How many italian fountain pens do you own?

[FrankB]

I guess it was about 15-years ago that I started discovering Italian pens. I have several Viscontis, but none that are recent. I have Auroras, including a couple of LE's. And I have a couple Deltas, mostly LE's. And I joined the ranks of happy Filcao users. All of them write excellently and I enjoy them.

 

I have taken a liking to Stipulas, and right now I am riding the crest of an O/S Etruria mania. The Etruria is a pen about the size of a Duofold Centennial or a Pel M-800, all of which are my prefered sizes. But the Etruria has a completely unique oval shape that is as aesthetic as it is comfortable. The nibs are great and write like a dream. I want some MORE!

[Richard F]

Yikes! 25, more than half of my collection:

 

10 Omas

5 Visconti

3 Tibaldi

2 Aurora

1 Nettuno

1 Stipula

1 Delta

1 Filcao

1 Montegrappa

 

:blink:

[Phthalo]

Richard F: How appalling of you to tantalize the Italian pen crowd with tales of 25 beauties and not a single picture!

 

Please rectify this matter.

[gregamckinney]

Not many Italian pens in my collection. I tend to favor the US makers- Waterman, Wahl, Parker, Sheaffer, Esterbrook. However I have a dozen or so- more modern than vintage. Of these, I use four or five with some regularity. Here are a few- Ancora, (probably) another Ancora, Italissima, and Omas. The "probably Ancora" is unmarked and has a replacement nib. However, the pressure bar was marked Ancora.

http://gergyor.com/images/italian_pens.jpg

Best regards, greg

[jjb_13]

Whoa! Twelve and counting:

Aurora 88, 88K, 88P(2), Talentum(2), Optima Red, Mare, Afrika

Ancora Perla

Omas Ogiva (2)

[bernardo]

I don't own any Italian pens. As a matter of fact, I discovered their existence till I got here. I only own German and US-American pens.

[georges zaslavsky]

I don't own an italian pen for the moment. If I have to buy one (Montegrappa and Aurora are my favorite italian pen brands) I must be sure it is as reliable as any Montblanc, Pelikan or Parker over the very long run. I don't buy pens for aesthetics but for the quality of their nib and their over the long run reliability.

Edited January 1, 2007 by georges zaslavsky

[fjf]

I only have an omas paragon and I like it a lot:

 

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c112/fj1121/omas1.jpg

 

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c112/fj1121/omas2.jpg

 

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c112/fj1121/omas3.jpg

[rroossinck]

Had an Optima...sold it.

 

Wish I hadn't.

 

Hope to find a nice Talentum one day.

[georges zaslavsky]

That nib on the Omas reminds me somewhat an early duofold parker nib from the 30's-40's but very nice pen otherwise.

[goodguy]

I have only 1

 

Thats my Omas Paragon.I use it for my everyday writing.

 

I am planing to buy a Delta Dolcevita oversize in the future once I will have enough money to buy it.

Edited January 8, 2007 by goodguy

[shahrincamille]

I only have two :

 

1. Marlen Vienna with 18K F nib - super-smooth wet writer, nice to hold ONLY with the sterling silver cap posted. Without the cap posted it's difficult to use as this button-filler has a very short barrel.

 

2. Stipula Giardino di Boboli LE with 14K F nib - managed to get # 01/39 :)9 . But this pen's ink flow is temperamental and the nib toothy . In fact sending it back next week to Stipula for repairs.

[Doug Add]

Currently, only one: an emerald auroloid Aurora Optima that my wife and son gave me for Father's Day in 1998. It will be dire circumstances indeed that force me to part with this pen.

 

Like fishermen I practice catch and release. Over the years I have owned the following Italian pens and have passed them on to others via sale or trade:

 

4 other Auroras (88, 3 Optimas)

2 Marlens (Marc Chagall, Ulysses)

2 Viscontis (both Kaleidos)

1 Columbus Academia

1 Delta Nautilus

1 Italianissima

1 Omas Roma

1 Stipula Etruria

 

Maybe a few others, but these are the ones I know for sure are Italian.

Edited January 9, 2007 by Doug Add

[southpaw]

At the moment, just one: an Omas Ogiva MoMA.

 

I've had, but sold due to various reasons, quite a few Italian pens:

Aurora Ipsilon

Aurora Optima

Visconti Van Gogh in musk (older style with cam system cap)

Visconti Van Gogh in ocean blue

Omas 360 in Blue Black

Omas Paragon (large size) in black

Omas Paragon (large size) in Venice Blue

Stipula Duetto

Stipula Etruria in amber celluloid (older style, true piston filler with wonderful 0.9mm nib)

[sexauerw]

I have just two: an Aurora Ipsilon in Red and a Parafernalia Revolution.

[JRodriguez]

I've got nine. One Stipula - a crescent filler Novecento; Three from Visconti - an Opera Master, a Wall Street LE, and a Millennium Arc; three from Omas - a Paragon, an Ogiva, and a little old green piston filler; and two from Aurora - an 88 Piston Filler and a Aureloid Optima. And now that I think about it, these Italian companies are among my very favorite. And I'll be in Italy from Feb 9-19, so I'm considering trying to get a factory tour if they're offered.

Edited January 25, 2007 by JRodriguez

[wspohn]

Like fishermen I practice catch and release.

Good analogy.

 

Now if I was just equally adept at both of those.....

 

I think my 'release' needs some work!

[MYU]

A little off topic, but of the Italian pens what nibs do most people seem to prefer?

 

Has anyone tended to find a particular brand happens to do best with certain nib sizes? For example, does Aurora generally make their best nibs in medium and broad sizes?

[rbbrock]

At the moment I have one, a Visconti Van Gogh fine. However, that pen is so beautiful, and such a great writer, that I am planning on expanding my horizons and am thinking of buying some flavor of an Omas and/or a Stipula.

[handlebar]

I have 8 Italian pens.Here is a photo of five of them consisting of three Visconti,one Stipula and one Signum.My others not pictured are three Omas pens.

 

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h93/n7myw/Pens/S61small.jpg

 

JD