Aurora 88

[georges zaslavsky]

Nice pens you have. I like the van gogh and the 88 very much.

[jimg]

Thank you for this painful but interesting story.

 

I have a few of the original Nizzoli 88s and a new 88 and they are about as different as pens can be. My 1940s 88s are some of my favourite writers.

 

My modern 88 in black and silver is beautiful but perhaps the most temperamental pen I have ever used. Good and steady on rougher paper but "glassy'"and skips on smoother paper. I don't really know what can be done but it would be nice if the modern manufacturers would ensure that the new bearers of classic names demonstrated the same qualities as the original pens.

 

Jim

[PinarelloOnly]

My modern 88 in black and silver is beautiful but perhaps the most temperamental pen I have ever used. Good and steady on rougher paper but "glassy'"and skips on smoother paper. 

Hi jimg,

 

My Talentum <xf> at first had a skip every now and then when I used Rohdia's

vellum papers just like you explained. This very small but periodic skipping went

away the more I used the pen and the nib also smoothed out. If is that

temperamental you should send it in to Aurora.

[Si66]

Hi

 

I have an Aurora 88. It is now one of my favourite daily users, second only to my Danitrio raw ebonite.

 

However, it did not perform well when I first got it so I sent it to John Mottishaw for fettling - it has been superb ever since. It had a factory italic that was scratchy and had poor flow.

 

It is, for me, a perfectly sized and weighted pen, and very nicely finished.

 

[OT: I have been using Noodler's antietam in it; what is the best way to remove the staining from the ink level window?]

[PinarelloOnly]

[OT: I have been using Noodler's antietam in it; what is the best way to remove the staining from the ink level window?]

I would flush as much ink out of the barrel of coarse then suck up a batch of cool water

and let it sit in the pen for a day or more. Aurora also recommends this on their website

for heavy staining. The only time mild detergent is mentioned is only when cleaning the

outside of the pen, never inside the barrel or through the feed.

[PinarelloOnly]

***Writing Sample***

 

 

The first two pens which have cursive italic nibs are just for reference but you can see

on the Rohdia vellum paper I used, that the Fine nib Van Gogh is just a touch thicker in

line weight and not a big difference. The Vanishing Point out of the three <F> nibs is the least smooth.

 

http://fototime.com/%7BB933C21B-8747-4E5F-B763-11572F9EEF47%7D/picture.JPG

 

http://fototime.com/%7B48085835-703D-4253-B006-A9858C2C5326%7D/picture.JPG

[mholve]

My Aurora 88 left a little to be desired out of the box also. It was rather toothy. To make matters worse, I dropped the pen (capped, and it landed on the closed cap - no harm) but from there it was unusable.

 

I Emailed Kenro - absolutely no reply. I'm not happy with them, at all.

 

In the end, I fixed it myself. From the drop, the nib slid down the feed some, away from the section and not centered. I pushed it back in and centered it, flossed the nib, aligned the tines and tried the ol' "penny trick."

 

WOW. Night and day - this pen is amazing. It's so light, holds a ton of ink, is constructed very nicely - and now, thanks to a little TLC, writes fantastically. There's just the slightest hint of feedback (not scratchiness) and lays down a smooth, wet line.

 

In the end, once past the minor hurdles - this pen is definitely a keeper! It's unlike any of my other pens and just feels great.

[airborneintell]

Bought my Aurora last week from fountainpenhospital.com for $275. Let me just say this pen is very nice, however once I put ink in it and wrote with it for a few minutes it started to develop huge drops of ink. Once I put cap on and left it on the desk for 1 hour ink licked from the feed into the cap. I will try to exchange this pen for another one. It is a shame because pen is just so nice if not for blotting.

[airborneintell]

Got my pen replaced. It is working fine. No more blotting.

[cantwell]

I know this thread is a couple of years old now and I was wondering what the general opinion of Aurora are these days? I am interested in the 88 primarily. Are there still concerns over the QC with Aurora? Thanks!

 

Dave . . .

[Classics]

good question!

 

I am thinking about pulling the trigger on a 88.

 

J

[gyrosan]

count me in...

[jonro]

I just bought an 88 with an XF nib. It is, in a word, fantastic. I bought it from Pear Tree Pens, and it worked perfectly out of the box. I had been trying to decide between the Optima and the 88. Although I preferred the flattened looks of the Optima, I choose the 88 because it is a little longer unposted and because I wanted to be able to use this particular pen posted or unposted. Aside from shape and trim, they are identical. I may write my own 88 review after I take a few photos. In the meantime, from my own personal experience, I recommend the 88 very highly.

[Classics]

I just bought an 88 with an XF nib. It is, in a word, fantastic. I bought it from Pear Tree Pens, and it worked perfectly out of the box. I had been trying to decide between the Optima and the 88. Although I preferred the flattened looks of the Optima, I choose the 88 because it is a little longer unposted and because I wanted to be able to use this particular pen posted or unposted. Aside from shape and trim, they are identical. I may write my own 88 review after I take a few photos. In the meantime, from my own personal experience, I recommend the 88 very highly.

 

 

Excellent News!

 

I might have to pull he trigger on an 88 with a Fine nib.

:roflmho:

[skeezicks]

I know this thread is a couple of years old now and I was wondering what the general opinion of Aurora are these days? I am interested in the 88 primarily. Are there still concerns over the QC with Aurora? Thanks!

 

Dave . . .

 

I recently bought an Aurora 88 XF from Richard Binder, and it's rapidly become a daily writer. I needed a dependable pen for corrections on my students' papers, and since I tend towards prolixity, the nib needed to be fine enough to cram all those comments inside of a one inch margin. Happily, the Aurora fills this bill, and it writes like a dream: it's comfortable to hold, fairly light, and it lays down a nice, slender line. I haven't knocked the thing around too much, but it feels very well made; the piston fill system works smoothly, with the kind of tactile feedback which suggests it's built to last. I don't know whether the nib received any special treatment from Richard (although I don't imagine he'd carry the line if they were problematic). but whatever the case, it writes exceptionally smoothly, especially for a nib so fine.

 

 

[cantwell]

That's great to hear. It sounds like people have been pretty happy with the 88 recently. I am planning a trip to New York in the fall so I will have to visit the Fountain Pen Hospital while I am there and have a look at the 88 and decide then. Thanks for the updates!

 

Dave . . .

[langere]

Cantwell, remember that Richard binder does not let any pen out of his hands without making sure it writes perfectly. So - if you check it at FPH, it does not necessarily mean it writes as well as one from Richard's shop.

 

Erick

[cantwell]

Cantwell, remember that Richard binder does not let any pen out of his hands without making sure it writes perfectly. So - if you check it at FPH, it does not necessarily mean it writes as well as one from Richard's shop.

 

Erick

 

Thanks, Erick. I just searched for Richard's site and I will read up more on that as well. The biggest issue I have is that I can't hold these pens without travelling! There is not store close to me that I can check and given I have a trip coming up I want t take advantage of it. I am also looking at the Bexley pens that are promoted on Richard's site now which look interesting. Thanks for pointing that out!

 

Dave

[Pen2009]

What are the major differences between the 88 and the Optima? The 88 (the large one) has the Optima's piston filling system. The both sizes almost the same and their weight is the same.

[trent]

Pen2009,

There isn't much difference in mechanics or nib, just in the shape of the barrel. The 88 is longer, more torpedo-shaped, which I happen to prefer. But they are both terrific pens.