Affordable Italian Pens?

[matteob]

I am a big lover of Italy and I would like to try Italian pens. However they all seem to cost an arm and a leg. Are there any, new or vintage, that fall under the £/$ 100 mark?

[Warnerbaw]

I've never tried one myself, but I have heard great things about the Aurora Ipsilon, which you can buy at coloradopen.com for around 100 USD.

[Barkingpig]

I have not purchased from, BUT am frequently tempted by offings I see here regularly from a member here in the classifieds for Aurora 88 pens @ prices similar to your mention. The ONLY reason I have not is because these pens are always BLACK & I may have two black MB 146's BUT I don't buy others in Black. I enjoy an Aurora Africa pen & realise it is probably NOT as nice as these "iconic" writers, BUT if the color doesn't bother you, that is where I would look.

 

I love ALL my Italians, but few were @ or under your price suggestion & I understand my attraction to body design is NOT a good measure of intelligent selection. BUT having grown up in a world of Black pens, I choose to surround myself with the Italian offerings of color & have paid a premium to do so.

[jar]

I am a big lover of Italy and I would like to try Italian pens. However they all seem to cost an arm and a leg. Are there any, new or vintage, that fall under the £/$ 100 mark?

See if any of the Aurora Archivi Storici pens are left.

[Freddy]

See if any of the Aurora Archivi Storici pens are left.

 

 

Hear Hear

 

She is always a pleasure to deal with...............

 

Fred

[virgilio]

If you can find some, the Universal Scolastica is a very cheap Italian school pen that, with a little nib tinkering, writes as well as any fountain on earth. Piston-fillers, butterfly nib, metal caps (later variants with plastic caps), half a dozen colors. Last made in the 90s probably. They show up on ebay periodically. Italy has always dominated the school pen market in Europe, and the Scolasticas put the Sheaffer school pens to shame.

[matteob]

Thanks I'll check those out soon. Yes sadly the onus on Italian pens seems to be luxury rather than affordable rugged functionality. I am finding quality with affordability with the Japanese at the moment: Platinum I have and am looking at Sailor and Pilot. I will check out the school pen.

 

UPDATE:

 

Seen videos on the Universal Scolastica ma non posso trovarla sul ebay (can't find one for sale). It looks like a Pilot 78G

Edited January 21, 2017 by matteob

[s_t_e_v_e]

There are a bunch of them with steel nibs that are quite affordable:

- Delta The Journal

- Delta Unica

- Aurora Style

- Aurora Ipsilon

- Visconti Rembrandt

 

Not all are under $100 but they're worth it if you can spend about $20-30 more.

[fabri00]

With Martemodena there are several bargains possible at less than 100 USD, among delta/martemodena pens.

[sciumbasci]

Ah, Italian affordable pens. Not much I am afraid, but here are some suggestions I hope will help you:

 

Aurora Style

 

Delta Unica

 

Marlen One

 

All of the above are under 60EUR or 56£ IIRC.

Edited January 21, 2017 by sciumbasci

[Feanaaro]

Aurora has the style and ipsilon as others have noted, and also a new one (though apparently not yet widely available), the K for an even lower price (~€40) and with the same exact nib. Vintage Aurora 88s can also be found for under 100 (btw, despite Brexit £100 is still significantly more than $100), and they are some of the best pens ever made imho.

[sciumbasci]

Ah, yes! I almost forgot: there is also the Stipula Speed: 75EUR

Edited January 23, 2017 by sciumbasci

[jar]

There are also the Grifos pens.

[basterma]

I have school pens by Wilson, Walker and a executive pen from Universal. All were purchased in the early 90's. Wilson still makes ink cartridges, but doesn't seem to have a web presence. Universal may still make fountain pens. Walker is a mystery as I know of one user on this forum in Poland who has the same pen.

[basterma]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/307467-walker-fountain-pens-who-can-help/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/301642-a-cheap-italian-pen-from-the-late-80s;-the-wilson-super-smooth/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/261093-hello-from-belfast/

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/120769-who-can-tell-me-more-about-this-universal-pen/

[sciumbasci]

There are also the Grifos pens.

IIRC Grifos starts at 157$ lower price

[gerigo]

Personally I don't think buying Italian pens less than $100 will give you a great impression of what Italian pen makers are capable of. Italian pens really shine when you put a little more money into them. I don't know whether this is because of the way these Italian factories are set up, or that it's the way these small shops are run.

 

I have the Delta Unica and also the absolute cheapest Aurora Ipsilon. Both pens are OK, but they are not home runs because the steel nibs are OK, and the designs are nothing to write home about. I love Delta and Aurora and own their higher end pens that are in the 3-600 range and those are amazing. They have quite unique designs, use stunning materials, and their gold nibs are quite special as the price climbs to their regular production high end range.

 

If pressed, the one pen I would ABSOLUTELY recommend in the under $200 price would be the Santinis. Their designs are definitely homey but their pens seem robust. However it's the nib that steals the show here. They are AMAZING.

Edited January 23, 2017 by gerigo

[matteob]

Thanks for this a lot to check out. I like the vintage Aurora 88. I know some Italian so will check out Ebay.it but ai do not know if the sellers there would ship to the UK.

[Freddy]

Thanks for this a lot to check out. I like the vintage Aurora 88. I know some Italian so will check out Ebay.it but ai do not know if the sellers there would ship to the UK.

 

 

For your consideration check out Paolo @ zona900dot it.....

 

Posts as SANPEI..on FPN PT....

 

You may be able to pick up a vintage 88 shipped for about 100-105 pounds.

 

I have purchased many pens from him..Sterling reputation...

 

Cost you nothing to window shop........

 

 

Fred

[Susanna]

Also Visconti Ragtime 2016
http://www.giardino.it/pens/visconti/IMMAGINI/Ragtime2016BluAmbra.jpg