Onoto Centenary Limited Edition Fountain Pen

[Marcus Antonius]

Silver pens are a passion of mine. I have around 10 sterling silver fountain pens in my collection, but two seem to stand out as really quite exceptional. One is the ZJ1 by Classic Pens, which I have in vermeil, and the other is one which I recently picked up directly from the manufacturer: a new Onoto Centenary Limited Edition. It is some pen! 90g (just over 3 ounces) of heavy solid silver and a nice big two-tone gold nib. This is a splendid pen by any description.

 

The Onoto, at 14cms, is shorter than true oversize pens like the Montblanc 149 or the Sailor King of Pen, and it has a smaller (though still pretty big) nib, but the huge heft more than makes up for this. It also weighs around 12-13g more than the already massive ZJ1 Mozaique. The pattern on the pen is the traditional diamond head style that is also found on the Classic Pens CP5 Parker Duofold Modern and on the ST Dupont Orpheo Diamond Head. It is not as pretty as the Mozaique pattern of the Classic Pens ZJ1, but it is a very traditional, masculine style, which has stoood the test of time. The nib, given the number 7 size, is of very high quality, very smooth, quite rigid and fairly typical of modern German manufactured nibs. I would say the medium nib tends to be on the broad side, broader than the Conway Stewart medium. It is a c/c filler, like most modern pens, and the workmanship and finish on the pen is truly first rate. The gold furniture suits the pen very well.

 

The pen is not cheap, but if you ask politely, Mr David Cooper of Onoto may give you a discount. Remember that if you order from the US, Canada, or anywhere else outisde the European Union, you do not have to pay VAT.

In my opinion, if you like sterling silver pens, particularly substantial, heavy ones, then this one really does belong in your collection. I would rate it easily alongside the ZJ1 and Waterman Edson Sterling, and above the Montblanc 146 Sterling and the Pelikan Majesty in quality. The only negative aspect is that it is not a piston filler, but the converter is of a good standard and has a reasonable ink capacity.

 

Nib: 4.5/5 - an excellent, smooth but very rigid nib

Build quality: 5/5 - second to none

Usability: 4/5 - it feels great in the hand, but the weight might be an issue for some people

Filling system: 4/5 - not as good as a piston, but the converter is decent quality and has a fair capacity

Overall: 17.5/20 - a really great pen. Very high quality in every respect and a \\\"must buy\\\" pen for all lovers of sterling silver.

 

 

http://i6.tinypic.com/8f5ilv6.jpg

 

http://i8.tinypic.com/6xim54m.jpg

 

http://i16.tinypic.com/6x8g6jk.jpg

Edited January 12, 2008 by Marcus Antonius

[jonro]

Thanks for the review. That Onoto is a great-looking pen.

[momiecat]

I love silver pens too. This is an absolutely gorgeous one!

[Deirdre]

I went to their site to look at them and was quite captured by the Horatio and Emma pens. Hrm.

[Nikolaos]

Nice looking pen! Thanks for the review

[sandeep108]

Lovely pen and nice review. Lots of great writing hours spend with it, you will. Do your silver pens tarnish very easily? If so, is it easy to get back the finish/shine? Or are they mostly plated so that tarnishing is not an issue?

[Pen Executive]

I have been watching the new Onoto company for a while, and I may buy one of their pens soon. Unfortunately they are a rather pricey, but the quality is undoubtedly excellent. I have a friend who recently bought a Centenary, and I had the pleasure of looking at it in 'the flesh'. The Centenary is very solid sterling, and I suppose it can tarnish as there is no plating, but this isn't a big issue in my opinion. Tarnish can quite easily be removed with some polishing.

 

I generally agree with the reviewer's comments, but my friend's pen did have an issue with a misaligned nib/feed. He solved it by gently, but firmly, pushing the nib towards the centre. It has been fine since then. I guess the nib was must be awkward to install, and it is quite long, much like that of the Pelikan M1000, but it certainly performs very well. I wrote a couple of lines with it and was quite impressed with the smoothness. Like most modern British pens, this one needs better quality control, to prevent issues like the misalignment, but otherwise it is very nice.

[CharlieB]

What a nice looking pen.... and good photos, too! Thanks for posting your review. Like you, I love silver pens, having pens by Andy Lambrou, Conway Stewart, Yard O Led, Waterman, Sheaffer, and Cross. I guess I'll have to add this one to the Want List.

[Pen Executive]

This pen was reviewed on Stylophilesonline: http://www.stylophilesonline.com/03-05/03onoto.htm

 

It's a good review.

 

Having seen the Centenary in the flesh, I was honestly very impressed. It's expensive to be sure, but you get a lot of 'pen' for your money. The sterling silver is a thick rod on both cap and barrel - it's not one of those thin sleeves on plastic that you often see with so-called 'sterling' pens. At 90g (3 Oz) it's not a pen you will want to clip to your shirt!

[david@onoto.com]

Thanks to all in this thread for the kind comments about our Centenary Pen.

 

It has certainly been very well received, and although we are a little biased(!), we think we have made a good balance between the vintage Onotos and a statement of something of high quality for today's buyers and collectors.

 

For those who don't know too much about the history of Onoto, and how we have become involved in its resurrection, I have just written 'A Brief History of Onoto' which is posted on Hubpages at www,hubpages.com/Onoto

 

If anyone has any more historical information, particularly about the Orion in Japan and the production of Onotos in Australia in the late 50s, I'd be delighted to hear about it.

 

[Pen Executive]

I look forward to seeing more Onoto models, though at a lower price. Maybe some resin pens?

[david@onoto.com]

I look forward to seeing more Onoto models, though at a lower price. Maybe some resin pens?

 

We have a new resin pen in preparation at the moment, due for launch in the Autumn. We'll keep you informed!

[georges zaslavsky]

very nice pen and good review

Edited March 11, 2008 by georges zaslavsky

[sumgaikid]

Definitely nice pen!

[Pen Executive]

I look forward to seeing more Onoto models, though at a lower price. Maybe some resin pens?

 

We have a new resin pen in preparation at the moment, due for launch in the Autumn. We'll keep you informed!

 

 

I am definitely interested. Being a huge CS fan, I am keen to see another British pen company do well.

[rogerb]

<!--quoteo(post=537459:date=Mar 7 2008, 02:48 PM:name=david@onoto.com)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(david@onoto.com @ Mar 7 2008, 02:48 PM) 537459[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=537440:date=Mar 7 2008, 02:14 PM:name=Pen Executive)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pen Executive @ Mar 7 2008, 02:14 PM) 537440[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I look forward to seeing more Onoto models, though at a lower price. Maybe some resin pens?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

 

We have a new resin pen in preparation at the moment, due for launch in the Autumn. We'll keep you informed!

<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

 

 

I am definitely interested. Being a huge CS fan, I am keen to see another British pen company do well. <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbup.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="thumbup.gif" />

I am planning to do a review of the Onoto Magna writer very shortly.

[Ed Ronax]

Nice review, I have the silver bug as well, this looks like one great pen.

[rokurinpapa]

Thank you for your nice review. I am also a lover of sterling silver pens and I also have Onoto Centenary.

By the way, do you post the cap? I would like to do so. But I can not post the cap well.

 

rokurinpapa

[david@onoto.com]

Thank you for your nice review. I am also a lover of sterling silver pens and I also have Onoto Centenary.

By the way, do you post the cap? I would like to do so. But I can not post the cap well.

 

rokurinpapa

 

When we designed the Centenary we wanted it to be balanced perfectly without the cap posted because posting the cap would probably cause scratching where the silver cap was forced onto the end of the silver barrel.

 

Hope you are still enjoying using your Centenary!

 

David Cooper

[rokurinpapa]

Thank you for your nice review. I am also a lover of sterling silver pens and I also have Onoto Centenary.

By the way, do you post the cap? I would like to do so. But I can not post the cap well.

 

rokurinpapa

 

When we designed the Centenary we wanted it to be balanced perfectly without the cap posted because posting the cap would probably cause scratching where the silver cap was forced onto the end of the silver barrel.

 

Hope you are still enjoying using your Centenary!

 

David Cooper

 

Thank you for your reply. In fact the balance is found to be very good for me without the cap posted.

 

rokurinpapa