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Functional Differences Between The 88,optima And Anniversary Pen Models Of Aurora?


modernovervintage

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How do they fare in terms of balance and suitability for long writing session? Cleaning difficulty and ink capacity should be similar given that all 3 models have the ink reserve?

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They are all piston-filled pens with a rotary mechanism driving the piston and using the hollow space inside the pen barrel as the ink reservoir, and, at least between the Ottantotto and Optima models, share interchangeable screw-in nib units, so functionally they're identical. The other things you mentioned are qualitative; furthermore, comfort for long writing sessions is so very subjective, depending on whether someone has big hands or small hands, how they tend to hold the pen and whether they post the cap on the barrel when they write, etc., while balance is affected also by how much ink there is in the reservoir and of course the material of the body of the individual pen. My Aurora 88 Sigaro Blu is very different in terms of weight and balance from a Aurora 88 Cento Italia in terms of density of the barrel materials, and different again from the Aurora Optima Cento Italia.

Edited by A Smug Dill

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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Yes it is subjective indeed. Just seeking a general gauge from most opinions because i have only tried the 88 and optima myself. I wonder if the additional 20g of weight for the anniversary pen would make it a big difference from the 88. Thanks for your reply.

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How about buying it from a retailer that will accept returns of new, unused pens within four weeks (or some definite period), so you can hold it and gauge it first-hand?

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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The 80th Anniversary FP is much heavier than the regular 88, and this additional weight is not necessary. In fact, the 88 is better for long writing sessions, although the 80th is also OK.

 

A store? Iguana Sell, for example. Good prices and good service.

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Roger

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I do not own an Anniversary, but several 88s and Optimae, both are very similar in the hand, I use both unposted.

I would guess the 20g difference you mention would be relevant in terms of how it feels in the hand.

I love the 88/Optima, for me it's one of the most ergonomical pens ever made, and the fact that it's relatively large, but not too large, and relatively light, but not too light is part of that perfect equilibrium.

If long writing session is what you plan I would have no doubt.

The nib is the other matter, try to sort out which nib you want in advance, because although nibs are easily interchangeable, spares are costly...

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A store? Iguana Sell, for example. Good prices and good service.

I can second the suggestion of Iguana Sell, based on customer service experiences in the last six months, and that they did fully arrange international return shipping of a defective product so there was no out-of-pocket expense or rigmarole for me. Their after-sales customer service isn't bad, although their pre-sale customer service by the same staff is much more responsive, but that's understandable in the hierarchy of business priorities. It does have a published policy of accepting returns of new and unused pens within a stated definite period, "no questions asked" and so does not exclude the customer's change of mind.

 

Good prices, on the other hand, is a matter of catching discounted sales of particular items of interest at the right time.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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Thanks everyone for suggestions. Will look at iguana sell. Do they always honor their policy from experience?

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