Signum Nova

[handlebar]

Well after using my Signum Nova now for over a month,i finally feel qualified to give my impressions.As you can see from the photo,mine is of the Cinnamon Brown flavor.But i will try to start things off by catagory:

 

Appearance/Finish: 4 out of 5

 

I really liked the color from the advertisement.So when i ordered the pen,i wasn't sure how close the actual pen would be.When i opened the box i was pleasantly suprised at how accurate it was.The barrel is almost bullet-like in shape.At the bottom of the pen are three gold bands and likewise on the cap at the top.Also a gold band in the center between the body seperation.The bands really contrasted well with the slivers of gold and lighter brown embedded in the pen itself. The pen is very smooth and luminescent when held at almost any angle.That pearlessence stands out!!And the cap also has the Signum Wheel attached as a seperate piece and not a moulded add-on.A nice addition to the look.Here it is next to the Stipula Etruria.

 

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h93/n7myw/Pens/ss1.jpg

 

 

Weight/Size: 5 out of 5

 

The size of the Nova is 5-3/4" capped and 5" exact uncapped.Posted it is 6-1/4",making it the on of the largest pens in my collection (next to my Conklins).But even at that length,it really feels good in the hand.The pen is a bit heavier than i expected.I'm glad as it really helps with my writing.I like a bit of weight as the very light pens just feel like they might fly away if i don't grip them tight!!The clip is rather basic and doesn't really stand out.It does a good job of holding fast and is attractive.

 

Nib and writing performance: 4 out of 5

 

The nib is made of 18k gold and has the traditional Signum motif in the center.The feed is the usual ribbed variety .As for flexibility,the nib does a very good job in holding fast yet giving way enough to benefit all of the different styles of writer.I was very happy at how smooth it was right off the bat.I used Private Reserve Fiesta Red first.What a delight!!!Flow was great and never once did i experience skipping or dryness.This pen was shipped with a fine nib and it is that!!Yet it was not so fine that i felt any scratchiness. A splendid nib!!

 

 

 

 

Filling system: 4 out of 5

 

The filling system was the usual c/c and came supplied with both cartridges (4) and the converter ,which was of higher quality than the usual low grade types.I was impressed at how solid the converter felt.Another bonus!!!

 

Cost: 5 out of 5

 

Now here i must say that i didn't pay full retail for this pen. I found it for the low bargain of $80!!!I couldn't believe it when i saw it but snapped it up as soon as i could!!! If i found this same price again i would buy five more!!The normal "retail" is between $250 and $340,although that MSRP is rarely seen ($340).

 

Overall: 4 out of 5

 

The only reason i didn't give this pen a 5 is because i'm new at this and have no doubt i will find better pens down the line in my collecting future.But so far,this pen is a delight to write with and i'm so happy with it i could sing!!!Ihope to find other Signums,especially the DE DIVINA PROPORTIONE series. But the price is a bit steeper there so i might have to wait.I love architecture and these pens and their column style clips are a sight to behold.Hopefully i can review one of them someday.

 

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h93/n7myw/Pens/3b_12.jpg

I have included the one photo i have of my pen and i hope it gives a bit of an idea of it's qualities.

 

Thanks for reading!!!

 

Handlebar

Edited March 15, 2007 by handlebar

[handlebar]

Here is one more photograph that gives a different angle. I still have to figure out how the others are able to add more than one photo to their reviews!!!LOL

 

Handlebar

Edited January 20, 2006 by handlebar

[krz]

Very cool. It looks like frozen fire.

[Maja]

Very nice review, Handlebar!

Hey, I would have ordered the Cinnamon one too---lovely colours...I own a green Signum Orione and the colours are so deep and (as you said) luminescent....almost hypnotizing...

 

I don't have a Nova but if it is as good as writer as my Orione (and it sounds like it is), then you will be very happy with your pen for a long time.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photographs. Sorry I can't help you with the photo query; I've just posted one pic at a time here.

 

~Maja

Edited January 20, 2006 by Maja

[handlebar]

Thanks for the kind words Maja!!! Imagine two FP people ,both from Vancouver's and both with Signum pens!!How great!!

 

I hope to own other Signums someday. This hobby will cost me dollars!!!

 

handlebar

[winedoc]

I have the exact same color Nova with fine nib. It is a very good and reliable pen. Signum, in my opinion is one of the under rated Italian pen. I have one Nova, one Python (body based on the Nova), one Orione, one DDP and two Palladio all perform well right out of the box, not a single problem with any of them. They are more reliable than my Omas and Visconti.

 

Kev

[Apollo]

Great review there, Handlebar! You Signum Nova looks beautiful and a fantastic find at $80 considering what they normally sell for. I've recently acquired a Signum Orione and love it. Looks like the Nova is next on my list of must haves.

[emrecan]

Hi Handlebar,

Thanks for the great review!!!It's a very nice looking pen

 

Take Care,

Emrecan

[Larry T]

Nice review, Handlebar. I have a green Orione with a medium 18k nib. It's a great pen, smooth and reliable. I agree with Kevin, Signum is a very underrated pen maker.

 

Larry

[southpaw]

Thanks for the great review! I have a blue Orione and it's great. Would love to have a Nova, but I would need to find a deal like you did (any leads? ).

[handlebar]

Thanks for the great review! I have a blue Orione and it's great. Would love to have a Nova, but I would need to find a deal like you did (any leads? ).

I think the reason i did well with it was because it was a holiday night (Thanksgiving) and the seller,who was on the West Coast, had the auction ending at midnight.That might have helped against the east coast bidders.No matter as i won it on ebay.I have bought a few pens there and done well.

 

Keep checking !! I really want the Signum DDP pens but they are way too expensive for me.Maybe i will find a used one someday.

 

Happy hunting!!

 

Handlebar

[wimg]

Hi Handlebar,

 

Thank you for a great review!

 

Regarding posting more than one picture: if you want to do that you will need an image host, a place on the Internet to put pictures up.

 

What you do next is use the "IMG"-button above the message box, and copy/paste the link (url) into the dialog box that pops up after clicking it. The image gets inserted at the place where the cursor was prior to clicking the button. Just make sure you don´t have the "http://"-bit in there more than once.

 

Inserting an image this way, from a host, you can do up to 25 times in a single message.

 

And don´t forget to do a preview, just to make sure it works ok. You can´t do that with an attached image, but you can with these pics, as they are on the internet already.

 

HTH.

 

Thanks again for sharing!

 

Warm regards, Wim

[Maja]

Thanks for answering my fellow Vancouverite's query re: posting > 1 image, Wim!

[TMann]

Hi Jim,

 

Nice review!

 

In regards to the photos, I use the website www.photobucket.com for my photos. It's free! You sign up for an account. You are then given a certain amount of webspace to upload your photos. Once the photos are uploaded, you can then link to those photos in your FPN posts. You can "place" those photos anywhere in your post, so you can also have the photos interspersed with the text in your messages. It gives you a lot more options than uploading the one photo to the FPN server.

 

Good luck!

 

TMann

[Richard]

I'm a Signum retailer, and I'm also the official Signum warranty service station. So far, the number of Signum pens I've seen for warranty service can be counted on the thumbs of one foot.

 

And Barbara likes her Python, on which I ground a 0.9-mm cursive italic.

[Excoriar]

I've been searching for articles on the Python and I guess this is as close as I'm going to get.

 

I have been looking at a Python with silver barrel and Iridium nib. Is it worth it? I know whether I purchase the pen will come to me, but I can't help but ask: Should I buy it? Thanks.

[alvarez57]

Very nice review plus very nice pen. I love those oranges. You should have given a 10/5 to that price!!!

Enjoy!