Posts filed under Leonardo

Leonardo Momento Zero Blue Hawaii Fountain Pen Review

If you have paid attention at all to the fountain pen scene over the last year, then you have seen the rise of Leonardo Officina Italian fountain pens. Susan has reviewed two for The Pen Addict already (here and here) and I’m finally ready to spill a few words on my own Leonardo Momento Zero Blue Hawaii fountain pen.

Leonardo Officina Italiana was launched in 2018 by the Matrone family, who have a combined 45 years in the pen business, primarily with the now-shuttered Delta. All Leonardo Pens are manufactured in-house in Italy, where they also manufacture pens for Armando Simoni Club. This experience has led the the creation of one of the best new entrants in the pen market in years.

What caught my eye with the first batch of Leonardo pens were the materials used. The acrylics in the Momento Zero lineup (they also use celluloid and ebonite) are stunning. Choosing my first proved to be difficult, but I zoned in on the Blue Hawaii early on. The only issue was the color was so popular that it took me a while to acquire one with rhodium trim!

My time came all the way back at the 2019 Atlanta Pen Show, and the Momento Zero has been a regular in my rotation ever since.

While the material used for this pen is what caught my eye, what good is the material if the pen barrel isn’t nice to use? The experience of the makers show that they know how to make a great feeling writing instrument, not only a great looking one.

The grip section has a slight taper in the middle, allowing for a natural feeling finger placement. The barrel length (5.5 inches) and diameter (0.6 inches) both fall into the standard size category for me, and the 0.8 oz. weight give it a perfectly balanced feel. It uses a cartridge/converter filling system, with a blind cap on the back end of the pen as an added way to access the converter. Speaking of which, this is a fancy converter that I very much enjoy.

If you were to force me to list any negatives about the Leonardo Momento Zero, I can come up with two, but only barely. One, the materials on the barrel do not line up. There are six areas that the materials run through, and none match up. They aren’t trying to line the material up and it’s off - it’s not supposed to line up at all. I think of it like the pattern on a calico cat, and I think it is great. Some may not like it.

Two, Leonardo uses Bock nibs. If I had my choice, I would choose Jowo every time, but it’s pretty clear that these nibs are being QC’ed and adjusted if needed before leaving the shop. This steel EF nib was perfect right out of the box.

With a street price of $199 these are not inexpensive pens, but I feel that they represent good value. And, with a bit of shopping around, you can bring that price down on this model a good bit. I recall paying $180 for mine from Dan Smith at the Atlanta Pen Show, and site sponsor Pen Chalet has several models for as low as $159. With the number of models and colors available, you are certainly able to find one that suits your style if you are interested in Leonardo Officina Italiana fountain pens.

I know I am interested, as I just picked up my second one a week ago. And I feel like it won’t be the last.

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Posted on March 9, 2020 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Leonardo, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Leonardo Furore Deep Purple with Rose Gold Trim: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I love Leonardo fountain pens. I reviewed a Momento Zero awhile back, and subsequently I bought another Momento Zero in Hawaii resin. I suspect more Leonardo pens are in my future.

Although I much prefer the shape of the Momento Zero, I kept returning to Casa della Stilografica to gaze at the beautiful resin of the Furore in Deep Purple. I was especially entranced with the model with rose gold trims. After repeated visits, I finally pulled the trigger and splurged on the Furore with a 14k rose gold stub nib (1.3mm).

The pen arrived in record time from Casa della Stilografica. I couldn’t help from exclaiming, “Fra-jee-lay!” when I saw the package (you know, A Christmas Story). It was a box from Italy after all. And, apparently, “Furore” is pronounced “Foo-róh-ray,” so I was basking in Italian pronunciation anyway. The Furore box looks like an Italian countryside--floral and colorful.

I love it when I open a new fountain pen and gasp. I gasped upon seeing the Furore’s purple resin. The purple is dark in some places and sparkles in others with lighter purple flecks. You can arrange the cap so the lighter purple flecks align.

Or you can cap the pen so there are alternate dark and light portions.

Usually I’m OCD about getting pen patterns aligned, but with the Furore, I like having alternating light and dark patterns.

The barrel is engraved with “Leonardo Officina Italiana” and the pen number, mine is No. 327.

The pen is cigar-shaped, though the ends are much narrower than, say, a Montblanc 149. In fact, I might call the Furore “torpedo-shaped.”

The rose-gold trims are lovely and complement the purple perfectly. The clip has a tiny roller on it, making it easy to clip the pen onto a notebook or shirt pocket. Two rings adorn the cap and two more adorn the top and bottom of the barrel.

The pen is a cartridge/converter filler. Like other Leonardo pens, you can fill the converter by removing the blind cap on the bottom of the barrel so that it functions more like a piston.

Or, you can remove the barrel to expose the entire converter. I love Leonardo converters. They are well made and sturdy--far superior to the cheap plastic converters that come with so many other fountain pens.

The 14k rose-gold nib is glorious with the simple Leonardo branding and a generous 1.3mm stub.

The feed offers excellent ink flow, and the stub has nice line variation.

It’s a satisfying, smooth, wet nib.

I honestly can’t tell a difference between the gold stub nib and the steel stub I have on my Leonardo Momento Zero Hawaii. That’s how good the steel nibs are. I suppose the gold nib might have a little more give to it, but, frankly, if you are torn between gold and steel, I think the steel nibs are just as good as the gold.

I purchased my Leonardo Furore from Casa della Stilografica. You can get this pen in various trims--gold, rose gold, and HT (rhodium), and you can choose steel or 14k nibs. A Furore with a steel nib costs €145.90 (= $161.29 at current conversion rates) and the gold nib costs €309.24 (= $341.96 at current conversion rates). I highly recommend Casa della Stilografica. They have all the varieties of Leonardo pens (unlike many American dealers who have more limited options), plus, their customer service is top notch.

My Leonardo Furore in Deep Purple is one of my happy pens. What I mean by that is this is a pen that makes me happy when I look at it and even happier when I use it. It’s a color that delights me, and the stub nib suits my writing style perfectly.

(I purchased the Leonardo Furore in Deep Purple with my own funds.)

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Posted on January 24, 2020 by Susan Pigott and filed under Leonardo, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Positano Resin Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

(Note: First two paragraphs updated with corrected information.)

Leonardo Officina Italiana is a new brand of fountain pen, but it has a grand heritage. The Leonardo is the brainchild of Salvatore Matrone, the son of Ciro Matrone who was one of the founders of Delta Pens. Leonardo pens are hand turned by solid bar in either resin or celluloid. The name “Momento Zero” means “a new beginning.”

I purchased my Leonardo from the Casa della Stilografica shop, which was founded in 1944 by Antonio Sacchetti. Today, Marco Moricci, Antonio’s grandson, along with his father, Vittorio, and mother, Patrizia, run the shop.

When I saw photographs of the new Leonardo Officina Italiana fountain pens, I was impressed. I read a review in which the writer had purchased one of the celluloid models and one of the resin models. The celluloid models come with 14k gold nibs whereas the resin ones have steel nibs. The reviewer said he couldn’t tell the difference between the 14k nib and the steel one—that’s how good the steel nibs are.

The Leonardo Momento Zero comes in a classic black box with the company’s logo on the top. Inside, you’ll find the pen, a pamphlet, and a card certifying that the pen was made in Italy.

Although initially I was tempted to buy one of the Abyss Celluloid pens, I decided to try a resin model first. I chose the Momento Zero Positano turquoise. Positano is a town on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and I assume the color is meant to mimic the beautiful sea coast near the town. Although the color is called “Turquoise,” in person it’s more of a cerulean blue. I matched it with Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku ink and they complement one another perfectly. The resin is absolutely beautiful with swirls of white and blue variations that really do look like ocean water.

The pen honestly doesn’t feel like resin—it has more heft to it since the resin is impressively thick. This is no cheap plastic pen; it exudes quality. It’s a large pen: 5.6 inches/142mm closed, 5.08 inches/129mm uncapped, and 6.7 inches/170mm posted, but it is not as thick in diameter as, say, a Montblanc 149.

Beautiful details set this pen apart. Both the cap finial and the barrel bottom are conically shaped rather than flat.

The clip looks very Omas-like, with a roller ball that aids in slipping the clip onto a pocket or a stack of papers.

The cap is adorned with two thin gold bands. The barrel also sports a gold band where the barrel meets the cap and near the bottom of the barrel. These details make the pen look super classy.

The company’s name is inscribed subtly on the pen’s barrel along with the number of the pen. Mine is number 217.

The pen comes with a custom Leonardo converter that is especially nice. It screws in to the grip unit and is very well made.

The nib is gold-colored steel. I chose a stub nib and had to wait a little longer for it, but it was worth it. The nib is engraved with “Leonardo Officina Italiana” the Leonardo logo (outspread wings), and the nib size.

The stub nib offers really nice line variation and is smooth and trouble free. It writes better than some of my solid gold nibs, although occasionally I’ll hear a little scratchy sound as though there’s an errant piece of metal hitting the paper. I’ve checked the nib thoroughly and can’t find any abnormalities in the nib, so it may just be the angle I’m holding the pen. Regardless, I love how this pen writes.

I am thoroughly in love with my Leonardo Momento Zero pen. It is extremely well made and it feels like it will last forever. You can purchase the resin models in a variety of colors: turquoise, red, blue, brown-gold, red-gold, matte black, blue-gold, deep blue-gold, and brown vintage. The base price if you purchase directly from the Stilografica shop is €121.31 excluding VAT.

Pros

The Leonardo Momento Zero pen is immaculate. The resin is beautiful and the trim makes for a classic look.
I really like the quality of the custom convertor that comes with the pen.
The steel stub nib on this pen is simply fantastic. It offers excellent line variation and smooth writing.
Depending on the exchange rate, €121.31 translates to about $140.00 (plus shipping). I think this is an excellent price for such a well made pen.

Cons

I usually find some factor that detracts from fountain pens I review, but in all honesty, I am completely satisfied with my Leonardo. I highly recommend this company and the pens they make in house.

(I purchased this pen with my own funds and received no compensation from Casa della Stilografica for this review.)

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