Leonardo Momento Zero Hawaii

[siddr90]

Hi all,

 

Here is a quick look at the Leonardo Momento Zero Hawaii. A shout out to Roy from Izod Ink for the quick delivery and beautiful packaging. (The pen came wrapped with a hand written note from Roy. Appreciate the personal touch!)

 

This pen very beautifully captures the feeling of being on a beach, with the resin designed to look like water, sky and sand. I've lived close to a beach for most part of my life, before moving to London a few years back, and using this pen reminds me of all the wonderful years spent there.

 

The Leonardo is also built with good precision and feels like a quality instrument. It is fitted with a M steel nib that is smooth with a hint of feedback.

Disclaimer - I did face a few hard starts when using the Sailor Souten ink. But when using various J Herbin inks, the nib seems to flow much better and I haven't faced any hard starts either.

 

Overall, I enjoy it more than many luxury pens that cost many times over. I'm really happy with this purchase and I would highly recommend it whether your budget for a new pen is $100 or $1000.

 

[AndyLogan]

Beautiful pen Sidd, I have the Momento Zero Positano and love it to bits! I am also thinking of purchasing the Hawaii because it looks amazing.

[TheDutchGuy]

Ah, another convert! Welcome!

 

I recognize your observation about Souten. I've got it in my Furore because it perfectly matches the colour of the pen. With my pen, the occasional hard start disappeared with use (I find that new pens tend to get wetter after a certain break-in period). Herbin is next on my list of to-try inks in that pen.

[dms525]

I have 3 Leonardo pens with steel nibs, all stubs. They all experienced slow starting when brand new. This resolved with use and several trials with different inks. I really can't say if the improvement was due to simple usage or finding the right ink. Anyway, they now write beautifully, and i just ordered two more. They are a real bargain, IMO.

 

David

[TheDutchGuy]

Their stub is actually my least favourite. The F, however... magic. Pure magic.

[Karmachanic]

If I had one it would be filled with Walk Over Vistula.

[siddr90]

Beautiful pen Sidd, I have the Momento Zero Positano and love it to bits! I am also thinking of purchasing the Hawaii because it looks amazing.

 

Positano is such a pretty pen too! I have a goal to not order any more pens this year, but the Positano is on my wish list for sure!

 

I have 3 Leonardo pens with steel nibs, all stubs. They all experienced slow starting when brand new. This resolved with use and several trials with different inks. I really can't say if the improvement was due to simple usage or finding the right ink. Anyway, they now write beautifully, and i just ordered two more. They are a real bargain, IMO.

 

David

 

Ah yes I was contemplating between a fine / medium nib and a stub. The stubs nib seem to be excellent writers!

 

Their stub is actually my least favourite. The F, however... magic. Pure magic.

 

I wonder if the M and F are similar? Have you tried them both?

 

If I had one it would be filled with Walk Over Vistula.

 

Wow, that is a beautiful ink! I need to find a KWZ vendor in UK now!

[Karmachanic]

Wow, that is a beautiful ink! I need to find a KWZ vendor in UK now!

 

Out of stock at the moment I'm afraid. Think I bought the last bottle from Bureau direct.

[jmccarty3]

These Leonardo pens appear to be quite well liked. I certainly have enjoyed my Momento Zero Abyss with the 14k Fine nib. It does hard start with Diamine Skull and Roses, but that's to be expected with such a saturated ink. After I write with it more, I'm sure it will be fine.

[TheDutchGuy]

 

 

I wonder if the M and F are similar? Have you tried them both?

 

No, simply because M is too wide for me.

[weejohn]

I have 3 Leonardo pens with steel nibs, all stubs. They all experienced slow starting when brand new. This resolved with use and several trials with different inks. I really can't say if the improvement was due to simple usage or finding the right ink. Anyway, they now write beautifully, and i just ordered two more. They are a real bargain, IMO.

 

David

 

Interesting to hear what you say about breaking the pen in. I recently bought a momento zero with a steel broad, writes great but keeps running dry. Then I have to turn convertor to force ink back into feed. I have set it aside because it was a bit of a disappointment. Maybe I just need to try a few different inks! Also was thinking that the paper might also be a factor?

[Uncial]

They aren't ebonite feeds are they?

[Karmachanic]

I have 3 Leonardo pens with steel nibs, all stubs. They all experienced slow starting when brand new. This resolved with use and several trials with different inks. I really can't say if the improvement was due to simple usage or finding the right ink. Anyway, they now write beautifully, and i just ordered two more. They are a real bargain, IMO.

 

David

 

The pen looks beautiful, but I can't justify another pen at this point. These days for me, the nib is more important than the pen, so I look forward to receiving a Leonardo stub from Fontoplumo. Should it work for me the pen is definitely going on the wish list.

[Purplecate]

I'm struggling hard not to buy this pen, and this just made it harder! Gorgeous photos and good to hear about Izods, I was going to try them out for this purchase. Must be strong, at least until next month....

[sandy101]

How do these pens compare with the Sailors & Platinums of this world?

 

£125-150 for an acrylic pen with a steel nib, when a Japanese pen with a 14K gold nib can be had for £100-125 seems a bit pricey.

[Karmachanic]

Gold doesn't necessarily provide a better writing experience than steel. Then there's the beautiful acrylic and the smaller production runs. Compared to the Japanes big three Leonardo is a boutique.

[TheDutchGuy]

How do these pens compare with the Sailors & Platinums of this world? £125-150 for an acrylic pen with a steel nib, when a Japanese pen with a 14K gold nib can be had for £100-125 seems a bit pricey.

That was exactly my response when I first laid eyes on them. Then I wrote with them and I totally forgot about what material the nib was made of (note that I use F nibs, which are extremely soft and bouncy, whereas the stub is not nearly as refined). I am blown away with the writing experience of these pens, but as always that highly personal. Some here on FPN like their Leonardos a lot, some don't. In terms of materials, construction quality etc in my humble opinion Leonarde leaves any similarly priced pen in the dust. As far as I can be objective about it, my Leonardo Momento Zero is the best pen I own and every time I pick it up, it makes me smile. Having said that, I am slightly more emotionally attached to my Visconti HS Midi Lava Steel.

[sandy101]

Thank you for that.

 

It's not the materials per se, but when Japanese manufacturers can produce a similar pen, with a 14K gold nib for less than this one - you have to ask - is this pen really worth it?

 

I'm glad to hear that the nib - and pen are very well put together. I may well put this pen on my "watch" list.

[TheDutchGuy]

It's not the materials per se, but when Japanese manufacturers can produce a similar pen, with a 14K gold nib for less than this one - you have to ask - is this pen really worth it?

 

 

Only you can decide if it's worth it, it's a very personal thing and one man's gold is another man's lead. In terms of materials and construction, my 14k Sailor Pro Gear Slim M, my MF 'Ocean', and my M 1911 Standard are solid, but not as solid as the Leonardos. Those really are a step up. And the Sailors are, well, boring to look at. And while Sailor nibs are are totally awesome, they're also rigid. The Leonardo F nibs are as soft as a nib can be, much smoother than the Sailors yet offer great control over the writing (overly smooth nibs tend to make me write badly, but the Leonardos somehow make me write neat). Until I recently acquired my three Italian dream pens (two Leonardos and a Visconti Homo Sapiens), the Sailors were my favourite modern pens.

[sandy101]

Gold doesn't necessarily provide a better writing experience than steel. Then there's the beautiful acrylic and the smaller production runs. Compared to the Japanes big three Leonardo is a boutique.

 

Yes, but gold is more expensive than steel. A £150 pen with a steel nib has got to be impressive when most pens in this price range come with gold nibs.

 

A limited edition Sailor Cosmos costs £125 -it's a pretty pen and comes with a nice 14K nib.

 

If you want £150 for a pen with a steel nib - then it should be one of the best pens on the market.