Leonardo Momento Zero Grande

Being a collector and user of fountain pens, I have made some mistakes along the way.
Selling my Leonardo Momento Zero, in the Hawaii colour, is one of those mistakes.
It was a wonderful, dependable, pen but there was one thing I didn’t really like : it was a bit small.
Not pocket pen small, mind , I would’ve just appreciated a bit more length and girth*.

But the folks at Leonardo Officana Italiana weren’t planning on limiting their range of pens to the Momento Zero and the Furore ( think of the Momento Zero but cigar shaped instead of a flat top ) !
Enter the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande. Measuring 150 mm and weighing in at 34g ( compared to 142mm and 25g for the Momento Zero ), it was exactly what I wanted : a Momento Zero that had experienced a growth spurt.
And what I want, I buy. So I did.

 

Bigger pen means bigger box, and a bottle of ink.

Its larger size does mean it comes with a higher price tag : € 295 compared to €178 for the Momento Zero.
But it’s worth it though. It hasn’t put a foot wrong ever since I bought it ( and, to be honest, I can’t even remember when I bought it ).

And it’s not just the box and the body that has grown in size, the nib has been enlarged too! Everyone knows a nib can never be too big. So I applaud Leonardo for going with a size 8 nib, instead of just shoving a size 6 nib in there.

Top to bottom : Momento Zero Grande , TWSBI Vac Mini , Montblanc 149

It’s not all beer and skittles though. The converter from the Momento Zero has been replaced by a captured converter for the Momento Zero Grande, which in itself isn’t really a problem. The problem is that ( some stores at least ) were marketing this pen as a piston filler. Technically speaking this isn’t incorrect, as a converter is a removable mini piston, but , ceteris paribus, there’s quite a difference  when it comes to ink capacity comparing a pen with a captured converter to a true piston filler. The stated capacity of this specimen is 1,2ml.

Unscrew the blind cap and it looks like a vintage piston filler

Unscrew the barrel to find out it isn’t like a vintage piston filler*

 

But , again, Leonardo Officina Italiana seems to have listened as the refreshed version of the Momento Zero Grande seems to be a true piston filler! Which in turn comes with a downside of its own : the lack of an ink window means you’ll be playing the guessing game when it comes to the ink level.

Trying to please everyone is impossible though. They would’ve annoyed the purists by turning it into a true piston filler , and including an ink window because it would ruin the aesthetic, or they would’ve annoyed the more practical people by omitting the ink window.
So the solution offered in this version is, in my opinion, the best of both worlds.

The nib , coupled with a glorious ebonite feed, is a joy to use. Ink flows freely and consistently, and hard starts are a distant worry. Writing sample in the form of handwritten draft can be found below.
They offered the revised version with a 3 tine music nib as well ( not entirely sure if that’s still an available option ) , and I would love to try out one of those!

So if you’re in the market for a new oversize fountain pen, and there’s € 295 burning a hole in your pocket click these words *.

 

 

 

• don’t we all?
• elitist screeching ensues
• I’m not sponsored or anything, this is just my way of making up for the fact that I haven’t bought anything there in ages. Go crazy, buy a Momento Zero Grande, throw in some ink and try out one of the many available Japanese pens. Do it!

Onoto Doctor’s Pen

I’ve had my eye on an Onoto for quite some time but they all seemed to be out of my price range.
Until one drunk night in the beginning of the year ( March 7th 2020 to be precise ) when I decided that some retail therapy was in order.
Even if the pen was almost eye-wateringly expensive, at least it would bring me some joy, if just for a little while. And my 30th birthday was coming up, so that was the second part of my excuse to spend 795 euros on a pen. The Nakaya Neo-Standard had also made me realize I need/want more red ( or variations thereof ) pens in my collection.
Some clicks , and a moaning wallet later, I got the e-mail confirming my order.
The only thing I had to do now was wait, and wait, and wait…

Time rolled on, people went batshit crazy when a certain disease attained legendary status by being qualified as a pandemic, and I forgot I had ordered the pen.
Then,on the 18th of June, I got an e-mail stating that my pen was on its way to me ( or, well, a friend’s house ).
I nearly suffocated in my coffee, causing a coughing fit, and the fever of anticipation hit me. People around me started panicking, and I assured them the only positive  about me was my personality. 

Upon arrival at my friend’s house the 19th of June I thanked him for being such a dependable ,friendly version of a post office, opened the box, and saw that it was good.

I rushed home, eager to try it out the pen and discover the possible secrets the ornate box would hold.
Turns out those secrets would primarily be paperwork.

There’s a quick-start guide for people who have never handled a fountain pen before ( those people deserve a stern talking to ), a guide explaining the hallmarks on the capband ( hallmarks barely noticeable to the naked eye ) , a membership card welcoming you to the “elusive” Onoto owners club ( this card offers no benefits whatsoever. I’ve shown it to a fair amount of maidens, and none of them swooned, they just screamed ) , and a chemically treated cleaning cloth for your fountain pen ( when tears of rejection just won’t suffice ).

But who cares about the fancy box, and all the other stuff? We’re here for the pen!
How does it perform?
Do you become a doctor just by wielding one of these pens?

To answer the final question first : looking in the mirror will not make you think ” Damn, I’m a fine looking doctor” but ” Damn, this straight jacket looks good on me” , after your loved ones will have you sectioned when they find out how much you’ve paid for the pen.

Let’s talk performance for a bit.

I must admit it’s somewhat smaller than anticipated. Weight wise it’s just right.( I went for standard 25 grams option, this can be upped to 32 grams if you so desire )
The discrepancy in hoped versus actual length does not , however, take away from the general performance of the pen. The glorious size 7 , 18K nib glides across the paper. It glides, but it’s not overly smooth. There’s also an option to have a customized nib, but this carries a 42,50 euro premium.

In the 2 months I’ve had it it’s been a part of my daily carry, partnering the Neo-Standard. This means it was primarily used to sign stuff and make the occasional note at work.
And it hasn’t put a single foot wrong. The only thing I don’t really like is that it takes multiple turns to uncap the pen. This is not a problem when you’re writing page upon page in one go, but in other scenarios this might become tiresome.
It’s also more of a gusher than you’d expect. On the first day I took it to work, with a full converter,  I had to refill it during my lunch break.
Granted, the days where you put your autograph on 500 pages are the exception. And it is, after all, a broad nib.

So, all in all, I’m happy with the pen. I’m only not entirely sure I’d buy one again. I’d probably go out and buy another ebonite pen.
Yes , it’s a limited edition pen ( mine’s number 46 out of 100 ), and the silver fittings are sterling silver as opposed to a silver plated metal, and the colour’s unique.

But those are things you don’t feel when using the pen. When using the pen it might as well be a slightly heavier nondescript resin pen with a good nib, and not a 795 euros limited edition.

So that’s it when it comes to the Onoto Doctor’s Pen.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try and impress some people with my Onoto membership card. It’s bound to work some day!

Nakaya Neo Standard

What kind of pen does one review amidst a pandemic, and on the eve of a potential economic catastrophe?
A silly expensive one , of course!
Pen people will save the economy, mark my words.

So, back in October of 2019 I bought myself a Nakaya Portable Writer, in the Kuro Tamenuri finish, with a cursive italic nib, and I still love it.

But there was only one issue : it wasn’t really all that usable at work.
You see, before the entire world went into lockdown, my work consisted of writing in sub optimal conditions a fair bit : my fancy paper at home nowhere in sight, but tons of cheap office paper that goes mental when you use a nib that’s not a medium.
A chair? What’s that? You stand up, pay attention and write! In some cases there were chairs to sit on and tables to write at but , in an attempt not to contract some silly disease, you wouldn’t want to sit down and write. Some people’s living conditions, fuck me, don’t get me started. They’ve got alcohol and drugs aplenty, but a cloth to clean or something is shockingly absent. Then again, who am I to judge other people’s priorities? They keep me employed after all…

So I needed a pen that wasn’t as picky when it came to writing angles, writing speed, and the paper used. I could’ve used my Namisu Nova with its medium nib, or any other pen in my collection that suited the criteria. But I had experienced a Nakaya. So I did what everyone in my situation would do and bought another one : a Neo Standard, in the Aka Tamenuri finish, with a soft medium nib.
I placed my order, knowing that it would be on its way to me in 24 hours. And then the universe reminded me that you know less than you think you do.
In the short period between me pressing “Buy now” and me completing the transaction someone else bought the final one with a soft medium nib. The seller informed me that my pen would be on its way in 6 months, or that I could opt for a soft fine nib. If I went for the soft fine nib they could ship it in 24 hours. Me, being the patient lad that I am, of course told them to ship me the soft fine one instead.

A couple of days later the pen arrived :

And I was smitten by the colour and the feel of the pen. So I proceeded , with my well known enthusiasm when it comes to pens, to fill it up. And there’s where our relationship hit its first stumbling block.

The soft fine really was fine, too fine for my taste. But I had nobody but myself and my impatience to blame. After all, I knew the Japanese nibs tend to be one grade finer than their European counterparts. So we worked out our differences and it saw a fair amount of use. It never missed a beat.

But eventually I couldn’t handle the ballpoint pen like thinness of the pen anymore and decided to create my most expensive Frankenpen to date ( and void my warranty , like a madman ) . Out with the standard Nakaya nib, in with a Broad nib from a Platinum #3776. This procedure isn’t as mad as it may sound, as both pens use the same nib ( disregarding some extra tuning and the different design on the nib ) and feed. So it’s a fairly simple, but nerve-racking, swap. I’ve been using it like this for the last month or so without any issues.

And does this one make my sensitive bits tingle whenever I use it. It’s perfectly balanced, it feels wonderful ( you can feel it warm up after you’ve used it for a while ), and I think it looks gorgeous. The only thing that annoys me now is that it’s so difficult to snap decent pictures of it. But as with so many things ridiculously sexy : it’s hard to convey that emotion in pictures. Trust me, I’ve tried by taking copious amounts of pictures of myself.

So would I recommend the Nakaya Neo Standard ? If you’ve got the money to spend ( 750 euros in this case ) , go for it. Just make sure to choose a broader nib grade than what you’re used to. And hope they’ve got the pen ( or finish ) you want in stock or you’ll be forced to wait quite a while to start playing with your new acquisition. Below are my feeble attempts at capturing the beauty of the Neo Standard. ( these were taken after the nib swap ).

The ever evolving quest for the next grail pen

What  Montblanc is to recent fountain pen initiates, Nakaya is to the more seasoned fountain pen aficionados : they’re grail pens ( 1).
Pens one lusts after, no matter how many other pens come and go.
Pens which, let’s be honest, would seem somewhat less eye-wateringly expensive if purchases were limited. But then a new pen and/or brand shows up, and you fool yourself into thinking “If I don’t buy that now, I’ll never get a chance again”, which is of course a lie. That Pelikan M800 is still going to be for sale in two years, and maybe there’ll be a colour available you like even more than the bland black one you bought. ( 2)

I own both ( 3) , and it made me realize something : maybe the search is over, but chances are it isn’t.
You see, I bought my first Montblanc whilst still in my fountain pen infancy. I trawled the fountain pen forums looking for any kind of information on all kinds of pens, and was aware of the status Montblanc enjoyed. I took notes, at first with my Parker Vector, which was soon replaced by a Faber-Castell Ambition, silently wishing my pen would morph into a Montblanc overnight. Montblanc’s marketing didn’t help, they’re everywhere on social media, flaunting their wares and tempting people. So roughly 3 months after purchasing my Faber-Castell Ambition I forked over 425 euros for my first Montblanc : a Classique with the standard gold plated finish. ( 4)
And I was happy. My Montblanc was my most priced possession, I wrote page upon page with it. Hell, I even signed the contract for my current job with it. ( 5) It felt special uncapping it , until it didn’t anymore.
After acquiring the 145 I didn’t stop collecting, if anything I started buying more and more pens, hoping that every single one would make me feel the same the 145 did.
To people who aren’t into pens this may sound weird, after all they all serve the same purpose : deliver ink to paper in the form of a nicely controlled leak.
But I wanted more, so I bought more, secretly hoping one day my 145 would turn into a 149, or at least copulate with one of the larger pens in my collection and bring forth a 149 into the world.
But sadly my 145 lacked procreative properties, so I had to buy a 149 to satisfy my grail pen need.

I eventually got my hands on a 149, for a good price. ( 6) And it turned out to have a leaky piston. Roughly 250 euros and a fixed piston later, I finally had my functional grail pen! Problem solved, I didn’t have to buy more pens, I had everything I needed and/or wanted.
Right?
Nope! That would be too easy! To me it just felt like a bigger 145 with a piston filler instead of the standard cartridge/converter.
Remember those shiny Japanese pens you’ve read about on forums?
The ones related to the, almost ridiculously cheap for the spec, Platinum pens, but that are waaaay out of your budget? You want one of those!

So I decided to be smart and buy multiple ebonite , sans urushi layers on top of it, pens. And they did feel nicer that the run off the mill plastic/resin/precious resin pens I already owned. I was satisfied.
The Nakaya pens would stay unobtainable pieces of writing equipment.

Until I tried one, and fell in love.
Maybe it was the atmosphere of the event in question, helped by the fact that the person responsible for organizing the event recognized me and greeted me by name ( 7), but I just wanted one. All of the lust bubbled to the surface until it couldn’t be contained no longer and ( some ) financial caution( 8) was thrown to the wind.
I now am the proud owner of a Nakaya ( in a deliciously sexy Kuro-Tamenuri finish, which’ll only increase over time, judging by the pictures others have posted on the internet. ) , with a nib tuned to my hand and preference.
Every time I release the Nakaya from the confines of its box and kimono I feel overjoyed.
Just like I did with the Montblanc 145 in the early days.

The question is : have I found the one? Or will the Nakaya end up like the 145?
Only time will tell.
Present me is a firm believer when it comes to option 1, future me might be contemplating which pen to buy with the funds available to him by selling the Nakaya.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some drivel to write down in my notebook, as a lame excuse to use the Nakaya with its wonderful cursive italic.

 

 

 

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I’m of course generalizing here, tastes differ. Which is probably why I think I’m amazing and I would totally date and do myself, but people of the opposite gender do not.

 

And don’t kid yourself, you bought the black one because that one would , in the end, be easier to sell than the blue one for example ( limited editions are the exception ).

 

Not to toot my own horn, we’ve already established I’m amazing. Don’t want to overdo it.

 

My parents chimed in, offering a loan with 0%, I call that a win ( and almost harmfully enabling behaviour )

 

The one where they finally decided to remove an end date from it, way back in late 2017. The most recent one was signed with a 149, but I’ll get to that, don’t you worry.

 

A price to good to be true, one I couldn’t refuse, and burned a hole in my bank account.

 

My ego is like a balloon in a vacuum : it just inflates on itself. What one considers “being a good salesperson”, I interpret as recognition of my greatness.The balloon’ll pop one day.

 

The financial hurt was somewhat limited by me selling the 145 a day before. How dare you insinuate the sale was planned? I would never……

Nakaya portable writer mini review

As the title says : this isn’t a comprehensive review, but it beats posting nothing at all.
( I still have to get around to finishing the review of the Namisu Nova Ebonite, and start work on the review of the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande. Knowing myself that could take a while… )

Parker Duofold Centennial

Less than a month after publishing the TWSBI Vac Mini review where I talked a fair bit ( and a lot more than anticipated ) about my work  I received a phone call with some good news : they wanted to keep me on board until I reach retirement.
The silly bastards probably didn’t realize they’re stuck with me for at least 30 more years now.
I guess the beard does make me look older.

Montblanc 149

I did it! I finally did it!
I got my hands on something that had been missing from my life for what seems like forever!!
A Montblanc 149.

Slightly more expensive* than a girlfriend, which is what everyone in my immediate vicinity would prefer me to get my hands on.
But, hey, let’s work with what we’ve got.

The Collector

Reviewing stuff can be hard, one doesn’t always manage to be completely unbiased, there are always preconceptions about the author/manufacturer, or something else that colours your opinion.
This is why reviewing gifts is even harder, on top of all the above  it’s not your investment that’s on the line, someone else’s investment in you.
That investment being the reason we keep stuff any sane person would’ve thrown away a long time ago, or throw away perfectly good stuff just because it’s so connected to the person that gave it to you.

But let’s try our best to be as unbiased as possible this time.
But before you read on, I must warn you : it’s not a pen.* It’s a book!

Lenovo Miix 320

Quelle surprise, I’ve gotten my hands on a new laptop, well sort of laptop.
You see, the Lenovo Miix 320 is a 2-in-1 , meaning it’s a tablet you can attach a keyboard onto, turning it into a very small and portable laptop.

The Lenovo Miix 320 in its final form

Will it replace the Thinkpad as the new very capable and portable laptop?
No, not at all.
Let’s say that the Miix 320 is a sexy test of patience.

Thinkpad ‘troubles’

As the title indicates : the Lenovo Thinkpad X230 is the main star of this month’s update.
Why is that? I’ve already done a complete post on it, why come back to it?
Why not cover one of your other recent purchases?
The answer is twofold : I haven’t purchased anything review-worthy recently , and I’ve made a mistake buying the X230.