I always get excited when the postman knocks at my door. Today I had extra reason to do so: he was bearing a box laden with some very special Italian pens from a dear friend. Chief among them was my grey Scribo, returned from its sojourn to Scotland. But it was not alone. Yep, that's … Continue reading Mail call: the Italian Job
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Back in black: the Aurora Talentum Black Ops
My curiosity about the Talentum Black Ops was piqued when the first round of reviews hit the internet a while back. But at that point I was an Aurora virgin and not quite ready to dip my toe in the water. Fast-forward to last month and I'd invested in one of the Limited Edition Optimas … Continue reading Back in black: the Aurora Talentum Black Ops
A portrait of the Visconti Van Gogh
Almost without planning it, I've ended up with five Viscontis — more than any other brand in my collection. And two of those five are the "Van Gogh" model, Visconti's relatively inexpensive steel-nibbed model (alongside the Rembrandt and the new Mirage, I guess). The Van Gogh isn't perfect — in fact, it has some of … Continue reading A portrait of the Visconti Van Gogh
The great puzzle of the Pineider La Grande Bellezza
The Pineider La Grande Bellezza is a confusing pen, with some head-scratching design decisions marring what could have been a great addition to the pantheon of Italian fountain pens. Let me rattle through the basics first. This is a cartridge/converter pen, of pretty good size, with a 14k nib and a metal section. It comes … Continue reading The great puzzle of the Pineider La Grande Bellezza
Montegrappa’s Extra ‘The Sea’ makes a big splash
Let's get the name out of the way first: the pen I'm reviewing here is the Montegrappa Extra 1930 Colori del Mare 'The Sea', a limited edition of 27 pens produced for Chatterley Luxuries (there are six other colours too, each in an edition of 15 pens). I'm going to call it the 'Extra' from … Continue reading Montegrappa’s Extra ‘The Sea’ makes a big splash
The Leonardo Momento Zero is simply fabulous
I've teased this in the last couple of posts, so I'll come right out and say it: the Leonardo Momento Zero has blown me away. In this review I'll explain why. First impressions? Beautiful pen. It's testament to Leonardo's designers that I agonised for a long time over which colour to pick: turquoise, dark red, … Continue reading The Leonardo Momento Zero is simply fabulous
The London Fog has taught me that it’s OK to meet your heroes
They say never to meet your heroes — they never live up to your expectations. Well, the Visconti London Fog limited edition has been one of my pen heroes since it was released a couple of years ago. The swirly grey and blue just did it for me in a way that the red Chiantishire, … Continue reading The London Fog has taught me that it’s OK to meet your heroes
Why I couldn’t resist the Visconti Homo Sapiens
I was always going to fail. I admit it. I was doomed. It's like that song you can't get out of your head: once it's in there, it's in there, and you find yourself humming it without realising it. It was like that for me with the Visconti Homo Sapiens. Over the past year or … Continue reading Why I couldn’t resist the Visconti Homo Sapiens
