Aurora Optima Plain Green Resin - Ruthless Review!

[TassoBarbasso]

Here comes a new "ruthless review". These have a few peculiar features:

• Concise;
• Very strict. If a pen costs hundred of euros, no faults are allowed.
  - A good pen gets a 60/100,
  - A great pen an 80/100,
  - An almost perfect one a 90/100.
  - Only a divine pen can have above 90.
• Don't care about the box,
• Add a few peculiar criteria:
  • Nib appearance;
  • Usability in shirt pockets;
  • Out-of-the-boxness, meaning to what extent a nib was perfect right after leaving the seller.

Aurora Optima Plain Green Resin, gold trims

Super-classic design from Aurora, in plain green resin (not the marbled auroloide, but the deep forest green that was used some years ago). Like this one.

1. Appearance and design: 10/10
This is one of the designs. It's classy Italian style at its best, elegant, smooth, subdued. How can I not give it a 10?

2. Construction: 6/10
Almost perfectly assembled, but one of the o-rings rotates in its place. Unacceptable on a EUR 300 pen!

3. Quality of materials: 7/10
Everything is really high-quality, but the plastic sounds a bit cheap.

4. Weight and dimensions: 10/10
Absolutely perfect. Thick enough to be handled comfortably, but short enough not to be cumbersome. Great section shape, too!

5. Nib performance: not rated

I will not rate this because this is the typical Aurora "toothy" nib: I personally love it, but some people don't like this. If you're into nibs with a bit of feedback, this gets a 10/10. If you like "buttery smooth" stuff, stay the hell away from this.

6. Nib appearance: 10/10
Typical bit 14k Aurora nib. Some people don't like the design: barbarians!

7. "Out-of-the-boxness": 5/10

The pen couldn't write well before a thorough cleaning. Also, not acceptable, but easily fixable.

8. Filling system and maintenance: 10/10

Aurora's piston filling. Absolutely perfect in smoothness and capacity.

9. Clip and usability with shirts: 8/10

Perfect measure, fits in all shirt pockets. A bit too short for some jacket pockets, though.

10. Cost and value: 8/10

Minus 2 points for that o-ring issue and the out-of-the-boxness weakness, but overall, very good price-quality ratio.

Final mark:

- If you like nibs with feedback, this gets 84/100, which in my rating means really great.

- If you like smooth nibs, it's still a 74/100, which is very good. But then, you wouldn't buy it due to the toothy feeling, so...

My suggestion: get one even if you don't like toothy nibs. With time you'll start appreciating them as well

[langere]

I like your brutally honest review. Italian pens are like that - beautiful, but some with a few issues here and there. But overall, really worth it.

 

Erick

[TassoBarbasso]

True, although I have to say, this is very much of a stereotype: my German pens are as quirky and unreliable as my Italian pens... wait till I post the ruthless review of a Faber Castell

[limt]

interesting review, had couple aurora's 88 myself modern and vintage ones and I must say I think that nib gives this pen character - it's hard, toothy like something you don't experience usually, since most of the producers want their pens to fit to many people writting styles while aurora's have their own

[limt]

will you be posting photos?

[FountainPages]

As the proud owner of an Optima, mine, at least to me... I have to say the boxness factor would have been a 10 for 10. The construction of mine also, was top-notch. I suppose I got lucky., maybe not. The pen I recieved is one of the best I own. I would buy another in a minute, regardless the 550.00+USD cost.

[ArchiMark]

Quite ruthless......but quite enjoyable review too.....

 

 

Thanks....

 

Mark

[benbot517]

Review was certainly lacking in Ruth. Great review!

[TassoBarbasso]

will you be posting photos?

 

Sorry, I won't, as I don't have much time and I suck with photobucket and all the rest. Maybe I'll scan a writing sample, though