Aurora Factory Italic Or Custom Regrind?

[KarloT]

Hi!

 

I've read a lot of great reviews of the factory italic nibs that Aurora offers at added cost. (Stub and cursive.)

 

The added price is reasonable but I wanted to ask if anyone has had a factory B nib custom ground to a stub or italic and compared these to the factory italic versions? Am interested in a CI that writes no wider than a 0.9 but am unsure if the Auroras write wider than that. I know the nib measures ~ 0.95mm but that is the nib's width rather than the width of the line it lays down.

 

Mottishaw is the nib tech I'm considering since Binder has stopped carrying Auroras already.

 

Thanks!

 

Karlo

[Ghost Plane]

I only have one Aurora stub [so far]. It is nicely wet and writes somewhere between my Sheaffer and Carene stubs hovering around 1.0 and a little narrower than my Visconti 1.3s. What I DO notice is the slightly sharper corners, much like the Delta stubs [which also seem a little broader], so that I've caught a corner occasionally when not paying attention. Wonderful nibs - they have their own unique feel.

[Gojira]

I don't have an Aurora italic nib but I do own one of their stubs on an Optima. It's definitely one of the most pleasurable writers I own. The stub has some feedback...well, then again, not quite. It's smooth but not to the point where you can't feel it on paper. I love the way this 'feedback' allows for better nib control.

 

I concur that my Aurora stub is very similar to a Delta stub (which is broader) but my personal preference is for the Aurora. It just feels better in every way.

 

Darn it...now I'll have to buy an Aurora italic nib to compare.

[MicheleB]

I have a stock italic and have not compared it to a custom grind. I did compare it to what we think is another stock italic, but older. My brand new italic has stubborn flow, sharp edges and borders on the larger size - closer to 1.0mm. It is next inline for a nibmeister. I am terribly disappointed. So while I would reco the nib my colleague had (his pen is several years old), I would not reco the recent stock italic I just got. My fault because I did not complain soon enough to the seller - I kept waiting to see if it was the ink or rinses or whatever and then months had passed. I waited a long time for that special nib too. I bought a used Optima and the very reputable seller offered to exchange the nib and install it, but he had none in stock so he had to go to Aurora which took a while. Sorry but I advise homework, using a reputable nibmeister and caution. I think a custom is a safer bet to get what you want.

[eric47]

I own both the Aurora factory Italic and Stub. No Bs however, but a few Ms and lots of Fs.

 

The factory Italic is a very crisp chisel cut. The corners are very sharp on the nib; but it's an italic, not a stub or even a cursive Italic. I wouldn't buy this nib for speed; but this nib produces max line variation which is why I bought it. Mine is super smooth with good even flow -- none of that alleged Aurora feedback, which I think is a myth anyway. I haven't seen any of the issues that MicheleB has mentioned. I tried the nib before I bought it; my local store took it off the Talentum calligraphy set.

 

The italic's width is wider than the stub. It's more forgiving than the italic, the corners are rounded. You can still get decent line variation from the stub, but it's less than the italic. I can write at normal speed with this nib. Also super smooth with good even flow.

 

Whether either gets the width you want is an open question, depending on ink and paper. Since you're considering Mottishaw for the possible custom grind, why not ask him? He has all the factory nibs on his site, and would be in a position to tell you whether the factory nibs meet your criterion or whether you'd be better off getting a custom grind of B or BB nib.

Edited October 31, 2011 by eric47

[young.1429]

Like Eric, I have an italic and a stub on Optima demonstrators. While I do not have a custom ground Aurora from Mr. Mottishaw, I do have other pens that he has ground. As others have said, the Aurora stub is very close to a 1.0 cursive italic that Mr. Mottishaw ground for me on a Bex. Imperial. I am extremely pleased with the factory Auroa stubs and italics- all of mine have been just about as smooth as custom grinds that I've had done. With all the complaints I don't know if I'm just really lucky or what...but my 2 cents! Also keep in mind that mine are several years old, so I can't comment potential current problems.

[Ouroboros]

Can't comment on the factory italic, but I have an Aurora 88 with a medium nib reground to 0.5 CI by Binder. I love it, very wispy writing and very smooth.

[KarloT]

Hmmmn. Looks like a regrind on the B nib might be the way to go. The factory italic or stub adds about $20 to the asking price. Going with a regrind isn't that much more, considering the base price of the pen.

 

With that out of the way, the next major decision is whether to go with the resin cap or the striated chrome cap. You gotta love the dilemmas that this passion of ours creates.

[Koenigsblau]

Karlo, just to add one more thing: The Aurora chisel-like italic nibs are known for sharp edges but offer a nice line variation. I have a Talentum with an "OBB" nib (BB size, left slanted) that is very sharp at the edges. With about 1.1mm width it has a great line variation. With normal quality photocopy paper, I had to learn how to write it properly. Not too fast, and with modest pressure - I had a slit in the paper when I tried it the first time as I tend to write fast. This is not a problem with high quality paper, though. I was lucky because I was able to try it before I bought it and I am still very happy with it.

 

Your nibmeister might be able to grind an italic with great line variation and not too sharp edges. But in general, you should be confident that you really want a straight italic. For me, writing one the first time required learning how to hold the pen properly. It was quite a contrast to the round Pelikan M and B nibs I used before...

[Bronze]

The Aurora italic nib is an excellent nib. I have several italic custom grinds (although not on Auroras) and the Aurora factory italic is one of my favourite nibs. Quite sharp, yet very smooth if your technique is decent. A joy to write with.

 

The Aurora BB nib is another cool nib, not as sharp as the italic, but plenty of line variation.

[toomanypelikans]

I have all 3. I have a factory Stub and Italic for an Aurora Talentum and I have a Richard Binder custom grind of a Broad into a 0.7mm Cursive Italic. All are great nibs. I am due to return the factory italic and 0.7mm CI into rotation soon so I will post some writing samples.

[toomanypelikans]

I have all 3. I have a factory Stub and Italic for an Aurora Talentum and I have a Richard Binder custom grind of a Broad into a 0.7mm Cursive Italic. All are great nibs. I am due to return the factory italic and 0.7mm CI into rotation soon so I will post some writing samples.

 

Just loaded up my two Aurora Talentum pens - one have factory italic the other 0.7mm CI by Richard Binder. I scrabbled down a few lines with each of the Aurora, to fill the page of Rhodia dot pad included a sample of same of my other FP in rotation. Hope this helps.

 

 

[KarloT]

Thanks for the pictures!

 

The Binder Italic is a Fine CI while the Aurora looks to be closer to a Medium CI. It also appears that the variation is greater on the Binder grind in terms of ratio between down and cross strokes.

[toomanypelikans]

Thanks for the pictures!

 

The Binder Italic is a Fine CI while the Aurora looks to be closer to a Medium CI. It also appears that the variation is greater on the Binder grind in terms of ratio between down and cross strokes.

 

Yes all my Binder CIs (I have 7) are to my mind on the crisper side of cursive where the factory italic is silky smooth. I think it is some where up around 0.9mm in line width. I have a factory stub as well. It too is very smooth but with less line variation than the others.

 

Check out my blog http://justdaveyb.blogspot.com (if you haven't already) as I have posted a few other writing samples there.

[KarloT]

Will do Davey! Thanks a lot!