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Opus 88 Omar Clear Demonstrator: Quick Look


peroride

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Opus88 Omar Clear Demonstrator

is one of the latest eyedropper pens from Taiwan based, Opus88

 

Many reviews have touched on the basics of these popular eyedropper filling mechanism based designs.

 

They drink most any ink and have cornered the market on affordable modern eyedropper mechanism pens with piston shut-off.

 

This is just a quick look at the largest size Omar in a clear demonstrator finish.

  • The Omar is basically the demonstrator model plus a few stylish curved touches.
  • The piston rod pulls out just like other opi/opuses :lol: to act as a shut-off from the main ink supply.
  • I've never had one of these pens before and bought it for the looks, filling mechanism and Jowo #6 nib compatibility.
  • Plus it is waay less expensive than a Namiki Emperor or vintage Ban-ei eyedropper with that cool eyedropper mechanism.

 

fpn_1561700524__omar_clear_opus88.jpg

 

Size is relative.

  • But the Omar is a non-posting pen and skews to the larger side.
  • I have smaller hands but I found the size very comfortable, more than say a Pilot Custom Urushi :rolleyes:
  • I'd put it between a Sailor KOP and Sailor 1911L; just right!! ;)

fpn_1561701396__omar_clear_size_comp_opu

Top to Bottom size comparison: Pilot Custom Urushi, Opus88 Omar Clear, Lamy Safari Vista, Sailor 1911 Large Demonstrator, Aurora 88 Chrome cap, Pilot Kakuno

 

So far the performance is the great standard out of the box, Jowo #6 medium nib: smooth and direct with little feedback using Monteverde Olivine ink

 

  • I have not tried swapping the steel nib but I do believe that it would be compatible with Jowo #6 nibs on cartridge/converter pens like Franklin-Christoph, Edison Pens, Esterbrook Estie (Kenro), Carolina Pen Company, Ryan Krusac pens, et al.
  • from other videos I think there is a teeny o-ring I need to retain unlike the c/c jowo which does not have one.
  • One negative was the nib was askew from the feed out of the box, but a simple twist set the feed aligned symmetrically with the nib point.

Built quality

  • It's plastic and sturdy and clear
  • It has that plastic on plastic squeak/scratch sound between the threads (I'll probably silicone em up)
  • the powder coated paint black matte clip seems pretty secure
  • I wish more companies were like TWSBI and include extra goodies, as Opus88 could supply back-up o-rings

Summary

  • I'd buy this pen again. :happyberet: It can serve a one pen person admirably.
  • Feels sturdy though light.
  • I like its styling good looks as I did not care for the colored versions of the Omar line.
  • It's Jowo #6 interchangeable swapparoni niboroni
  • It can contain a good amount of ink as a testbed/sandbox for scary iron galls to shiny shimmery, pigmented (bleep) you cannot use on vintage
  • It has that cool eyedropper mechanism yet inexpensive enough that you don't break the bank having to finda Ban-ei living national treasure pen restorer in case it breaks.
  • My biggest negative is that it does not POST -_-

 

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Posted Images

Good review: thank you!

 

I'm not convinced about the shape of the clip; it looks like a bloated Pelikan :P I much prefer the clip on the original Koloro Demonstrator. Otherwise, the streamlining looks well done.

Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.

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Great review...

Why do you need to post such a large pen ... It's not a negative I believe

 

I agree they should supply some additional O rings

vaibhav mehandiratta

architect & fountain pen connoisseur

 

blog | instagram | twitter

 

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Great review...

Why do you need to post such a large pen ... It's not a negative I believe

 

I agree they should supply some additional O rings

Dear @mehandiratta

 

Pens are my toys and I enjoyed Legos as a kid :P

 

But you're right, it's not a negative, just more of a minor annoyance for me personally.

I'm a serial poster and somehow unposted pens feel incomplete plus unposted bodies tend to roll off the danger floor :yikes:

I did try and it was back weighted, insecure and looked ridiculously unbalanced :blush:

 

So we live with/in reality :)

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I wish that this pen can be post. It is not heavy and you will always be able to find the cap. :lol:

 

The cap of a pen that does not post, while in use, rests in my left hand. So far, I've had no difficulty finding my left hand. :rolleyes:

Edited by Karmachanic

Add lightness and simplicate.

 

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I have the Amber Brown version -- since late March. Between all the other pens I have it is still on the first fill of ink.

 

I could wish that the barrel was made from the same material as the cap. The cap is a brown cracked-ice while the barrel is just... (barely translucent) brown. Both with white ends.

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  • 4 weeks later...

My gray Omar came in the mail just the other day. Upon delivery, the nib tines were slightly misaligned (perhaps in shipping?); a moment or two with a thumbnail corrected that and it wrote smoothly. I ordered a fine nib which appears to be on the wide side of fine -- a European, not Asian, fine as expected w/ a Jowo nib. I did see on several youtube videos that the shut-off valve is tight and a bit squeaky. Has anyone tried to remove it and add a dab of silicone grease? Or perhaps it eases up a bit with use...

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Oh its quite large. Ive been looking into these for use with a custom ebonite feed and Zebra G nibs. The ink shut off option is perhaps helpful for keeping those nibs from corroding a bit longer.

 

As an aside, I never post pens either. Even tiny short ones like vintage Montblanc 252.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Thanks for this review. I've just been considering getting either their regular clear demonstrator with the flat end, or the Omar. I'd hoped that the streamlined shape of the Omar implied it was postable, and am disappointed that it isn't. After two fatal incidents of pens rolling off desks, I always post all pens, as a matter of security. (Yes, of course, one should replace the cap before setting them down, but there are those occasional moments of quick pause to think or sneeze, or a sudden phone call, that trigger a reflex to just quickly set the thing down. This can have tragic consequences, as I've sadly discovered).

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As a rule, I set my pens down in an orientation that they can't roll off in, with one side against a notebook or some other object, cap on the other side--if they need to stay uncapped. Never post any pens myself.

Edited by Intensity

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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  • 4 months later...

I don't own these pens, but this video gives some insight about comparative section size:

 

There's no direct comparison, but you can see the two capped side-by-side around 6:44, and Azizah does talk about the Omar being bigger and more bulbous in general; she prefers the Koloro Demonstrator for the size.

 

And here's a brief video comparing Clear Omar with Clear Koloro Demonstrator:

In this video, the sections seem the same if you pause the video at 30 seconds in and measure both diameters roughly; the barrels are different.

Edited by Intensity

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Thanks very much, Intensity, much appreciated. The sections (and the sizes too) seem very similar. I don't see any visual difference. The regular clear demo with the flat top looks chunkier just because of its profile, but both are quite big pens. Cool pen: ED w shut-off valve, large ink capacity, swappable nib unit, and quite inexpensive, I am inclined to get one :)

There's no direct comparison, but you can see the two capped side-by-side around 6:44, and Azizah does talk about the Omar being bigger and more bulbous in general; she prefers the Koloro Demonstrator for the size.

 

And here's a brief video comparing Clear Omar with Clear Koloro Demonstrator:

In this video, the sections seem the same if you pause the video at 30 seconds in and measure both diameters roughly; the barrels are different.

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  • 4 months later...

Thanks Peroide for asking the question and thanks to Intensity for the video links and others who replied. I have a Koloro demonstrator because that was all that was in the Larry Post online catalogue here in Sydney Australia but I now have another to look for.

 

I noted Aziza said she liked the Jowo nibs but had replaced hers with a Pilot nib.

 

Has anyone ealse replaced the nib and what with and is it better?

 

I ask because I find the Jowo nib is very slow to start and writes very thin when using recycled paper (Mine is a Koloro with a Jowo 1.5 nib and I use Montblanc Shakespeare velvet red ink because I like its red brown shades)

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> replaced the nib and what with and is it better?

 

Hi @drwell

 

I found the JoWo steel (M) surprisingly excellent in both my Omars; got lucky, i guess

 

That said, both were replaced. :rolleyes:

 

Initially I thought about going all clear: https://flexiblenib.com/store/product/jowo-6-replacement-feed-and-housing-clear-acrylic/ for the novelty effect. :eureka:

 

But now, one has Regalia Writing Labs Sequel nib and the other has flex nib treatment on JoWo gold from IndyPenDance

 

and the substitution put them on a whole other universe :thumbup: Yes. Better.

 

fpn_1588397139__jowo_flex_omar.jpg

 

I really think Opus 88 has cornered the market on modern shut-off eyedroppers :happyberet:.

 

You get the cache of a cool old filling system like Japanese Ban-ei-sh Danitrio/Namiki Emperor mech with the modern easy user accessible of nib swaps. :bunny01: Now if they can just lather a few in urushi, then we can RIP :drool:

 

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Has anyone else replaced the nib and what with and is it better?

 

The pens accept standard Jowo #6 collars; I have several different nibs in such a collar and rotate between them. It’s a fun, quick and easy way to get multiple writing experiences out of the same pen. An eyedropper with a shutoff valve might be the ideal travel pen: lots of ink, no leakage and you can bring several different nibs with you.

 

Whether or not a nib change makes the pen better is very personal. The original steel nib that came in my pen is excellent and I enjoy it.

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Great review. Does this one also take several turns of the cap to open, like the Koloro Demonstrator?

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