Leonardo Photo Thread

[dms525]

7 hours ago, mongrelnomad said:

How do people find Leonardo pens after using them for a while? Obviously they scratch an itch, enjoying that traditional Omas-style with ebonite feeds and even some celluloid, but are they good pens? How do they write? Are they reliable?
 

I pretty much only use Sailor nowadays as they’re the only one guaranteed to just work, but I’d be lying if I didn’t pine after one of these…

 

I have been using Leonardo pens since 2018. They are my favorites. They have always been well-made using attractive materials, but the writing experience has actually improved with Salvatore's skill in tuning nibs. 

 

I have a number of Sailor pens. I find them well-made and reliable but aesthetically less interesting. That is a matter of personal taste, of course.

 

Hope that helps.

 

David

[Doug C]

7 hours ago, mongrelnomad said:

How do people find Leonardo pens after using them for a while? Obviously they scratch an itch, enjoying that traditional Omas-style with ebonite feeds and even some celluloid, but are they good pens? How do they write? Are they reliable?
 

I pretty much only use Sailor nowadays as they’re the only one guaranteed to just work, but I’d be lying if I didn’t pine after one of these…

I have or have had around 10 or so, and they have all been superior in terms of writing and build quality. 

[Surlyprof]

14 hours ago, mongrelnomad said:

How do people find Leonardo pens after using them for a while? Obviously they scratch an itch, enjoying that traditional Omas-style with ebonite feeds and even some celluloid, but are they good pens? How do they write? Are they reliable?
 

I pretty much only use Sailor nowadays as they’re the only one guaranteed to just work, but I’d be lying if I didn’t pine after one of these…

I own two Leonardos with a third on the way.  One  is a wood and resin Momento Zero with a medium #6 steel nib and the other is a resin Momento Magico with a 14k #6 La Fenice nib.  The Magico is one of my go to pens for writing.  I bought it a year ago at the SF Pen Show and it has been filled with ink ever since because I use it almost every day.  It is almost as smooth as a Pilot I own with a #15 gold nib.  I find it have a similar liveliness (springiness?) and smoothness (although the lineweight is broader).  The section size and balance feel perfect to me and I think the spaghetti resin is gorgeous.

 

After I spent a little time smoothing it, I’ve found the steel nib on my Momento Zero to be almost as smooth to write with.  I love the pen and the way Leonardo and Stilofetti combined the wood and mosaico resin.  It’s a fun pen.  I don’t use it quite as often because of its smaller section.  Neither pen has ever stalled on me.

 

The third one I ordered a couple of days ago is a Momento Zero Grande with a #8 gold nib which I’m really looking forward to receiving.  I used to think that the MZG was larger and heavier than I liked a pen to be but I tried a few at the last pen show and realized it was about perfect for me.  I’m really looking forward to the #8 size nib.

[Surlyprof]

Cross posting this for you Leonardo fans: 

 

If anyone is interested, I just saw that Leonardo posted 5 more of these on their website.

https://leonardopen.com/collections/special-edition/products/mzg-fluorite-glow-in-the-dark

 

I had ordered one last week and can’t wait to see it in person!

[Surlyprof]

 

My Leonardo MZG Fluorite arrived yesterday.  This is my grail pen.  I own a Momento Zero and a Magico but came to realize I wanted a MZG with a #8 gold nib.  Beautiful translucent resin with rose gold veins running through the grays and blacks.  I don’t think my photos do it justice.  The original ad stated that it had gold hardware and a black feed.  As I had hoped, based on their video, it has rose gold hardware and their red ebonite feed.  I’ve always admired their colored feeds (even if it will get stained with ink).  And, as promised, it glows!

[dms525]

On 10/31/2025 at 8:15 AM, Surlyprof said:

 

My Leonardo MZG Fluorite arrived yesterday.  This is my grail pen.  I own a Momento Zero and a Magico but came to realize I wanted a MZG with a #8 gold nib.  Beautiful translucent resin with rose gold veins running through the grays and blacks.  I don’t think my photos do it justice.  The original ad stated that it had gold hardware and a black feed.  As I had hoped, based on their video, it has rose gold hardware and their red ebonite feed.  I’ve always admired their colored feeds (even if it will get stained with ink).  And, as promised, it glows!

Very cool!

 

I'm really liking Leonardo's #8 nibs with Stub grinds, both the gold and the steel versions.

 

David

[dms525]

This arrived yesterday.

 

 

I inked it with one of the new Leonardo Shimmering inks, "Petrol + Diamond." The ink is super dry, and I had to swap nibs to get it writing smoothly.

 

David

[Lam1]

On 10/31/2025 at 10:15 AM, Surlyprof said:

 

My Leonardo MZG Fluorite arrived yesterday.  This is my grail pen.  I own a Momento Zero and a Magico but came to realize I wanted a MZG with a #8 gold nib.  Beautiful translucent resin with rose gold veins running through the grays and blacks.  I don’t think my photos do it justice.  The original ad stated that it had gold hardware and a black feed.  As I had hoped, based on their video, it has rose gold hardware and their red ebonite feed.  I’ve always admired their colored feeds (even if it will get stained with ink).  And, as promised, it glows!

 

Wow! Congratulations!!

I think it is one of the most beautiful Leonardos (even if it didn't glow)!

[Lam1]

repeated 

[Surlyprof]

On 11/11/2025 at 6:17 PM, Lam1 said:

 

Wow! Congratulations!!

I think it is one of the most beautiful Leonardos (even if it didn't glow)!

Thank you.  My photos don’t seem to capture how nice the rose gold hardware looks with the gray and black resin and rose gold veins where they meet.  I really love it.  The glow-in-the-dark is a quirky, fun feature but I doubt I’ll get much use out of it.  It’s still fun!

[Surlyprof]

On 11/11/2025 at 5:20 PM, dms525 said:

This arrived yesterday.

 

 

I inked it with one of the new Leonardo Shimmering inks, "Petrol + Diamond." The ink is super dry, and I had to swap nibs to get it writing smoothly.

 

David

These are so cool.  I would have bought one if I was in the market for another Magico.  Of course I would have struggled choosing between the blue and the green.  They both look great.  Your photo may have had me opting for the green.  Nice shot!

[dms525]

1 hour ago, Surlyprof said:

These are so cool.  I would have bought one if I was in the market for another Magico.  Of course I would have struggled choosing between the blue and the green.  They both look great.  Your photo may have had me opting for the green.  Nice shot!

Thanks!

 

I have a MZ Grande with a #8 nib in the blue material. It was a LE for a Roman pen shop in 2023. So, although I am generally partial to blue pens, I went for the green. I have no regrets. It is really nice.

 

David

[dms525]

The Corsani shop in Rome has been having Leonardo make them a series of demonstrator pens with sections and cap bands made from "scraps" of material, including both new and vintage celluloid. They are in the MZ Grande format. They generally have steel or titanium nibs. These pens are quite reasonably priced, in my opinion, although by no means inexpensive.

 

The latest offering is available with Steel #8 nibs, including nibs with special grinds. It's celluloid parts are in Leonardo's "Chianti" material. I bought one, and I am delighted with it.

 

 

 

 

 

This is my second pen with a #8 Steel nib that Salvatore has ground to a "CSI" (smooth cursive italic). I find these the very best nibs available from Leonardo for italic handwriting. They are quite smooth and very crisp.

 

David

[jchch1950]

52 minutes ago, dms525 said:

The Corsani shop in Rome has been having Leonardo make them a series of demonstrator pens with sections and cap bands made from "scraps" of material, including both new and vintage celluloid. They are in the MZ Grande format. They generally have steel or titanium nibs. These pens are quite reasonably priced, in my opinion, although by no means inexpensive.

 

The latest offering is available with Steel #8 nibs, including nibs with special grinds. It's celluloid parts are in Leonardo's "Chianti" material. I bought one, and I am delighted with it.

 

 

 

 

 

This is my second pen with a #8 Steel nib that Salvatore has ground to a "CSI" (smooth cursive italic). I find these the very best nibs available from Leonardo for italic handwriting. They are quite smooth and very crisp.

 

David

Nice pen, especially the nib.Congratulations.

[Uncial]

Not fond of the pen, but I  really like that ink.

[jmccarty3]

I find the #8 La Fenice nibs to be very attractive. I believe they are available in both steel and gold—one of the most beautiful nibs in the business. The EF gold one on my MZG is magnificent. 

[dms525]

17 hours ago, jmccarty3 said:

I find the #8 La Fenice nibs to be very attractive. I believe they are available in both steel and gold—one of the most beautiful nibs in the business. The EF gold one on my MZG is magnificent. 

 

I have just one Leonardo gold #8 nib that is not CSI or 1.1mm Stub. It's an EF on a Audace Art Nouveau. It's a nail. I've just inked it once, and it didn't do a lot for me. Maybe I should give it another chance.

 

The gold #8 Stubs run rather wet. This detracts from the thick/thin line variation needed for formal italic script. I have a couple gold #8 nibs that are Broads custom ground to Cursive Italic, and they are excellent. The 2 steel #8 CSI nibs are wonderful for calligraphy.

 

David

[como]

On 1/25/2026 at 7:13 AM, dms525 said:

The Corsani shop in Rome has been having Leonardo make them a series of demonstrator pens with sections and cap bands made from "scraps" of material, including both new and vintage celluloid. They are in the MZ Grande format. They generally have steel or titanium nibs. These pens are quite reasonably priced, in my opinion, although by no means inexpensive.

 

The latest offering is available with Steel #8 nibs, including nibs with special grinds. It's celluloid parts are in Leonardo's "Chianti" material. I bought one, and I am delighted with it.

 

 

 

 

 

This is my second pen with a #8 Steel nib that Salvatore has ground to a "CSI" (smooth cursive italic). I find these the very best nibs available from Leonardo for italic handwriting. They are quite smooth and very crisp.

 

David

That's pretty cool, David! Thanks for showing!

[como]

On 10/25/2025 at 10:11 AM, mongrelnomad said:

How do people find Leonardo pens after using them for a while? Obviously they scratch an itch, enjoying that traditional Omas-style with ebonite feeds and even some celluloid, but are they good pens? How do they write? Are they reliable?
 

I pretty much only use Sailor nowadays as they’re the only one guaranteed to just work, but I’d be lying if I didn’t pine after one of these…

Sailor KOP nibs are amazing. I think they are the best in the "pleasant writers" category, if you enjoy the kind of pencil like feedback, which I do. From the modern and still existing pen makers, I also like very much the Scribo nibs, which are pretty much modern Omas nibs. I've had several Leonardo, and also Santini. I think they are all great if they are well tuned. Sailor is in its own league due to extremely consistent quality control. 

[JonSzanto]

Since it is a Leonardo photo thread, I'm uploading this for fun. 😊 I drove up to Los Angeles on Friday for a day at the California Pen Show, and had time to spend at the Leonardo tables. I wanted to touch base with Klarissa, their wonderful brand ambassador, and show her my last purchase, which was the "Serenity" model she helped design. They always have the nicest people working at their displays and she is the best! I had decided to take my 'even dozen' Leonardos to show Salvatore (if he had time), and to ask about attention to a nib issue with my very first LOI, a humble MZ in Pietra Marina. Of course, they took the pen and will return to me after repair/replace. The nice part was that I was early in the day and the crowd was light, so I had a nice bit of time to talk w Salva and thank him for all of the wonderful creation they've done. I didn't know someone was taking pics, and the below ended up in their Instagram story! (I'm looking older every day).

 

 

As I was at the displays, there was a pen in their Essenza line that was really remarkable, a material that looked like the old Parker "stacked celluloid" stuff, and I picked it up and put it down a few times. Later in the day I went back and it had been sold, which was a relief to my wallet. However, at that very moment I started looking at the two examples of the recent version of the Furore, and the basic black model caught my eye. I picked it up and realized it was exceedingly close in dimensions to my most frequent vintage pen for writing, the original Sheaffer Balance Premiere (OS) from the 20s-30s. When I inquired on the price, it seemed remarkable. I decided to think about it, and when I got home, I realized their price was a 'show price' and a significant savings. Saturday I texted a friend still at the show, and asked them to get one for me. I'll have it later this week and will share. So much for escaping the pen show without buying a pen! (CAPS was great this year, though virtually all of my time was catching up with old friends. I'm sad to see virtually no coverage of the show here on FPN, because it was large and very successful)