Review: Omas Milord M Cruise Caramel C.e.

[terminal]

2003 Omas Milord Cruise Caramel (Medium Gold nib)

(12 Facets fountain pen from the Arte Italiana Art Deco Cruise Collection - Certified Edition)

 

First off, I find the Omas Milord line confusing. I don't really know what a "certified edition" means, nor do I know what makes the Milord name distinct from "Art Deco" and "Cruise" and "Arte Italiana".

 

However, that won't stop me from writing this review! Near as I can tell, Omas has been making a collection called Arte Italiana since 1930, and what makes these pens distinct from other Omas is that the clip is curved and the body 12-faced. I believe the differences between the many many pens in the line come down to materials mainly. As I write this, there are a variety of Arte Italiana Art Deco available. These newer ones seem to mostly come with titanium nibs except for the limited editions. FP Geeks wrote a review of the current titanium model recently, but it's the ti nib. Here are some links on FPN for the current model too:

 

• whichwatch -- oh-my-oh-my-omas
  
• bartl -- art-deco
  
• novelli -- omas the arte italiana art deco limited edition
  
• la stilografica milano -- omas arte italiana noir
  

 

The difference between the *current* LE and CE is simply the number; 931 vs 1,931 made. I'm going on the assumption that this was true in 2003 as well.... or that the distinction was similar.

 

To find pens more similar to the one I'm attempting to get around to reviewing here.... one has to look to the rest of the Milords. I think the most comparable are these reviews:

 

• omas arte italiana celluloid milord in wild pattern by jandrese
  
• omas arco milord by Doug C
  
• Yet another Omas Arco brown-Milord by handlebar
  

 

I'm bothering to write this review, however, because the CRUISE line specifically is much maligned because of the fact it is cotton resin, converter style fill system and gold dipped appointments (not to mention a medium grade Omas nib). The retail price of this pen was $495!

 

 

Now down to gold plated tacks:

 

• Fit & Finish: 8/10 -- While there are no glaring defects, misalignments or strange gaps, the one thing I found that I don't like is that the underside of the clip has some kind of drip, which looks like it might have been a bi-product of being dipped. The wheel on the clip is a neat idea, but it annoys me it doesn't actually roll. I bet it did in pervious generations of the pen.
   
  The pen does a better job than most with matching the gold-dipped appointments to the nib. There's hardly any color difference, so that's good.
   
  
• Style: 8/10 -- It's hard to quibble about "style" with a line of pens that has been around for so long. I mean, this is a nice looking shape, there's no doubt. The facets are really fun, and well designed. They aren't sharp or strong enough to really feel when you're using it, but they are plainly visible and quite distinct. These facets are also carried through to all of the gold appointments, except the ring between the barrel and the tassie. It's pretty amazing that the design is such that your fingers find an easy place to rest, free of any sharp edges. It's really a classic.
   
  I'm not sure what "cotton resin" is, but I suspect that it's actually Phenol Resin, which doesn't seem like a super extra special material to me. That said, it's definitely pleasant. It's light, and pretty, with a lot of depth and transparency. It doesn't quite have the softness of touch ebonite gives you, but I don't find the material disappointing overall, and the transparency and color are somewhat unique. Compared to something like a Namiki Falcon or Pilot Limited Edition Custom Heritage 91 , it feels more expensive. However, it's not as nice as some higher end resins.
   
  Why not 10/10? Well, frankly, it's the gold appointments. As my fans [sic] may know, I'm not a big advocate of dipped gold. Omas did a good job here, but somehow it still looks chintzy to me.
  Why not 9/10? I don't know, there's something about the material... while it's interesting, it doesn't just scream 'quality' I guess.
   
  
• C/C Design / Filling: 6/10 -- I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again: It's a big cartridge converter. It might hold a lot of ink. It might be easy to use and convenient for syringe filling... but luxurious it's not. A $500 pen shouldn't ship with a cartridge converter.
   
  
• Nib: 6/10 -- I have problems with the feed in this pen. Yes, in my reviews I add that to "nib". I don't know what's going on, but, like Stipula, you have to occasionally (about once a page) go in and goose the ink forward with the C/C screw, and then you get a wetter line for a while that slowly starts to dry up. That's one thing on a hundred dollar Stipula, and quite another for a $500 Omas. You can see the evidence of this on my test page(s), where I get to writing 'let it be'. I had to push the ink a bit, and then when I wrote "Mozart", the line is dark again. Yes, this is out of the box and unmodified. Yes it could probably be fixed by a nibmeister. And yes Iroshizuku should be plenty good enough in terms of flow, and Clairefontaine should also be adequate too.
   
  In terms of smoothness, the nib is pretty good. It's a little bouncy and has a little flex. Very pleasant. One strange thing is how much pressure the pen takes to flex -- a lot more than most gold nibbed modern pens. It almost takes the pressure of a steel pen to flex. Weird.
   
  I sure think there are Japanese pens for half the price that are smoother, and I even think the Visconti steel nibs are comparable. The pen I own that most closely compares to this Omas is the Pilot Limited Edition Custom Heritage 91. Compared to the Pilot 14k Bold nib, the experience is very similar. I think the Omas may be slightly more expressive, but at the same time, the Pilot nib can be had on a Custom 74 for like 30% of the price. Not to mention the Omas feed problem...
   
  
• Price: 5/10 -- At $500 it seems over-priced. Now, I debate about how to review the value of these pens, because street price is different, especially for a 2003 model which could hardly be called "retail" and probably needs to be marked "NOS". I genuinely think a Sailor or a Pilot are equal to this pen for less than half the price. I do not think this pen is a good value for the money.
  

 

 

GLAMAH SHOTS:

 

Hard to do the material justice in photographs.

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-03.jpg

 

You'd think it would roll, wouldn't you?

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-04.jpg

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-06.jpg

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-07.jpg

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-05.jpg

 

Now the comparisons:

Namiki Falcon SB and TWSBI 540, which isn't made anymore, but it's similar to the TWSBI 580:

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-08.jpg

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-09.jpg

 

Pilot Limited Edition Custom Heritage 91 (read Custom 74 with flat ends). I can't tell if this pen is still sold, but here's a review by Leigh Reyes, and one by Pen Addict. Fountain Pen Japan also did a video review. And, last but NOT LEAST, hari317's thread about it.

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-17.jpg

 

Italian "Medium" versus Japanese "Bold"... but they are close to the same width!

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-18.jpg

 

Group hug! I'm not tellin' the names of these...

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-15.jpg

 

 

And my handwriting... that variation is like a half mm to 1 mm,

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-10.jpg

 

No making fun of my handwriting, I decided to show more this time against my better judgement.

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-11.jpg

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-12.jpg

 

These last two pictures are where you can see the great Mozart divide (yes, I wrote the RIGHT page first):

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-13.jpg

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-14.jpg

 

 

I'm not totally offended by the packaging of this pen... it does feel luxurious and understated rather than cheap.

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-01.jpg

http://www.suramar.org/fpn/omasArtDeco-02.jpg

 

Conclusion: There are some intangibles here that make a pen like this Omas difficult to quantify. The design of the pen (ignoring for a moment the materials) is absolutely classic and it's really nice to hold and use. I think the design is just off the charts... 12/10! The problem with this particuliar model, however, is that there are compromises made "for price" (as if $500 is a cheap pen). My advice to somebody looking to buy a Milord would be to look elsewhere and not to "settle". Go ahead and spend the money to get some other fill system. Maybe get a better nib and a better material too.

 

I like the look of the "cotton resin" fine, and I think it's better than the plastic that you get on a $100 - $200 Japanese pen. I think there are some things about this nib that are pretty magical. The nib is a great playmate. But, frankly, my ultimate advice would be to save your money or get three Japanese pens for the price of this Omas. They just work better. You could buy three different nibs and three different filling systems. I genuinely think this pen (putting the 'cotton resin' aside) is pretty much the same as a Custom 74. If you're really looking for luxury, I would encourage taking a look at a Visconti (particularly the Homo Sapiens, a pen of which, I am a huge fan).

 

Again, the point of my review here was kind-of to talk about the CRUISE line, since there have been many reviews of Milords. I'd sail past the cruise if I were you!

 

 

Note: This color is hard to photograph. It really isn't orange or pink at all. It's very much the color of a latte where the light coffee color is mixing with the frothy milk on the top.

[terminal]

I've decided to make this post in to a contest... first person to name all the pens correctly in the group photo gets a prize!

[raging.dragon]

Ok, for the naming. Milord denotes a medium sized pen in the Art Italiana line, as opposed to the larger Paragon, and smaller models like the Dama. I assume the Cruise denotes a sub-line within the Art Italiana series. When OMAS release multiple versions of limited edition pen at different price points, they often call the less expenive and more numerous version a "certified edition" and the pricery, less numerous, version gets called a "limited edition".

 

The flow problems you describe are farily commmon with converters, no matter the price point of the pen. Due to surface interactions between the ink and plastic walls of the converter, the ink can get stuck at the top of converter. Pilot recently started putting a metal gizmo in their CON-50 converters to prevent this problem by breaking surface tension. Similarly Montblanc put little springs in their converters. The only advice I can give is to try different inks and/or different converters - hopefully you'll find a combination that works well.

[haldane3]

Very nice review! Smart discourse and a fair assessment. The caramel color is delightful!

 

No question these are overpriced pens, yowzers. You can get a vintage 360 turqoise from online retailers for like 525 these days! That being said, I'm a big OMAS fan. I've got a couple, and love 'em to death.

 

Dan

[1point1mm]

Great review here. I must have been sleeping somewhere in time, but I didn't know that the Omas Milford series were c/c! For some reason or another I thought they were piston. I learn something new everyday. Thanks for the review and the pictures too!

[Keyless Works]

Great looking pen.

 

Not sure why but every modern OMAS I have owned has been problematic. Nibs skip and write too wetly, the pistons are not smooth, trim corrodes. They use wonderful feeling resins and have great designs but aren't worth the headache. The customer service is the worst I have experienced.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Keyless Works

[hariharan]

Wow.. wonderful review..

 

regarding the group shot, can i guess the following

 

From left, clockwise

1. Visconti Homosapiens with palladium nibs (anyone can guess )

 

2. Stipula Duetto Lemoncello (Ti flex nib I guess)

 

3. Visonti Van Gogh MIDI (the knurled end of the section was the clue)

 

4. Stipula Baracca (a hard guess .. the only justification is the section design near the nib base is unlike the usual stipula. Most of the section design of stipula opens sharply out like a draft. This design of a step in section is also in Giardino de' Semplici limited edition model. But the Giardino de' Semplici has Ti nib..unlike what is shown in group shot.. so i guess it must be baracca)

 

5. Omas Milord Cruise Caramel (obvious)

 

6. Delta Indios "Irmãos no mundo" Limited Edition (I love the color)

Edited February 21, 2013 by hariharan

[langere]

Great review! Thank you for your honest assessment, backed up by good evidence.

 

I like OMAS, but I really wonder why they cost so much, if even other Italians such as Aurora and Delta do as good if not a better job and are considerably less expensive.

 

Erick

[Keyless Works]

Great review! Thank you for your honest assessment, backed up by good evidence.

 

I like OMAS, but I really wonder why they cost so much, if even other Italians such as Aurora and Delta do as good if not a better job and are considerably less expensive.

 

Erick

I think OMAS is the Italian Montblanc. Like Montblanc it is owned by a huge luxury goods conglomerate and only manufactures higher-end luxury pens with their top of the line being a classic black plastic pen.

 

Another similarity (though not related to cost) are the nibs. When you get an OMAS nib working properly they feel similar in my opinion to a modern Montblanc nib...relatively flexible with good feedback.

[raging.dragon]

Great review! Thank you for your honest assessment, backed up by good evidence.

 

I like OMAS, but I really wonder why they cost so much, if even other Italians such as Aurora and Delta do as good if not a better job and are considerably less expensive.

 

Erick

I think OMAS is the Italian Montblanc. Like Montblanc it is owned by a huge luxury goods conglomerate and only manufactures higher-end luxury pens with their top of the line being a classic black plastic pen.

 

Another similarity (though not related to cost) are the nibs. When you get an OMAS nib working properly they feel similar in my opinion to a modern Montblanc nib...relatively flexible with good feedback.

 

OMAS certainly sell black pens; however, their brand icon would have to be the Bronze Arco Paragon. Which is rather more colourful than an MB149!

[terminal]

Wow.. wonderful review..

 

regarding the group shot, can i guess the following

 

From left, clockwise

1. Visconti Homosapiens with palladium nibs (anyone can guess )

 

2. Stipula Duetto Lemoncello (Ti flex nib I guess)

 

3. Visonti Van Gogh MIDI (the knurled end of the section was the clue)

 

4. Stipula Baracca (a hard guess .. the only justification is the section design near the nib base is unlike the usual stipula. Most of the section design of stipula opens sharply out like a draft. This design of a step in section is also in Giardino de' Semplici limited edition model. But the Giardino de' Semplici has Ti nib..unlike what is shown in group shot.. so i guess it must be baracca)

 

5. Omas Milord Cruise Caramel (obvious)

 

6. Delta Indios "Irmãos no mundo" Limited Edition (I love the color)

 

 

Wow, I have to say, I'm really really impressed. I kind of wanted to wait and see if anyone else was feeling playful, but I guess not.

 

Great guesses! I was especially impressed that you got the MIDI!

 

All right on the nose except for the Baracca is actually a Novecento stub (PN1G CKAX). But like you said, that might not have been fair.

 

So, now to the fabulous prizes! I decided to let you choose one :-) although when I posted that I only had one in mind. The ink is unopened.

 

[nicholasyeo]

Wow, that is absolutely to-die-for! It is gorgeous. And I love white pens... :crybaby: :notworthy1: :notworthy1:

[hariharan]

omg you are too generous...i cant believe that you are really giving me one of these ..

 

i seriously am unable to choose, for all look beautiful.. can i request you to suggest me abt the pens you have shown:) for i have only one camlin SD and a parker 45 ..

 

i most likely may not choose the parker as i have a parker 45..so i may request you to tell me some more about the shaeffer and the other model (i couldnt find what that is )

 

 

 

Wow.. wonderful review..

 

regarding the group shot, can i guess the following

 

From left, clockwise

1. Visconti Homosapiens with palladium nibs (anyone can guess )

 

2. Stipula Duetto Lemoncello (Ti flex nib I guess)

 

3. Visonti Van Gogh MIDI (the knurled end of the section was the clue)

 

4. Stipula Baracca (a hard guess .. the only justification is the section design near the nib base is unlike the usual stipula. Most of the section design of stipula opens sharply out like a draft. This design of a step in section is also in Giardino de' Semplici limited edition model. But the Giardino de' Semplici has Ti nib..unlike what is shown in group shot.. so i guess it must be baracca)

 

5. Omas Milord Cruise Caramel (obvious)

 

6. Delta Indios "Irmãos no mundo" Limited Edition (I love the color)

 

 

Wow, I have to say, I'm really really impressed. I kind of wanted to wait and see if anyone else was feeling playful, but I guess not.

 

Great guesses! I was especially impressed that you got the MIDI!

 

All right on the nose except for the Baracca is actually a Novecento stub (PN1G CKAX). But like you said, that might not have been fair.

 

So, now to the fabulous prizes! I decided to let you choose one :-) although when I posted that I only had one in mind. The ink is unopened.

 

[hariharan]

actually MIDI was a easy one as it had a knurled section end..i was afraid on my guess on delta..

 

and regarding the baracca, i actually wrote novecento first.. but later i saw some images of novecento in FPN which was slightly different so i edited my post to baracca.. lol

 

anyway, am so so excited that am getting an expensive pen..u will understand the excitement of a newbie with two pens

 

 

 

Wow, I have to say, I'm really really impressed. I kind of wanted to wait and see if anyone else was feeling playful, but I guess not.

 

Great guesses! I was especially impressed that you got the MIDI!

 

All right on the nose except for the Baracca is actually a Novecento stub (PN1G CKAX). But like you said, that might not have been fair.

 

So, now to the fabulous prizes! I decided to let you choose one :-) although when I posted that I only had one in mind. The ink is unopened.

 

 

[hariharan]

after several thoughts, i am in love with the levenger in the centre..

 

so can i go for that terminal thks again time to celebrate ...

 

Wow.. wonderful review..

 

regarding the group shot, can i guess the following

 

From left, clockwise

1. Visconti Homosapiens with palladium nibs (anyone can guess )

 

2. Stipula Duetto Lemoncello (Ti flex nib I guess)

 

3. Visonti Van Gogh MIDI (the knurled end of the section was the clue)

 

4. Stipula Baracca (a hard guess .. the only justification is the section design near the nib base is unlike the usual stipula. Most of the section design of stipula opens sharply out like a draft. This design of a step in section is also in Giardino de' Semplici limited edition model. But the Giardino de' Semplici has Ti nib..unlike what is shown in group shot.. so i guess it must be baracca)

 

5. Omas Milord Cruise Caramel (obvious)

 

6. Delta Indios "Irmãos no mundo" Limited Edition (I love the color)

 

 

Wow, I have to say, I'm really really impressed. I kind of wanted to wait and see if anyone else was feeling playful, but I guess not.

 

Great guesses! I was especially impressed that you got the MIDI!

 

All right on the nose except for the Baracca is actually a Novecento stub (PN1G CKAX). But like you said, that might not have been fair.

 

So, now to the fabulous prizes! I decided to let you choose one :-) although when I posted that I only had one in mind. The ink is unopened.

 

[terminal]

after several thoughts, i am in love with the levenger in the centre..

 

so can i go for that terminal thks again time to celebrate ...

 

Ok, the Levenger Cherry Wood fountain pen went in to the mail last night! It has a decent steel German nib on it. It's not a tru-writer... I don't actually know much about it.

 

Thanks for playing! It was fun! I'm surprised there weren't more entries.

 

Hope you love the pen!!