Taccia Alto

October 9, 2011

So here I have today a little pen, a Taccia Alto, that I was given for a nib adjustment. The tines were way out of alignment but was an easy fix. It looked like it had been dropped or banged against something because the left tine tip was leaning towards the right tine tip. No problem.

It's a pretty nice pen - small - well made. One detail I didn't care for is how the bottom cap ring extends past the lip of the cap a bit. Seems like something that may not hold up well after a few years of use. One detail that I thought was just plain pitiful was the lack of an inner cap. There's practically ventilation where the clip goes into the cap. Lots of air so the nib can breath -- and dry out. I didn't have it long enough to see if it would actually dry out, but I don't see why it wouldn't. The clip is very nice though. Hangs onto blue jean pocket without being stressed and over extended. Very nice.

It also doesn't post - but I don't normally post unless a pen is just tiny or the cap is super light or it posts very deep in the cap. But not this one - it just doesn't post. Oh well. If you like small pens it shouldn't bother you. I suppose it's about the size of an M400. Maybe a touch bigger.

The acrylic is nice enough, but nothing to write home about. It doesn't have any depth to it which makes it look a little cheaper than some other acrylics. Leban is one who might as well be using the same rods as Taccia. It's still quality stuff - and my feel about it's looks are purely subjective - but it looks so much cheaper than the stuff Bexley uses - and WAY cheaper looking than the stuff you can order for kit or custom pens. My two JEB pens have more depth than this guy.

The cap threads are on the end of the section rather than the barrel, so if you're a tight gripper, this pen might feel REALLY nice to you since you won't be putting your fingers on any threads. It reminds me of the Ancora Perla a little. I don't like it because ink gets down in the threads and you have to rinse it off or live with it. Sure I'll just live with it since I don't mind inky fingers, but after a while it will get nasty and it could lead to stains on the pen. Again - not something that would really bother me too much - but could bother some.

It's a basic C/C filler, but the barrel doesn't have any holes in it so you could fill it with an eyedropper for more capacity.

The nib - now that it's been adjusted - is smooth and sweet and wet. It's a little Jowo #5 I think - and could be changed out with different sizes bought from meisternibs.

http://meisternibs.com/steel-nibs/single-gallery/9294348

It's a light pen and very comfortable in my hand - so I wouldn't mind drawing with it for a while - and for only 55-65 bucks it's an absolute bargain.

Pictured with a Lamy Studio, Bexley Corona, and Waterman Kultur for size comparison. The Kultur belongs to the same guy who owns the Taccia. It needed some nib work as well.

Sorry the pic is blurry and that there's only one. My camera died right after this shot. The little retina blinky thing in the lens was stuck and wouldn't open or close - so I took the camera apart into a hundred pieces and threw it in the trash. Don't worry - it was way past warranty or worth being fixed. I'll get something else one day. Hopefully for Christmas. Until then I'll borrow a camera from my art class.