Sole LE than vendors are currently asking for standard Optimas and I do not see the reason for the drastic prices increases myself. Aurora does offer a fairly wide selection of pens in various price ranges. I have a Talentum that is a pleasure to use. But, like many others, I focus on the optimas and ask why the prices are so high.

Thanks

I should have put names. From the left to the right

Asia, Africa, Europa
Brasil, Mare, Primavera (No Sole Frank - if you decide to sell please let me know).
Stylo Fetti (which I have inked in my pocket today), White (from Italian Flag)
Blue, Burgundy, Grey Auroloids
Reflessi.

Outletline was good for me when he was selling on ebay with no reserve. I bought several of these pens at rock bottom prices.
I have seen the Optima prices to creep up recently. The euro plays a role and the desirability of the pens also.
I have sold and bought again the Blue Auroloid. I have sold the green auroloid and regretted it.
I am still waiting for a bargain for it. I sold the blue at $175 2-3 years ago and rebought it at $200.
The Auroloids use to pop-up at $150-$175 in the boards - now they are at $200-$250.

AZ

And of course there is the demonstrator now that you need to add also!

Antonios wrote:

" ... (No Sole Frank - if you decide to sell please let me know)."

Sorry, Antonios. Cold dead hand and all that.

And it will be all your fault It will depend on price...



If I tell you that I remembered you PT post on this when I wrote my post would you believe me?

Please tell us more about the Stylo Fetti. When was it produced? Was it a limited edition? It looks wonderful.

Special limited edition 1993 for the famous pen store Stilo Fetti in Rome according to the Aurora site.
That's all I know. I bought it from Pentrace's green board.

I thank everyone for their responses. I think I'm going to pass on an Optima with prices as they are. I would consider buying from the green board or from e-bay, but I'm always concerned about now having warranty coverage with so much $$ involved. I remember Chartpak being exceedingly gracious to me when a pen bought online developed a problem; I don't want to be in that position again. Warranty and a good dealer -- when needed -- are very appreciated.

A seller on FPN - "ThomyCH" - has offered some good prices on both Aurora pens and nibs. He apparently acquired an Aurora pen company in Switzerland and is liquidating the stock. He recently posted some Optimas for sale. If you are interesated you can do a search for his posts. I bought a couple of nibs from him and received them promptly.

He is also offering very inexpensive Aurora Optima/88 nibs ($60 for 14K) on ebay now.

mehitabel

Thanks for the reference. Actually, it was ThomyCH's recent sale offers that drew my attention. His prices were indeed much less than retail. If he had posted a burgundy Optima, I probably would have made the purchase. I just couldn't connect with the plain green color. I'll keep waiting and watching.

OK,now I know about the Stylofetti(still wouldn't mind owning one.......)..............
What's the story on the Brasil?

John

BTW the Stilofetti was a limited (100 pieces) production. Mine is 86/100
The Brazil is a Optima based pen with green barel and gold (plated?) cap with the brasilian flag on the top.
Made in 2000 in 500 to commemorate the 500-year history of Brazil.

He also sells on ebay as thomy1616 - I just bought a 14K B Optima/88 nib from him for $60.

mehitabel

Who are the other in-house nib builders? Stipula? OMAS?

There's a list around here somewhere, but no, both Stipula and OMAS use Bock nibs. Besides Aurora, other in-house nib makers include Montblanc, Waterman, Lamy, and Caran d'Ache. There are others, but fewer and fewer.
Best,
David

Stipula doesn't make their own nibs (and so far as I know, never did). Omas used to make their own, I think, but they no longer do.

Ancora makes their own nibs, as does Sheaffer (at least for the inlaid ones).