When I first saw the Opus 88 Picnic in Purple ($99), I really wanted one. So I was delighted when Vanness Pen Shop asked if we wanted to review it. Ana already reviewed the Picnic in Green, so she suggested I try the Purple.
The Opus 88 Picnic is a resin pen with chrome accents that comes in a variety of bright colors. The cap is a screw cap, and is postable, though that makes the pen quite long. The Picnic is an eye-dropper filled pen, with a piston and blind cap that allow for undisturbed ink flow. To keep the pen from leaking, it is sealed with two small black o rings, one where the nib and section meet, and one where the section and barrel meet. The instructions don’t call for silicon grease, but I used a dab anyway and had zero problems with leakage.
The nib is a steel Jowo #5, and is available in Fine, Medium or Broad. I chose to test drive a Fine Nib.
The Picnic is a bit bigger than I’m used to. It isn’t so much heavier than the other pens I use, but it is a bit longer, and the grip is a bit larger in diameter.
L to R: Sailor Pro Gear Slim, Kara’s Fountain K, Opus 88 Picnic, Pilot Metro Pop
As you can see, it does indeed come in a bit bigger and longer than most of my other pens. It’s a bit closer to the Metro Pop uncapped, but that section is definitely still bigger.
Overall I found the Opus 88 Picnic to be an enjoyable writer, but it really was a bit on the big side for my hand. I did fine in testing the pen in short bursts, but I have a feeling if I were to take notes for a meeting or use it for a longer length of time, my hand might feel fatigued.
That said, if my hand was bigger this would probably be jumping to the top of my buy list. I love that it holds lots of ink, is easily refillable and the bright colors just sing to me. The ink flow quite smooth, and the piston and blind cap made it easy to start writing right away. I didn’t experience any leaking or any burps of ink; just smooth clean lines. I tried to match my ink and I think I didn’t do too badly with Diamine Purple Dream. I feel like the price point for the Picnic is quite reasonable, and it’s a nice pen if you don’t have small hands like me!
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were loaned free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Jacques Herbin 1798 Cornaline d’Égypte (MSRP $28) is the second color in the 1798 ink line and the sixth (!?) in the J. Herbin specialty line of metallic-ish (I say “-ish” because I don’t know how to explain Rouge Hematite) fountain pen inks. The ink was officially released this week so it should be available from your favorite retailer (check the sidebar for all our favorite retailers that stock J. Herbin).
The packaging for Cornaline d’Égypte is just as deluxe as the previous releases and features the same wider opening as the Emeraude de Chivor last year which means a pen nib will actually fit into the bottle.
I don’t know what it is with me and ink names but I managed to get the name of the ink wrong when I was writing out the header on the page! I kept trying to tell myself “It’s not called Coraline, it’s not called Coraline.” So, I wrote Corinne instead of Cornaline which sounds like the Iowa State Fair Corn Princess to me. The color is sort of reminiscent of a sunflower too so its not far off. Anyway, leave it to me to mess up the spelling of an ink name and not notice it until I am uploading it to the blog. Sorry, folks. I sometimes letter nicely but I don’t always spell well.
In writing, the particles of glitter are not nearly as apparent but the deep, burnt orange color is legible and has a good deal of shading. I stopped and agitated my pen several times in hopes of getting more glitter to show in the writing but it didn’t seem to improve the outcome.
In a wider nib or with heavy application, the color starts to look more reddish. With lighter application, the color is a bit more of a yellow orange but not a clear, clean yellow orange. It’s still got a slightly ruddy undertone.
I tried to get some close-up shots of the ink to show it catching the light. The 1798 inks contain silver metallic flakes instead of gold. The particles in Cornaline d’Egypte are very tiny which helps the overall ink flow but they still sink to the bottom of the bottle or the pen quickly. There is some evidence of the glitter flakes in the close-ups, but not much.
I don’t have a lot of other metallic inks to compare Cornaline d’Egypte to but Pen BBS #218 ($16 for 60ml bottle) and Diamine Shimmer Brandy Dazzle ($20 for a 50ml bottle) were the closest ink colors I had and both had gold sparkles, not silver.
I took some close-up images of both Brandy Dazzle and PenBBS #218 as well, even though the flecks are gold rather than silver. Both seem to have more apparent light reflecting particles and the gold does seem to match the orange hue better than silver.
In the fine, small writing, PenBBS #218 had the most metallic reflection of all three inks. So, if that’s a feature you are looking for I’d hold out for a bottle of PenBBS over the Cornaline d’Egypte. If you are an ink completionist, then you’ll probably want a bottle of Cornaline anyway, just to have to whole set. Thankfully, Herbin only releases one color per year so its not a huge investment each year.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Exaclair/QuoVadis for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
The Opus 88 Fantasia ($125) is a colorful pocket-sized pen with ebonite, striped cap and translucent acrylic body. This fountain pen model uses the same nib and filling mechanism as the Koloro and Picnic though I’m discovering that each nib seems to perform differently.
The Opus 88 Fantasia Fountain Pen comes in the same sort of packaging that the Picnic and Koloro pens shipped. The box is paperboard with a magnetic closure and the inside is lined with foam cut to hold the pen and an eyedropper. On top was a small paper booklet with information about the company and filling instructions.
I have yet to actually use the eyedropper included in any of the Opus 88 sets. I prefer to use a syringe knowing that I can more accurately control the filling and clean-up.
There is a screw thread on the end of the pen allowing the cap to be threaded securely to create a fairly long, full-sized pen.
The size of the Fantasia compared to the Koloro on the far left, followed by the Picnic and a Kaweco AL-Sport on the far right.
The above photo shows both the Fantasia and the AL-Sport pens posted. One of the things I tested side-by-side was writing with the Fantasia then the AL-Sport, being one of the most ubiquitous pocket fountain pens. The grip section of the Kaweco Sport (plastic, metal or otherwise) is longer than the Fantasia and has a slightly more fluted taper shape where the Fantasia is more conical. Also, the Fantasia’s threads were a bit more noticeable, as was the step down from the body to the cap threading. The overall width of the Fantasia is greater than the Kaweco Sport as well. If you find the Sport size a bit dainty, than the Fantasia might be an improvement for you.
After using the Fantasia for over a week, I found the short grip section to be less noticeable but I did not use it for long writing sessions – nothing longer than a page in a journal or notes in a meeting.
Weightwise, the Fantasia unposted and filled is 12 gms which is a decent weight for a small pen. With the cap posted, it weighs 28 gms which puts more of the weight on the top end but gives it weightier feel. If you have larger, adult-sized hands, this will probably make the pen feel comfortable for regular use. In my small, child-like hands it just felt unwieldy.
Weights are listed for filled and capped/posted.
One thing I did notice is that compared to the other two Opus 88 fine nibs in my possession, the Fantasia is the wettest and widest of the three. This seems like a peculiar thing to say since all three pens have the same size nib with the same fine indication on it. Theoretically, they should all write almost identically barring differences in inks chosen but they actually write noticeably different to me. Go figure. I feel like I should put them in front of someone who is genuinely a nib expert and ask their opinion so I don’t feel like I’m insane.
I included writing samples at the bottom of my writing sample for my own edification.
The Fantasia is definitely a step up in cost from a Kaweco Sport and its more expensive than a steel, brass or aluminum version as well however it has a very unique look and the eyedropper filling system means it holds considerably more ink than a Kaweco. The wider barrel and screw-on posting means that the Fantasia becomes a bigger pen than a Kaweco. So the only things holding me back from recommending the Fantasia is the inconsistent nib performance and the grip section/threading which may or may not be comfortable or a sticking point for some people.
I’d say I recommend the Fantasia with some reservations. The nibs are not bad, just a bit of a crapshoot and the grip section may or may not be an issue for some people. They sure are eye candy!
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by Vanness Pen Shop for the purpose of review. Other products may also have been provided from other vendors as well and links are included.
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UPDATE: It’s come to our attention that this formulation of Australian Opal Mauve was mis-mixed. According to Robert Oster, about 1/3 of the bottles formulated reached retailers and were sold as is. The correct color of Australian Opal Mauve is considerably more blue-purple and is what is currently available. The ink color shown in this review is no longer available as “Australian Opal Mauve”. Maybe it will re-appear in the future under a different name?
Robert Oster Australian Opal Mauve ($17 for 50ml bottle) is one of my favorite, and most recommended ink colors. When people as me for “something different” I recommend either Opal Mauve or Caffe Crema (I still need to do a review of this ink too!). These are two of the non-blue Robert Oster inks that prove Oster knows color. They are unique, complex and have layers of depth that make them appealing beyond just a cool-looking swatch. That said, it swatches fabulously!
The ink ranges in color from plum to violet to indigo and even hints at pink.
I wouldn’t say that it sheens necessarily but look at the variety of shading!
Even writing with a Fine Firm #9556 nib, there is a range of shading and the color is fully legible.
I often use this ink in my Carolina Pen Company pen which is a soft matte pink color as it coordinates nicely. (See? Nice combo, right?)
Comparison wise, Opal Mauve is a good alternative to PR Arabian Rose if you are a little skeptical of the stability of Private Reserve inks (though I’ve heard they have been improving their inks of that which I’m happy to hear). Opal Mauve has way more color variety than Einstein Ring and Alt. Bordeaux and those were the only colors I could find that were even close colorwise. All the other inks in my collection were either more violet or more magenta.
Opal Mauve is definitely a highly saturated color so it may be a bit dry for some pens but the color is worth the effort.
DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided free of charge by for the purpose of review.
Other items in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Please see the About page for more details.
We are weeding through the pile of Ask The Desk questions (and boy, do we ever have a stack!) to try to get on top of things. So, let’s get started!
Steve goes right to my heart with the first question:
I know you’re a fan of the Lady Sheaffer (Skripserts). I recently purchased one and when I opened it up and saw the section and feeder tube I was a bit surprised. What’s your recommendation for a converter that works on these pens?
I’ve got some good news and some bad news with the vintage Lady Sheaffer Skripserts. The good news is that they will accept modern Sheaffer cartridges available from any reputable pen retailer (Anderson Pens, Vanness Pens, Appelboom, etc) . That was really what they were designed to do. The somewhat sexist ad campaigns touted how the cartridges wouldn’t mar ladies’ manicures and lovely hands like refilling pens from an ink bottle. Though at some point, Sheaffer did actually make a button-filler slim converter that fit into the Skripserts because someone did wise up to the fact that the convenient cartridges were also more expensive than conventional bottled ink. The slim converters, of course, are now as rare as hen’s teeth. But you can still find them, it’ll just cost you a pretty penny. I found one from a vendor at the Chicago Pen Show for about $30 and the other was in one of the Skripserts I purchased and then I had it restored with a new sac by Jeff Powers at Powers Pen Co.
So, a short-term solution would be to use cartridges and then refill them with a syringe until you can acquire a slim converter. I can reuse cartridges several times before the seal gets loose.
Liz asks:
I’ve seen lots of different journal covers around, but I’m having a hard time choosing. I’d like to be able to use a variety of different (truly) A5 size journals, STM, Dingbats, Life, etc. and carry some pens and business cards, maybe a few other small odds and ends. Can you suggest something?
The team put it’s collective heads together to give you a list of our favorite “true A5” covers. There are a few factors to consider with a cover.
Many of the best A5 notebook/journal covers are leather but there are also some non-leather options as well. The other factor to consider with a journal/notebook cover is the number of notebooks you want to carry with you at any one time. Some covers are designed to allow you to carry one notebook while others make it easier to carry multiple notebooks.
For a traveler’s style cover that is true A5, we recommend either getting one from Curnow Bookbinding or Chic Sparrow. Curnow offers an array of leather colors with four elastics and two secretary pockets for $45 through their Facebook page. Just send them a message and they will respond back. ChicSparrow has a variety of different leather finishes and pocket configurations (pen loops, credit card pockets, no pockets, etc) so the prices range up to $119 for an A5.
The new ATELEIA A5 Leather Journal Covers ($165) come in four leather finishes are the poshest option we found. They were the luxury item we want so we included for lust value. They are designed to hold one notebook compared to the Traveler’s style covers but it looks amazing.
Clockwise from top left: Ateleia Leather cover, NockCo A5 Seed Case, Hobonichi A5 Cover and ChicSparrow Deluxe Creme Black Beauty
For a non-leather option, the NockCo A5 Seed case ($70) is a great option, especially if you carry one notebook. I always love the Hobonichi Cousin covers even though I’ve never quite learned to embrace the Hobnichi as a planning system. The Hobonoichi covers are great single book A5 covers as well and have lots of pockets inside for business cards inside. It’s late in the planner season but there are still a few 2018 covers available on their site and you are in the prime position to prepare for the 2019 Hobonichi launch for new A5 covers.
The Team here at The Desk own at least one of each of these (except the Ateleia) and recommend all of these journal covers wholeheartedly but each one satisfies different journal/notebook needs.
Post of the Week:
($4.05)
