Save me from buying the ASC Triangolo

[Wadude]

After reading opinions from many respected hobbyists, I was ready to pass on ASC. It was lipstick on a pig, a clumsy caricature of our beloved Omas. Pretty materials on a pen that is not made with writing in mind.

 

Then out comes the Triangolo.

I have always found the ASC Gladiatore and other models uninspired, even in lovely Arco celluloid. But this one really got to me. The Omas 360 Arco is my grail pen, but it has proven incredibly elusive. And now I find before me what appears to be a somewhat decent second coming.

 

Am I going mad? Could someone please make me see reason again?

[Aysedasi]

Way out of my price bracket anyway......

[rookie85]

@Wadude I was tempted myself! I regret missing out on the days when OMAS was around and in business. After doing a lot of research I decided to pass on ASC and instead keep my eyes peeled for an OMAS in my material of choice...burkina. 

[Michael R.]

Buy any NOS original Omas 360 instead 😉

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

 

 

[Seney724]

On 3/26/2021 at 5:58 AM, Wadude said:

After reading opinions from many respected hobbyists, I was ready to pass on ASC. It was lipstick on a pig, a clumsy caricature of our beloved Omas. Pretty materials on a pen that is not made with writing in mind.

 

Then out comes the Triangolo.

I have always found the ASC Gladiatore and other models uninspired, even in lovely Arco celluloid. But this one really got to me. The Omas 360 Arco is my grail pen, but it has proven incredibly elusive. And now I find before me what appears to be a somewhat decent second coming.

 

Am I going mad? Could someone please make me see reason again?

My opinion?   It's still lipstick on a pig.

 

If you want a nice chunk of Arco, buy it.  Over time, that's all it will be.

If you want a good quality pen with even marginal post sales service, stay away.

If you want a pen from a company which will be around for a number of years, stay away.

 

If you are williing to spend that much for this pen, sit tight, over time the Omas 360 Arco will appear.  Yes, you will spend more but at least you will have the real deal and not a poor quality imitation.

 

[sunnyt]

TBH, I have never been a big fan of ASC. I bought some of their initial Arco offerings when they were reasonably priced. I agree that most of their recent offerings have been a bit gaudy and overpriced. 

 

I do think that the Il Triangolo is probably their best offering till date. It is not as garishly embellished as their other offerings, reasonably sized, well balanced and thoughtfully designed. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the section is part triangular and part cylindrical giving you the option of gripping the part that you find more comfortable (this was not a feature of the OMAS 360). The fit and finish is still a bit iffy. 

 

Overall,  for me it is the best pen in their line up. If you really want an ASC and wish that OMAS had put a larger #8 nib on their 360, this would be the pen for you.

[rvur]

On 3/27/2021 at 3:09 PM, Seney724 said:

My opinion?   It's still lipstick on a pig.

 

If you want a nice chunk of Arco, buy it.  Over time, that's all it will be.

If you want a good quality pen with even marginal post sales service, stay away.

If you want a pen from a company which will be around for a number of years, stay away.

 

If you are williing to spend that much for this pen, sit tight, over time the Omas 360 Arco will appear.  Yes, you will spend more but at least you will have the real deal and not a poor quality imitation.

 

 

This, at least for me.

If you go for the ASC, probably you will end thinking about your grail anyway.

Wait the right opportunity and catch the real McCoy.  

[sciumbasci]

On 3/27/2021 at 3:09 PM, Seney724 said:

 

If you want a good quality pen with even marginal post sales service, stay away.

If you want a pen from a company which will be around for a number of years, stay away.

 

 

Why? I thought ASC to be connected with Wahl Eversharp... Honestly I wish both of them to stay active and sell lots of pens. 

[MoriartyR]

I usually don’t find it satisfying if I buy a pen primarily for the cap and barrel materials or shape. The nib, build quality, performance, and writing feel of the pen matter far more.

 

I don’t know whether ASC pens are good, mediocre or bad, but if they aren’t anything special then might this end up as an expensive object sitting in a drawer unused? Would you only be buying it to tell people that it’s made from magic plastic, and are people you know going to be that interested?

 

But if you enjoy using ASC pens and are happy with the writing experience then paying more for magic plastic would probably be worth it.

[Wadude]

Thank you everyone for chiming in. I guess I got what I asked for: it does seem to be true that, even after buying the copy, I would just continue to want the real grail. So it makes sense to wait around. Thanks again!

[Wadude]

On 3/27/2021 at 11:09 PM, Seney724 said:

 

[lionelc]

with omas pens in general, patience is the thing wadude.  figured out last year what the older fpners meant by 'chasing the nib' - omas made some amazing nibs and every once in a while will come up paired with the barrel material you wish for.  funny thing is that i have started to favour the plain black vintage celluloids, these have lasted 70+ years and less worries about celluloid crystallisation. 

[Alberto]

Personally, I ended up getting one to go with my other Arco 360s, and I am glad I did.  The fit and finish is actually quite something on it!

[rookie85]

@Albertohave you written with it yet? I have to say I'm getting tempted more and more and have heard good things thus far. 

 

[Alberto]

No, I have not inked it, and not planning on it (at least for the moment). But after finally having it in my hands this morning, I actually went ahead and also got the gold trim version while they are still available from The Pen Family. They are really well made, and I - personally - like the slightly larger size!

[markh]

I have one of these, along with several older OMAS 360 (3-sided) pens. Other than the similarity of shape, they are completely different pens.

Traditional OMAS pens (before they got a metal section which was near the end of the original companies life) have a vintage quality. They are very light weight, the fill system is a piston with no metal parts.

The ASC pens (along with the Wahl  and ASC Ogiva pens) have a completely different construction, different fill system, and much heavier. Lots of internal metal. The Triangolo pens have less material, so they are a little lighter than the others ASC pens. But much different than older OMAS pens.

As to the nib - also completely different. The Magic Flex nib works well and will allow an expressive line. The pen has a split ebonite feed so it nicely keeps up with the flow. For me the nibs are much too fat, so I've re-ground the tip to somewhere between a fine and x-fine, but that's a matter of taste. As it came from the factory the nib was a modern medium and very smooth.

Fill system holds a lot of ink.

Is it worth the price? I think once you get above a few hundred $ that question pretty much loses any meaning or answer. I like mine, but it joins other expensive pens.

Any other questions let me know....

 

[siamackz]

Can anyone here tell me how to open the pen so that I can service the sac? I nib and feed just pull out without the collar/section that connects to the sac. Does the pen screw open at the joint whee the circular section meets the triangular barrel? Can you tell me if its points A, B or C? Thanks

[markh]

Sac on mine failed also. Currently with nibs.com, waiting for a repair. For the earlier ASC pens the resac I think was much simpler - I could probably handle it, and could always get a few hints from Sid. But it wasn't obvious to me on this pen.

I gave mine for repair directly to Manu (ASC, and now nibs.com and FPH - he is acquiring the entire pen world)  at the SF show. He didn't say that a resac was a problem.

 

So I will find eventually out. If anyone knows how it comes apart would love to know that also.....

[Seney724]

10 hours ago, markh said:

Sac on mine failed also. Currently with nibs.com, waiting for a repair. For the earlier ASC pens the resac I think was much simpler - I could probably handle it, and could always get a few hints from Sid. But it wasn't obvious to me on this pen.

I gave mine for repair directly to Manu (ASC, and now nibs.com and FPH - he is acquiring the entire pen world)  at the SF show. He didn't say that a resac was a problem.

 

So I will find eventually out. If anyone knows how it comes apart would love to know that also.....

Lots to know about what is happening with this outfit.   Not sure if providing the facts, which are in the public domain, would be permitted by the moderator or not.

If interested, one could do a quick Google and/or read more on the reddit fountain pen site.