Review: Aurora 88P

[grimakis]

Aurora 88P

 

Introduction

 

The Aurora 88 was seen as a contender to the Parker 51 in Italy. The 88 has seen several revisions, one of them being the 88P. The pen has an overall wonderful appearance, which I believe is superior to the 51.

 

Nib

 

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/grimakis/Aurora%2088/IMG_1178.jpg

 

The Aurora 88P has a hooded, or at least "semi"-hooded nib. The "51" had it's hood for a technical reason, while I believe the Aurora has it merely for aesthetic purposes. The nib is 14k gold, and has a wonderful appearance. The pen writes very well, and I would consider it for a spot in my daily user pen case. The nib seems to be tubular, as it visibly folds around a feed that is reminiscent of the Parker "51". The feed provides adequate flow to the nib and I have not experienced any hard starting or skipping.

 

Is this design superior to the "51"s...? NO, Does it have any drawbacks? NO.

 

5/5

 

Body

 

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/grimakis/Aurora%2088/IMG_1183.jpg

 

Absolutely wonderful! It is the perfect size, weight and shape. It fits in my hand just like a good pen should. It has a two little silver rings, one that acts as a clutch ring(although it only provides the correct friction against the cap to keep it from falling off, there is no "clutch" per say.), and the other that separates the piston knob from the barrel. The pen posts securely, and the 18k gold-plated(or filled... I cant read Italian.) cap makes the pen seem a bit more classy.

 

5/5

 

Filling Mechanism

 

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/grimakis/Aurora%2088/IMG_1194.jpg

 

The 88P is a piston filling pen with a large ink capacity. I favor the piston filling mechanism over that of the "51"s Vacumatic filler simply because of its reliability and convenience. To my knowledge, the piston is not made from cork or rubber, but instead leather. It operates very smoothly, and fills to its full capacity. Behind the section there is a transparent ink window, which is clearer than the windows on my house. Piston filling pens, in my opinion, are the best compromise between convenience and capacity.

 

5/5

 

 

I find it very hard to give pens anything less than a perfect score, only because each individual pen has its own pros and cons. I can think of a few awful pens right off of the top of my head, but this is not one of them. It is a great pen that deserves a great score. This is a pen that will stay with me for a long time and see a significant amount of use.

 

[Russ]

Thanks for the review! Vintage 88's have been on my wish list, and your review keeps my interest alive. So many pens, so little time!

 

 

 

 

[JRodriguez]

Great pen, and great review. The semi-hooded section of pens like this Aurora, and the Lamy 2000, are functional as well - because almost all of the feed is unexposed, the time it takes for the pen to dry when uncapped is longer.

[PenFisher]

Thanks for a very insightful review. As a matter of fact, this review along with the other vintage 88 reviews prompted me to search out and purchase an 88P a few months ago. As soon as the pen came in and I took a close look .... I knew that it was a keeper. I have now purchased three of these pens...currently waiting for #3 to arrive from Italy.

 

The piston filler is superb and the design is very straight forward...making the pen easy to service. And yes, a very generous ink capacity and large viewing window just make it even better. These are really great pens that make fabulous daily writers. Thanks again for your splendid review.

[oracle202]

Very nice pen!

[RevAaron]

Very nice pen!

 

One of my favorites!

[RedRob]

I have yet to come across a pen with tolerances between cap and barrel as low as on Auroras (particularly the vintage 88). It is to me a proof of the technical capabilities of this italian brand. Pelikans are clunky by comparison.

 

PS You may use modern Omas BP refills in the vintage 88 BP, but you will need to trim the blue plastic end a little.