Aurora Optima Fountain Pen Review

A review of the Aurora Optima in Blue Auroloide with silver trim and a 14k Extra Fine nib. Ink is Monteverde Capri Blue amd paper is Rhodia Dot Pad 80gsm.

[@sajjadhusain4146]

Belated birthday wishes. And heaps of congrats for getting this fabulous pen for yourself. I’m a longtime ardent admirer of Aurora. My current downsized pen collection is dominated by Aurora pens (28/65). I love the Optima dearly. I have four of them, in four different color/finishes and nib sizes. You’re right about the similarities in design aesthetics with the Sailor Pro Gear (another firm favorite of mine). The Optima is so ‘perfect’ all round. A stout pen with flat top ends, truly beautiful auroloide material, the nicest, smoothest piston filling system I’ve used so far. And feels great in hand. I’m very fond of the unique writing feel and pleasant feedback-y nature of Aurora’s nibs. They are smooth, well-tuned, consistent in flow and just a sweet thrill to use. Somewhat similar to Sailor nibs, but still distinctly Aurora nevertheless. I have all the Aurora nibs across the size spectrum, except the EF. My firm favorite Aurora nibs are the Medium, and the speciality Italic, Stub and Goccia. I’d also recommend the Aurora 88 which I like even better. I have ten of them, including two of the original vintage ones. Another one I’d highly recommend is the c-c filling Aurora Talentum. Doesn’t come in stunning auroloide finishes, but has the same nibs and is quite a bit cheaper. Looks great, too. The Talentum is arguably the best entry into Aurora’s higher-end gold nib pens for the average buyer. Aurora’s premium pens are priced high, certainly, but they are totally worth it to me. I think a lot of people always pining for Pelikan, Montblanc etc..really ought to seriously consider buying a comparably priced Aurora Optima or Aurora 88 instead. Thanks for the review of this splendid pen. Enjoy your beauty fully! Btw, $260 is a real steal. So, win-win! 🙂 edit: You might also like Monteverde Horizon Blue and Visconti Blue. Both being beautiful, bright, but true blues that flow flawlessly and look great on the page. And oh, subscribed!

[@Drew-og5mr]

Happy belated birthday, and congratulations on your new job 🎉

[@thestationerydev]

Thanks! Cheers!

[@freespirit995]

Nice review. These are lovely pens. I have the blue with gold trimmings, the burgundy red and the orange versions: next on my list is the emerald and perhaps one of the more expensive special editions. I heartily recommend the fine flex nib version, which creates wonderful line variations. IMHO Aurora make some of the best pens in the world and are rare competitors to Sailor or Platinum.

[@thestationerydev]

Agreed! I've been very impressed and loving mine!

[@AntonioBarba_TheKaneB]

the printing on the barrel is their historical company denomination "Fabbrica italiana di penne a serbatoio" which means "Italian factory of reservoir pens", as opposed to dip pens without a reservoir which were still relevant in 1919 when the company was founded in the city of Torino

[@thestationerydev]

Thanks for the info!

[@AntonioBarba_TheKaneB]

@@thestationerydev no problem mate!

[@fjschnitzer1]

I did look at the Optima in black at a local pen shop last week. I was surprise how light it is. The penshop owner told me the piston mechanism is mostly plastic like Pelikan M400 and M600. Is it true. The Pelikan M1000 feel more expensive. The M1000 is only 70usd more. Tq

[@xerxiusmaximus]

Aurora Boxes are actually made of wood… not cardboard… nice pen.

[@ghatzidakis]

This vs Pelican m800?

[@xerxiusmaximus]

It's: "cuh-PREE" Blue....

[@thestationerydev]

Actually it's not- Capri (/ˈkæpri/ KAP-ree) 😉

[@xerxiusmaximus]

"Un-subscribed!"

[@thestationerydev]

Nice