Leonardo Momento Zero Red-Marbled Resin (Expanding Long Term Review)

[Karmachanic]

How do we feel about changing nibs on these pens? Friction fit, no?

[DrDebG]

I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I'm enjoying mine! The Leonardo stubs are not my favourites, though. The quality of my two F nibs really sets the brand apart - I can't think of any other steel nib that comes close. But the stub struck me as just another quite decent steel stub.

 

One improvemet area: the cap doesn't seal too good, so over time ink might dry on the nib.

 

I really appreciate your comments. They should arrive next week. After I have had a chance to flush and ink and then write with them a bit, I will let you know how they perform. I am really looking forward to getting them.

[A Smug Dill]

How do we feel about changing nibs on these pens? Friction fit, no?

Yes, the nib and feed are friction-feed; I have removed my easily enough to work on the nib. Changing the nib to another readily and commercially available nib that will satisfy our individual preferences, if the factory Leonardo nib doesn't quite work out? That'd be a different question.

[jchch1950]

I will order one Momento Zero with stub nib.

The stub arrived today, but I ordered the Furore instead of the Momento Zero, so I added my findings to the existing Furore discussion. Long story short, the stub is slightly less bouncy than my F. I think that's probably a good thing, because obviously a stub puts more ink on paper and an overly bouncy stub nib moving away from the feed can lead to railroading and such. Not so with this stub, it writes really really well. It just doesn't feel as intensely "cushiony" as the F.

[TheDutchGuy]

How do we feel about changing nibs on these pens? Friction fit, no?

 

 

Yes, the nib and feed are friction-feed; I have removed my easily enough to work on the nib. Changing the nib to another readily and commercially available nib that will satisfy our individual preferences, if the factory Leonardo nib doesn't quite work out? That'd be a different question.

 

Like ASD said, it's a friction fit. The feed has a ridge that fits into a slot, so you need to watch out when you push nib and feed back into the section. It's a tight fit and occasional removal should be OK, but I would caution against frequent removal.

 

According to hearsay, the Leonardo nibs are apparently made by Bock. If so, swapping should be relatively easy. Not that I'm about to try, I love this nib!

Edited March 3, 2019 by TheDutchGuy

[Karmachanic]

 

 

 

 

Like ASD said, it's a friction fit. The feed has a ridge that fits into a slot, so you need to watch out when you push nib and feed back into the section. It's a tight fit and occasional removal should be OK, but I would caution against frequent removal.

 

According to hearsay, the Leonardo nibs are apparently made by Bock. If so, swapping should be relatively easy. Not that I'm about to try, I love this nib!

 

 

Thank you both.

I'll have to think about this carefully. I've become accustomed to screw-in units that allow me to freely swap nibs.

[Tseg]

I'm very excited... minutes ago I just got notification my MomentoZero shipped with a stub nib... was already on backorder when I placed my order almost 2 weeks ago. I also noticed for the Positano version I ordered the Fontoplumo website says "last items in stock", so may be out again soon. Its interesting there are 2 price tiers for these resin pens... with the newer ones being a higher price. What does it all mean?

[dms525]

There is a lot of well-deserved enthusiasm for this new brand. I share it as evidenced by my 6 Leonardos, all with stub nibs.

 

FYI, the "Numbered Edition" models have friction fit nibs. The Limited Edition pens with gold nibs are piston fillers and have screw in nibs.

 

I assume the increased price of the newer models means the company increased the prices.

 

Some may have noticed that several U.S. online vendors and a few B&M stores are beginning to stock Leonardo pens. The U.S. prices are mostly about $50 more than the E.U. shops' prices, without VAT.

 

David

[TheDutchGuy]

Four-month update. This is still the best pen I own. If anything, I appreciate it more over time, not less. There is one improvement area however: the cap doesn't fully seal the nib, so the ink dries on the nib when the pen is not in use for a day or more. At least it does so with the ink I use (Sailor Jentle Blue).

[RoSpectre]

Anyone have an opinion on Fine vs XF Leonardo nib? I've read the fine are fantastic, but I always like to go as fine as possible without getting scratchy. So that's usually a bit of a test of the brand/nibmaker... can they get an XF nib done right, or do they play it safe and have XF nibs that are indistinguishable from fine.

 

Other considerations would be getting a bit of variation from a springy XF, not that I mind nail nibs either, and does a really fine nib suit the size of the MZ pen.

 

I've read the Diplomat XF nibs are top notch, so I'm hoping the Leo nibs would be similar.

[WLSpec]

Nice pen! I've been hearing about these recently but don't yet know much about them. Interesting to see a review.

[A Smug Dill]

Anyone have an opinion on Fine vs XF Leonardo nib?

Not me, sorry. I'm not really inclined to buy one of each just to compare them, except for the Japanese Big Three fountain pen brands. If a brand's EF nib does not please me, then there is generally very little reason to give its F nib a try in case that somehow works better to deliver a precise narrow line reliably.

 

can they get an XF nib done right,

In my one experience with Leonardo Officina Italiana, I'd say no, it cannot do so reliably.

 

or do they play it safe and have XF nibs that are indistinguishable from fine.

The EF nib I got did not write fine enough and wasn't cut right.

 

Other considerations would be getting a bit of variation from a springy XF,

I can get line variation out of 14K gold Platinum #3776 Fine 'nails' using technique alone, and "line variation" does not imply swells in curved downstrokes. The Pelikan 14K gold EF nib on my M600 customised to a crisp italic nib for me by Dan Smith gives me line variation that supports the aethestic of italic writing in English, and it's not at all springy.

 

I've read the Diplomat XF nibs are top notch

The one on my Diplomat Aero is.

[ingolf]

Hello,

 

my Leonardo Momento Zero Positano arrived some days ago.

A wonderful pen with a perfect steel nib in B-size (and no "baby-bottom" issue). Unboxing and writing without any complaints.

 

To me a wonderful successor to Delta pens ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best regards, Ingolf

 

[ingolf]

... picture #4 shows the use of the blind cap. It enables you to fill the pen similar to a "real" fountain pen. This mechanism reminds me of the filling mechanism of some Delta models. The comparison model is Delta Dolcevita Stantuffo Oro ...

[Hawker]

Anyone have an opinion on Fine vs XF Leonardo nib? I've read the fine are fantastic, but I always like to go as fine as possible without getting scratchy. So that's usually a bit of a test of the brand/nibmaker... can they get an XF nib done right, or do they play it safe and have XF nibs that are indistinguishable from fine.

 

Other considerations would be getting a bit of variation from a springy XF, not that I mind nail nibs either, and does a really fine nib suit the size of the MZ pen.

 

I've read the Diplomat XF nibs are top notch, so I'm hoping the Leo nibs would be similar.

 

I recently purchased a green marble Leonardo Momento Zero with a Stub nib with another two spare nibs - a Fine and an EF - courtesy of Frank at Fontoplumo (no affiliation). Here's an example of all three nibs using FPR blue/black on 4mm grid Tomoegawa paper.

 

 

 

The Leonardo EF is one of the smoothest EF steel nibs that I have used. Both the Delta Fusion and Leonardo nibs were/are manufactured by Bock. I have used every gauge of the Fusion nib and now that I have three Leonardo nibs, I can opine that they are every similar in feel and performance. Discounting the marketing hype about the gold wafer on the Fusion, I considered the Fusion nib superior to any steel nib - allowing for subjective opinion - until the Leonardo came along which matches the feel and performance of the Fusion.

 

If you have any other questions on the EF I would be happy to reply.

Edited April 20, 2019 by Ink_Monitor

[TheDutchGuy]

^---Very informative, thank you! As a side note, your writing sample illustrates how much the nib contributes to shading. People tend to claim that _inks_ shade, but in my opinion it's the _nib_ that shades. Your EF shades much more than the other two.

[A Smug Dill]

but in my opinion it's the _nib_ that shades. Your EF shades much more than the other two.

 

 

I disagree. The horizontal bar at the top here:

 

was obviously done with the Stub nib, and shows the wide range of (beautifully continuous, instead of being in two or three distinct steps) colour intensities that can come out of the nib. The ink itself is the primary determinant of the colour that would appear on the page at a particular ink density, the nib has a part to play in facilitating laying different ink densities on the page, but the user's technique trumps the physical characteristics of the nib. Writing faster, for example, will cause the marks on the page to be 'drier', and if the ink is more apt to show a range of different colours at low ink densities, then that is one way of eliciting shading from it.

 

I always pin the responsibility for that on the user, and consider the user the most flexible of the different inputs. The ink, the paper and the nib are as they were made, and doesn't have wilful behaviour of their own. A user can vary his/her technique, including in ways that are difficult to do and/or personally unpleasant, to work with the less flexible elements if the overriding goal is to produce a particular physical outcome.

[TheDutchGuy]

I'm not sure we disagree, not that it really matters. I didn't say that the F and the stub didn't shade, nor did I say that the EF's shading is the nicest. I merely pointed out the considerable difference.

[sansenri]

Thank you ingolf and Ink_Monitor for the great photos!

 

I'm interested in the Leonardo Stub nib, can anyone post a picture of the underside?

I'm interested to see whether the nib is tipped or not in the stub nib.

 

Thank you!

[DrDebG]

As some may have read on other threads, I think I am the only one who has had "issues" with my stub nibs. I love the pens - they are beautiful and well balanced - the perfect weight. But the nibs . . . The stub nibs have baby's bottom - what can I say. I have cleaned them thoroughly several times, tried so many different inks on different papers to try and dissuade myself of this. Alas, they have baby's bottom. Finally, I contacted Dereck at Novelli and they are sending me two new fine nibs (since everyone else loves the fine nibs). He will send them as soon as he gets them in stock.

 

In the meantime . . . my Momento Zeroes have baby's bottom. Woe is me! Sniff! Sniff! :crybaby: :crybaby: