Aurora 88 (modern): nib slit off-center - quality implications?

[oblique]

Hello. I have come across an Aurora 88 Demonstrator with a nib with an off-center cut slit and assymetric engraving. Would many people even notice or consider the nib lower value or less attractive? Personally I'd prefer to look at a perfectly symmetrical one. Also, a question: How well do these Aurora medium nibs perform when writing upside down? Seeing this nib photo I have my doubts...

[TheDutchGuy]

I’ve seen way too many nibs with off-center slits. And some of those wrote amazingly well (while others didn’t). Let your hand be the judge.

[A Smug Dill]

49 minutes ago, oblique said:

Would many people even notice or consider the nib lower value or less attractive?

 

If someone is asked point-blank whether he/she would consider something technically imperfect — (especially) based on what is communicated by the questioning party as the ideal or standard of ‘perfect’, against which items and/or their value ‘should be’ judged — I'm sure the majority would ‘consider’ and/or say a technically imperfect object, such as what is presented, is of lower value and/or less attractive than a perfect one.

 

What's the point of your question? How you feel about it is what matters here (outside of the question of whether you have sufficient cause to, and whether the retailer would reasonably accept a, return of the product as defective or unsatisfactory, at no cost to you whatsoever at this time. If you genuinely aren't happy with it, and the retailer will let you, return it for exchange or refund. How the next random, faceless person may feel if or when you want to resell the pen is hardly relevant.

 

56 minutes ago, oblique said:

Also, a question: How well do these Aurora medium nibs perform when writing upside down?

 

It's not advertised as a feature that is inherently supported by the design and manufacturing standards of Aurora nibs. You can test yours and see whether the unit you have will do it well (which may or may not interfere with your eligibility for returning the product by testing the nib inked). Even if 95% of nibs will reverse-write well enough, it still doesn't mean yours won't fall within the remaining 5%.

[oblique]

2 hours ago, TheDutchGuy said:

I’ve seen way too many nibs with off-center slits. And some of those wrote amazingly well (while others didn’t). Let your hand be the judge.

Thank you! I haven't bought the pen yet. If I have the opportunity to try it out (dipped), I definitely will.

[oblique]

2 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

If someone is asked point-blank whether he/she would consider something technically imperfect — (especially) based on what is communicated by the questioning party as the ideal or standard of ‘perfect’, against which items and/or their value ‘should be’ judged — I'm sure the majority would ‘consider’ and/or say a technically imperfect object, such as what is presented, is of lower value and/or less attractive than a perfect one.

 

What's the point of your question? How you feel about it is what matters here (outside of the question of whether you have sufficient cause to, and whether the retailer would reasonably accept a, return of the product as defective or unsatisfactory, at no cost to you whatsoever at this time. If you genuinely aren't happy with it, and the retailer will let you, return it for exchange or refund. How the next random, faceless person may feel if or when you want to resell the pen is hardly relevant.

 

Thanks. I wanted to know A) Whether I was being too much of a perfectionist in this matter and B), whether such a nib would be more difficult to resell. I haven't bought the pen yet...

 

2 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

It's not advertised as a feature that is inherently supported by the design and manufacturing standards of Aurora nibs. You can test yours and see whether the unit you have will do it well (which may or may not interfere with your eligibility for returning the product by testing the nib inked). Even if 95% of nibs will reverse-write well enough, it still doesn't mean yours won't fall within the remaining 5%.

 

Thank you. I find nibs that write (differently) each side up very useful. Vintage pens seem to pamper one in this respect, or at least that has been my experience.

[oblique]

P.S. I just looked at the photo above again and it could be that the section has a hairline crack at 12 o'clock. Or maybe just a longitudinal scratch on the inside. Another reason not to buy this pen sight unseen.

[Dione]

The off center cut nib slit would certainly put me off buying it. 🙁

[oblique]

49 minutes ago, Dione said:

The off center cut nib slit would certainly put me off buying it. 🙁

Thanks! I am having similar feelings.

[mizgeorge]

If you take a look at some google images for an 18k Aurora nib, you'll see that that they appear to be consistently slightly off centre, and almost none have perfectly symmetrical engraving. It doesn't appear to affect the perceived quality. 

 

I'm not a particular fan of 18k nibs - I find them generally a bit too soft (just too high a gold content) so I wouldn't pay a premium for one, but if the pen's at a good price, that nib wouldn't stop me from considering it.

[Karmachanic]

We live in an imperfect world. Humans are asymmetric. The left side of your face is not exactly the same as the right, but your mum loves you anyway! Insistence on perfection leads to an unhappy life.

 

The engraving is not asymmetric. Ignore the slit and look again.

 

Plus what mzgeorge said.

[oblique]

3 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

If you take a look at some google images for an 18k Aurora nib, you'll see that that they appear to be consistently slightly off centre, and almost none have perfectly symmetrical engraving. It doesn't appear to affect the perceived quality. 

 

Or people just aren't that interested in details. (I never noticed this defect the first couple of times I was viewing the ad...)

 

3 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

I'm not a particular fan of 18k nibs - I find them generally a bit too soft (just too high a gold content) so I wouldn't pay a premium for one, but if the pen's at a good price, that nib wouldn't stop me from considering it.

 

Well this one is supposed to be a nail, no problem with softness  Golden nib coated with lesser materials - I think there's exactly no point in it being a golden nib, except bragging rights. 

[oblique]

2 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

We live in an imperfect world. Humans are asymmetric. The left side of your face is not exactly the same as the right, but your mum loves you anyway! Insistence on perfection leads to an unhappy life.

 

Well if I was paying my mum to create me, I sure would expect more careful work!

 

2 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

The engraving is not asymmetric. Ignore the slit and look again.

 

Plus what mzgeorge said.

 

You're right there.

[Honeybadgers]

Personally, this can drive me nuts. I hate it on high-end pens. I'd have asked aurora to fix it.

 

strange though, every nib they make passes through the hands of a nibmeister.

[oblique]

To add an unexpected turning / ending to this story:

 

I have finally purchased the pen, because I realized that the photograph with the off-center nib slit was just a stock photo and not the actual pen for sale.

 

However, the pen has another problem (missing metal ring under the piston knob) which made me look for photos. And thus I discovered the source of the original nib photograph: Aurora itself. https://www.aurorapen.it/prodotto/888-n-stilografica/