Fountain Pen Review: Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Grande Pura Arancio Fiammante

In November last year, Leonardo Officina Italiana, one of the world's most prolific and talked-about pen makers today, launched the Momento Zero Grande Frosted. The Frosted is their first-ever demonstrator pen and has a beautiful translucent icy effect. Following the release of the Frosted, collectors and enthusiasts expressed their hope that Leonardo will offer color demonstrator pens. Two months later, many collectors rejoiced when Leonardo Officina Italiana announced the release of the Pura Collection, an all-new trio of brightly-colored demonstrator pens in the Momento Zero Grande series.

Leonardo released the Pura Collection to the world on March 4. The MZ Grande Pura fountain pens are turned by hand from solid blocks composed of more than 20 manually designed parts. All pens in Leonardo's collections are turned by expert craftsmen using old loading systems, giving their unique pens soul and warmth. Pura fountain pens are available in three captivating demonstrator resin with a satin finish—Grigio Anthracite (Anthracite Gray), Blue Acqua, and Arancio Fiammante (Flame Orange). Leonardo offers the three fountain pens in three finishes, including palladium, yellow gold, and ruthenium.

Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Pura Arancio Fiammante

The Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Pura Arancio Fiammante fountain pen has the following measurements and specifications:

• Length, capped: 6 in | 15.2 cm
• Length, uncapped: 5.3 in | 13.4 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.8 in | 17.2 cm
• Full pen weight: 31 g | 1 oz
• Body material: Resin
• Trim: Yellow Gold
• Cap: Screw on, postable
• Clip material: Stainless steel 
• Nib: No. 6 Steel or 14k Gold in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or Stub (1.1mm); an elastic Fine is also available in 14k gold only.
• Feed: Handmade custom ebonite
• Filling mechanism: Piston; filling capacity is 1.5 ml

I'm the Orange Ranger and I am over the moon with this orange demonstrator pen.
It's bright, warm, happy, and oh-so gorgeous!  

The Pura Collection fountain pens have the new thinner clips, which is reminiscent of 1930s Italian pens. The Arancio Fiammante is also my first Leonardo with three cap rings.

All fountain pens in the Pura Collection have a satin finish that feels so smooth to the touch. This finish seems to be done on both inside and outside, giving the pen a consistent look. MZ Grande fountain pens have a piston filling mechanism with a large ink capacity of 1.5ml. The Arancio Fiammante's barrel has simple brand engraving and pen number. Each pen in the Pura Collection is numbered, but the Collection is not a limited edition series.

The Arancio Fiammante's barrel has simple brand engraving and pen number. Each pen in the Pura Collection is numbered, but the Collection is not a limited edition series.

Leonardo Officina Italiana MZ Grande Pura fountain pens are fitted with friction assembled (not screwed) #6 JoWo nib with extra-resistant lamination friction designed for easy removal. Available nibs are Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, and Stub (1.1), both in steel and 14k gold. An elastic nib in Fine is also available in 14k gold. The MZ Grande Pura fountain pens are also fitted with a black ebonite feed and have a 1.5 ml piston filling capacity that are both produced in-house.

My Pura Arancio Fiammante's pen is fitted with a B nib that wrote so well out of the box. It's smooth and wet and did not need priming or modification.  

The new MZ Grande nibs can be taken out of the pen easily. The marking to indicate width is engraved on the nib shoulder. 

MZ Grande Pura fountain pens have ebonite feeds.

Leonardo fountain pens have No. 6 nibs. Here are the nibs on the Furore Arancio (left) and the taller/longer one on the Arancio Fiammante.

The MZ Grande is the longest pen! From top: Momento Zero Positano Blue, MZ Grande Pura Arancio Fiammante, and Furore Arancio.

Momento Zero Grande, a full-sized fountain pen, shares approximately the same length as a Laban 325, Bexley Intrepid, and Edison Collier. Uncapped, it's the same length as the Bexley and Esterbrook pens.  

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

From top: Laban 325 Snow, Bexley Intrepid, MZ Grande, Esterbrook Rocky Top Oversize, and Edison Collier.

Uncapped, the MZ Grande Arancio Fiammante is the same length as the Bexley Intrepid and Esterbrook Rocky Top OS.

I love filling my pens with matching ink colors. For the Arancio Fiammante, I chose an orange ink that has more yellow instead of the usual red, and this Laban Apollo Orange is the perfect ink match! The MZ Grande's piston mechanism worked well, and the Broad nib wrote wet and smoothly without the need for adjustments or tuning.

Big nibs can write small, too! I love how this Broad Leonardo nib writes wet and smooth, it simply glides on paper. Also, the Arancio Fiammante and Laban Apollo Orange ink are so perfect together! It's as if they were made for each other.

The MZ Grande Pura Arancio Fiammante is another exceptional and well-designed fountain pen from Leonardo Officina Italiana. The fountain pens are fully handmade in Italy and include a full lifetime mechanical warranty. For some time now, the Furore Arancio has been my end-of-the-day-happiness and make-me-smile pen. Now there are two! This orange demonstrator pen is a delight to look at and even more wonderful to use. 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 also got a size upgrade: the "Grande" with piston filling mechanism and ebonite feeds, which the Pura Collection belongs to. I'm always excited to see new pens coming from the Leonardo workshop, and I'm sure more exciting pens are coming in this year.

Rants of The Archer thanks Leonardo Officina Italiana for providing the Momento Zero Grande Pura Arancio Fiammante 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).