FP Newbie

You don’t have to buy the most expensive pen to have an enjoyable writing experience. For the longest time, I had a mental block about wanting to buy the alpha dog pen of every brand. This would often close the door to me because I am simply unwilling to spend that much on every pen I want. So, I was wanting to get the Momento Zero Grance with the 14k gold nib, which runs around $450. But, I love the look of the pens from Leonardo Officina. So, I compromised and bought the regular Momento Zero with a steel nib. I’m glad I did.

Ciro Matrone, the father of Leonardo co-founder and CEO Salvatore Matrone, was the co-founder and only production manager of the storied brand Delta. He led the production department there for thirty-six years. During that time, he produced and designed many of Delta’s most notable and successful writing instrument collections. Today, Leonardo Officina Italiana continues this legacy by focusing on what characterized the craft of Italian fountain pen making during the “golden age” of the 1930’s and 40’s. The pens pay homage to vintage filling systems, materials and traditional techniques.

This pen is so stunning, that I went out an bought a real camera to photograph it with because my phone camera just could not capture the brilliant colors. Besides being beautiful, the pen is the right size and the right feel. It comes with a unique filling system, which is really a converter that you can operate be removing the bottom portion of the barrel. However, by doing that you cannot see how much ink you have in the converter. So, I find it better to remove the whole barrel and fill it the way you would other converters.

The nib is understated, especially compared to the dramatic design of the rest of the pen – it just has the Leonardo logo. I opted for the steel nib, which I am sure that I will update to a 14k nib even though the steel nib writes well for a steel nib.

Overall, I love the look and feel of this pen and I am very happy to have it in my collection.