Pens of a Feather...

My more "regular" readers know I have a thing for OMAS. (OK, I'm not as consistent a blogger as a Gram'er- so it's hard to really call you "regular"; but you know what I mean). So when the SCRIBO pen company was launched and filled itself with mostly ex-OMAS, quillessential, creative types  (ergo: talented people - yes I'm biased, deal with it) it seemed inevitable that I would gravitate their way.  Even so, I was hesitant. For starters, while the feather may have been their logo, they certainly weren't, and aren't, "cheep". Additionally, until recently the offerings from SCRIBO, while purportedly boasting excellent nibs and clearly showing interesting materials, have been of a mid-belly bloat shape that have successfully kept me at arms length. Nothing stands still forever however, and, unfortunately for the welfare of my wallet and my child's inheritance, SCRIBO has decided to leave the nest by introducing the Piuma  (which means the small feathers on a bird - consistent with the SCRIBO feather/Quill theme) - and the Piuma has taken wing!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Usual box. Does the job

Oooh, like the pen wrap, nice touch (albeit materials are a bit dull and I'll probably never use it).

 

A little trepidation - am I going to like this?

Yes. Oh yes. So elegant, simple, subtle and seductive.

If it writes like it looks, I'm a happy chappy.

8/10

APPEARANCE AND DESIGN

For this pen, I made a little departure from my standard "bold, bright and big" and I chose a subdued colour that Scribo calls Lieve/Grigio (blue/grey) (can you tell me why it is when you say it in Italian it just sounds so much more interesting?) To be fair, my colour choices were limited as this pen was bought from Pen Chalet on a fabulous deal that saved me more than a few cents.

Waiting for this pen however, I was filled with doubt. Have I gone too conservative? Will I find it too dull? Will I turn off before it turns on?

I need not have worried. The shape, the feel, yes, AND the colour, somehow has drawn me in. I love it.

I wondered about what looks like a steep step between the barrel and the section - but it has zero impact on the writing or holding experience. 

I love the length and, closed, the seamless flow and elegance of this pen. 

I love that, like the Sailor Rimless Epinard, the Piuma is unencumbered by any banding (the only metal you see when closed, is the clip).  

I love that in this colour there is a subtle hint of Tiffany blue - just a smidge greyer. 

I love that it's not a perfect torpedo shape but has two flat facets that serve to both stop the pen from rolling and to subtly emboss the brand. 

And I love that every time you screw the cap back on, the facets line up perfectly! Brava!

The clip is straight, simple, effective and serviceable. It keeps the pen in your pocket, and slips on comfortably.

Unscrew the cap (a touch over 1 and a half turns) and the subtlety of the colour continues - if just a touch narrower. The drop from barrel to section serves to almost hide the threads at the base of the section and then moves your eyes away by providing a slim, silver circle hinting to the silver glory that lies at the pen's tip.

And then there is the nib. At this point (pun intended) I'll just say that at first glance I thought the length of the nib from base to tip, seemed longer and slimmer than usual - but when I checked it next to other pens - it 's not. So it's just the optics of the rhodium plated silver colour against the blue/grey which adds to the elegance of this design.

Finally, (or should that be finially) there is the little silver coin finial with the Scribo logo of a feather, topping off a great design.

As for the material, notwithstanding my appreciation of this colour, well, it's acrylic. Acrylic is, what it is. It's not a negative, but it's not particularly special either. The Piuma comes in a number of finishes, some, like my Lieve/Grigio and the newly released orange Levante, offer a single colour with bauhaus simplicity; others, like the Utopia and Altrove, play with a pseudo celluloid patterning to perhaps evoke a little nostalgia or vintage vibe. Either way, the material delivers, although it doesn't to my aesthetic deliver the depth or feel of a celluloid or ebonite.

8/10

WEIGHT AND DIMENSIONS 

The Piuma delivers on Scribo's promise of providing a "feather" light pen. Well, not exactly feather-light; if you dropped it it wouldn't float before it gently alighted on the floor; but it's certainly a comfortable weight that would easily lend itself to lengthy writing sessions.

The Piuma is probably what I would think of as the ideal size. Capped, it is just over 144mm long. Uncapped, 131.4mm. Posted, it goes to 170mm and it posts easily, but, although light, if you hold your pen on the section and close to the nib, the length posted makes it a touch top-heavy and unwieldy.

9/10

NIB AND PERFORMANCE 

Lately I have been using a number of steel nibs, and have been enjoying the writing experience. But ink up your Scribo "Feel the Flex" 14k M nib, and you are reminded in no uncertain fashion, why you choose to write with fountain pens, why gold nibs are the preference of so many and why "Scribo" which stands for "Scrittura Bologna" (handwriting, Bologna) has "handwriting" first and foremost in it's name.

Bellissimo!

This nib is just heaven. Ably assisted by an ebonite feed which allows the ink to easliy keep up with the tip, there is a lovley flexibility in this nib, not vintage flex, but nice bounce and line variation that effortlessly glides across the page taking your hand, arm and head to wherever they chose to go.

It is wonderful to know that the legacy of OMAS nibs has not been lost; and that in Scribo there are nibsters (nibmeisters?) who know how to produce a nib that doesn't just make you want to write, but fills you with joy while you do it!

10/10

FILLING SYSTEM

The Piuma is a cartridge converter filler. So, easy to fill, easy to clean. No issues. 

The converter itself is a standard international converter. All fine. But at this price level I would have liked to see Scribo offer something like Leonardo does with its converters - still converters, but converters with attitude! A little extra bling, or maybe a touch longer, a bit more metal. This is, after all, a high end pen (not their premium pen, but not far below); and if you're not offering a piston, and there is nothing wrong with what is offered, it could at least offer a touch more zing.

8/10

COST AND VALUE

Thanks to a well-placed advertisement from Pen Chalet on the Pen Addict podcast, I managed to purchase the Piuma for a considerable saving. Without that, this pen retails for around US$550. This is not a bargain basement pen. And the Piuma is not the top of the Scribo, mainstream chain: the Feel goes for around US$700 (for which you get a piston filler and a larger pen in a broader range of materials). Is the Piuma worth the money? Well, the writing experience is superb - and given a pen should be all about that experience, that's a good start. It certainly has a premium look and feel and offers the quality that should take it up to some giddy heights; but my Quilly sense says that the Piuma has flown just a little over it's optimal level - an error that I think similarly lay at the feet of the sadly feted OMAS before it. At around US$100 less, the Piuma would still be a premium buy but at a more competitive level. At its current (no-sale) price, it is a hard ask against similarly priced alternatives.

7/10

CONCLUSION

The Piuma is the new "entry level" pen for Scribo. It doesn't look the same as every other pen on the market (yay!), it has an outstanding nib; and feels just right whenever in use. As an entry level pen however, it's still pitched at lofty levels while only offering cartridge /converter and being a little left of centre in design (therefore a design that's not for everyone). I want this to succeed, I love the pen, but please Scribo, don't let your premiums take away from your good work.

83/100

00-50   = to be avoided at all costs

51-60   = if 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