Aurora Optima 365 Abissi Warning

[whichwatch]

 

 

If you are interested, check out my review.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/305836-aurora-optima-abissi/

 

I have attached some pics to compare against the other Optima's.

 

 

 

 

Your pictures in this post look like the original Aurora publicity photos, but in your review the photos clearly show the impact of differing amounts of light. Fascinating! I am looking forward to receiving mine Tuesday so I can see for myself.

 

I don't like the dark look, and I sure don't like the squiggles, but the standard Auroloide look is quite beautiful.

[novelli]

I called Aurora to try to understand what's going on and Mr. Verona, the owner, said the color is the same worldwide. I would be happy to see the picture of the pens you receive so to have a better idea.

Thank you,

Marco

Novelli.it

[whichwatch]

_{Mine arrived yesterday and after all the discussion over the appearance, I couldn't wait to see it. I think JHSD's and Kactus's comments are right on. By the way, both the dealer and I are in the US}

 

_{I had expected something along the lines of other Auroloides and perhaps last year's 365 which I have. I expected green and blue flakes with clear distinct hues. What I see in mine depends a lot on the lighting, as those fellows suggested and their pictures show.}

 

_{My home office is fairly dark, and the pen looked almost black with some hints of dark green. In a brighter room, I saw mostly dark green and somewhat lighter green, with very little blue. Then I went into an area where sun was shining in. The result was dark green and mid-green flakes or marbling, with those blue squiggles people have reported and has been clearly showed in photos.}

 

_{The pen I had anticipated being one of the best looking of the year was quite the opposite. It took me five minutes to check it in different lights, two minutes to conclude that if I had picked it up from a table at a dealer or pen show I would quickly put it back down and never even consider buying it, and five minutes to contact the dealer from whom I bought it and ask to return it for a refund, a request that he of course cheerfully honored.}

 

_{Well, with regards to appearance, it's all personal taste, isn't it? I've bought hundreds of pens, usually sight unseen except for pictures, and this is the first time I ever had this kind of reaction. Aurora apparently made some sort of change which was not properly communicated and has surprised both dealers and consumers. Perhaps instead of "Abyss" they should call this "A Miss", or "A Mess" - a mess of their own making. So disappointing!}

 

_{Marco, I'm sorry I didn't take a photo for you, but the pen was packed up and back in the box for return to the dealer within minutes of my seeing it. I think the pictures posted by Kactus and JHSD fairly show what the pen looks like in several different lights.}

Edited March 23, 2016 by whichwatch

[Calabria]

Without seeing the pen, the pictures are difficult to decipher. I would actually like a real dark Auroloide, but I did see the blue "squiggles" in the promotion material and decided to hold off. This is a matter of personal taste, but squiggles and swirls give me vertigo.

 

The grey squiggles that are apparently showing up now are disappointing. What's lurking in that Abyss? Eels? Going into production with such iffy source material is risky.

 

But on the up side ... maybe they will be heavily discounted and provide an opportunity to pick up a great pen at a great price?

 

I really like it that Marco can pick up the phone and talk to the factory! That's the kind of dealer we need!

[jhsd1124013561]

Well, I think what we can say for now is that the 000 pen is going to be worth quite a fortune.

 

Now the facts that we know is:

 

1. Aurora confirmed there is a color change, as Macro mentioned before;

2. Aurora confirmed all the pen sold are the same color, as Macro asked Aurora about this.

 

As everyone can tell, the 000 prototype has blue strips or sleeves, while the ones sold on the market are blue and dark green "squiggles".

 

I believe the prototype pictures for 000 are also taken in bright lights and you can click on the picture to get the high resolution view of it, so do the pictures of my pen. You can clear see the differences.

 

Thanks again Macro for contacting Aurora for this issue,

[jhsd1124013561]

By the way, I would guess probably the promotion photo for Abissi is also taken by the prototype pen. As you can tell from Macro's picture, the blue is sleeve shape like.

 

Haoran,

as specified by email Aurora at first launched the pen with this color

http://www.novelli.it/images/pendescriptions/Aurora/Optima%20365%20Abissi/bigimages/Aurora-Optima-365-Abissi-01.jpg

 

but on February 29th they informed me they changed the color and I promptly updated my web site. I informed all the customers who placed the pre-order and some of them confirmed and some others didn't. You complete your order after I updated my web site, when the picture was already updated and I didn't think to inform you about it. Anyhow I understand the confusion and, obviously, I will send you a full refund or give you a credit after receiving your pen back to me.
Sorry for the trouble.
Marco

Novelli.it

[Kactus]

I really like it that Marco can pick up the phone and talk to the factory! That's the kind of dealer we need!

 

Second that. Thanks Marco for follow up with Aurora.

[banjomike]

I'm resurrecting this old thread on the Abissi.

I have been interested in owning an Aurora for years, and dark green is one of my very favorite pen colors. When the Abissi was introduced in 2016, I found it's color to be very intriguing, but the price was too far out of my range for me to purchase one. At $778, it was almost $300 over my limit.

 

I thought of buying one of the later Optimas with the dark green flake that isn't a limited edition, but the color and texture of the celluloid were very similar to some Parkers I already owned, and the green was $50 more than the blue or some other colors, so eventually, I passed it up.

 

But a few weeks ago, I contacted Nibs.com, John Mottishaw's company, about a possible pen repair, and while browsing the site, I noticed the Abissi was on a NOS sale at a discounted price that put it into my price range, and ordered one with an XF nib.

 

And then I read this thread on them, which made me think I may have ordered an ugly pen! Uh, oh!

 

It arrived this morning, and I'm very happy to say that I love this pen's looks. The dark green is not at all ugly under dimmer light- it's sedate and elegant looking. Under direct very bright light, the blue and grey flakes and streamers don't look at all ugly or garish. They do add a lot of visual interest, but to my eye, they express the mystery of the abyss very, very beautifully.

 

The material is one of those rare instances when the colors just cannot be reproduced as accurately as the human eye perceives them. My pen is wonderful addition to my collection of greens, and is a very elegant and unique color that is all its own.

 

The Aurora's performance was just as I expected it to be, and the nib's sizing is ideal for an extra-fine nib. It is neither a needlepoint nor as broad as a fine nib, and after a couple of hours of use, I expect I'll be using this pen a lot, as it's a very comfortable long-distance writer.

 

I couldn't be more pleased.

 

I understand that this isn't going to be the pen for everyone, but for a guy who likes dark green, the Abissi's unusual coloring is a wonderful choice that satisfied me very much.

Edited April 30, 2018 by banjomike

[jhsd1124013561]

Hi Mike,

 

Although this pen is not my cup of tea, I am very happy for you that you like it.

 

Sincerely,

 

Haoran

[banjomike]

Hi Mike,

 

Although this pen is not my cup of tea, I am very happy for you that you like it.

 

Sincerely,

 

Haoran

 

 

Thanks. My pen looks very much like the picture Aruora sent out, but the colors aren't quite as intense.

 

There was a mention of some grey chips in the auroloid mix, but I didn't see any. I think, though, that some of the green chips, which are quite iridescent, may have reflected a grey color under some light conditions.

 

While I've never laid up celluloid to make pen stock for turning, I have laid it up for some custom guitar binding, and I expect the process used for these pens was similar to my experience.

I believe whoever created the turning stock began with a black celluloid, which was then covered with blue shavings and the iridescent green chips, then was covered with a final clear layer which is quite thick. The blue shavings aren't iridescent.

 

If the base layer had been white or medium/dark green instead of black, the pen's pearloid color and marbled effect would have been more conventionally dark green, similar to many other pens made of the same material.

 

It's very interesting; the blue 'squiggles' under a bright LED light are less intense than the green, and the overall effect is more like an abstract floral motif in real life.

The official Aurora shots above are pretty close, but the blue is a bit less strong and pronounced. Under normal artificial light, the blue is invisible, and the pen looks like a very dark, marbled green.

 

It's one of those things I've encountered before; the camera and all mechanical means of producing some stuff like this simply can't accurately reproduce what the human eye perceives. This is especially true of images on computer screens, which are generated light. I expect if one was to see the same Aurora image printed on a piece of high quality paper stock, run through a 6-color press, the image would be closer to the actual pen's colors.

 

The coolest thing about it is the blue very gradually shows up as the light intensifies. I took it out in sunlight on a scattered-cloud day and watched the blue come and go as clouds passed over the sun. It plays hide and seek with the eye.

Edited May 2, 2018 by banjomike

[paradigm]

Thank you for sharing your experience and warning others!

I could have a similar experience with Aurora LE America. It seemed to me the most beautiful fountain pen!

But I was lucky to see and hold it in my hands before buying.
I was shocked. I spent a few minutes twirling it in my hands, looking through it to the light, to make sure that all the magnificent attention to the details of its accessories with an ordinary human eye is almost invisible. The color in life is different, the transparency of its materials is also not interesting for my taste at that time.

I was looking and expecting something completely different. And not this little fountain pen with uninteresting design, and not a suitable red stone on the cap.

[jmccarty3]

I passed the Abissi by, having bought the first 365 pen, mostly because of the discussion of how the Abissi did not resemble the original marketing photos from Aurora. Since then, I have had the opportunity to examine the pen for myself, and I find it quite attractive. I would not recommend buying this pen without examining it in person.

[Tresconik]

That is one of the ugliest pens I have ever had the misfortune of laying my eyes upon. But what's that sweet green and grey pen next to it?

Edited May 5, 2018 by Tresconik

[europen]

Tresconik, I love your sense of humour.

 

This thread is sufficient to prove that we pen fanciers are a finicky bunch indeed.

 

Because some squiggles are squaggles and some streaks are strokes, and some green is blue and some blue is darker (or lighter) than the green (or blue) I fancy and the celluloid is this and the auroloide is that...I want my money back!

 

Everything in life is so subjective, seeing and handling a pen before you buy -- at the very least, having a full knowledge of the brand and the seller, if nothing else -- should be top priority.

[jhsd1124013561]

That is one of the ugliest pens I have ever had the misfortune of laying my eyes upon. But what's that sweet green and grey pen next to it?

 

LOL, this made my day! The blue colored ugly pen is the early version of Aurora Optima Blue, which is much 'uglier' than the current model.