My New Aurora Pen

[leomitch]

The gods smiled on me once more and I won another Aurora pen in an e bay auction...that makes four won.

This is a brand new black Optima Resin,Model 977 fountain pen. I have another Model 977 in Red but it is also an older model as you can see from the design on the cap ring.Here is a picture of the two.

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8365685900_5bddcdd046_c.jpg

 

Both are beauties and they write every bit as well as the Aurora Optima Auroloides. Here are all five Auroras in my collection.

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8362/8365685346_6d77c837a2_c.jpg

So now I have only one more Aurora to add to my collection, The Burgundy Optima Auroloide. Once I have it, the fever should have passed and I can save my shekels until the mania strikes again!

 

All the best

Leo

[Ken W]

Congratulations on the new acquisitions. The Optima is my favorite pen. I have five and one of them is always inked and ready to go.

[leomitch]

Congratulations on the new acquisitions. The Optima is my favorite pen. I have five and one of them is always inked and ready to go.

 

Hi Ken

Aren't they great pens! I keep all my Aurora pens inked too and I use them in rotation. Since I am retired I write a lot, so most days they each are well used. Occasionally I will switch over to one of my Delta pens.

Good to hear from you mate!

 

Best regards

Leo

[sumgaikid]

Your set's not complete until you get an Aurora Sole' in yellow--or

for that matter--the Mare(blue) or Primavera(green).

 

 

John

[torstar]

"Irony is not lost on INFJ's--in fact,they revel in it."

 

 

We INTP's use irony like oxygen...

[Mr Ink]

Your set's not complete until you get an Aurora Sole' in yellow--or

for that matter--the Mare(blue) or Primavera(green).

 

 

 

.....or the Black Pearl, which was launched in 2012.

[eric47]

Your set's not complete until you get an Aurora Sole' in yellow--or

for that matter--the Mare(blue) or Primavera(green).

 

.....or the Black Pearl, which was launched in 2012.

 

Whoa, guys give the man the break, he's just starting.

 

I'd add the Auroloide 75th red and the bordeaux, which are two of my favorites along with the Sole. I have yet to see the Black Pearl in real life.

 

While I own a Primavera it's quite in your face green, which might not be to everyone's liking -- I held off buying one for years precisely because it's not my favorite shade of green. I prefer the early emeralds like Leo's, with it's rich dark green and blues.

[da vinci]

Looks like a nice group of pens to me. I would like try one if these pens.

 

What sort of nibs do you have in them Leo?

[leomitch]

Your set's not complete until you get an Aurora Sole' in yellow--or

for that matter--the Mare(blue) or Primavera(green).

 

.....or the Black Pearl, which was launched in 2012.

 

Whoa, guys give the man the break, he's just starting.

 

I'd add the Auroloide 75th red and the bordeaux, which are two of my favorites along with the Sole. I have yet to see the Black Pearl in real life.

 

While I own a Primavera it's quite in your face green, which might not be to everyone's liking -- I held off buying one for years precisely because it's not my favorite shade of green. I prefer the early emeralds like Leo's, with it's rich dark green and blues.

 

Hi Eric

Thanks for jumping in to save me from these teasers...a little longer and I might have given in!LOL!

I have decided to try and limit myself to just one more Aurora pen, but I may fail! I never was very good at beating off temptation!

Good to hear from you mate!

 

Best regards

Leo

[leomitch]

Looks like a nice group of pens to me. I would like try one if these pens.

 

What sort of nibs do you have in them Leo?

 

Thank you sir! They are a lovely group aren't they. They all have Medium nibs of 14K gold except for the Limited Edition Afrika which has an 18K gold M nib(having said that, this is more like a fine nib judging from the way it writes; it is certainly not an M).

They are all great writers.

Thanks for dropping by for a chat da vinci

 

All the best

Leo

[kauloltran]

^^^ Aurora in-house nibs have no consistency, which is why I prefer them to outsource their nibs to Bock to save cost. I have a broad 18k nib that writes like a fine, and another broad that writes like a medium. If someone asks me what Aurora nib size to buy, I will tell them to get a broad, because it writes like a fine anyway, without the toothy feeling. I do appreciate the generous tipping on Aurora broad nibs, which will take a long time to wear down, as opposed to the smaller tipping on the Bock nibs.

Edited January 11, 2013 by kauloltran

[eric47]

^^^ Aurora in-house nibs have no consistency, which is why I prefer them to outsource their nibs to Bock to save cost.

I find just the opposite. But my preference is for EF and F nibs, which I find pretty consistent. Auroras EF and F are thinner than just about any Bock EF I've tried. That's why I think it would be a utter disaster (as it was with Omas) to outsource to Bock; Omas inhouse EF and F are thinner than the Bock nibs that replaced them. Aurora's been doing their own nibs for ages, so it's not obvious to me that their outsourcing would save cost.

 

Moreover, current Bock nibs have massive blobs of tipping material under, around and on top of the nib. With so much material, their nibs "feel dead". I don't have any idea/feeling of what the nib is doing on the paper. Whereas, Aurora is still tipping the same way they did in the 80s, I have more idea what their nibs are doing even be it with a bit of feedback or smooth. BTW, I find the same tipping issues with Omas Bock v. Omas inhouse nibs, and for that matter current Bock v. Bock (10+ years ago).

 

Again, my preference is for EF and F nibs. I have a few M, which are also stable. I don't use Bs at all, although I recently acquired a pen with one -- that will be swapped out soon I have an extra F. So I can't really confirm or deny your experiences with Aurora Bs.

Edited January 11, 2013 by eric47

[youstruckgold]

I have a few older Aurora's (88s) but not an enormous fan -but I have an LE Europa which is more akin with yours - and I love it! The nib is wonderful to write with - I enjoy a little feedback.

 

I had an Optima in green but found it a bit too garish for my taste and sold it on. Still on my list would be the 75th and the silver (which, I think, is the 80th).

[eric47]

I had an Optima in green but found it a bit too garish for my taste and sold it on.

Was it a more recent green or an older production? Aurora has changed the mix of the green and blue of years, even after finding a stable formula. The 2d version greens have rich dark green and blue, over time it turned neon green. The blue also dark rich blue, over time it's lightened and the light parts aren't really blue anymore -- they're violet.

[leomitch]

I had an Optima in green but found it a bit too garish for my taste and sold it on.

Was it a more recent green or an older production? Aurora has changed the mix of the green and blue of years, even after finding a stable formula. The 2d version greens have rich dark green and blue, over time it turned neon green. The blue also dark rich blue, over time it's lightened and the light parts aren't really blue anymore -- they're violet.

 

It is always informative and interesting to learn from experts who know a product line intimately. Good stuff guys! I am learning much from your cogent commentaries.

 

Cheers

Leo

[kauloltran]

Does anyone else realize that Aurora uses a higher gold grade to plate their LE pens, versus the regular editions. The cap band and clip on my Mare are much more yellow and shiny, hence nicer looking, than my blue marbled version. The gold furniture on the regular edition pens are darker compared to the LE ones. I suspect that the LE pens are plated with 24k gold, while the regular pens are plated with 18k or 14k. Looking at these pictures confirm my suspicion. I think it's very unfair, perhaps deceitful?, for them to do this, especially since these Optimas carry such high price tags. Maybe I'm being picky, but I do find it annoying to look at one Optima being darker than the other when they're side by side. My only 2 auroloide Auroras out of 3 pens.

If you're limiting yourself to only one more Aurora, I think you should go for the new style Mare or the Primavera. They are prettier than the marbled pens in my opinion, aside from the gold being shinier.

Edited January 11, 2013 by kauloltran

[leomitch]

^^^ Aurora in-house nibs have no consistency, which is why I prefer them to outsource their nibs to Bock to save cost. I have a broad 18k nib that writes like a fine, and another broad that writes like a medium. If someone asks me what Aurora nib size to buy, I will tell them to get a broad, because it writes like a fine anyway, without the toothy feeling. I do appreciate the generous tipping on Aurora broad nibs, which will take a long time to wear down, as opposed to the smaller tipping on the Bock nibs.

 

Hi there mate!

Thank you for your observations. I had noticed that, but I put it down to one set of furnishings having been polished more than another. I would love to know if your conjecture is true. Maybe some of the other knowledgeable members know whether this is true or not. If it is true it would seem to me to be unfair on the part of Aurora.

I kind of like the Auroloides more...just my two cents worth!

 

Cheers

Leo

Edited January 11, 2013 by leomitch

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

As far as I can tell, the trim on the different Aurora pens seem to be equally durable. I would worry if my plating was 24K though. Often those are not very durable at all since those are gold wash. The lower karatages are available in a wide range of colors, so that may be what causes the color difference.

 

Dillon

[leomitch]

Hi,

 

As far as I can tell, the trim on the different Aurora pens seem to be equally durable. I would worry if my plating was 24K though. Often those are not very durable at all since those are gold wash. The lower karatages are available in a wide range of colors, so that may be what causes the color difference.

 

Dillon

 

Hey Dillon

Thanks for the benefit of your knowledge...much appreciated mate!!

 

Cheers

Leo

[larsbj]

Nice, congratulations!

I have a similar blue, F nibbed, in the mail after an ebay win last nigh.

 

Enjoy you new pen!