Aurora Talentum

[jonro]

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First Impressions
The box is nice enough, but I didn’t buy the pen for the box. The Talentum, with its black resin body and silver-colored trim makes a good impression. The first thing I did was to run a little soapy water through the converter followed by a fresh water rinse. Whether it was necessary or not, the pen started up perfectly after the feed dried and I filled it with ink.

Appearance (4/5)
The fit and finish on the pen is excellent. The pen is long and cylindrical, but the body tapers off a bit towards the end of the pen. The cap unscrews in a very smooth turn and a half. The end cap has no logo or ornamentation, but the cap band has Aurora and Italy engraved on opposite sides and some nice machining for definition. I would have preferred a little more detail, such as an Aurora logo on the end cap and on the side of the barrel. This may not be their top of the line pen, but it’s far from an inexpensive pen. An Aurora logo at the top of the cap would add a lot to the Talentum’s handsome appearance. Despite the Talentum’s flawless construction, I downgraded it slightly for its handsome but generic looks. At this price point, especially coming from a manufacturer with a long history, I expect more design embellishments on a pen.

Design/Size/Weight (4.5/5)
The pen is more or less the same size and weight as the Pelikan 800 series. I prefer to post my pens, but the Talentum is a little unbalanced towards the rear when posted. This is probably because both metal end caps are both pointed towards the rear when when the pen is posted. However, the pen is long enough to write with posted or unposted. I mentioned that the body of the pen is tapered. This allows the cap to post more securely and prevents the pen from becoming too long and unbalanced when posting. It seems like a good design feature to me. The metal trim is solid and tasteful. The metal clip is sturdy and seems to be made of a flexible metal that performs its function well.

The build quality of the Talentum is excellent. The cap unscrews very smoothly from the body as does the section from the body.

Nib (5/5)
I like this nib! One of the things that attracted me to the Aurora is that they are one of the few fountain pen companies extant that make their own nibs and the nib does not disappoint. My Talentum came with a fine, rhodium-plated 14K nib. It is nice and smooth with enough toothiness to give me excellent control. I was told that the Talentum has an ebonite feed. I assume that is true. The feed keeps up with the pen very nicely and I do see the sheen of ink adsorbed on the surface of the feed. I get the impression that one could keep this pen uncapped longer than most pens and have it continue to write.

Filling System
The Talentum is a C/C filler. There’s not much more to say about that.

Cost and Value
I believe the retail price for this model Talentum is $325.00. I would not call it an outstanding value at that price because it’s not a piston filler and the pen body has few embellishments. If you buy it at a decent discount from the list price, it is a very good value because the excellent fit and finish and the superior quality of the writing experience.

Conclusion (4.5/5)
This is is a real writer’s pen. I could see it becoming one of my primary pens for long stretches of writing. The build quality of the Talentum is excellent. This pen caught me off guard. I had read some positive reviews about it and know that Aurora has an excellent reputation. When I wrote with it for the first time, I was very pleased. This is quite an excellent pen. I think I’ll keep it in rotation for a while.

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[AndyHayes]

Nice review Jonro. I have been attracted to this pen for a long time, but they rarely seem to come up used. Recently one came up in the Marketplace and I got all excited, but when I read the ad it turned out to be an RB. I was still tempted, but had to slap myself.

[JFT]

Thank you for the review, the Talentum is on my wishlist since I tried one (F nib too). How is your nib, stiff or slightly springy? The one I tried had some spring which, combine which the nib feedback, convinced me to get one

[jbn10161]

My Talentum is one of my top two or three favorite writers (at least since my Aurora Optima and MB 146 were stolen). It's a little large for my liking, but it writes so consistently and so well that I am happy to handle the size.

 

I think there are a few reasons that the pen does not come up used more often. It's a relatively new model, less than ten years old. For some reason, perhaps the c/c, it's less popular than the quality of the pen suggests it should be. And it's such a good pen that I'm sure it is rarely traded out.

 

I think that, in the future, the Talentum will be seen as one of the few iconic designs that reflects its time perfectly. Not a bad combination to have that kind of design in a flawless (except for the c/c) pen. Personally, I wish Aurora made a piston-fill version as well, but I've read that they have no plans to do so.

[jonro]

Thank you for the review, the Talentum is on my wishlist since I tried one (F nib too). How is your nib, stiff or slightly springy? The one I tried had some spring which, combine which the nib feedback, convinced me to get one

I consider it a stiff nib, but not a nail. I would like to try the extra fine nib and if it's not too toothy, would probably swap for a finer line.

[Empacherguy]

I can only add my own applause to what's already been said. My Talentum (a medium in red) is absolutely flawless every time I pick it up. I tend to gravitate toward my somewhat smaller pens, but having said that, the Talentum is really, really comfortable for me. Not sure about the feed being ebonite, but I can say that it's always been thoroughly reliable. Only when I'd first bought it did I have any issues - with some Diamine Blue-black that I hated anyway. With Noodlers Walnut, Aurora Black, and just about everything else I've tried, the pen just plain works. Best yet, it exudes an understated style that grabs me, and the "tooth" of the nib sets it apart from every other pen I have. Love it!

[Shelley]

Nice review, the only reason i do not have this pen is the c/c, if it were a piaston it would be mine!

 

The same nib as in the optima and 88, maybe thats why it is so pricey...

[cwnidog]

I'll second your review. I use a yellow Talentum with an XF nib. It's a bit toothy, but not enough to moan about - and in a way, I kind of like the soft scratching noise as I write. I'll go along with the majority and say that I would prefer if it were a piston filler, but it's not and that's life.

 

A good pen, well balanced in my hand (posted) and one of my regulars.

[Pippin60]

Thank You very much jonro, on a separate thread I've been debating between this pen and a bexley 56. I think you made up my mind. I'm thinking of the chrome cap in black, or the red which reminds me of a Ferrari red.

[philm]

Nice review Jon.

 

Phil

[QM2]

This is such a unique and wonderful pen. I am always impressed when a pen company manages to combine very classic and very modern elements in a design. In this case, Aurora created a fresh take on the 1920s flat-top, and I find it just beautiful. I have the Talentum Finesse -- the thinner version of this pen. It was one of my very first "nice" pens, and I am extremely pleased with it still. I would like to get the full size eventually, either in black or celestial blue. The only think that I wish were different about this model, is the filling mechanism. Please, Aurora -- make a piston version!

 

 

[sumgaikid]

This is such a unique and wonderful pen. I am always impressed when a pen company manages to combine very classic and very modern elements in a design. In this case, Aurora created a fresh take on the 1920s flat-top, and I find it just beautiful. I have the Talentum Finesse -- the thinner version of this pen. It was one of my very first "nice" pens, and I am extremely pleased with it still. I would like to get the full size eventually, either in black or celestial blue. The only think that I wish were different about this model, is the filling mechanism. Please, Aurora -- make a piston version!

 

They actually did on their Jubalaeum(LE version of the Talentum)--I have an Aurora catalog for the year 2000 and the

Jubalaeum in the catalog shows a small ink window. Also too,the new Talentum,as I understand,is supposed to have a

piston-filler instead of a C/C.

 

John

 

[PenFisher]

Thanks for this great review .... I just had the good fortune to find one of these on the secondary market and am expecting its arrival any day now. It is exactly as the the pen you have reviewed here ... right down to the fine nib. I previously had a Talentum Finesse in black/chrome with a fine nib. It was a superb writer and was just a bit small for my taste ... I'm looking forward to trying the larger version. Thanks again for a very insightful review.

Edited May 12, 2009 by PenFisher

[Doug Add]

Thanks for this great review .... I just had the good fortune to find one of these on the secondary market and am expecting its arrival any day now.

Does this satisfy the black/chrome Optima desire, or are you merely warming up to it?

[jjb_13]

Wonderful pens (c/c notwithstanding) I have 4: Celestial blue/chrome, Black/gold, Red/chrome and most recently Yellow/chrome with a metal cap. Intereastingly, the metal cap is significantly heavier than the resin one. If you like to post your pens this might be a consideration for you as it shifts the balance of the pen away from the nib somewhat more noticeably.