(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
There are many pen makers and brands that have a product or two that feature an annual (or even more frequent) special colorway that are fun to collect. Lamy may be the most well-known with their special Safari and AL-Star editions, and some folks really get into collecting them all. For me, I don't need them all, but I really enjoy the change and unique colors that are bolder than the normal color lineup.
One of those companies that does special colorways on a regular basis is Opus 88. I'm really behind on this one, but I absolutely love the 2022 Color of the Year version of their Demo pen. For one, the Demo is one of my favorite fountain pen designs, and I'm a huge sucker for purple stuff — especially when some of that purple is translucent. The purple acrylic on this pen is delicious, and I love having it on my desk just to see it. The red ebonite accents also go really well with the purple, and I've gotten so many compliments on this pen in the short period that I've had it.
Opus 88 aren't new to the game of matching up colors that might seem a bit odd in theory. A lot of their designs feature bold, vibrant colors that do a great job of complementing each other. There's an understanding of the color wheel in their product colors that I wish I had. Instead, I'm more than happy to see what they come up with.
The Demo is a classic at this point. The long, wide shape looks and feels great, and allows for a large amount of ink in the eyedropper reservoir. The ebonite grip, butt, and finial of the pen have a lovely terracotta vibe due to the flecks of dark material in the ebonite that give it an earthy clay appearance. And the clip, like all Opus 88 Demos, is sleek and strong. The clip material isn't very thick, but it has plenty of holding power.
Since this is an eyedropper filling system, there's an o-ring at the top of the grip threads that keep the ink sealed inside. Filling the pen is a matter of unscrewing the grip section and filling the reservoir with ink using the included eyedropper. When you're ready to write, just unscrew the back piece to open the ink reservoir to the feed and nib, and you're ready to go. When the valve is closed, the ink supply is shut off from the nib and you can travel with peace of mind. In my experience, there's no delay in ink delivery when opening the valve after not using the pen for a few hours. This will change as more time passes, but even if the feed dries up, you can quickly bring it back to life by opening the ink supply. If you need some help or a visual demonstration of how this system works, Vanness have a helpful video of how it works on the product page.
A first for me, I tried the #6 Jowo EF Flex nib with this pen. I've used many small flex nibs in the past, and I'm a huge fan. What you need to understand about these nibs is that they're not flex-y in the way that you probably assume. A lot of flex nibs are made so that you can get a crazy amount of line variation with a little pressure on the nib. This is great for fancy lettering or drawing, but not the intended use for a small flex nib. In the case of this EF flex nib, it just makes for a cushioned writing feel. Most small steel nibs have a hard feel due to the small tip size. There's no flex or movement when writing with the pen, and this can feel a little firm — which isn't a bad thing at all. This gives you a lot of fine control and instant feedback, which is perfect when working on small details.
But, if you want a fine tip that also has a softer feel when writing, then small flex nibs are wonderful. This EF lays down a small line, but it feels softer and bouncier when writing since the nib is flexing a bit. You can still get some good line variation with the flex nib, but it's not dramatic. This mostly serves as a way to make the writing experience feel softer, like adding a soft-ride suspension system to a car. I really enjoy this type of nib for general purpose writing, but it's not for everyone or every situation. Of course, you can pick a standard nib size or even a 1.5mm stub nib to go with this pen. And if you decide to try out a small flex nib and end up hating it, it's pretty easy to swap out these Jowo nibs for something else.
I'm no stranger to the Opus 88 Demo, and this won't be my last one simply because they keep introducing new and exciting color combinations. I couldn't resist this purple one, and I'm sure there will be other cases where I'm in the same position. The Demo is a fantastic platform, so I know that I'll be getting a great pen regardless of the color. If you haven't tried one out yet, there's no better time than the present.
Even though this 2022 version is a couple years old now, it's still in stock. At $130, you're getting a great pen that can hold an entire sample vial of ink inside. If this purple/red combo screams out to you like it did me, pick one up!
(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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