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Monday, May 24, 2021

Fountain Pen Review: Tibaldi Bononia Seashell Mist

Last year, fountain pen brands introduced new pens to their series and collections. It was like a feast as beautiful pens were announced one after another. One of these brands is Tibaldi, a highly respected brand in Italy and the world. I first learned about the Italian brand during one of our regular fountain pen meets at Amici in Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City. I was still new to fountain pens then and all I remember now is the pen's beautiful material and how elegant Italian fountain pens are. 

Also last year, I got my first Tibaldi fountain pen, the Amber Yellow N°60, a modern pen that reminds me of the famous Tibaldi Impero from the early 2000s and the Modello 60 from the 1990s. Like the N°60, Tibaldi's newest pen line, the Bononia, has a modern design that takes after a very special pen from the 1990s. A well-written history of the first Bononia is available at Tenpen, and it describes the pen as one dedicated to Bologna, the birthplace of Guiseppe Tibaldi and Tibaldi pens in the 1900s. It was designed to be a modern pen and perfect writer, which is also what describes the new Bononia fountain pens.

When I read about the Tibaldi Bononia, I was so excited to try them especially the red Seashell Mist. I don't have many red fountain pens, and red Bononia has a beautiful pattern and an amazing gloss and shine. The Bononia has an excellent design made from fine pearl resin with vertical stripes. The resin is amazing and the red Seashell Mist fountain pen is beautiful! It's a happy, bright, cheery red pen that looks like a shiny bar of sweet candy, or a glowing, hot, crackling fire.

Tibaldi's presentation box is sturdy and a strong elastic band secures the pen in place. The box also contains a Certificate of Warranty and two complementary ink cartridges.

Launched late last year, the Tibaldi Bononia collection is the most recent addition to the company's pen styles including the Perfecta, Infrangibile, and N°60, all inspired by iconic vintage pieces. The Bononia looks and feels very modern, but it is inspired by a vintage design. Tibaldi's collection of pens marks the company's effort to reinvent itself and appeal to wider, younger, and trendier consumers.

"Write from the heart" is Tibaldi's message to all pen lovers. Tibaldi promotes not only the love of writing but the power of the pen as well. To them, a pen is not only an object of distinction but a tool to be used for writing. A pen moves from world agreements, peace treaties, and world declarations to love letters or a simple signature. Tibaldi's starting point for their writing instruments lies in the power of the pen and how it gives voice to thoughts and ideas, and how this leads people to write from the heart.

Tibaldi Bononia Seashell Mist

Inspired by a 1990s pen, the Tibaldi Bononia collection is available in five lovely resin hues: Rich Black, Seashell Mist (red), Martini Olive (olive green), Peal Mist (silver gray), and Bora Bora (blue). The Bononia is also available as rollerball and ballpoint pens. These pens' caps and barrels are made from gorgeous fine pearl resin with vertical stripes, which is also called spaghetti resin.

The Bononia Seashell Mist is a beautiful, happy, bright, cheery red fountain pen.

The Bononia Seashell Mist fountain pen has the following measurements:
  • Length, capped: 5.8 in | 14.7 cm
  • Length, uncapped: 5.1 in | 13 cm
  • Length, cap posted: 6.5 in | 16.5 cm
  • Diameter, barrel: 0.48 in | 1.2 cm
  • Diameter, section: 0.42 in | 1.06 cm
  • Weight, capped: 24 g | 1.2 oz

The Bononia is a light pen despite the metal trims in the section. The material and design made this possible, and the cap posts well without any discomfort. This pen can be filled with ink using a standard international cartridge or a converter, and both are included in the Tibaldi box. The threaded Tibaldi converter screws onto the section for a secure fit, preventing ink spills if the converter is accidentally pulled out. The metal section adds to the durability and stability of this pen.

The Bononia can be filled with ink using short or long standard international cartridges or converters. Tibaldi includes both in the pen's presentation box.
The Bononia is fitted with the classic tie-shaped Tibaldi clip design, similar to the Impero's and first Bononia's clips. The cap bears Tibaldi's logo between the clip and the iconic three cap rings. 
Tibaldi pens are proudly Italian-made. "Made in Italy" is etched at the other side of the cap.
The Seashell Mist's resin is beautiful and has different vertical patterns.

Tibaldi offers the Bononia fountain pen series with a size 6 stainless steel nib in extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, and double broad (BB) widths, fitted to an ebonite feed to ensure continuous ink flow and smooth writing. The markings on the nib include Tibaldi's logo and the nib size.

The Tibaldi BB nib is smooth and wrote well out of the box.
The Bononia is a full-length fountain pen and shares almost the same length as the N°60. Both pens are comfortable to use even for longer periods of writing.

The Bononia is a full-sized pen, sharing almost the same length as the Leonardo Furore, Lamy Al-star, or PenBBS 323. It has a slim section, but well-balanced and comfortable to use.

The Bononia (middle) shares almost the same length and design as a Leonardo Furore.
Uncapped, it's the same length as the Edison Coller and Leonardo Furore.

To test how the Tibaldi Bononia's BB nib writes, I filled it with Diamine Poppy Red, a matching Bright and happy red ink. The pen wrote instantly out of the box, and I did not experience any hard starts. The number 6 BB steel nib wrote smoothly without any nib priming or modification. It wrote very well, and there were no skipping or inky blobs. I had no trouble writing with it at all. The Tibaldi Bononia is such an enjoyable pen and one that can be used for long periods of writing without any discomfort.

I love the Tibaldi BB nib on the Bononia. It's smooth and not overly wet, perfect for this happy Diamine red ink.
The Bononia's section is easy to grip and comfortable for writing.

I am very happy with the Bononia Seashell Mist, my happy red fountain pen, and I will definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to explore and know this iconic brand. It's a beautiful pen and well designed for long-term use. Tibaldi and the Aquila family are long-time experts in pen design and manufacturing and use only the best materials for their pens. Get one for your collection!


Rants of The Archer thanks Tibaldi for providing the Bononia Seashell Mist for review purposes. The Bononia fountain pens are available for purchase at Tibaldi.com where it retails for €195.00. Aside from the Bononia, Tibaldi also offers the following series: Perfecta, Bamboo, Infrangibile, and the N°60.

To learn more about Tibaldi, where to buy their pens, and for other details on purchasing their pens, visit their website at https://www.tibaldi.com/en/home or follow them on social media:

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