Tag Archives: My Personal Pens

My Personal Pens: Visconti Kakadu

The Kakadu, very similar in size to an Opera Master, was part of a trio of pens exclusive to the Australian market: the Australis, Didgeridoo, and the Kakadu.  It’s a wonderful, well-balanced pen with a great oblique stub nib.  This is the pen I took with me when I defended my PhD thesis due to its great balance and reliable writing qualities.  I have not yet recorded a full review of this pen but I will do so as soon as I can.

My Personal Pens: Visconti Speakeasy

The Visconti Speakeasy is both hideous and magnificent at the same time and I love it.  Yes, it has a booze indicator and a hidden compartment for alcohol, but it’s also a beautiful oversize pen made from stunning celluloid.  With its stubbed double broad nib, it’s an absolutely pleasure to use.  I have done a full review of this pen too.

My Personal Pens: OMAS Paragon Grand in Arco Bronze

Let’s have a look at the OMAS Paragon in the beautiful Arco Bronze celluloid.  I love this pen: it has a very smooth 18k gold nib, and it holds a lot of ink.  The fine nib is very smooth and an absolute pleasure to use, and the pen has a great size.  The Arco celluloid is hard not to love.  I have done a full review of this pen too, if you’re interested.

My Personal Pens: Namiki Emperor Vermillion

The Namiki Emperor is a great pen, in every sense of the word.  It’s a giant ebonite pen, which is then lacquered with urushi.  The nib is Namiki’s #50 – and it’s enormous and a little springy (contrary to the modern Emperor nibs, which are stiffer, as I understand).  A behemoth, this eyedropper-filled pen with a one-way shutoff valve holds about 6 ml of ink – so I can use this for weeks without having to re-ink it.  If you are interested, I have also recorded a full review of this pen.  This beautiful pen was a gift from Azizah, which makes it all the more special.

My Personal Pens: Stipula Etruria Magnifica Alter Ego

This Stipula Etruria Magnifica in the Alter Ego finish is a nice, large pen with a clever piston mechanism.  Although I like the finish, this pen is particularly special to me because of the very fascinating titanium nib, which is very springy and has excellent “snap-back”. This pen was limited to 351 fountain pens.  I have not yet done a full review of this pen, but I will record one when I get a chance.

My Personal Pens: Visconti Opera Elements Fire

The Visconti Opera Elements Fire has been in my collection for a very long time.  I absolutely adore the finish of this pen: it’s a wonderful pen that just looks beautiful.  The smooth and springy 14 karat gold nib is particularly special.  This pen is quite a bit smaller than its big brother, the Opera Master, but it is also lighter and more portable.