Leonardo Photo Thread

[dms525]

Leonardo's web site indicated only two of these were made. I am enjoying mine, although this particular nib does not seem as crisp as the other two 14Kt La Fenice stubs I have.

 

The ink is Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses. Tomoe River Paper.

 

Erratum: The pen is made of ebonite, not celluloid. (It is no less beautiful.)

 

 

 

 

David

Edited January 28, 2023 by dms525
Error in handwritten text.

[JonSzanto]

5 hours ago, dms525 said:

Leonardo's web site indicated only two of these were made.

 

Nice. David, is it an optical illusion, or does this pen taper more to the end of the barrel than most of their line?

[dms525]

12 hours ago, JonSzanto said:

 

Nice. David, is it an optical illusion, or does this pen taper more to the end of the barrel than most of their line?

 

Good eye, Jon! It does appear to taper more than my MZ Grandes. Without a calipers, I can't really be sure. The difference is 1 or 2 mm at most, and the barrel looks to be thinner than the MZG's by about the same amount.

 

David

[JonSzanto]

1 hour ago, dms525 said:

Good eye, Jon! It does appear to taper more than my MZ Grandes. Without a calipers, I can't really be sure. The difference is 1 or 2 mm at most, and the barrel looks to be thinner than the MZG's by about the same amount.

 

Aha. The profile just seemed like they hadn't done as many pasta courses! You know, it is almost a good thing that LOI doesn't catalog all their models and derivations - the company would go under from the printing costs of keeping it updates!

[Uncial]

Much as I enjoy the ones I own, when a manufacturer starts producing LEs of 1 or 2 in total amounts it's all getting a bit silly.

[dms525]

26 minutes ago, Uncial said:

Much as I enjoy the ones I own, when a manufacturer starts producing LEs of 1 or 2 in total amounts it's all getting a bit silly.

 

I must respectfully disagree. Leonardo posts these mostly on their own web site. A few vendors - mostly in Italy - have carried productions of single pens in a particular material. These usually sell very quickly. The pens produced in such limited numbers use rare or unusual materials that cannot be produced in standard-sized runs or are not expected to attract large numbers of buyers. Others seem like teasers for custom orders.

 

That's my perspective, anyway. This taps into a different market than the pens produced in large numbers or as "open stock." 

 

Happy writing!

 

David

[Uncial]

Yes, I can see that, but when almost all of the 'open' stock is LE and most of your listings are marked as 'sold out' I do think it turns a lot of people off. I'll admit I'm one of them. I see something I'd like and then notice they've only made twenty of them and they've all sold out. It's the FOMO business model which keeps people buying something they otherwise probably wouldn't be interested in.I used to look at Leonardo's offerings, but since they've gone down this route I just don't bother anymore and I'm not alone either. I know this makes me sound like a grumpy old man, but it is what it is.

[dms525]

7 hours ago, Uncial said:

Yes, I can see that, but when almost all of the 'open' stock is LE and most of your listings are marked as 'sold out' I do think it turns a lot of people off. I'll admit I'm one of them. I see something I'd like and then notice they've only made twenty of them and they've all sold out. It's the FOMO business model which keeps people buying something they otherwise probably wouldn't be interested in.I used to look at Leonardo's offerings, but since they've gone down this route I just don't bother anymore and I'm not alone either. I know this makes me sound like a grumpy old man, but it is what it is.

 

I can see and appreciate your perspective. It does seem most of the recent releases have been LE's. A lot are special editions exclusive to a particular pen shop. I wonder if that kind of demand from pen shops has dominated LOI's production capacity.

 

I have had moments of frustration when I missed a LE that was particularly attractive. The fact that I already have more "particularly attractive" pens than I can reasonably use quells my frustration pretty quickly.

 

David

[Uncial]

I think my biggest fear is that the FOMO model of endless LEs at a smaller and smaller level of production numbers feeds an initial flurry. If you want to make a quick buck it's a great way to do it and the way 'the youth' are wired these days through social media etc it makes it very easy to tap into for a season, but ultimately its a flash in the pan and I genuinely worry that Leonardo might not have the resistance as a product to survive when all the kids move on to the next thing....and they will; it seems that's just the way our modern world ticks. The worry is that when it happens will they be able to produce good looking pens to the same standards for those with a persistent interest and investment in fountain pens once the FOMO crowd have moved on to manual cameras or typewriters or cassette tapes or whatever the next flash in the pan happens to be. I guess I'm starting to see I really might be a grumpy old man and this aged luddite still quite likes things like heritage, economic resilience and quality and for decent brands to hang around a bit longer than a week. I suspect some companies are seeing the same thing though. The lure of quick, easy profit on fomo hype is desperately alluring, but some companies have already perished on those rocks and others are now finding it desperately hard to steer away from the same wreckage.

 

 

[dms525]

I don't have any sense that Leonardo (or any other fountain pen company) is primarily targeting fickle youngsters pursuing fashionable goods. My impression is that the bulk of their clientele - for LE's especially - is grumpy old men of means. You are in good company! And, from what I read, we are the fastest growing segment of the world's population. (The "old" but not necessarily the "grumpy." And not necessarily "men.")

 

Looking at the prices of Leonardo pens and those of most other Italian pen companies, they must be targeting those with sufficient disposable income to spend on more pens and fancier ones than a person reasonably needs. Such persons are more likely to be less youthful.

 

I follow Leonardo on social media, and, in recent weeks, the bulk of postings have been of their standard issue pens, not the LE's. I assume that reflects the largest part of their sales and revenue.

 

Lots of "assumes" and "suspects." 

 

David

[JonSzanto]

I am part of this cohort, along with David, as I own a number of Leonardo pens, and just a couple of them were of somewhat limited nature. I agree with essentially everything he has said.

 

Marketing and sales techniques have changed with the advent of the internet, social media in particular, and the rise of individuals who can sway parts of a buying public. That one wishes it wasn't so is somewhat beside the point - it just is. Most of their pens that are NOT in their regular stock rotation are made in significant enough numbers, often 100 or more. For a niche, bespoke company, that isn't out of line, nor is it either unique or a new paradigm. I just spent seven years looking for a pen I saw in a photo that had been made in the 1990s by an Italian company in a run of 911. Previously, I spent a *different* seven years looking for a LE Sheaffer pen that had been commissioned by a pen aficionado that was in a run of only 100 right around the year 2000. Finding a pen like that, when it initially was sold out, was not easy, but patience paid off.

 

So this is not some new avenue for pen vendors. I, too, feel the pain, and pick and choose which pens I will go all in on because, unlike many others, I don't consider myself a "man of means". Still, I keep my eye out, I attend to the FB groups and pen forums and listen for chat and subscribe to the mailing lists of a few Italian vendors, and I see what LOI is up to. It hurts me when I see a couple pens made out of the last remaining stock go for exorbitant prices, but at the end of the day, that is what makes sense. 

 

I don't buy into the concept of a grail pen, there are just some pens that I've chosen to look for over a long period of time. Early in the company history they made a trio of pens referred to as the Maestro - out of the last of certain OMAS celluloids. This was before I knew of the company, and the hilarious part is that two of them don't do anything for me. But one pen was made of OMAS Burlwood (the middle pen in the photo below), and I would give an arm and a leg for one of those, and the hunt will go on!

 

Jeez, I type too much... 

 

[dms525]

Thanks, @JonSzanto.

 

If I ever need a particularly rhythmical arm and leg, I now know where to turn.

 

 

You have good taste, my friend. But we already knew that.

David

[JonSzanto]

2 hours ago, dms525 said:

 

You have good taste, my friend. But we already knew that.

 

You know, I specifically did NOT call you out because I knew you'd post that beauty! Well, it's nice to know that a friend owns one. Maybe I can get you to bring it to the SF show in August...

[dms525]

2 hours ago, JonSzanto said:

 

You know, I specifically did NOT call you out because I knew you'd post that beauty! Well, it's nice to know that a friend owns one. Maybe I can get you to bring it to the SF show in August...

 

Pandemic and my public health microbiologist wife permitting, I would love to get back to attending the pen show! If I do, please remind me, and I'll surely bring it.

 

David

[alfredop]

 

 

Taken a couple of weeks ago, this is a MZG in the same material of the Delta Gallery. Unfortunately the photos are not very good.

 

Alfredo

[mauckcg]

1 hour ago, alfredop said:

 

 

Taken a couple of weeks ago, this is a MZG in the same material of the Delta Gallery. Unfortunately the photos are not very good.

 

Alfredo

Neat.  How do you like it so far?

[alfredop]

The MZG has an excellent form factor and the extrafine nib writes as a dream. So as I am very happy with this new pen.

 

Alfredo

[Doug C]

Has anyone used the extra fine and fine gold nibs that were installed before the La Fenice?

 

Are the scratchy? What is the line width like? 

[Doug C]

Just now, Doug C said:

Has anyone used the extra fine and fine gold nibs that were installed before the La Fenice?

 

Are they scratchy? What is the line width like? 

 

[mauckcg]

14 hours ago, Doug C said:

 

The one I have is a #8 EF.  Finer then a fine but not that fine.  Smooth and wet and soft too.  I don't have any #6 EF at this time.