Just Ordered A Romillo

[Houston]

Has anyone held or written with a Romillo Sil?

[WilsonCQB1911]

Just got my Nervion today. Wow, it is the biggest pen I've ever seen. It makes a Montblanc 149 look like a girl's pen!! Unfortunately, I don't think I can possibly carry this pen and use it at work. It just looks too ridiculously huge. So it'll have to be a desk pen.

 

I can't really comment on more than that. Wouldn't be fair to. I just got it and just barely inked it up.

 

I will add that the packaging is nice. It came with a nice wooden box and a nice cloth pen sleeve. Also included were a bottle of ink, and some nice documentation and an owner's certificate. I got a pen wrap as well, but I'm unlikely to use it since I prefer cases.

[Houston]

Just got my Nervion today. Wow, it is the biggest pen I've ever seen. It makes a Montblanc 149 look like a girl's pen!! Unfortunately, I don't think I can possibly carry this pen and use it at work. It just looks too ridiculously huge. So it'll have to be a desk pen.

 

Looking forward to your review!

 

--h

[Ghost Plane]

This girl LOVES teeny, tiny, delicate 149s and the like, so I look forward to your review since it sounds like my size pen.

[rogerb]

I am having difficulty finding a price for these lovely pens ... maybe, it's a case of "If you have to ask, you cannot afford them!" ... I read that they start at about 750 Euros. Can anyone please tell me more, please?

 

They look lovely and your reviews are extremely tempting, especially as they are made here in Spain

[Houston]

They range roughly from 750-1500 euros, depending on model and shipping destination (ie, EU destinations attract 21% VAT). The Essential #7 is least expensive, and the Nervion #9 is the dearest.

 

I would normally post the price list here, in service to the FPN community, but since the prices aren't on Senor Romillo's website, I can only assume he'd rather they weren't posted online. An email to him, however, will garner you a quick and warm reply with all the prices.

 

Hope that's useful. --h

[mongrelnomad]

Just got my Nervion today. Wow, it is the biggest pen I've ever seen. It makes a Montblanc 149 look like a girl's pen!! Unfortunately, I don't think I can possibly carry this pen and use it at work. It just looks too ridiculously huge. So it'll have to be a desk pen.

 

 

I have a Faber Castell pen case that fits it safely and snugly. The zippers are attached with fabric so they can be folded away when sliding the pen in or out.

 

Don't you dare mollycoddle that pen. It's definitely not to be chained to a desk!

[da vinci]

Have booked a trip to Madrid in November. Cant wait!

[rogerb]

Thanks, Houston ... prices are as I feared!

Maybe he doesn't quote 'em so that he has freedom to decide on a person-by-person basis ... special deals for Spanish residents, Señor?

[WilsonCQB1911]

 

I have a Faber Castell pen case that fits it safely and snugly. The zippers are attached with fabric so they can be folded away when sliding the pen in or out.

 

Don't you dare mollycoddle that pen. It's definitely not to be chained to a desk!

 

My Franklin-Christoph 2-pen case holds it. My Visconti Dreamtouch won't, unfortunately (they are my favorites). I'll consider using it at work. I don't know that I can break it out in front of co-workers though, as I'd feel a little embarassed, as if I was compensating for something. It's like those souvenirs they sell at Texas like a "Texas Pencil" which is ridiculously huge and obviously a gag gift.

 

Do you find the cap to be a bit thin, especially at the mouth? It seems quite fragile. I know that the body of the cap is reinforced, but there's a good part of the cap where the threads are all the way to the cap mouth that isn't reinforced. This is also where cracks are the most likely to form if you are going to get them.

[WilsonCQB1911]

 

I have a Faber Castell pen case that fits it safely and snugly. The zippers are attached with fabric so they can be folded away when sliding the pen in or out.

 

Don't you dare mollycoddle that pen. It's definitely not to be chained to a desk!

 

Oh, and before I order my own, how snug does it fit? Is it really a good fit or do you have to shoe horn it in? They aren't cheap, which is why I ask.

[mongrelnomad]

Snug, but not too tight. Easy entry and exit; no rubbing.

[WilsonCQB1911]

Snug, but not too tight. Easy entry and exit; no rubbing.

Great, thanks. I ordered one. Any comments on my observation of the cap (see above)?

[mongrelnomad]

Great, thanks. I ordered one. Any comments on my observation of the cap (see above)?

Only that I haven't had any issue (yet) with mine. The Nervion is a screw cap so I guess the tension will be on the threads. It's such a long pen that I don't post.

 

I would be interested to hear from Sil owners - the delicacy of the edges may be more of an issue on a friction cap...

[Sblakers]

Only that I haven't had any issue (yet) with mine. The Nervion is a screw cap so I guess the tension will be on the threads. It's such a long pen that I don't post.

I would be interested to hear from Sil owners - the delicacy of the edges may be more of an issue on a friction cap...

I have had no issues either. It's thin but well shaped. I would be curious about a friction fit cap as well though.

[betweenthelens]

I'd never heard of this pen until I saw this post. Congratulations, Sblakers, on a beautiful pen, and I agree with Uncle Red; even the box is lovely.

[WilsonCQB1911]

So I have about 3 fills through my Nervion so far, and I have some observations.

 

It's a well-made and simple pen. Construction quality seems high and the in-house nibs seem to be very well done (and truly massive!). My only critique would be that the cap lips seems thin and fragile. Now, I'll never post the pen, and I can't imagine anyone smaller than a giant in one of Tolkien's stories needing to, so maybe this is a non-issue.

 

The pen is an absolute beast. You have to see one to understand just how big it is and how huge the nib is. It's almost a joke. I'm still too embarrassed to be seen with a pen this big at work, but maybe I'll get over it. It really looks like King Kong's fountain pen.

 

While I like the roll stopper, I sometimes miss a clip. I can fit the pen inside my suit jacket pocket, and a clip would hold it there. I like the simplicity of the pen as-is though. This is not a practical pen anyway and one doesn't buy it as a practical daily user.

 

The nib is made in-house and is truly unique. It is bigger than even a 149 or m1000 nib. Mine is a fine nib, and I will compare it against my 149s, which are my benchmark. The Romillo nib is firm (I did not choose the flexible option). It's much more rigid than the 149 and has little spring, although it will open up and provide some variation if asked to. I selected the extra flow option, and find the nib to be a bit on the dry side. I will say, to its credit, that it has never had any issues with hard starting, skipping, or anything. It is a truly reliable writer. While it's smooth, it sometimes has a hint of tooth, which I imagine will smooth out over time. I find that I generally prefer the 149, although this is a nice nib.

 

Filling with the eye dropped is simple, easy, and mess free. The pen can reliably hold around 1.5 ml of ink. Less than you'd think for a pen of this size, but plenty for me. Any more than that, or attempting to fill to the top and the ink won't get to the feed. It seems to need some air space in order to allow the ink to flow.

 

So my verdict on this pen is that it is a good pen, if not a great one. Is it THE pen? No, I don't think so. This isn't a pen you would buy as your only pen anyway as it's too big to be practical and with no clip it's carrying options are limited. Maybe one of their smaller offerings would fill that role better. This pen does make it into my top 10 though. Well, really top 6 as I only own 9 pens now after selling a bunch, and 3 of those 9 are 149s.

 

The more important question is if the pen is worth $2000. That a lot of money. I'm not sure what makes any pen worth that kind of money really. A 149, my favorite, so forgive me if I keep comparing it, is less than half. I think the Romillo is of better construction, and the nib is almost as nice, but I don't know if the pen is worth the high price tag. I wouldn't buy another at current prices. However, I would at $1000 or somewhere around there, but it wouldn't really be considered a good value until it hit around the $500 mark for me. It got me thinking though, I've bought and sold enough high-dollar pens that weren't reliable, enjoyable writers like this one. I won't keep an unreliable pen. And if you added all that up, I'm sure I've wasted more than $2000 trying to find a good pen. So based on that, if I had just bought this straight off maybe it would've been a good value since I could've saved a bunch of money on other pens. Maybe not though.

 

I guess if you're looking for something truly different that is a real treasure and also offers a good writing experience, this could scratch that itch. If you just want a good pen, there are other choices at far cheaper. It depends on how much value you put into having that unique luxury experience.

Edited June 14, 2014 by WilsonCQB1911

[mongrelnomad]

So I have about 3 fills through my Nervion so far, and I have some observations.

 

It's a well-made and simple pen. Construction quality seems high and the in-house nibs seem to be very well done (and truly massive!). My only critique would be that the cap lips seems thin and fragile. Now, I'll never post the pen, and I can't imagine anyone smaller than a giant in one of Tolkien's stories needing to, so maybe this is a non-issue.

 

The pen is an absolute beast. You have to see one to understand just how big it is and how huge the nib is. It's almost a joke. I'm still too embarrassed to be seen with a pen this big at work, but maybe I'll get over it. It really looks like King Kong's fountain pen.

 

While I like the roll stopper, I sometimes miss a clip. I can fit the pen inside my suit jacket pocket, and a clip would hold it there. I like the simplicity of the pen as-is though. This is not a practical pen anyway and one doesn't buy it as a practical daily user.

 

The nib is made in-house and is truly unique. It is bigger than even a 149 or m1000 nib. Mine is a fine nib, and I will compare it against my 149s, which are my benchmark. The Romillo nib is firm (I did not choose the flexible option). It's much more rigid than the 149 and has little spring, although it will open up and provide some variation if asked to. I selected the extra flow option, and find the nib to be a bit on the dry side. I will say, to its credit, that it has never had any issues with hard starting, skipping, or anything. It is a truly reliable writer. While it's smooth, it sometimes has a hint of tooth, which I imagine will smooth out over time. I find that I generally prefer the 149, although this is a nice nib.

 

Filling with the eye dropped is simple, easy, and mess free. The pen can reliably hold around 1.5 ml of ink. Less than you'd think for a pen of this size, but plenty for me. Any more than that, or attempting to fill to the top and the ink won't get to the feed. It seems to need some air space in order to allow the ink to flow.

 

So my verdict on this pen is that it is a good pen, if not a great one. Is it THE pen? No, I don't think so. This isn't a pen you would buy as your only pen anyway as it's too big to be practical and with no clip it's carrying options are limited. Maybe one of their smaller offerings would fill that role better. This pen does make it into my top 10 though. Well, really top 6 as I only own 9 pens now after selling a bunch, and 3 of those 9 are 149s.

 

The more important question is if the pen is worth $2000. That a lot of money. I'm not sure what makes any pen worth that kind of money really. A 149, my favorite, so forgive me if I keep comparing it, is less than half. I think the Romillo is of better construction, and the nib is almost as nice, but I don't know if the pen is worth the high price tag. I wouldn't buy another at current prices. However, I would at $1000 or somewhere around there, but it wouldn't really be considered a good value until it hit around the $500 mark for me. It got me thinking though, I've bought and sold enough high-dollar pens that weren't reliable, enjoyable writers like this one. I won't keep an unreliable pen. And if you added all that up, I'm sure I've wasted more than $2000 trying to find a good pen. So based on that, if I had just bought this straight off maybe it would've been a good value since I could've saved a bunch of money on other pens. Maybe not though.

 

I guess if you're looking for something truly different that is a real treasure and also offers a good writing experience, this could scratch that itch. If you just want a good pen, there are other choices at far cheaper. It depends on how much value you put into having that unique luxury experience.

 

Funny - your experiences (especially with the nib) seem to be the exact opposite of mine.

 

That said: any chance you could re-post this as a review (with some pictures) so that it can be filed away for posterity, and as a reference for others searching for info on the brand? It is a shame that these custom pens rarely get the exposure they deserve.

 

And yes, I will be doing so myself too in time

[WilsonCQB1911]

 

Funny - your experiences (especially with the nib) seem to be the exact opposite of mine.

 

That said: any chance you could re-post this as a review (with some pictures) so that it can be filed away for posterity, and as a reference for others searching for info on the brand? It is a shame that these custom pens rarely get the exposure they deserve.

 

And yes, I will be doing so myself too in time

 

You hate the pen? Wouldn't that be the exact opposite? I like it. As I said, it's in my top 6. If it weren't $2000, I think I'd rave more. But $2000 is a lot of money and, rightfully so, a lot of expectations come with that sort of cash. I think if you are demanding well above top dollar, you should provide a commensurate experience. This comes close, but I find the nibs on the MB 149 better. But I think it says something that it made the top 6, and that I have no plans on selling it or getting rid of it. A lot of other great pens didn't, and I've bought and sold a lot of pens.

 

I should add that this stuff is totally subjective and personal. One man's perfect pen is another's junk. So I wouldn't take my opinion/viewpoint as gospel and I hope no one else would. It's just another data point. Frankly, all the reviews, including mine have been positive. Mine's just a little tempered I guess??

 

That's a good idea, I'll put a "real" review up at some point.

Edited June 15, 2014 by WilsonCQB1911

[raging.dragon]

[...]

 

The pen is an absolute beast. You have to see one to understand just how big it is and how huge the nib is. It's almost a joke. I'm still too embarrassed to be seen with a pen this big at work, but maybe I'll get over it. It really looks like King Kong's fountain pen.

 

[...]

 

The dimensions posted on the Romillo website indicate that compared to the MB149 the Nervion is somewhat longer than significantly thinner. This plus the photos suggest to me that the section is alot thinner than the MB149's. Is this correct?