Omas Paragon Arco: It Was Worthy The Wait

[fpupulin]

Long story short, my Omas Paragon celluloid Arco was bought in February, last year, as a self-gift for Christmas 2015. I patiently waited ten months to open the box on Christmas-eve only to discover, to my dismay, that the pen was not writing. As I am living where no Omas service is available, and while thinking what to do, Omas went bankruptcy. Nibs.com helped to sort out the problem, and I sent them the pen, via the AD from whom I bought it, in late February. They fixed my Paragon in one week, and sent the pen to a colleague in the US, who eventually brought me the pen a week ago.

It was worthy waiting. Oh, it was really worthy...

Edited July 1, 2016 by fpupulin

[Lemony Cricket]

Such a beauty, this celluloid always takes my breath away! I'm still on a lookout for reasonably priced Arco Ogiva but I'm slowly starting to lose my hope.

 

Enjoy it and take good care of it!

[mallymal1]

Beautiful.

 

[ggrosjean]

Beautiful, pen I love mine, however, mine doesn't seem to be able to write so beautifully.

 

Handwriting like that deserves that pen.

[dms525]

Congratulations! The Brown Arco Celluloid is one of my favorite pen materials. Enjoy that pen. I'm sure it is all the sweeter for having had to wait so long for it.

 

David

[da vinci]

Beautiful pen, glad there has been a happy ending!

[fpupulin]

Such a beauty, this celluloid always takes my breath away! I'm still on a lookout for reasonably priced Arco Ogiva but I'm slowly starting to lose my hope.

 

Enjoy it and take good care of it!

 

 

This so true... I hesitate to pay full price for an Arco Ogiva with an Extra Flessibile nib when the pen was launched, and now I already saw selling (not offering, but selling) used pens at a price higher than the original, with whichever nib they have.

 

Me, too, I'm loosing my hopes...

[fpupulin]

Beautiful, pen I love mine, however, mine doesn't seem to be able to write so beautifully.

 

Handwriting like that deserves that pen.

 

I am glad you love your pen as I do. It is a superb example of that kind of craftsmanship for which Italians are known around the world. I spent quite a lot of time deciding if the new incarnation of the Omas Paragon in Arco celluloid was the right pen to put aside my old Arco Paragon, but I have no regrets: it is a superb pen in any respect.

Enjoy yours in great health.

[fpupulin]

Congratulations! The Brown Arco Celluloid is one of my favorite pen materials. Enjoy that pen. I'm sure it is all the sweeter for having had to wait so long for it.

 

David

 

Thank you, David. I totally agree with you about the unbeatable look of the Arco celluloid. I am fortunate owning two Arco Paragon pens, from two different periods of Omas production, and I like and respect them equally.

 

Time ago, I presented the two pens in a close comparison, with a double-review that you can read here, if you are interested:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/302468-paragon-versus-paragon/

 

Also, you may find a condensed layout of the review here:

 

https://dl.dropboxus...Paragon.pdf.zip

[fountainbel]

What a beauty, and what a beautiful handwriting……

Congratulations on both fpupulin !

What a pity these beautiful pens are not available anymore.

Francis

[katanankes]

Congratulations, a beauty! Also impressed by your discipline...

 

What paper did you use for the writing sample?

[fpupulin]

Congratulations, a beauty! Also impressed by your discipline...

 

What paper did you use for the writing sample?

 

 

I like any kind of "vergata" paper. In the filigree of the vergata you can see many close, horizontal, parallel lines, that are the "imprint" of the vergelle in the mould, while the spaced vertical lines are left on the paper by the catenelle that join the vergelle in the sieve.

 

Whenever I visit a new country, a new town, I search for stationery shops looking for new vergata papers.

 

The vergata is a somewhat "hard" paper, not as smooth as many pen lovers would prefer, and often with the two faces of the leaf quite different in texture and behaviour under the pen, but I probably like it for those exact reasons...

 

The text in the photo is wrote on Canson Charcoal 95g/sq, which I bought in ca. 50x70 sheets and I cut at the requested size according to my tastes. Other fine vergatas not difficult to find are Strathmore Artist Paper-Charcoal Sheets (I guess around 90 g), Hahnemühle Dürer Ingres 100 g/sm, Clairefontaine Ingres Étude (100 g/sm), and the extraordinary Fabriano Roma (130 g/sm), a 100% cotton paper which is truly magnificent (and equally expensive).

I haven't still tried the Arches MBM Carta Ingres 130 g/m², a paper in natural colour, which look gorgeous in photography.

 

My preferred vergata paper is Fabriano Ingres, which exist in several weights, but which I prefer in 90 g/sm for writing. I buy it in sheets ca 100 x 70 cm, to be cut at my tastes. In Fabriano language, colours maybe a bit deceitful. What they call "Ghiaccio" is a true ivory. Fabriano's "Avorio" (ivory) is really close to a chamois colour. "Bianco" is a cool, neutral white. "Gialletto" is a fantastic shadow of dark, dusty ivory, very very Rinascimentale. "Cenere" is a pretty good shadow of grey, apt for dark inks.

 

Maybe you want to try Fabriano Artist's Journals. They are fantastic. They are made with Fabriano Ingres 90 g/sm paper, and they are available in the following size/papers:

12x16 cm, cover blue navy, paper white

16x21 cm, cover blue navy, paper white

16x16 cm, cover black, paper white and ivory

23x23 cm, cover black, paper white, ivory, chamois and grey

Edited July 4, 2016 by fpupulin

[Bill]

Very nice handwriting!

 

The Omas Arco is one of my favorites. Like yours, my newer Paragon also had to take a trip back to the shop for a tuneup. But it is now super smooth and reliable.

 

I do find myself using the Milord Arco more often. While still a large pen, it seems more balanced to me, possibly because of the lighter weight without the metal section.

[FriendAmos]

I had something like that in the Ogiva, and I sold it after a few months, out of a frustration with "pattern alignment". After a while, the patterns don't align between the piston-knob and the barrel (can be seen in the photo above) and between the barrel and the cap.

 

I should have hang onto it though. With OMAS gone, everyone with one of their pens thinks he or she is sitting on a gold mine. I sold mine for around half of what I paid for it. The fellow I sold it to just flogged it off at well over the original retail price.

[foreignexport]

beautiful pen - i want one - right now

 

i have the Ogiva in celluloid and its stunning