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Aurora 85Th Anniversary Fountain Pen In Red Aureloide


visvamitra

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Aurora is one of few still operating Italian fountain pens makers. Omas is gone, Stipula has some ongoing problems, it seems only Visconti manages well. On the other hand I haven’t seen their financial reports. As for Aurora I keep on asking myself how on earth they manage to function? They employ a lot of people and have big factory and it seems their fountain pens aren’t really popular.



Aurora produces fountain pens that are very diverse stylistically – just look at Aurora Talentum, Idea, Ipsilon and 88 – they look like pens produced by different companies. Their economy models (Idea, Ipsilon, Style) enable clients to enter the brand’s world before moving upscale by purchasing expensive and prestigious models. The thing is I’ve never liked design of Aurora’s cheaper pens. On the other hand I always enjoyed the looks of their expensive pens but, well, they are REALLY expensive so I wasn’t in a hurry to buy them and even if money was there timing never seemed right.



I wanted to try them first but even though I regularly participate (few times a year) in fountain pen afficionados meetings in Poland there was never a lot of Auroras to try. It seems their not popular in my country. Which is surprising as I find Aurora 88 or Optima designs much more interesting than these of german tanks (Montblanc, Pelikans).



One of pens I received from VodnikVolsovecek in huge package of pens to try was interesting Aurora model – The Aurora 85th Anniversary Limited Edition that celebrates 85 years of company’s history.



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Impressions



The fountain pen comes in a red-marbled aureloide resin with solid silver trim. The ring of the cap has the serial number engraved and features floral motifs, a symbol of early Aurora designs. The clip is inscribed with 85°. A finely-engraved nib made from rhodium-treate solid gold looks stunning (at least to my eyes). The model is based on Optima line but there are some differences – it bears silver trim and has silver section. Optima pens are too light for me. This one is definitely heavier and while I usually prefer longer pens, this one fits comfortably in my hand. It has nice weight to it.



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There’s quite a lot of silver furniture on this pen and, to be honest, there’s just too much of adornments and embelishments to my taste. I would prefer silver elements to be plain. The engraving is too ornate for me.



What I enjoy most is silver section – it’s quite long, metal and very comfortable. It’s not slippery and should warm nicely during the use. Oh, and there’ll be cool patina on it with time. Acrylic ink window between red barrel and silver section looks appealing, especially when you feel the pen with red ink.



Nib



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The ink used in writing sample is Nagasawa-kobe Ijinkan Red.



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This pen was available with nice variety of nibs: EF, F, M, B, stub, oblique and italic. This nib is simply stunning. It’s big and nicely shaped. Also it writes like a dream. While I usually prefer smooth nibs (think Omas or Sheaffer dreamtouch) I must admit I love the way this nib performs. It has some tooth and gives feedback but it’s siomply great.



It’s worth noting that when it comes to nibs, Aurora doesn’t but them from Bock or other companies. Aurora is one of the few pen manufacturers that manufactures its own nibs rather than outsourcing the work. That’s why their nibs may have a slightly different shape than what we mostly see in other pens


.


aurora_pismo2.jpg?w=940



This nib is quite rigid and springy. Medium line is juicy and the ink flow is very satisfying for me. To put it plainly – it’s very wet nib. Not a gusher, mind you, but it’s generous.It does allow to get some line variation but I wouldn’t advise to force it. It would be a shame to damage such a beautiful nib.



This nib gives some feedback – it’s not scratchy, it’s just you feel paper underneath it.



Filling system



aurora_piston.jpg?w=940



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It’s a piston-filler. The end cap serves as the turning knob. The cap is adorned at the end with an ornately engraved sterling silver cap and trimmed with a wide engraved sterling silver band. A large ink view window at the top of the barrel is finely executed. The piston mechanism works smoothly and makes impression of very durable one.



Dimensions



The 85th Anniversary is a mid-size pen, it’s shorter than most of the extra large limited edition pens made today. It measures 131mm when capped, 124mm uncapped and 155mm posted (although I wouldn’t advise to post it). The maximum diameter of the barrel is 16mm. It weighs 41.5g and this weight feels perfect in my hand.



Summary



aurora_cap.jpg?w=940



As this was a limited edition pen (only 1919 pens were made), it won’t be a big surprise when I tell you it’s an expensive pen. It was and still is expensive and the price is close to 1000 $. A lot. If I had this kind of money for a pen I would probably get Conid Monarch. I like this pen and if only engraving on silver furniture wasn’t so ornate I would start looking for one.



I think that Aurora 85th anniversary fountain pen is great, well – engineered pen that performs flawlessly. On the other hand I prefer simpler designs – red Aureloide body and silver accent look well together but,in my opinion, there’s just too much adornments on silver elements. I would prefer them to be plain. It remains distinctive, but slightly too gaudy to my taste.

Edited by visvamitra
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I agree. I have a modern 88 and a couple of semi-vintage 88s (1950s), and have just ordered more. While I do not go for the style of the anniversary edition reviewed, the nibs and useability are excellent, in my inner circle of my pens.

 

Thank you for the review, vis. I hope Aurora, the company, function a bit longer.

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I totally agree - a huge overdose of the ornaments. Still, this is how the LE Italian pen should look like ;)

It may be worth to have a look at my classifieds :)

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Very nice review, and great pictures!

 

One slight correction of what I assume was a typo.... I believe the size of the Limited Edition was actually 1919, not 19 as in your post. 1919 is the year Aurora was founded.

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My favorite pen manufacturer is the world. Hope they continue to produce pens for another century and more ..

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i love the optima...

i like the resin on this one...

the aureloide is not the nitrate celluloid, if i am right ...??

vaibhav mehandiratta

architect & fountain pen connoisseur

 

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I have an 88 and when I pick it up I get a feeling of quality like no other pen that I have ever used.

 

I think the 85th Anniversary looks really cool.

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I love the few Auroras I have, and I've wished I could fork over the $$$ for an anniversary LE, but like others here, I had other pens in the high dollar range I wanted more badly. Last Aurora I bought (at Dallas Pen Show) is a blue Optima, beautiful pen, virtually indiscernible at a glance from the LE a foot or so away, for about half the price; still with gold furniture, and a beautiful pen IMHO. I've had an Afrika since shortly after it was introduced to the market.

 

They are all good writers, even the one Ipsilon I've had for years.

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Nice review. Thanks for taking the time.

 

I am not a fan of this one. I like the 80th anniversary much better.

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

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Aurora is one of few still operating Italian fountain pens makers. Omas is gone, ...

This nib is quite rigid and springy.

 

That's where you lost me.

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Aurora is my favorite of the Italian makers. I currently have two, the 88 Sigaro being my favorite of all of my European pens. I have one Visconti, which will likely go on the block and several Pelikans. The Sigaro is heavy, but feels just right! I like the Red barrel and cap material, but the clip and crown were just not my style. I agree, I hope Aurora keeps making great pens for many years!

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I have one of these and I love it, though it doesn't get as much use as I'd like. The details, in my opinion, are exquisite - I especially love the mother of pearl inlaid logo on the cap. The base design is shared with so many other Aurora LEs (for instance my Ionian Sea LE), but Aurora really put love into this pen. The cap-end, the barrel-end, the clip engraving, the cap-band: all just so much more intricate than on its stablemate. Also, being an Aurora, it is exceptionally well made.

 

The nib, too, is wonderful, as are all Auroras. They have a unique feel to them, quite similar to Sailor in that they are very fine for their stated width, have a touch of feedback, are very stiff but full of character. I love them, and I love the fact that they are one of the few smaller companies still making their own nibs. I've just ordered an 88 fitted with one of their new in-house flexible nibs and cannot wait to try it.

 

So why don't I use it that much? Probably just the silver section. It makes the pen heavier than I would like. I believe the barrel is brass-lined too, and this makes for a portly creature.

 

Anyway, thanks for a great review of a pen I deeply love.

Edited by mongrelnomad

Too many pens; too little writing.

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If the trims would be less complex, it'd be one of the best looking pen of all time. For now, I'm still drooling over the Extra 1930.

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The pen is quite impressive, but that writing sample of the Nagasawa-kobe Ijinkan Red ink is stunning. It is the most beautiful red ink I have ever seen.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Vis, you did a great review and the person who asked you to do the reviews was right on target with a great choice. Thank you for taking the time and sharing this review with us.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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the person who asked you to do the reviews was right on target with a great choice.

Yep, I was. Thanks to his stunning photos, I always almost-have my collection with me when travelling:)

It may be worth to have a look at my classifieds :)

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