What Is Your Favourite Italian Fountain Pen

[Boz]

Toss up between the Stipula Etruria 991 and the Pineider Arco with stub nib.

[Ceelo]

Really enjoying writing with these two Montegrappa Extra's at the moment. The midnight blue celluloid has a juicy medium nib and the turtle brown a fine nib, really the perfect pen for me.

 

[sansenri]

This is all opinion, qualifying this up front and before you read on please know this is just my opinion, please don't flame this post!

 

Musings of things Italian, specifically fountain pens... Well, own a bunch of them, used to buy them believed that the Italians were artisans first and foremost. Well, your mileage may vary...

 

• Aurora, terrible quality control, nibs are awful, toothy/scratchy and skip, never going to buy another!
• Visconti, poor quality control, leaks, have two never buying another!
• Montegrappa, well, nice flex nibs, really expensive, write nice and smooth, tried many, own one, real specialty pen.
• Omas, awesome, great, fantastic writers out of the box but $$$$$ (worth it though) and they are unfortunately out of business..

This is some of my experience with the Italian lines. Overall disappointed except for the Omas products. All in all, buy an Edison from Brian Grey and you will get the most bang for the $$$. They will customize the pen to your specifications and if it ain't right out of the box they will make it so. Can't say the same for any other manufacturer. Again, this is just my subjective experience (opinion).

 

noted your comments on Italian pens, I tend to think you have been somewhat unlucky, and on the other hand it's a know fact, Italians are temperamental...

I own a few Edison, and you're right, they are solidly performing pens, but they don't give me the same thrills as my Aurora, Visconti, Montegrappa, Omas, Stipula, etc.

 

Stipula Suprema Ambra Celluloid

[como]

I feel the same. The pen has to win my heart first. Then I decide if I can live with the rest or find a solution.

 

noted your comments on Italian pens, I tend to think you have been somewhat unlucky, and on the other hand it's a know fact, Italians are temperamental...

I own a few Edison, and you're right, they are solidly performing pens, but they don't give me the same thrills as my Aurora, Visconti, Montegrappa, Omas, Stipula, etc.

[Hawker]

Current census is Stipula 4; Delta 6; Omas 4: Aurora 3; Visconti 21; Leonardo 1; Filcao 1; Montegrappa 1.

 

Favourite brand - Omas

 

Favourite pen - Stipula Novecento 1366

[biancitwo]

My HS returned from Pendleton Brown this morning. What a wonderful nib. The stub was nice, but this CI is superb. What a pen!

My HS Bronze Age remains my favorite. However, I’ve since obtained a Leonardo Officina Italiana. The broad nib is good, but only when writing. It frequently skips from baby’s bottom. The pen’s ergonomics are excellent. When I get this pen back from Pendleton Brown, it will be superb. The baby’s bottom will be corrected, and the broad nib will be a CI. It may even compete with the Visconti HS.

[sansenri]

Current census is Stipula 4; Delta 6; Omas 4: Aurora 3; Visconti 21; Leonardo 1; Filcao 1; Montegrappa 1.

 

Favourite brand - Omas

 

Favourite pen - Stipula Novecento 1366

 

Curious... which is the Novecento 1366? (ebonite version?)

[biancitwo]

My HS Bronze Age remains my favorite. However, I’ve since obtained a Leonardo Officina Italiana. The broad nib is good, but only when writing. It frequently skips from baby’s bottom. The pen’s ergonomics are excellent. When I get this pen back from Pendleton Brown, it will be superb. The baby’s bottom will be corrected, and the broad nib will be a CI. It may even compete with the Visconti HS.

My Leonardo Blue Hawaii with a broad steel Pendleton Brown CI has been in use a week. It definitely competes with the Visconti HS Bronze Age. Two superb Italian pens.

[sansenri]

The Aurora 88 BIG millerighe probably remains my favourite, but among Stipula (and besides the Etruria and Florentia) the Novecento is a really nice pen with a very comfortable shape.

This Aqua is made in cellulose acetate and is probably the most beautiful Novecento ever made, with a few very close contenders in the ebonite series.

[Carrau]

The Aurora 88 BIG millerighe probably remains my favourite, but among Stipula (and besides the Etruria and Florentia) the Novecento is a really nice pen with a very comfortable shape.

This Aqua is made in cellulose acetate and is probably the most beautiful Novecento ever made, with a few very close contenders in the ebonite series.

Lovely pen.