Osprey Milano (Zebra G Flexpert) for Drawing

[sambam]

I've been a long time lurker of this forum over the years so I thought I'd write a review as there's not many around for the Milano and even fewer talking about this pen's use for drawing which is where I think the Zebra G nib really shines. 

1. Purchasing and Packaging
I decided to pull the trigger on this pen on Thursday, August 12th and it arrived over the weekend on Monday the 16th. The pen with the Flexpert option and Standard nib ran me $88 USD and I picked up a third in EEF steel flex for an extra $18 USD plus a few extra Titanium Zebra G nibs. The packaging was a simple bubble mailer and inside was a nice looking black cardboard box with a magnetic flap and a plastic bag with the nib block kit. Inside the box was the pen along with two extra nib units, extra Titanum Zebra G nibs, and a little bonus bag with an extra cap for the nib unit and a slip on ink reservoir for dip pens. Everything was either in a plastic sleeve (pen, nib units) or little plastic bags. 

2. Appearance
I don't know much at all about fountain pen materials but went with the resin Koroit Opal model with gold hardware for the Milano, and boy howdy is it pretty! The flecks of brown and orange reflect light in an interesting way and there's no signs of sharp edges or rough finishing anywhere that I can find on the pen. The clip is strong, the ball is fun to fidget with, and the "OSPREY" engraving is crisp.

(From left to right: Pilot Parallel, Osprey Milano, Pilot Falcon Resin, Delike Alpha, Traveler's Notebook Brass Pen)

3. Performance
The three nib units I got were: EEF standard, EEF steel flex and the Flexpert Zebra G. It's very easy to swap between the different sections and I think it's a really neat feature of the pen. All the nib units and converter threads have silicone grease applied.

The first two aren't really that interesting. The EEF standard is probably more like a Japanese EF, it writes smooth. The EEF steel flex isn't particularly flexy, but more like a "soft" nib. It also writes nicely but isn't as flexible as something like a Fountain Pen Revolution ultra-flex nib. Basically: They're alright. 

 

Now, the fun one: the Flexpert Zebra G nib section with an ebonite feed. Having tinkered with Jinhao X450 frankenpens along with Noodlers and Fountain Pen Revolution steel flex I was expecting at least a little fight to get the Zebra G Flexpert nib unit writing how I wanted it to. Surprisingly,  I got lucky. I didn't have to do anything at all. Most of these niche pen brands tend to be incredibly hit or miss with how well they work out of the box, so take my luck here with a grain of salt.

I tested the pen with the provided Noodlers Black ink then immediately flushed the unit and refilled it with J. Herbin Lie de The. I carried it around for the next few days at all kinds of angles in my bag, looking for any excuse to sit and draw. Never had any problems with hard starts, leaking, or anything like that. My only real quibble with it is that the most I can ever fill the converter is about 3/4ths of the way unless I unscrew it and syringe fill instead. 

The pen flows well and I never managed to starve or railroad this pen under regular drawing conditions. For calligraphy I can see how someone might have problems with constant huge swells but for drawing where I'm not constantly flexing the pen it's been fantastic. Obviously, by fountain pen standards a dip nib falls squarely into "super scratchy" territory and require sturdier paper than fountain pen nibs but these are ultimately steel disposable nibs with a specific purpose which they serve very well and blow most (modern) fountain pen nibs out of the water while doing it. Maybe I'll update this with some longer term opinions after I have to swap out the nib myself for the first time. 

(Writing comparisons on Tomoe River Paper)

 

(Small sketchbook drawings in different styles on Strathmore Aquarius II paper)

4. Overall
Solid pen with a Zebra G insert that's great for drawing. Honestly, it's a pretty nice pen even with a regular fountain pen nib. 
 

Edited August 19, 2021 by sambam
Added another drawing

[rudyhou]

👍  for the writing comparisons.  i like how the same ink can give a different color tone depending on the nib it is used with.

[mizgeorge]

Great review and some wonderful sketches! Thank you  

 

You make this sound like a very attractive option - I have various 'cobbled together' options for using Zebra G nibs, and they range from excellent to barely adequate - and an ebonite feed definitely makes a big difference. 

 

Do you happen to know what the housing size is? Is it JoWo or Bock compatible? I think I'd find the whole thing more appealing with a piston filler rather than c/c, so being able to swap the nib into another unit might make all the difference.

 

And welcome to FPN! Lovely to have you here.

[sambam]

@rudyhou I thought it'd be helpful so people can see the Zebra G compared to a fairly popular soft nib pen like the Falcon, even if it's not a flex nib. Lie de The really has a lot of character for a brown ink so I find myself using it all the time.  

 

@mizgeorge Yeah, having a purpose made ebonite feed for G nibs has really makes a difference over the janky Jinhao X450 mod that I messed with for a few months but ultimately gave up on. I had much better luck in a Noodlers Ahab but not by much, so eventually I just went back to using dip nibs the old fashioned way until this pen. 

 

As far as I can tell the dimensions are similar to JoWo but the thread patterns are different so you wouldn't be able to swap them. I considered eyedropping the Milano but I haven't tried that on any pen before and the end of this one unscrews like a blind cap (for operating the converter, I guess?) so it seems like a gamble. I don't mind the C/C filling system but it would be nice to have either eyedropper or piston with a nib and feed that use so much ink. 

Thanks! I might start going through my ink collection for some drawing-based reviews there next.

Edited August 19, 2021 by sambam

[amberleadavis]

This review is fantastic!  Thank you for all the work.  I received my Osprey today and I'm very pleased. The little ball clip is ingenious. 

[Honeybadgers]

I have two milanos. One red oka ebonite, one chased black ebonite.

 

I've got one section with the zebra G flexpert, one with the #5 EF steel flex nib (like the "ease my flex" mod on a #5 flex nib from a nib creaper) and a few of their regular nibs.

 

I have also found they take some friction fit ebonite feeds that I've accrued in my hoard.

 

They're a great deal and the owner is really cool. I particularly love their EEF steel nib.