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Not sure if I should be posting these in multiple places, as this also falls under the Impulsive 'Purchases thread, the CRVs, and the Big Pens thread. Plus the ink colors. If anyone wants me to add to those, I will. I blame this purchase on @amberleadavis! The only thing I don't like is that the feed has an odd smell; I hope it goes away. It's clearly the feed and not the body. pic 1 pic 2 pic 3

New Osprey Pens black chased Ebonite fountain pen Milano

A "C"-heavy CRV started by @amberleadavis, who has convinced me therein that I need to play with an Osprey Madison. Also goodies inside that I received from @The Mustard @OCArtand @Sailor Kenshin. She used her Madison with Birmingham mix & Royal Bono. I used Frosted Orchid, Manyou Kikyou, Homage to Hadrian (or another brown MB) and Chesterfield Antique Shamrock. CRV1 CRV2 CRV3 CRV4

Osprey Pens - Milano Ojemoka Japanese Ebonite (F) fountain pen, a long term BIFL investment for generations to come Take home: Hidden gem of extreme value in a classically designed Japanese ebonite pen with a mission toward the future: Appearance & Design (10) - This is a classic flat top subtly tapering cylindrical design much like a vintage Parker Duofold. It sports a rolling ball clip, secured threaded post, small grip section with unobtrusive threads after a small step down from the barrel. … Construction & Quality (9.5) - Construction is excellent with an extreme polish of the rippled coffee moka brown/black Japanese (Nikko) ebonite hallmarking the centerpiece of tactile appeal. Color is almost like a darker Eboya Tanshin (red). Tolerances are high without wiggle when cap or post threaded. There is a minuscule < 0.25 mm step between the finial and main body cap at their join. If I tap hard on the bottom barrel I can hear the converter tick, tick against the inner barrel. … Weight & Dimensions (10) - 24 g with < 1/3 partially filled converter. It really sized like a Duofold lookalike or like a modern version of my Waterman 55. It takes a lot to rank in this crowd: (top) Parker Duofold Centennial, Aurora 88, Sailor KOP, Osprey Pens Milano, Sailor 1911L, Waterman's 55 from Dr. Robert Tefft estate, Pelikan M605, Pilot 743 (bottom) … Nib & Performance (9) - Plain steel appearance hides great smooth performance with a hint of feedback with a well controlled flow using Waterman's Mysterious Blue. Nibs are interchangeable, #6! If Osprey Pens has a nibmeister, they are doing a terrific job! I did get to try the notched semi-flex on another of their pens and it had no line variation whatsoever but was a softer than nail writer. My pen stands on its own with the default nib as a daily writer. Absolutely no complaints. I have a Waterman's 52 wet noodle so maybe I am biased, but pen companies have no business even marketing flex but I understand they have to pray to the flex religion. Minus 1 point for dry out of the feed but resolved when I fed the feed by turning the converter … Filling System & Maintenance (9) - Dead on standard cartridge/converter and easy to flush. The original pen came with a medium nib and the CEO swapped it to a fine on the spot without adjustment. The Milano can be converted to an eyedropper fill with silicone grease as there is no metal threads, just ebonite to ebonite. … Cost & Value (10) - MSRP $70 USD?! Paid $61 from 20% pen faire discount!!! I had my eye on an Eboya and now see more Osprey Pens in my future. … Conclusion (Final score: 9.58) - This average score should be multiplied by 100s for the sheer mission of Osprey Pens: to give back and empower the next generation of fountain pen lovers with affordable tools. Everyone should support this mission. Here's the little background story: The local art store had its long running "Pen Faire" and we made our 2nd pilgrimage to see what they had in store. There were crowded gatherings around Lamy, Sailor, Visconti and Yafa's stable of brands which left a gap in the circle of tables for a new brand I did not know. We squirrelled over to the new unknown brand. On the table were a nice conservative set of flat top Duofold lookalikes in nostaglic tortoise shell, green and black acrylics. A black chase faux rubber one caught my eye (turns out it was real). They also had the faux flex nibs with the cut outs de rigeur in fashion. What also caught my attention were the well-dressed reps who looked out of place from the more casual pen folk. "What have you got here? I never heard of Osprey?", I asked the young gentleman dressed in a suit. Next to him was a somewhat older rep whose was silence I mistook as the junior rep boss. Why am I telling you all this and not about the pen? Because for the next 5 minutes, the young rep proceeded to introduce his brand, Osprey Pens in an unlikely fashion. He talked about how they were contributing to schools to promote pen use in kids lives. He explained they had to get around core curricula entrenchment by offering an elective program based on their pens and nib holders with zebra-G nibs (comic steel nibs) to make it fun (comic drawing) for the kids and not something they are compelled to do. He kept on it and in between I'd look at the "boss" to see if he would intervene or note praise in the younger's presentation. Nope, the fella went on about the mission to empower a new generation to see our love of fountain pens amidst the digital competition of tablet and iPads and other attention suckers. Osprey pens is on a mission to give back and inspire kinda like Tom's shoes or Patagonia, businesses that care enough beyond profit to value corporate responsibility. The value proposition was customer driven purchases help their community program of fountain pen promotion through Osprey Pen donations. I still didn't get to learn more about the pens and he didn't "sell" me on them but rather the big idea was this giving back to the next generation. We could really feel the passion of his conviction and to my mind he passed the brand's spiel "demo" though I did not get a word edgewise about any sales appeal about the pens. What duh?! Tell me more about the faux BCHR, damnit! The pens were gorgeous, classic and conservative much like my top best pens I narrowed down: current I finally did get to confirm the #6 nibs, cartridge/converter basics from the older rep and another helper who I thought was from the art store. Turns out she was their inhouse calligrapher! In the end, all the details finally got fleshed out: They are a local company They give back to the community and promote fountain pen love Their product is solid, classic and incredibly affordable. Osprey Pens is a big win. After my wife and I stood there receiving the speech, I'd had hoped we start a small gathering and eventually folks paid attention. But I was a little exhausted so before I committed I wanted to make the rounds especially to check out the new Sailor lighthouse. Nothing was compelling to buy except that feel-good-rationalize-helping-pen purchase with Osprey. They didn't need it as the pen sells itself, but the young man really made an impression on us. When I came back to purchase the black chased hard rubber much like a modern version of my Waterman's 12 POC then they pulled the rug over my eyes and showed off their other Japanese ebonites, which the other rep said were the best sellers. It was between a black top, ripple body or all ripple. Ultimately I got the all ripple Eboya replacement. Most surprising of all was when I asked for a card. Turns out the young junior rep was the CEO/Founder, Abhi Rao! Both embarrassed and impressed, I asked for his autograph on the pen box to mark the memory, but instead he offered to write me a letter if I gave out my address. My Milano is a special pen, but more so, Osprey pens giving back is what will ultimately serve the hobby in the long run. Think about it. For the hobby to grow, it needs to spark new joy in others. Osprey Pens is on a mission and I'm grateful to support them. The gorgeous pen is just the icing on the cake. P.S. Turns out they've been doing this for a while and there's a bunch of solid review videos on their pens. I have no affiliation with Osprey Pens just a satisfied customer; I think they need more exposure/marketing, though.