(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
Up until the last couple of weeks, I haven't had the pleasure of using a Leonardo fountain pen. I've heard about them and seen plenty of photos of these Italian beauties, and I've wanted to try one out to see what all the fuss is about. Based in Italy, the Leonardo brand uses unique and colorful materials to create modern fountain pens that perform beautifully at a reasonable cost. Unlike a lot of premium luxury brands, Leonardo pens don't compare in price with things like rent or a mortgage payment.
The Messenger fountain pen is a limited edition that celebrates the leap year. Since there are 366 days in a leap year, there are also a limited number of each Messenger color option (366 of each). The number of each pen copy is stamped into the lower exterior cap opposite the clip side. It's a nice touch for a really fun and pretty material design. Even if 2020 is easily the worst year in modern history, these bright pens can (hopefully) bring joy to your day.
The Messenger is what I call a "standard" size, which is similar to a TWSBI 580 or Lamy Safari in length and diameter. The silver accents go nicely with the cool and refreshing teal material. This particular color is called Aqua or Water, and it has veins of lighter colored material rippling through the translucent teal body and cap that really make this pen a joy to behold. The grip section features the same material, which allows you to see the metal assembly that holds the nib and feed collar in place. The grip is a nice shape and fits well in the hand.
The cap secures to the pen with a quick twist. Capping and uncapping the pen takes about 1.5 rotations to fully remove or secure the cap. It's a quick motion but also feels very secure when you've tightend the cap down. There's also a good "closed" feeling when screwing down the cap so that you know it's set. Some caps feel a little mushy or vague when capping, which can cause you to over-tighten the cap, increasing the likelihood of the cap developing tiny fractures, cracks, or even splitting over time. The cap also posts on the back of the pen body, but I found that the combined length is too much for normal writing.
The pen comes in a case that also includes a cartridge converter. I'm always very thankful when a pen manufacturer includes a converter because they understand the wide, wide world of ink choices, and it also means I don't have to go digging through a drawer to find the right size and fit of converter laying around.
The Jowo nib is a fairly large stainless steel nib, but the size of the nib fits the size of the body perfectly. It's a stiff nib but still has a pleasant feel when writing; it doesn't feel like you're writing with a needle. The grip section is also quite comfortable. Even though the section is smooth, it has a nice tapered shape and a butt at the of the grip to keep your fingers from slipping off onto the nib and feed. I've been really comfortable when writing with this pen.
The writing performance of the Messenger is also quite nice. It's a smooth writer and has zero issues starting after being unused for a while. I even left the pen uncapped for a while when I had to step away unexpectedly during the photoshoot. After 20 minutes, I came back and tried using the pen again — to my shock and surprise, it started writing with zero hiccups or dryness!
The fine nib in my copy is a great representation of the European fine nib size. The nib is smooth and creates a reliable and consistent line. I've had zero complaints with this nib out of the box, and it always makes me happy when a nib performs as expected without the need for any tuning or adjustments.
At $164, the Messenger isn't an impulse buy, but it's also really fairly priced given the quality and beautiful, unique materials that are used in the pen. Sure, you can find some fountain pens in this price range that feature a great gold nib, but the body will be quite boring in comparison to this one. I've really enjoyed having this Water variant on my desk to add a bit of cheer to the day.
If the Water / Aqua color isn't for you, you can also choose from Green, Orange, Red, and Caramel.
(The Pen Addict ordered this pen from site sponsor Pen Chalet using the 10% off podcast code.)
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