Aurora Orange Fountain Pen Ink Review

As a connoisseur of orange ink, I have high expectations. And to be honest, I was little concerned about Aurora Orange meeting those expectations. There is a lot about this ink the led me to question it before testing it. But I have to say in the end that it is better than I thought it would be.

What lead me to question this ink right out of the gate? Two things: Price and product name - and a combination of the two. At $30 for a 55 ml bottle, the inks for the the Aurora 100th Anniversary Ink Set, which Orange is a part of, are priced on the premium side of the ledger. The price isn’t outrageous, and I’ve certainly paid more for less, but that brings in the second part of the equation.

What’s in a name? Many ink fans have been waiting for Aurora to branch out of their Blue and Black inky ways for years. We were thrown a bone with Blue Black a few years ago, but that was it. Even though the colors were basic, Aurora’s inks were always well respected as good performers. So why don’t they expand their basic ink offerings with other standard colors like Red, Green, Purple, and Orange? Apparently because they needed to hold them for this 10 ink, 100th Anniversary set.

That’s where my confusion set in. If I’m buying an ink that is part of a limited edition set - and priced as such - I want to feel that I’m getting something special. Yes, the etched logo bottle is a nice upgrade, but you’re selling me the most basic of shades. Shades I can get from your competition for upwards of half the price?

So, Orange. That name doesn’t make me feel special. As special as Aurora wants this set to be. As special as the price dictates it should be. Same goes for the rest of the inks, all of which are named similarly. Throw me a bone and call it Tangerine, or name it after a region in Italy. Give me something special.

Unless this ink will become part of your core offering down the line? Without the fancy bottle, and without the fancy price. Aurora Orange would be great in the $18 for 45 ml that they offer normally. Same with all of the colors in the 100th Anniversary set (Blue, Black, and Blue Black are already available without the fancy bottle for that price.) This is what I see happening eventually.

Because when you get down to it, Orange is a basic orange ink. It is your standard, core offering orange. If we rewind back to the top, I love orange inks and know a good one when I see it. Aurora Orange is a great one. It ranks up there with the best of them. It’s main feature is its shading. I found it to be a nice, moderate shader with the Fine Cursive Italic nib I was using, and on the various papers I tested with.

If you want a very traditional, exactly what you would expect orange ink, then Aurora Orange is an excellent choice. The only consideration is if that is enough for you to pay the price.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Aurora Style Rose Gold Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Over the past couple of years, I've had the opportunity to use several different high-end Aurora fountain pens, so it's always a bit difficult to judge other Auroras by a separate standard when the situation requires it. In the case of the Aurora Style, this separation is needed due to the vast price difference. At under $100, the Style fits into an entirely different tax bracket, but it's still made by the Aurora brand that I've come to love. With that in mind, let's see how the Style stacks up against other pens in this same category.

The Rose Gold tier of Style fountain pens is a fairly recent addition at JetPens, and it's a nice step up from the standard pastel-colored Style tier. I'd love to see a silver or chrome family offered as well, but that's a different discussion. The Style is offered in either EF, F, M, or B nib sizes and does not come with a cartridge-converter. While Aurora does include a free blue ink cartridge with the pen, you'll need to think ahead about how you want to ink this pen since the Aurora cartridges are a proprietary design. I'd suggest purchasing the Aurora converter at the same time, even though that will add about $17 to the total price. With that in mind, I think the true price of this pen is somewhere around $110.

At first glance, the Style in Rose Gold looks strikingly similar to a Parker 51 when capped. It's a classic, vintage design that will likely speak to a lot of people. It looks great, and the Parker 51 similarities quickly disappear after you remove the cap. Unlike the Aurora Duocart, the Style does not feature a hooded nib. The black body is made of polished black resin, which, while it looks fantastic, picks up fingerprints quite easily. The cap is a rose gold-plated material that also picks up fingerprints rather quickly. The rose gold and black resin is a fantastic combination, though. The grip section is a nice size and shape that makes writing comfortable, and the nib features the same rose gold plating as the cap. In all, it's a good-looking pen.

The cap secures to the pen with a snug snap mechanism, and it also friction-fits to the back of the pen if you want to post it. I've been really happy with the feel and dependability of the cap. I've been posting the pen about half of the time that I write. The cap provides a nice balance and length, but the pen is also completely comfortable when using it without the cap posted. It's great that it works well either way.

The nib is made of steel, features minimal branding, and writes incredibly well. I made zero adjustments to this pen out of the box, and I couldn't be happier with the performance. It's a wet medium that's capable of producing a small amount of line variation if you press down slightly. I can barely feel any feedback from the nib when writing with this pen — it's just buttery smooth. This is exactly the kind of writing experience I expect from a luxury brand, even on their "lower-end" offerings.

While this pen has been an absolute joy when it comes to the writing experience, I have reservations when it comes to recommending it to people. Like I mentioned earlier, I think the real price of the pen is $110 due to the fact that you need a proprietary cartridge-converter in order to use it properly. The $100 price point is an awkward place to be. There are numerous offerings at the $40, $60, and even $80 range that offer more and perform just as well as this Aurora. Likewise, if you're willing to spend just $20 more on a pen, you arrive at an entirely different price and feature tier. A personal favorite of mine, the Pilot Custom Heritage 92, is about $23 more expensive than this Aurora, but I think it's a much better pen (14K gold nib, people!). And, if you decide to look at a pen with a lower cost, you can choose to purchase an additional pen or a couple of different inks to try out.

When it comes to retail and making choices, the sky is the limit. Ultimately, it always comes down to personal preference. Apart from the Aurora brand name, a well-performing steel nib, and a vintage aesthetic, the Aurora can't really compete in the price range it's currently in. If the Style was in the $60 range (and included a converter), it would be a different story.

That being said, if the Aurora Style Rose Gold speaks to you and fits your budget, you can't go wrong. I've really enjoyed writing with this pen due to the feel and wonderful nib. It's a great pen, but it's not for everyone.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Aurora Optima O’ Sole Mio Fountain Pen Review

How do you review a product you have already reviewed, and already love? How do you keep it fresh? How do you say something new? I’m not sure I have all of the answers to those questions, but let’s find out. One thing I do know: I love the Aurora Optima.

I knew I loved it from the first time I picked one up, which ended up in the purchase of my first, the Optima Red Demonstrator. And yes, I still think just as highly of it now, even though I had to send it to the shoptima. It’s a pen that fits me perfectly.

Until this week, I wasn’t sure why it was so perfect for me. Then I read a review of the Aurora Optima 365 on Hand Over That Pen. Pam, Queen of Tiny Handwriting, First of Her Name, said this about the Optima:

“ I really love the Optima’s shape and size. Why you ask? Because, to me, the Aurora Optima 365 is a gaudier Sailor Progear with the use of a wider, more ostentatious cap band.”

That explains a lot about me and my likes, doesn’t it?

Aurora Optima (Top), Sailor Pro Gear Bungubox 5th Anniversary Edition

Looking at pictures of the Optima and Pro Gear side-by-side the comparison is inevitable. Why didn’t I think of this before! I guess that makes the Aurora 88 and the Sailor 1911 cousins as well.

One area where they do not compare is in price. The Aurora is twice as much as the Pro Gear, but I feel it is priced correctly for what it brings to the table. You can feel the difference in your hand before even getting into the technical aspects.

First off, the Optima is a piston filler, while the Pro Gear uses a cartridge/converter filling system. And this is no normal piston either. It’s easily the most substantial I have felt in a pen, and even has a small, stealth, ink reservoir to get those last drops out until you can get it filled up again.

The Optima has a large ebonite feed, too. Does it make the ink flow better than a standard plastic feed? I’d be lying if I told you I could tell the difference. But the sheer size of it, which is mostly hidden in the section, is impressive.

The materials of this pen - in the case of the O’ Sole Mio black acrylic and marbled orange auroloide - are substantial, and beautiful. The Pro Gear acrylic barrel is lightweight in comparison. The walls of the Optima barrel are thick, and you can feel it in your hand.

Aurora has some of the best gold nibs on the market. So does Sailor. And they are completely different. Aurora’s nibs are thick, and on the firmer side for a gold nib. The medium nib in this Optima is smooth with a little give when writing, but with no bounce or variation when you push it. Sailor’s nibs are obviously finer in comparison, and do have a different feel when writing. Both offer some of the best nibs in the business.

And finally, as Pam says above, the Optima has a gaudier cap band. And it’s a good-looking gaudy! While the Pro Gear offers sleek, refined hardware, Aurora steps up the hardware game in comparison, both in size and style. I think it looks great.

So, if you like the Sailor Pro Gear, will you like the Aurora Optima? I say undoubtedly yes. It does come at a cost though, and in the case of these two pens, it is worth it to me.

(Kenro Inc. provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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