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Aurora Talentum


PinarelloOnly

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Writing Samples

 

 

First Impressions: 3

 

Typical case and packaging but no better than what my Namiki Vanishing point

came in a few years back. My Conklin Nozac and Visconti Van Gogh also came in

nicer cases considering the MSRP of $295 on the Talentum. My Van Gogh even came

with ink. This is not a gripe just stating the facts. The pen does look good laying in it

but that’s about it. Literature includes a users manual but very very basic. It talks

about very strict quality control and that they “produce their own nibs”. I have

verified this through phone calls to Aurora and everything they do including nibs

is in-house, producing 15 different nibs from Extra-Fine to Broad Oblique

for left handers.

http://fototime.com/%7B87621080-47C1-4706-A1F2-9B2804665419%7D/picture.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance and Finish: 5

 

Excellent, and just what I expected. Silky smooth black resin with a

deep gloss, lots of barrel to grasp. Everything fits and feels correct and very shiny

chrome accents. Screwing and unscrewing the cap puts my

Pelikan M605 to shame. This pen has an Omas quality to it. The smoothest feel I got

unscrewing a pen cap off of a barrel, which had no metal threads was on an Omas

Ogiva, very smooth and tight. Second to that is my Visconti. This Talentum comes close to

my Visconti. Fit and finish of the chrome accents also equals my Visconti and

which it should. The chrome caps at the ends I feel are actually plastic and not metal

to keep the pen light.

 

Very nice clip but a little to much tension. Sits perfect in a shirt pocket. I think

Aurora pens have some of the nicest clips and are the most aesthetically pleasing in

a shirt or jacket pocket.

http://fototime.com/%7B1F0C510A-1DA2-4861-91C2-4184C44B8EC2%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7BB51899E8-0FC9-4EDE-9BD4-D8C945925176%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7B113DD889-2D9D-4203-BE9C-8F3B63201F4C%7D/picture.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

Design: 5

 

This is where the pen is Topnotch. Design, shape and weight all come together for

me with this pen. Outstanding. For me there is nothing that can be improved here.

Just looks good all around and feels awesome in hand. If there was a category of

pens that were on

the light side and also, on the large side, this pen would be in it. Omas Ogiva owners

know exactly what a larger, light pen feels like…this is one of them.

I like my pens with the cap posted and the balance is absolutely perfect. With all

the metal at the clip, I was expecting it to be top heavy but it isn’t. Writing with the

cap off, there is still plenty of barrel to have a nice balance. To best describe the size,

in length its between a Pelikan 600 and 800 series pen with the girth of a 1000

series.

http://fototime.com/%7BDF66EB19-A994-4085-8FD8-43E578E8A837%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7B87AF4A73-FD79-4FE2-8331-71939F0B5DD9%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7BDE822A82-22C2-4883-8047-72A1C2232EFF%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7B83C32095-253B-4485-9047-0943324C48F8%7D/picture.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

Nib Design and Performance: 4.5

 

 

Aurora nibs are a little toothy by nature, as some of us have learned on FPN and

other sites. But for an x-fine nib it is actually smoother than I expected. The only pen

I have for comparison is a Vanishing Point with a fine nib and the Namiki is definitely

not as smooth as this xtra fine Talentum nib. My wife not happy with her Van Gogh,

has it out for a nib swap to a fine nib from a medium so, when that comes back I can

also evaluate that compared to my Talentum.

 

Since I do printing and lettering as a Draftsman with lots of note taking I actually

like the look of a thinner line compared to what you get with a medium nib FP.

 

I like this nib a lot!!!! It’s a tad stiff with a slight spring to it but I would not say it had

a slight flex. It is a very nice size nib with nice decoration and very nice looking.

However, forget about the street price just for one second, with Aurora setting MSRP

at around $300 I have seen better looking nibs. Maybe I have gotten used to my

Visconti 2-tone nib too much.

 

A big plus for this pen and selling point is the interchangeability of nibs between the

88 and Optima.

http://fototime.com/%7BA6870375-2C76-4B01-B32F-E473F784A7A9%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7BF81D95B0-87E5-4676-AC0A-DB4BA4640E33%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7BB66A80C4-091F-4B32-B3A7-2E0F10CF6187%7D/picture.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

Filling System: 4

 

I am being nice in giving it a 4. It works perfect for a converter and

fills up full with no quirks but for the size of this pen, a piston would fit perfectly.

Then again, if this pen was a piston filler the price would be right up there with the

Optima. In the next picture you can see Visconti wins by far for best looking

convertor.

http://fototime.com/%7B36EA8853-439D-41D9-8ECA-D12C57BF6606%7D/picture.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

Cost Value:4.5

 

I got it from Pencity.com for $149.00 plus shipping, which for a new

Talentum is a deal compared to the other street prices hovering around $200.

Pencity.com also backs it up with a 30 day return policy even if it was inked!!!

 

Pencity.com actually gets a 5 rating, not the pen for value. If we all had to pay the

MSRP of $295 then I would say the value would be a solid 4 but thank goodness we

don’t.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion:

I have heard and read a lot about these pens being toothy or the nib

providing feedback, and everyone was right. I think the toothy feel of these pens is

obviously a design characteristic. Sometimes the smoothes of my Visconti makes me

ask questions like “why didn’t I just buy a rollerball!!! I know of course there are

other reasons to own a fountain pen. This is precisely what I am finding out about

fountain pens; different pens from different manufactures make up the

characteristics of these pens. I think if all nibs were smooth and perfect the fountain

pen market would be very boring.

 

In Auroras defense I think they want you to have somewhat of a feel of what paper

you are writing on and to respond to the feedback you are getting from the nib.

Also, if you have never owned a Visconti or Stipula you probably wouldn’t say it was

toothy anyway. Maybe and maybe not.

 

I was a smooth like butter nib kind of guy, but now I really do enjoy the differences

of what manufactures put out in what they think a pen should be (a side from bad

quality control of course). This is not a pen to shy away from because the nib isn’t

described as buttery smooth. It’s actually a good thing. For an xtra fine nib this

particular pen is actually smooth with outstanding ink flow and excellent

feedback. I would by another one!

 

Scott.

 

Below are: Visconti Van Gogh / Aurora Talentum / Pelikan M605

 

http://fototime.com/%7B05E1C0C9-F0BE-43D1-80CB-5057A8C005D4%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7BD0D48AEF-A9CC-4628-9954-F2E921B9E80C%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7B66574C11-9EDF-4E32-8388-DA93493AE124%7D/picture.JPG

Edited by PinarelloOnly
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Beautiful, thorough review--excellent discussion and images! I have the same Talentum with a medium nib. Paid $230 maybe four years ago. I also have the Van Gogh (which I consider its equal) purchased around the same time for the same price. Even at that brick and mortar price, I could not ask for better value. I'm surprised the nib and feed of your pen aren't aligned, and I wonder if the writing is affected because of this. If this is intolerable to you, remember that Kenro provides top-shelf service for Aurora. I give my Talentum a "5" all the way around.

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I'm surprised the nib and feed of your pen aren't aligned, and I wonder if the writing is affected because of this.

My Talentum writes really well, I don't think the nib and feed alignment have shown any

problems with flow. This pen puts down a beautiful wet line for an extra fine nib.

 

Glad to hear your Talentum works well for you. I know mine will also. I am looking

forward to using it for a long time.

 

 

Look for writing samples soon.

 

 

 

Scott.

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Thanks for the excellent review and wonderful pictures. It's a beautiful pen.

 

Neil

[FPN ACCOUNT ABANDONED. I AM NO LONGER ACTIVE HERE, BUT AM SADLY UNABLE TO CLOSE MY ACCOUNT AND DELETE MY POSTS.]

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Thanks yet again for a great review Pinarello!

Geaux Tigers! Visça el Barça!

WTB: MB Kafka, Lamy Safari 2009 Orange, Pilot MYU (Black or Clear/White Stripe), Seiko FrankenTuna SKZ253 / SKZ255

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Thanks for the excellent review! It's a very nice, classy FP... :rolleyes:

"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey."

- John Ruskin (1819-1900)

 

Pelikan M800 Green (18C-750 OM), Pelikan 4001 Königsblau

Pelikan M200 "Citroenpers" (14C-585 M), Diamine Monaco Red

Pelikan M200 "Citroenpers" (14C-585 F), Diamine Prussian Blue

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Excellent review with great attention to describing details. Well done!

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8, NKJV)
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Thank You,

tonyv, NeilB, chainwhip, HyperCamper and southpaw.

 

 

By the way southpaw, I kick myself every day for not buying your

Stipula Worldlux LE Duetto. :bonk:

 

 

Also, I got a few emails last night at home about some writing samples.

 

They are over in the writing instrument forum or click the link up top.

 

Thanks,

 

Scott.

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One more "kudos" for the excellent review and hope to see more from you. I'm lucky to have an Aurora 88 and I agree with you about the quality when I hold it and remove the cap. Good luck!

Bob

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  • 3 years later...

This is such a well written, great review! The photos are exquisite! I have its red sibling and am also very very fond of this pen. This is a classic review that I would love to see pinned for a while.

*****the dandelion blog is right here*****

*****the dandelion flickr is right here*****

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I enjoyed your review, too. I love my red Talentum; it quickly became my favorite pen, and I'm so happy with it that I don't need to continue the search for others!

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is an AMAZING example of a full size, "full weight" pen. It feels every bit as big as a Pelikan 1000 and the Aurora craftsmanship is superb.

 

Thanks for the great review of a great, underrated pen.

Do or do not, there is no try. . .

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

Yesterday evening I contacted Kenro http://www.kenroindu...Contact-Us.html to ask "Is the chrome cap on the Aurora Talentum http://www.kenroindu...Chrome-Cap.html metal?" Their reply this morning was "It is metal."

 

> Subject: Re: Website Contact Form Message

> From: ddymond@kenroindustries.com

> Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2011 13:23:18

> It is metal.

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Fine review with excellent photographs. The expression "Walking Around Money" applies to the amount of money carried around for typical daily use. Your review indicates that an Aurora Talentum would be a great "Walking Around Pen."

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