Pen Review - Omas Ogiva Cocktail Series Fountain Pen in Espresso Martini wi
Well, There is always a first time for everything I guess.
A representative has contacted me about potentially doing a review of a fountain pen from OMAS as part of their 100 year anniversary celebration. Accepted the offer, a couple more short email exchange later, I received their Espresso Martini limited edition fountain pen.
This review is not paid, no instruction was given with the review, I was even a bit surprised when the representative informed me the pen was shipped and should arrive in 2 days. The following is my completely honest view of the pen I received.
The pen came in a faux leather box
The pen material is a translucent resin mixture of white, lighter and darker brown with brown/rosegold color hardware.
There are two lasered metal bands on the pen, one on pen cap, one at end of grip section. The pattern/laser etching on the band leaves a rough surface, providing additional grip if you need them. However, they also has tendency to catch small fibers or lint.
The laser etching/pattern on the grip section also has attracts and stores ink once it’s refilled, they will need extra care to rinse out or wipe down with very damp towels to avoid staining fingers.
The pen is medium sized. roughly similar sizing compare to the Lamy Safari and Pilot Decimo
Thanks to the pen body’s semi translucent nature, you can check your ink level at any time by just shining a light on the pen, or view your pen in front of a light source.
The pen came with 14k two tone stamped nib, with a slim profile ebonite feed
The tiny wheel on pen clip is functional and free to spin.
The pen does not dry up when left in air for 5+ minutes, good for everyday use.
The cap takes takes 1-7/8 turn to uncap.
weights about 20 gram uncapped, and 30 gram capped.
Pen Length with cap is 151 mm, uncapped is 136 mm, the overall barrel width maxes out at 14mm, while the grip section ranges from 10 mm to 11mm in diameter.
The Piston filling mechanism is smooth, feels on-par with a new Pelikan.
Nib does not have issues with machine oil/lubricant residue and writes on first fill without soap water cleaning.
Let’s see if I can capture the pen’s sparkle in video format
One simple but major issue, the nib arrived unaligned by around 1/2 of a nib height.
It wrote fine initially, till I realized the ink seem very fainted based on my stroke.
Picture below is the nib post re-alignment. The nib was actually grounded perfectly fine, just one of the tines got lifted somewhere later in the manufacturing process.
Nib is a medium sized nib, and it writes a standard 0.5 mm width with Sailor #273 ink.
Feed back is minimal, similar friction between different stroke direction.
the pen is balanced and does not drop in either direction in hand,
Reverse writing is possible, but very scratchy and light and thin, I would not recommend using reverse side with this nib.
Overall, once the nib alignment is fixed, the pen functions beautifully. The fact that this pen will easily remain wet in exposed in open air for 5+ plus makes it an excellent every day writing tool.
Priced might be a bit high in comparison to some other brand, the pen’s fit and finish is excellent, but need some improvement on nib quality control. If you enjoy the pen material and can afford the slightly higher pricing, this an excellent to be added to one’s collection.
I’d recommend place a note for the shop to double check on nib, or buy from a reputable one and request inspection prior to shipping to avoid frustration.
