LEONARDO - the pen with the enigmatic smile

I don't know what it is that drapes suggestively over the Italian psyche like a designer canopy; but "Italian", "art", "design" and "beauty" just seem to be different aspects of the same word.

DaVinci, Micaheangelo, Botticelli;
Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari;
Versace, Armani, Prada, Dolce Gabbana; 
OMAS, Visconti, Montegrappa, Tibaldi, Stipula, Delta;
Spag Bol...

...Enter the Leonardo Officina Italiana, Momento Zero, penna stilografica (the last bit is just Italian for 'fountain pen'; but it seemed so prosaic to throw in a couple of english words after that cornucopia of Italian lyricism) - assuming fountain pen is two words and not one - but let's not go there.

The Leonardo Momento Zero, (notionally translated as Point Zero, the beginning) is another example of Italian artistry and style showing the Quillosphere the potential for art in a beautiful writing instrument.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Packaging is fine (a black cardboard box with a pen inside). I know that some of you can get a little orgasmic over packaging; but it's just not my focus. It's a box OK? I bought the pen!  

Box open (instructions and booklets to the side), there she is. The "Positano Blue" resin translates well from the website of Casa Della Stilografica. The swirls of blue and white, consistent with the village of Positano on the Italian Amalfi coast, send me to visions of sea, sky and freedom.

Cap off, the gold coloured steel nib looks good. I'm not sure about the step between section and barrel; the resin is a little lighter in a few spots than I'd like; but that's over-picky. 

It's a seductive little sucker!

8/10

APPEARANCE AND DESIGN

If it wasn't already clear, the Momento Zero has a lot of strada appeal (yes, that's Italian for 'Street').

Leonardo makes this pen in a few guises: celluloid, ebonite and resin. Each of the models are the same shape and dimensions; but the celluloid and ebonite have gold nibs, are piston fillers, have ebonite feeds, are produced in very limited numbers (100 of the celluloid and 10 of the ebonite) and cost over four times more than the Resin and Steel, captive converter, plastic feed alternatives.

It would be fair to say that my pen's celluloid sibling is the star of this Model; but its resin relation is no slouch!

It was the Momento Zero's looks that first drew me to the pen on-line, and regardless of the material, the design, quality, and looks do not disappoint. 

Reminiscent of other Italian fountain pens, while not a particularly new or innovative design the Momento Zero still represents a nod to the better styles of OMAS, Delta and Montegrappa (in Montegrappa's less rococo phases). This is not entirely surprising given that Leonardo's founder, Salvatore Matron, worked for Delta and his Company has, amongst other things, put together pens for the OMAS inspired Armando Simoni Club (ASC). 

Here she is with an OMAS Paragon for comparison (and an ASC in the background)

From the moment you hold the Momento Zero and turn it in your hand, you can see the touches that suggest the Leonardo brand has a future.  From the slightly pointed finial and culo (bottom), to the depth of the resin swirls; from the roller at the end of the gold clip to the twin gold bands at the bottom of the cap; it's the details that create the momento.

The Resin version of the Momento Zero is numbered but not limited (the celluloid and ebonite versions are limitied). It's an interesting choice, but it works for me (and maintains that slightly quirky, Italian variation on a theme).The cap doesn't post deeply; but it posts securely and, while adding length, doesn't overbalance the pen but provides the profile with even more surf and sky.

Two design aspects that I am not so keen on are the lack of an ink-window (always a helpful feature but missing here) and the step between the section and barrel. The step was designed I assume to give the Momento Zero a relatively consistent profile and flow when capped. When capped, the Momento Zero's profile is relatively straight. This is achieved by having a cut between the body and section that is marked with a gold band. While the section cut delivers flow on the capped pen, that flow is jarringly severed once uncapped. It's not a huge step, but enough that I could feel a disturbance in the (design) force. 

you can see the step here under the threads, marked by the gold band. It's not big, but it's noticeable.  

The section itself is a good size. The threads are soft and towards the rear of the section so should not interfere with most people's writing position.

8/10

WEIGHT AND DIMENSIONS

It's light, but not too much so (25g). There would be no fatigue issues writing Dante's Inferno with the Momento Zero over a chianti or three.

Capped, the Momento Zero measures 142mm. Uncapped, that length reduces to around 129mm.

Posted the Momento Zero extends to 169mm. The measurements should tell you that it's not a deep poster, but it's secure. The cap is also quite light, so posting doesn't pose a balance problem. For those who grip their pen on the section (which is the majoritiy of you - unlike me), posting may make the pen a little too long; but in that case the pen is a good size uncapped in any case (buy a Penwell and your cap problem will go away!).

Using a Lamy Safari and a Pelikan 805 as comparisons, the Momento Zero measures almost identically. Although I have a tendency to prefer a marginally heavier pen, this is an excellent size and weight in my view.

8/10

NIB AND PERFORMANCE

The nib is a gold-coloured Leonardo branded #6 size steel nib. I have the Medium and it wrote smoothly immediately out of the box. 

It's more al dente than flex, so not a lot of variation or bounce; but the nib glides along the paper like a gondola on a Venetian lagoon.

The plastic feed here, is a little excited by being glistened with some Colorverse Cat Ink

The nibs are one of the differentiators between the various Leonardo Momento Zero models. The resin version is steel with a plastic feed. The celluloid and ebonite versions are 14k gold and ebonite feeds that sound extremely promising. Nevertheless, for significantly less Lira, the performance of the steel nib is delightful.

Top is normal writing, next is fast writing, bottom is reverse writing. No skips, all solid.

8/10

FILLING SYSTEM

You know by now that I'm a piston-filling sort of guy; and, of course, the celluloid and ebonite models of the Momento Zero are piston fillers.

The resin version of the Momento Zero is your next best option mixed with a little slight-of-hand in the form of a "captive converter". Sticking with the magic analogy, the captive converter provides the distraction to the audience, while the writer is in command of the real story.

What does this mean? Go to the bottom of the barrel and you unscrew the resin and reveal a brass (or gold coloured) turning knob. Put your nib in a bottle of ink, turn the knob, and for all intents and purposes, you have a piston filler in action - but you don't. 

Ooo look, a Piston-filler....

(Turn away now if you don't want to know how the trick works).

Unscrew the section and you'll see a long but otherwise fairly standard converter that goes down to the bottom of the barrel. Thus the Momento Zero resin model can be filled either with the section screwed on or off.

Here is the real story: everything unscrewed.

So it's not a piston-filler; but whichever way you choose to fill it with ink, it's easy to fill, the converter is a good size so there is a nice ink capacity, it's easy to clean, and the nib delivers that ink wonderfully to the page.

8/10

COST AND VALUE

I've made a number of references in this review to the different models of the Momento Zero and their different price points. The resin model retails for around 121 Euros; so it's not a cheap pen. For that money however, you get the look, feel and overall quality of a fountain pen that is great value for your lira.

The celluloid and ebonite versions retail at around 569 Euro (excluding VAT). I believe most are now sold out so there is no shortage of interest. Nevertheless, at that price, the celluloid and ebonite versions of the Momento Zero are up against some stiff competition, limited editions or not. As big a celluloid and ebonite lover as I am, sight unseen I wasn't prepared to take the risk to purchase the celluloid or ebonite versions. Having received the resin version, and written with it, I would have to say that I'm very impressed and suspect that the more expensive versions will also give other models a run for their money.

9/10

CONCLUSION

The Leonardo Officina Italliana Momento Zero is a piccolo touch of italian pennacchio! (the italian for style and flamboyance that, naturally, begins with a 'pen').

It looks great, performs well and is excellent value for money. I look forward to seeing the Leonardo Brand extending its offerings in the future and continuing to elicit more enigmatic smiles from its users.

82/100

00-50	To be avoided at all costs
51-60	It’s cheap and you don’t really care
61-70	A nice pen with the makings of something better (just don’t spend too much)
71-80	A better than average pen with just a few flaws that stop it from being really good.
81-90	A good pen, a keeper, only a few minor places off being great
91-95	Now THIS is a pen! If you can get it: keep it, love it, cherish it, and keep it away from the dog
96-100	GRAIL