Santini Italia

[sciumbasci]

It has a small stamp on the metal with the letters .925 or .926 in an oval which probably indicates some grade of silver.

.925 means it is Sterling Silver: an alloy with 92,7% silver and the remaining 7,5% is copper

[Ghost Plane]

I just purchased one of their limited edition roller ball pens - Giotto Tower - in gold. It is very heavy and seems a little unwieldy. It is almost too heavy for a suit jacket or shirt pocket and I am afraid of dropping it in everyday use. I probably will leave it in the pen case. The workmanship is beautiful but it is much heavier than any Ancora pen I have every used. I own about 10 Ancora limited edition fountain pens and the workmanship is similar but the Ancora pens are much lighter. I purchased the pen from Fountain Pen Hospital and they advertise that the pen is made from a solid block of sterling silver. It has been my experience that sterling silver is relatively light but this pen feels like it is made out of brass. It has a small stamp on the metal with the letters .925 or .926 in an oval which probably indicates some grade of silver.

 

Heavy sounds intriguing. I've got an 80g Ancora Nautilus that is fabulous in hand. If I knew the nibs gave the same performance, I'd be all over these.

[praxim]

Having recently picked up an Ancora Perla second hand, I have just bought a Santini in the Colors range, a Guernica. FedEx got it here from Italy within days, that being the seller's standard included shipping. The following quick phone picture shows them both.

 

 

The two pens show clear similarities. General proportions and weights are similar, the Santini a couple of grams heavier in the body and a couple more in the cap. Both have rubber O rings to seal the barrel to the section. Feeds appear identical but the Ancora nib, after starting the same way, curves more heavily in the tines to produce a finer appearance. The Ancora Perla has silver trims rather than gold and of course the nib is rhodinated to match. Both use 18k gold nibs. The Santini Guernica has matching gold trims. The whole effect of the colours is excellent, better than the photos.

 

I filled the Santini immediately given the Ancora is already in rotation. The Santini is at least as good and feels very good in the hand, perhaps with less of a sense of girth despite them looking to be about the same. Note that the section is longer with the cap threads placed conventionally between section and barrel whereas the Ancora has them right at the tip of the more sharply angled section.

 

I hope the quick comparison is helpful. I am happy with both pens and very pleased that I added the Santini. Thanks for the tip-off, FPN people. Did someone mention enablers?

[Freddy]

Santini Italia: Via Vignone 12, 27030 Confienza PV, Itala

 

Ancora: Via Vignone 10/12, 27030 Confienza PV, Itala

Same address, same nib making equipment. Gio Santini........

Sweet extra fine and stub nibs. {freakin' happysmilelyfacetimethingie}

 

Santini web site:

http://santini-italia.com/en/index.html

 

Fred

[Ghost Plane]

Stubs?! Ooooh!

[Freddy]

Stubs?! Ooooh!

 

The only vendor that carries Santini and offers a stub option.that I'm aware of..would be Jimmy Dolive, Smyrna, GA.

 

Fred

[Ghost Plane]

The only vendor that carries Santini and offers a stub option.that I'm aware of..would be Jimmy Dolive, Smyrna, GA.

 

Fred

Thanks, Fred. I love my Ancora stubs. If these are the same, by any other name...

[Prof7]

I have the Annunciation. The artwork is exquisite--very detailed. I think, but don't know for sure, that it is original. It's certainly not a copy of da Vinci's masterpiece. It handles well in my hand and I'm delighted with it. I had a number of communications with the company and can report that the customer service is excellent.

[Spinmaster]

I just got off the phone with a lady at Fountain Pen Hospital and she told me that Santini Italia is Ancora. She told me that the pens are manufactured by the same people that made Ancora and that they are the same quality. I don't know about the legal ownership of the two companies but the pens are strikingly similar and appear to be the work of the same artisans. I purchased another one of their latest limited editions, Tutankamun, and the workmanship is outstanding. It looks like it was made by a jeweler. I have ordered another one of last year's limited editions, Gaudi, in blue and silver. I don't particularly like the looks of their regular pens but the limited editions are works of art. The only thing that I have noticed is that the Santini Italia limited editions are heavier than the Ancoras and are reportedly made from a block of solid sterling silver. It is also interesting that the number of pens manufactured for the limited editions for both companies is the same - 88 fountain pens and 88 roller balls. I don't know why they chose that number but it makes them true limited editions. The price for the limited editions is reasonable considering the quality of the product and they are available for purchase in the U.S. through Fountain Pen Hospital.

[Ghost Plane]

Thank you for this. I noticed B nibs are back in stock again as of the time of this post.

[Alberto]

... 88 fountain pens and 88 roller balls. I don't know why they chose that number ...

 

The Asian market. In Mandarin Chinese or in Cantonese, the number 8 sounds very similar to the word for wealth, and 88 is considered to say fortune and good luck.

So having the pens 8/88, 88/88, 18/88, 58/88, etc would be very desirable over there...

[Spinmaster]

In order to confirm why the Ancora and Santini Italia limited editions are restricted to 88 pens I e-mailed Santini Italia in Italy. Earlier today Giovanni Santini replied and confirmed that the number 88 is considered a sign of wealth and a luck in Chinese culture and that is why the number was chosen. He also stated that his company is small and cannot afford a larger production since the limited edition pens are complicated and require a lot of hand work. He also stated that he started with Ancora and that is probably why his pens share the same excellence in workmanship and styling as the Ancoras. It is such a pleasure to see that pride in workmanship is alive and well within his company. Viva Italia!