Last Pen...

[Edwaroth]

To any and all Aurora Optima owners: I plan to treat myself to one last very nice pen...Please tell me what you think of the Optima. Is it reliable, nice writing in EF, how do you like it, etc?

[Bill Wood]

I don't own one Ed but I've read some glowing reviews on FP geeks. I'm now down to a couple of pens a year. Not to steer you away, but you should really try the Conid bulk filler. Good luck in your search for that one last good pen ... Always remember though .. You want a back up. Try to pick up another nib unit. Nibs.com has some nice previously enjoyed Aurora's

Edited August 28, 2013 by Bill Wood

[OakIris]

Last pen? Wow, must be nice to be at the point that you will never need - want - lust after - another pen. Congratulations! (I am still very much on the "I want that" side of things; my wish list grows even though my income does not. )

 

You definitely need to get this one on the Pens and Leather site - it has gold and ruby trim and only costs $9500:

 

http://www.pensandleather.com/images/products/detail/573RADI.jpg

 

Seriously, though, I hope you get all of the feedback you need from Optima owners in order to make this very important decision.

 

Holly

[Mickey]

I don't have an Optima, but I do have a large modern 88 EF, the same nib as used in the Optima. It's a pretty honest EF, not quite Asian EF, but certainly finer than the Pelikan and other Euro / American EFs I've tried. The feed is very competent, not prone to gushing. The piston works well. It is one of my two standard carry pens, the other being a Naka-ai.

 

There is the legend of Aurora tooth, but I don't entirely buy it. I run almost all my pens on the dry side with dry to neutral flowing inks. (My 88 is presently filled with Scabiosa.) Consequently all my pens exhibit a little tooth. I suspect people who complain about tooth simply have their pens set up too dry for the amount of pressure they put on the nib. I believe Auroras are just not set up all that wet straight out of the box.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Mickey

[hari317]

I love the optima size. I have an Asia LE in F that is superb in all respects.

[Edwaroth]

Thank-you all...I probably should have put this in the Italian forum but I wanted greater diversity. The pens I am keeping:

 

Pelikan M600

Bexley Hometown Delaware

Lamy 2000

Sailor Pro Gear Std

 

Those are my best writers and my ideal number seems to be five, ergo the thought of getting the Optima.

 

Thanks once more!

 

Ed

Edited August 28, 2013 by Edwaroth

[warblerick]

I have three Aurora's. One is the LE 88 Demonstrator, and the other two are LE Optima's. Since mine are either M or IM nibs, I cannot add anything to help in your questions regarding the EF nib, though my wife has an LE Mini Aurea Sole with an EF nib. That pens nib is smaller than the full sized Optima, but, she really would like to buy or exchange it for a Fine nib I think. The EF on her pen is tiny and very scratchy. A very dry writer as well.

 

My Optima's and even the 88 are among my most reliable pens. You can leave them inked for months (nib up) and then pick it up and it writes like you just filled it. The only other pens I have like this are a few Pelikans. I really don't use the two Optima's much ((one is rather heavy and the IM is not too useful as an everyday pen) but the 88 Demo is one of my top 5 best pens, in build quality, design, piston smoothness, and overall reliability. I think eventually I would like a regular edition of the Optima, perhaps in red or blue marbled, with a Fine nib. The one thing I will say is that it is a lighter pen than one would expect, given its girth, and maybe a tad shorter too. But I really like that look and feel. And it holds a lot of ink!

[Edwaroth]

Thanks for your reply warblerick. Iv'e been going back and forth on an F or EF. I love my Sailor in fine and think perhaps an Italian EF would be a tad wider than that. A scratchy may be smoothed and tines aligned.

[warblerick]

Good luck with whatever one you choose. Are you looking at the all black or perhaps one of the colored ones?

[Edwaroth]

Black and gold or the black and silver. Leaning to gold...just too classy not to.

[Gloucesterman]

Have a Blue Aurora Optima. It was the first really nice pen I purchased when I started to get into FP in a big way about 10 years ago.

 

Anyway, mine is an "F" nib with the classic gold trim. Have not used it in quite a while and it wasn't used a lot when I "was using it" because it was a bit too flashy at some of the simpler staff meeting I attended.

 

Mine had the hidden reservoir which let you continue to write for several pages if the "main" went dry. At the time I was young and foolish (maybe I still am?) and believed that I SHOULD use Aurora ink exclusively.

 

Dependable, very nice looking a "smaller" pen that has great balance. I tended to write with it posted and it was light enough for me to do a lot of writing in comfort. Very smooth 14K nib. Don't think there was any flex/line variation.

 

Highly recommended, well made and seems to hold its value over time. Sold a green Optima about a year ago for about $300.00 (if I recall correctly. The person wrote back and told me how much he loved the pen and felt he had received a very nice deal.

 

Just in case you are interested, I will be selling the blue Optima soon as a fund raiser for my new business (have to keep paying those bills).

 

Good luck, imho you are on track to getting a well made, classy pen that will last a long time and provide excellent service.

 

Sid

[sumgaikid]

I have an Aurora Sole' in yellow. I love using it because it's lightweight,

it has an extra reserve in the (piston)filling unit,the nibs are interchange-

able and it doesn't skip when I use it. As far as I'm concerned,it's a great

writer.

 

 

John

[RitchieMac]

I have the Aurora Optima blue auroloide in medium and I love it. It is one of my best pens. It is a medium size pen, similar in size, weight and balance to Pelikan M600 (M600 slightly narrower) and Sailor Progear = perfect ergonomics for me, whether posted or un-posted. Its size makes it easy to carry in a shirt pocket, which is an essential prerequisite for an Every Day Carry pen. Despite its size, it has a large nib, which I really like. Fountain pens are all about the nibs, right? Writing is a pleasure - really really smooth with some wonderful feedback, which is a strange thing to say, but you've got to try it to understand. The piston filler holds a good amount of ink, which works smoothly, and the hidden reservoir is useful to end those last few pages. It is reliable, does not skip, and writes well on almost all papers. Its feed is very tolerant and regulates the flow of both dry and wet inks well. Most importantly, it is Beautiful. It is my current Every Day Carry pen.

[warblerick]

I have the Aurora Optima blue auroloide in medium and I love it. It is one of my best pens. It is a medium size pen, similar in size, weight and balance to Pelikan M600 (M600 slightly narrower) and Sailor Progear = perfect ergonomics for me, whether posted or un-posted. Its size makes it easy to carry in a shirt pocket, which is an essential prerequisite for an Every Day Carry pen. Despite its size, it has a large nib, which I really like. Fountain pens are all about the nibs, right? Writing is a pleasure - really really smooth with some wonderful feedback, which is a strange thing to say, but you've got to try it to understand. The piston filler holds a good amount of ink, which works smoothly, and the hidden reservoir is useful to end those last few pages. It is reliable, does not skip, and writes well on almost all papers. Its feed is very tolerant and regulates the flow of both dry and wet inks well. Most importantly, it is Beautiful. It is my current Every Day Carry pen.

One other nice feature of the Optima, is that it has a nice long section. Nothing wimpy here! Very comfortable to hold.

[Laura N]

I have a few Optimas, but my finest nib is an F. Great pen. The piston is every bit as good as the Pelikan, and the nibs, much as I love my Pelikans, are even more to my taste. They write with a perfect medium flow, aren't as wide as Pelikans for the same size, and have a bit of tooth (which in a car tire I'd consider grip). I also think that the long section makes the pen very comfortable to hold.

 

John Mottishaw has a nib width chart on his site so you could compare the Optima EF's width to that of a Sailor F. If you're unsure, perhaps buy from someone who would allow you to exchange the nib for an F if the EF doesn't suit.

 

If you get the EF, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

[DanDeM]

Here's my Optima, and I can't say enough good things about it. Smooth,

reliable piston, perfect balance (for me, uncapped) very comfortable section.

Appearance isn't bad, either.

 

 

Bought it on sale for a ridiculous price, so I had to accept the M nib that

was fitted, but met up with Pen Brown at a Pen Show and had him take

it to a .5mm CI. Yield is effortless delivery of a line with just a touch of "crisp".

This reminds me that it's time to to put it back into rotation.

Must admire your five-pen discipline...but only from a distance.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Blotto

[Edwaroth]

Laura, it will be a while before getting the pen but I'll let you know. Thanks for the tip on nib width comarison.

 

Blotto, it's not discipline so much as frustration of having too many pens that I cannot possibly use. Most of what I own are nice but I just don't reach for them when I write. They sit inkless and unused.

[lightless]

Blotto, it's not discipline so much as frustration of having too many pens that I cannot possibly use. Most of what I own are nice but I just don't reach for them when I write. They sit inkless and unused.

I feel the same way. Sometimes I'm fascinated by all the gorgeous pens out there, but then I remind myself that I'm not much on pen management and I don't think I'd be suited to doing rotations and stuff - I'd rather just have a small group of well-loved pens that I use regularly. The limit I imagine for myself is having is something like a group of 5-7 pens. I'm only using two right now, really. The upside to this, I suppose, is that I can be comfortable saving up and spending a considerable sum on a pen because I'll be limiting myself in the long run anyway.

[Edwaroth]

Yup!

[Edwaroth]

If one is a pen user strictly and has no desire to be a collector or, in many cases, an accumulator... three to seven pens seems a good number. The problem I've had is, I look for a "be all" pen and I know that just does not exist. I seriously want only 5 pens. Five pens that I know I will use.

Edited September 1, 2013 by Edwaroth