Fountain Pen Review: Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Positano Blue

In 2018, the fountain pen world welcomed a new name from Italy, one that continues a family tradition that was handed down from father to son. Leonardo Officina Italiana launched their brand with a pen model that defines the moment their existence began and which symbolizes new beginnings. They named it Momento Zero. The Momento Zero Collection became a global phenomenon and I joined many fountain pen users in getting a Momento Zero in my bucket list of fountain pens.

The Momento Zero is the famous and outstanding first pen model of Leonardo Officina Italiana launched in 2018, inspired by the design of vintage Italian pens. This pen model is the product of a father and son team whose family tradition includes 45 years of craftsmanship. There are five colors in the regular production of Momento Zero, including this ocean wave-inspired Positano Blue.

The outer box of the Momento Zero Collection says "Fatto a mano in Italia" which translates to "Handmade in Italy."

The Momento Zero Positano Blue in its presentation box. Not in this image, but included in the package is a certificate of authenticity and warranty card as Leonardo's product guarantee for life against any manufacturing defect.

The Momento Zero is a full-sized fountain pen that was hand-turned from a single solid bar of high-quality resin with a vintage shape and tapered grip section designed for comfortable writing. A well-balanced fountain pen, it can be used for comfortable writing whether posted or unposted. 

This model is not a limited Leonardo production, but it is an open numbered series, with each pen number engraved on the barrel together with the Leonardo name. This is pen N°5753 and it's a very unique pen with its own identification.

Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Positano Blue N°5753

The Leonardo Momento Zero Positano Blue fountain pen has the following measurements and specifications:

• Length, capped: 5.6 in | 14.2 cm
• Length, uncapped: 5 in | 12.7 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.6 in | 16.7 cm
• Length, barrel only: 3.3 in | 8.4 cm
• Length, section to nib: 1.6 in | 4 cm
• Length, cap: 2.6 inches | 6.6 cm
• Full pen weight: 25 g | 0.9 oz
• Body material: Resin
• Trim: Rhodium
• Cap: Screw on, postable
• Clip material: Stainless steel 
• Nib: Steel in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or Stub (1.5mm)
• Filling mechanism: Cartridge or screw-on Leonardo converter (supplied with purchase)

This pen's blue color perfectly matches the polished chrome accents. The chrome accents complement the pen's color so well. The two slim cap rings are smooth and highly polished, as well as the two rings on the pen's barrel.

Momento Zero fountain pens can be filled with ink using international standard cartridges or the supplied customized screw-on Leonardo converter with a metal knob. Unlike most converters, Leonardo's converters screw to the pen's section for a secure fit and avoid ink spills. The screw-on converter also allows for a piston-like filling mechanism by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel.

The Momento Zero's three major parts, from top: barrel, section + converter, and cap.

The Momento Zero's blind cap allows for piston-like ink filling through the converter. This is possible as the converter is screwed on to the section, so it stays in place as the piston knob is turned while filling ink.

The Leonardo signature clip was first used in the Momento Zero. It's a polished chrome clip with a small roller at the end so it can be easily posted to a shirt pocket or pen loop.

Momento Zero pens are numbered, though not limited in production. The Positano Blue barrel is engraved with "Leonardo Officina Italiana" and the pen's number/identity.

The Momento Zero is available with either steel or 14k gold #6 nibs in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or Stub (1.5mm) widths. My fountain pen is fitted with a Fine nib engraved with the Leonardo logo and it looks elegant. But I have a confession to make. I'm extremely scared of Extra Fine and Fine nibs. Writing with them has never been a pleasurable experience and I prefer writing bold, big strokes using wet, juicy, and wide nibs. So when I received the two pens that Leonardo sent for review and saw that the Positano Blue has a Fine nib, I put off trying the pen until last week when I was testing it for this review. This pen's polished steel Fine nib surprised me. It wrote so well out of the box, and it was smooth and wet without any priming or modification. The Momento Zero's Fine nib is one of the smoothest nibs that I have ever tried, and writing with it is a wonderful experience.

The Momento Zero's Fine nib is smooth and comfortable to use. Writing with it is such an enjoyable experience.

The Momento Zero is Leonardo's first pen model, followed shortly by the Furore. The two pens are very similar in their length, shape, and trims, although the Momento Zero has flat ends and the Furore has pointed ones. The Furore is also a bit longer than the Momento Zero by almost a quarter of an inch.

Leonardo Officina Italiana's finest: Momento Zero and Furore.

Momento Zero, a full-sized fountain pen, shares approximately the same length as Lamy 2000 and Lamy Al-star. Laban 325 and Esterbrook Estie are longer than the Momento Zero when are they are capped. Uncapped, the Momento Zero is the same length as the Lamy 2000 and Esterbrook Estie. 

The Momento Zero is a postable pen, but I love writing with it unposted. Posting makes this pen long and affects my writing speed and comfort. However, posting provides balance in writing to some people, so it helps that this is a postable pen.

Loving this lineup of excellent, well-crafted fountain pens. Capped, the Momento Zero is the same length as the Lamy 200 and Lamy Al-star, and a bit shorter than a Laban 325 and Esterbrook Estie.

Uncapped, the Momento Zero is the same length as the Lamy 2000 and Esterbrook Estie.

I always try to fill my pens with matching ink colors, and I chose this blue Robert Oster ink for the Positano Blue. I ink my pens by filling the converter first then putting it back to the section. I noticed that ink flow to the feed was faster, and the Fine nib wrote smoothly out of the box without the need for adjustments or tuning. Oh, and it matched Robert Oster Marine ink so perfectly.

Positano Blue filled with Robert Oster Marine. This set is a match from the sea!

The Momento Zero is an exceptional and well-designed fountain pen. It's fully handmade in Italy, using high-quality, lovely resin. Like its pen cousin, the Furore, this blue pen is a delight to look at, wonderful to use, and great to keep. Get one for your collection!

These days, Leonardo Officina Italiana is one of the most active and talked about pen brands. Anyone into pens who is on Instagram knows this. Leonardo also has the fastest workshops with their current pen line up getting new additions almost every quarter. From the initial series of Momento Zero and Furore, they now have the Cuspide, Speranza, Messenger, and quite a number of limited edition pens in various materials in between. The Momento Zero and Furore have also gotten an upgrade: they now have their "Grande" versions with piston filling mechanism and ebonite feeds. I'm excited to see new pens coming from the Leonardo workshop this year.

Rants of The Archer thanks Leonardo Officina Italiana for providing the Momento Zero Positano Blue fountain pen for review purposes. To learn more about these beautiful, colorful, well-crafted pens, follow Leonardo Officina Italiana on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/leonardopenss/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/leonardo_pens/).

In Europe, Leonardo pens are widely available from retailers such as Fontoplumo, Appelboom, and Fontanna Penna.

In the United States, Leonardo pens are available from Goldspot Pens, Truphae, and Pen Chalet.

In the Philippines, Leonardo pens are available exclusively at Pengrafik (https://www.facebook.com/PenGrafik).