OMAS Emotica Medium and Fine nib

[Aleph]

OMAS EMOTICA M and F nibs (red and blue)

 

Introduction

I became interested in this pen by the pictures I saw on Mottishaw’s site and the reviews on this one. I have always liked titanium as a material and own a titanium watch (Eterna) and an old MB pen made of titanium. So my interest in the use of this material in a nib was aroused, especially when reading about it’s flexibility. I also like the pen from an aesthetical point of view, the shape and design being non-conventional or conservative. When I received the pen (the red one, medium nib) I was very pleased with it. The size and weight are exactly right for me, the workmanship is very good indeed and the writing … well, read on. The pen arrives in a well made but otherwise non-descript plastic box with documentation and the converter. A nice add on is the leather pen case (hope this is the right word, you slide the pen into it) in very dark blue that comes with the pen and is also of high quality.

 

Design and appearance 9/10

Hard to be objective as design is a matter of taste. I am very pleased with the unconventional shape of the pen and the thought that went into the design. The top of the cap with the laid in O for Omas is slightly skewed so that when you use the cap as a pen stand on the desk (the clip folds out as a kind of spread-legged support), the angle is exactly right and stable enough. The material is called “cotton raisin” by Omas and is very glossy, slightly warm to the hand and agreeably light, even when using the pen posted. It is of course plastic but doesn’t feel cheap or plastic-like. The red is very nice, almost glowing and similar to Ferrari red without (strangely enough) becoming ostentatious. The blue one is more conventional, blue with just a hint of green.

 

Without being too loud or ostentatious, the pens are eye catchers and both colleagues and students comment favorably on them, one colleague intending to buy one for herself. The folding clip is a nice gimmick and at least i have to restrain myself from playing with them all the time during meetings.

 

Construction and Quality 8/10

The pens are very well executed and mechanically made to close tolerances. When unscrewing the barrel from the section and back, the Omas logo on the barrel will align with the mid of the tip almost perfectly. The folding, two-part clip is made equally well and makes all the right noises when unfolding and clicking back. The cap clicks on tightly and is stable when capped, as well as posted. The reason why I don’t give a 10/10 is that somehow I miss the maniacal attention to detail my Dupont Defi radiates. I think this pen will wear well in daily use, but I feel the “resin” needs to be protected against scratches when carrying it about.

 

Nib and performance. Medium: 7,5/10, Fine 9/10

The titanium nibs on these pens are not finished in mate like with the rubberized barrelled Emoticas. They are shiny but the gloss is less intense than from a polished steel nib. The medium nib is very flexible and it is easy to vary line-with by applying just a bit more pressure. With standard pressure, the line is on the broad side of medium. The writing is very smooth with just a touch of feedback. It is a very wet writer with some of the Iroshizuku inks I use. In combination with the flexible nib that will become wider when pressure is applied, this might lead to interruption of the ink flow, causing the pen to skip on the downstroke sometimes. This occurs when writing fast only. To me, this makes this nib less suitable for note taking, but highly suitable for correction work of my students’ papers. I should ad that the problem occurs only infrequently when using slightly thicker ink; with Yu-Yake it’s worse then with Yama-budo for instance. As the pen is otherwise an extremely smooth and comfortable writer, I might send it to Mottishaw sometimes to have the ink flow adjusted, that is if I can part with it for a while, which I can’t at the moment because I love the pen. If the skipping wouldn’t occur, I would give this nib a 10/10!

The fine nib is less flexible than the medium one and offers less variation in line width, which is indeed fine when standard pressure is applied and becomes only slightly broader with more pressure. So in a way, it’s less special than the M one. What does this nib make special, is that its flexibility translates to smoothness and extreme writing comfort. It is one of the best writing nibs I know. It is very smooth and offers just enough feedback to be easily controllable. I can take notes with this at high pace for hours. The inkflow (with Aga-Gao) is rich but not too much so, almost ideal to my (wet) taste.

 

Filling system and maintenance 8/10

Nothing much to say here. The pen comes with a standard Euro-converter or will accept cartridges. The (Omas branded) converter is pretty standard and performs as expected. As I am not snobbish about filling systems, it’s fine with me. If you need a larger capacity, just use it with a cartridge and carry a reserve one in the barrel.

 

Cost and Value

I bought the pens around Christmas within a 2 weeks interval from pens-attraction on eBay. He has given me an extremely good deal but made me promise not to quote it here. If I would have paid the list price for these pens, I might consider them expensivish (7/10). Now rate the value 9/10.

 

 

*** I will ad some pics later next week so please come back ***

Edited March 27, 2010 by Aleph

[Aleph]

Here are some photos of the OMAS Emotica from my review.

Please forgive me for the bad quality; I only have a phone to take pics with at the moment. The colour on the blue one is pretty accurate though.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Aleph

[Ed Ronax]

Nice review ans pen, thanks.

[dnb]

Terrific review. As an owner, I concur on each aspect of your review. I like your photos because they show the gloss of the two colors. The black is a beautiful matte finish.

Dimensions:

Capped: 5 7/8" (142mm)

Uncapped: 5 1/8" (132mm)

Posted: 6 3/4" (172mm)

Width (where the barrel meets the titanium about 1/2" (15mm) It is tapered in both directions so if you like it thinner, you can hold it down near the nib and if you like it wider you can hold it closer to the barrel.

 

I own a fine point. For my taste, it is rather wet. It is enough so that I have had to experiment with inks so it could write closer to a fine. For me, Private Reserve American Blue works. I didn't have Visconti Blue here at home, so didn't try it on that go round. While I enjoy the color more than the American Blue, Herbin's Eclat de Saphir was too wet/wide and my colleague at the office who reads my notes had trouble reading my writing. I wasn't quite happy with it either. In some respect it is difficult to really know because the much darker American Blue has so much more contrast comparatively, that it could simply be more legible due to contrast. You'll have to judge for your self.

I also had some creep issues with mine. It is better after it came back from the seller for adjustment. Even so it is just about always wet near the slit. In fairness, I am a fairly new fp user, my experience is with a Pilot medium (which of course is like a fine and is thinner than fine Emotica) and a Waterman medium. Neither of these has creep. Overall, though, I still love the pen. It is smooth, light long.

For more info please see the thread - Omas Emotica - how wet is it? This thread has a lot of information about inks and wetness from other owners. Would I buy it again if lost? Yes. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/137588-emotica-medium-how-wet-is-it/

 

Aleph, Thanks for a great review.

[Aleph]

Thank you for your kind words. It seems the Emotica has a true Italian temperament which one either loves or hates . Not perfect but I love it and me too would by another if lost.

Edited March 30, 2010 by Aleph

[dnb]

Thank you for your kind words. It seems the Emotica has a true Italian temperament which one either loves or hates . Not perfect but I love it and me too would by another if lost.

 

HEY! HEY! I resemble that Italian remark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Aleph]

Bump in the hope that my review will be added to the index