Fountain Pen Review: Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Magico Emerald

Do you know that wonderful feeling you get when you have outdone yourself? That is how I felt when I held the new Momento Magico fountain pen from our friends at Leonardo Officina Italiana. They have outdone themselves again with the redesigned ink window and a new color for the Momento Magico — the Emerald. It was love at first sight, and looking at this beautiful emerald fountain pen is like standing at the shore and gazing at the breathtaking beauty of the waters at Amalfi Coast.

Have you noticed that the Magico has a different cap band than the other fountain pens from Leonardo Officina Italiana? The Magico collection is inspired by the time of dramatic changes in ancient Greece when trade opened up between the city and southern Italy and Sicily. With trade came cultural changes, too, including poetry, architecture, and art. From music, visual arts, and film came the modern inspiration for the Momento Magico, the 1962 Roberto Rossellini film Anima Nera. 

The historic inspiration of this pen is expressed in the fretwork on the cap band representing the decoration from the period of artistic awakening known as “Geometric Art.” The colors of the materials of Momento Magico are inspired by Rossellini's film and the moments found within it, while the special resins and the metal trims show the artistic glory of that time in history. And this is why the Magico has a different cap band.

The box sleeve for the Momento Magico Collection (right) has the special geometric art that is also the pens' cap bands. Inside the box are the Momento Magico Emerald fountain pen and a Certificate of Authenticity.

I reviewed the Millefiori from the first batch of Momento Magico pens. The Millefiori's resin is a combination of red, green, brown, and blue. The Magico Emerald is bluish-green with swirling silver and deep green, almost like ocean waves. Just like the other Leonardo fountain pens, the Emerald has a high gloss finish that is so shiny and smooth! This beautiful finish is done by Leonardo's expert artisans. The new Magico Collection has four colors: Emerald, Millefiori, Pietra Salata, and Black in either matte or glossy finish.

Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Magico Emerald

Here are some of the important details about the Momento Magico Emerald fountain pen:

• Length, capped: 5.7 in | 14.5 cm
• Body length, barrel to nib: 5.2 in | 13.2 cm
• Length, cap posted: 7.65 in | 19.4 cm
• Full pen weight without ink: 23.8 g | 0.84 oz
• Body material: Resin
• Trim: Gold or Silver/Chrome
• Cap: Screw on, postable
• Clip material: Stainless steel 
• Nib: No. 6 steel or gold in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or Stub (1.1mm) with an ABS feed; Elastic Extra Fine or Fine nibs are also available but only in the silver version
• Feed: ABS
• Filling mechanism: Piston; ink capacity is 1.5 ml

Momento Magico fountain pens can be completely disassembled using the piston created by Leonardo helps to disassemble the pen for cleaning. The wrench is easy to use in taking the piston assembly out of the barrel. Once the piston assembly is taken out of the barrel, the wrench stays secured to the assembly which is a huge help in putting it back into the barrel after cleaning. The wrench, made from 316L steel, the same steel used in high ranges watches, is sold separately. (See how the piston wrench works in my review of Magico Millefiori.) 

The Magico can be fully disassembled for cleaning.

Inspired by Greek art, the Momento Magico's cap has a different band from most of Leonardo's fountain pens which are mostly simple bands. The fretwork central band in a letter M pattern comes from the Geometric Art period.

While other Leonardo pens have markings on their barrels, the Momento Magico has its branding on the cap, above the ascending geometric lines of the cap band.

The Emerald's body is so shiny! I love the vibrant color and glossy finish of Leonardo fountain pens.

The 2022 Magico fountain pens have redesigned ink windows. The ink windows of the new fountain pens are shorter, perhaps only half the length of the earlier Magico pens. There are also matching ring bands in the new pens' ink windows, these were not installed in the previous pens. Note that the ink window in the new pens is no longer visible when the pen is capped. The tiny ink window gap in the first version of Momento Magico pens was not well-liked, and the redesign is a good improvement to the 2022 Magicos.

The Momento Magico's new ink window is shorter and has matching ring bands.

Momento Magico fountain pens are fitted with No. 6 steel or gold nibs that are screwed into the section. The available nibs are Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or Stub (1.1mm).  An elastic nib in Extra Fine or Fine is also available. The Momento Magico fountain pens are also fitted with an ABS or black ebonite feed and they have a 1.5 ml piston filling capacity that is produced in-house. This Emerald fountain pen is fitted with a juicy and smooth Medium nib that wrote so well out of the box.

The Emerald's Medium nib writes smooth, juicy, and very comfortable to use.

The marking to indicate width is engraved on the nib shoulder.

Below are some photos of the Emerald side-by-side with the Millefiori for comparison:

Momento Magico Emerald (2022) and Millefiori (2021) – the packaging and presentation for both pens remain the same.

The cap, clip, and clip band are all the same.

But the gap in the ink window that is visible in the 2021 Millefiori is no longer visible in the Emerald.

Here is the comparison of the ink windows of the two fountain pens. The 2021 Magico has a longer and simpler ink window. The 2022 Magico has a shorter ink window with matching ring bands.

The Momento Magico is a full-sized fountain pen that shares the same length and diameter as the Momento Zero and Furore. It also looks very similar to the MZ, but the differences are also very obvious: slimmer clip, cap band design, ink window, and piston-filling mechanism.

Capped, the full-sized Momento Magico fountain pen shares approximately the same length as Laban 325, Esterbrook Estie, and Lamy Al-star, but longer than a TWSBI ECO. Uncapped, all of five pens share the same length. 

From top: TWSBI ECO Turquoise, Laban 325, Leonardo Momento Magico Emerald, Esterbrook Estie Gold Rush Frontier Green, and Lamy Alstar Aquamarine.

I always try to fill my pens with matching ink colors, and I filled the Magico Emerald with Robert Oster Signature Marine, a matching bluish-green ink. The Momento Magico's piston mechanism worked well, and the Medium nib wrote smoothly without the need for adjustments or tuning.

I chose this happy song because the Magico Emerald reminds me so much of the sea!

The Momento Magico is another well-designed fountain pen from the expert artisans in the workrooms of Leonardo Officina Italiana. These fountain pens are fully handmade in Italy using high-quality, lovely resin and include a full lifetime mechanical warranty. Like its pen cousins, the Momento Magico Emerald is a delight to look at, wonderful to use, and great to keep. Get one for your collection!

This postcard tells the Leonardo story.

These days, Leonardo Officina Italiana is one of the most active and talked about pen brands. Anyone into pens who is on Facebook and Instagram knows this. Leonardo also has the fastest workshops with their current pen lineup making special pens for other brands and getting new additions almost every quarter. From the initial series of Momento Zero and Furore, they now have quite a number of limited edition pens in various materials in between. I'm always excited to see new pens coming from the Leonardo workshop, and I'm sure more exciting pens are coming in 2023.

Rants of The Archer thanks Leonardo Officina Italiana for providing the Momento Magico Emerald fountain pen for review purposes. To learn more about these beautiful, colorful, well-crafted pens, visit the Leonardo Officina Italiana website or follow them 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, Stilo & Stile, and Fontanna Penna. 

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

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

Fountain Pen Review: Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Magico Millefiori

Leonardo Officina Italiana, currently one of the world's most prolific and talked-about pen makers, has outdone themselves again with the launch of the Momento Magico Collection, their brand new line of piston-filling fountain pens with transparent ink windows and a large ink capacity of 1.5 ml. Leonardo has created piston-filling fountain pens before, including the Pura Collection, but the Magico is the first Leonardo pen with an ink window.

The Momento Magico Collection was launched in June with four fountain pens in striking, vibrant, and colorful resins with gold or chrome trims inspired by the design of vintage Italian pens. Like the other Leonardo pens, the fountain pens in this Collection are hand-turned from solid bars by expert craftsmen in Italy, using traditional systems, giving their unique pens soul and warmth. The Magico fountain pens are available in four lovely resins that include Pietra Salata (dark sandstone), Miele (golden honey), Millefiori (wildflower), and Tramonto (sunset). The Magico is also available in the glossy or matte black Anima Nera.

The box sleeve for the Momento Magico Collection has the special geometric art that is also found in the pens' cap bands. 

Inside the Leonardo box: Magico Millefiori fountain pen, Certificate of Authenticity, another certificate that it is 100% Made in Italy, and a piston tool, Leonardo's latest accessory that helps to completely disassemble the pen (see photos below).

Aside from the matte black Anima Nera, the Momento Magico fountain pens have a high gloss finish that is so shiny and smooth to the touch. The finish on these pens shows the expertise and craftsmanship of Leonardo's artisans. Millefiori's material is a lovely combination of red, green, brown, and some blue, perhaps inspired by the ornamental glasswork with a floral pattern from the various colors of murrini (glass rods) fused together.

Leonardo Momento Magico Millefiori with gold trims.

Momento Magico fountain pens have the following measurements and specifications:

• Length, capped: 5.8 in | 14.7 cm
• Length, uncapped: 5.25 in | 13.3 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.75 in | 17.1 cm
• Full pen weight: 27 g | 0.95 oz
• Body material: Resin
• Trim: Gold, Chrome
• Cap: Screw on, postable
• Clip material: Stainless steel 
• Nib: No. 6 steel or gold in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or Stub (1.1mm) with an ABS or black ebonite feed; an Elastic Fine or Extra Fine are also available in gold with a black ebonite feed
• Feed: ABS or ebonite
• Filling mechanism: Piston; ink capacity is 1.5 ml

Another unique feature of the Momento Magico fountain pens is the possibility to completely disassemble the pen comfortably. The new piston wrench created by Leonardo helps to disassemble the pen for cleaning. The wrench is so easy to use in taking the piston assembly out of the barrel. Once the piston assembly is taken out of the barrel, the wrench stays secured to the assembly which is a huge help in putting it back into the barrel after cleaning. I'm not very comfortable in taking apart most of my piston-filling fountain pens, but disassembling the Momento Magico is very easy using the Leonardo wrench. The wrench, made from 316L steel, the same steel used in high ranges watches, is sold separately.

The wrench allows complete disassembly of the Magico fountain pen. It can also be used in the Pura fountain pens.

The wrench has two pins towards the end that fits into the piston rod. The pins then fit into the grooves in the piston assembly. Once the wrench is secured between the piston and the piston knob, it is so easy to turn the whole assembly and take it out of the barrel. This locking feature is also very helpful in putting the assembly back into the barrel. 

The Momento Magico's cap has a different band from most of Leonardo's fountain pens. The fretwork central band in a pattern of the letter M that comes from the Geometric Art period, a phase of Greek art devoted to geometric motifs in vase paintings and ceramics. At first, I saw the intersecting lines as just lines in the cap band. Then I realized that the lines form the letter M - it's like magic!

The Momento Magico has a unique cap band inspired by Greek art. This pen also uses the new and slimmer Leonardo clip.

Unlike other Leonardo pens with markings on their barrels, the Momento Magico has its branding on the cap, perfectly matched by the ascending geometric lines of the cap band.

This pen's barrel is vibrant and so shiny! I love the glossy finish of my Leonardo pens.

All good things come in threes, right? The third best thing about the Momento Magico after the brilliant wrench and lovely cap band is the ink window! All of the pens in the Momento Magico Collection have transparent ink windows to allow users to check their pens' ink levels at any time. It's fun looking at ink sloshing inside the pen's barrel. It's also very convenient!

The Momento Magico's ink window is convenient and pretty.

Momento Magico fountain pens are fitted with No. 6 steel or gold nibs that are screwed into the section. Available nibs are Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, and Stub (1.1), both in steel and 14k gold. An elastic nib in Extra Fine and Fine are also available in 14k gold. The Momento Magico fountain pens are also fitted with either an ABS or black ebonite feed and they have a 1.5 ml piston filling capacity that are both produced in-house. My Millefiori is fitted with a juicy and smooth M nib that wrote so well out of the box without priming or modifications.

The Medium nib on my Millefiori is Leonardo at its best - smooth, juicy, and very comfortable to use. 

The marking to indicate width is engraved on the nib shoulder. 

I also noticed that the Momento Magico has a different shape than the usual Leonardo pen section. It's plain and rounded without the tapered grip design.

The new pens in the Momento Magico Collection are full-sized pens that share the same length and diameter as the Momento Zero and Furore. It also looks very similar to the MZ, but the differences are also very obvious: slim clip, wider cap band, ink window, and piston-filling mechanism.

From top: Momento Zero Grande Pura Arancio Fiammante, Furore Arancio, Momento Magico Millefiori, and Momento Zero Positano Blue.

Capped, the full-sized Momento Magico fountain pen shares approximately the same length as Lamy Al-star and Tibaldi Bononia. It's a little longer than the TWSBI ECO and BENU Talisman. Uncapped, all of the five pens share the same length.

From top: TWSBI ECO Sunset Orange, Tibaldi Bononia Seashell Mist, Momento Magico Millefiori, BENU Talisman Foxglove, Lamy Al-star Ruby Red.

I always try to fill my pens with matching ink colors, and I filled my Millefiori with Diamine Burnt Sienna, a matching russet brown ink. The Momento Magico's piston mechanism worked well, and the Medium nib wrote smoothly without the need for adjustments or tuning.

This pen's medium nib wrote so smoothly out of the box. It's perfectly matched by Diamine Burnt Sienna.

The Momento Magico is another exceptional and well-designed fountain pen from Leonardo Officina Italiana. These fountain pens are fully handmade in Italy using high-quality, lovely resin and include a full lifetime mechanical warranty. Like its pen cousins, the Momento Magico Millefiori 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, Pura, and quite a number of limited edition pens in various materials in between. The Momento Zero and Furore have also gotten their size upgrades: the "Grande" with piston filling mechanism and ebonite feed. 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 Magico Millefiori 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).

Fountain Pen Review: Montegrappa Miya 450 Limited Edition Yellow

It's been a year since I went back to regular blogging and reviewing. Since then, I have written 49 reviews of fountain pens, ink, paper products, and accessories from 15 countries. As the pandemic engulfed the world, I was forced to stay indoors and work within the confines of my home. To take my mind off the pandemic, I tested new products, met newfound friends, and learned so much about pen design, materials, and techniques. Now, I am celebrating a year's work with my 50th review since July 2020 with a special fountain pen from Kenro Industries, the limited edition celluloid Montegrappa Miya 450. 

The Miya has been an iconic Montegrappa silhouette and staple for many years but was discontinued as new models were introduced. It's such a unique pen with a form that is so easy to identify as a Montegrappa. In 2019, Montegrappa rereleased the Miya in five bold colors as the Miya 450, using the remaining original materials from their factory. The Miya 450 is a limited edition line with 100 individually numbered pens in Black/White, Yellow, Orange, and Red, and 50 pens in the dark blue color. 

The Montegrappa presentation box with a filigree design.

As this is my first time to feature a Montegrappa fountain pen in Rants of The Archer, I am also including the presentation box in this review. The yellow Miya 450 is presented in an elegant deep blue box with a filigree design. The Montegrappa logo is printed on the center of the lid of the pen's outer box. The inner box has a different filigree design with a metal plaque etched with the Montegrappa logo. It opens to reveal the fountain pen in a soft fabric bed held in place by a blue ribbon printed with the Montegrappa logo. The bottom of the box contains ink cartridges and a care guide.

The outer box opens into a separate box with a bigger filigree design and a small medallion bearing the Montegrappa logo.

The box opens to reveal the Miya 450 in yellow held in place by a blue ribbon. Also included in the box are two ink cartridges and a care guide.

The first night I had the yellow Miya 450, I stared at it for hours. Everything about this pen is beautiful, amazing, and wonderful. That's because, for the Miya 450, Montegrappa used first-grade Mazzucchelli celluloid, 14K gold nib, and sterling silver for the trims including clip, finial, cap band, and barrel ring. This pen's yellow color shouts a happy tune with its red-orange swirls and exceptional gloss and shine.

Limited edition yellow Montegrappa Miya 450.

I thought that the Miya 450 is smaller than most of the pens that I've been used to, but it is surprisingly perfect for my writing hand. The section joins the barrel almost seamlessly that I don't feel the threads when I write with it. It is comfortable to hold and I love the feel of celluloid in my hand.

The Montegrappa Miya 450 fountain pen has the following measurements and specifications:

• Length, capped: 5.3 in | 14.2 cm
• Length, uncapped: 4.8 in | 13.5 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.1 in | 17.2 cm
• Weight: 36 g | 1.27 oz
• Body material: Celluloid
• Trims: Sterling silver
• Cap: Screw-on, postable
• Clip material: Sterling silver
• Nib: 14k Gold Montegrappa nib in Fine, Medium, Broad, Flex Extra Fine, and Flex Fine
• Filling mechanism: Montegrappa converter included in the box, or standard international cartridges

The Miya 450 can be filled with ink using standard international cartridges or a converter, and both are included in the box. The threaded Montegrappa converter screws onto the section for a secure fit. This also prevents ink spills if the converter is accidentally pulled out. The sterling silver section threads add to the durability and stability of this pen. 

The Miya 450 has a threaded converter that screws onto the section for a secure fit.

The Miya 450 has a screw-on postable cap. The sterling silver clip has Montegrappa's famous rolling ball at its end, and a secret detail that most owners are not aware of—the inside of the clip has a red lacquer finish. I wasn't aware of this feature until I noticed a red reflection when I took a photo of the cap's finial. It reminds me of the iconic red soles on Louboutin shoes! The stories engraved on the Miya 450's cap do not end with the clip, though. Let's go to the cap band.

The Miya 450's sterling silver cap band has the same Montegrappa filigree pattern and several markings. Right below the clip's rolling ball is the Montegrappa logo. The backside has three markings: ★2670VI inside a polygon, 925 inside an oval, and "Made in Italy". For a rookie, the second and third markings are easy to discern. 925 indicates the purity degree of silver, and the other marking states the pen's country of origin. I needed to do some research for the first marking, though. According to this site, the polygon and star are official marks that indicate Italy, as the polygon is a hallmark assigned to Italy. This page reveals "2670 VI" indicates the company and province, as 2670 is designated to the Aquilas, owners of Montegrappa, while VI refers to Vicenza, a city in the Veneto region where Bassano del Grappa is located, home to Montegrappa.

The Miya 450's sterling silver clip has the famous rolling ball at its end, and this clip's underside has red lacquer. Notice the red halo around the clip.

The Miya 450 is an item of luxury, revealed by the markings on the cap band.

The Miya 450's cap finial, also made of sterling silver has 1912 to indicate the year that Montegrappa—Italy's first fountain pen factory—opened. 1912 is surrounded by a crown on top and a wreath below.

The red-orange swirls in this pen's barrel enhance the happy bright yellow color. The ring on the Miya's barrel also bears the ★2670VI and 925 markings.

The Miya 450 fountain pens have 14K gold nibs. This pen has a soft Fine nib that writes like a dream. It's smooth, soft, and just writes so perfectly good! It wrote so well out of the box and has an excellent flow that's just right. It's not dry, and not overly wet, either. 

Like the cap band, this beautiful Montegrappa nib has several markings including the Montegrappa filigree design, logo, and below that are the following: Italia, 14K, 585 inside a polygon, and ★2670VI inside another polygon. Italia (Italy) refers to the country of origin, 14K indicates that the material is made from 14k gold, 585 also refers to the purity of gold—here at 14K, and ★2670VI signifies the ownership and origin of the product from within Italy. Oh, I just love these markings! They are meaningful details that form a close bond between the pen's origin, its makers, and pen owners.

The Montegrappa nib on the Miya 450 is soft, smooth, and writes so well.

The Miya 450 is smaller or shorter than most of the fountain pens that I am using, but it has the same section width as these pens. It also has the same section length as the Leonardo Furore and Tibaldi N60, and it's comfortable to use even for a longer period of writing. 

From the top: Leonardo Furore, Bexley Intrepid, Montegrappa Miya 450, Tibaldi N60, and Lamy Lx.

The Miya 450's section is as comfortable to hold and suitable for long periods of writing.

To test how the 14K Montegrappa nib writes, I filled the Miya with Iroshizuku Asa-gao, one of my favorite and fuss-free blue inks. The soft medium nib wrote smoothly out of the box, without the need for any adjustments or tuning. I did not experience any hard starts or skipping. The pen wrote very well, and I had a unique and different experience writing with such a wonderful nib.

I filled the Miya with Iroshizuku Asa-gao, a fuss-free blue ink. Ink flow to the nib was fast and the pen wrote so well.

In my fountain pen collecting and reviewing experience, I never imagined that I'd try a Montegrappa pen, or even own one. I have always dreamed of getting a Fortuna someday, but a Miya came along, and it's a wonderful, amazing pen. I am very happy with the yellow Miya 450 fountain pen, and I am recommending it to anyone who wants to explore the brand and its offerings. Montegrappa is an expert pen maker guided and inspired by tradition, history, and heritage. Get a Montegrappa fountain pen in your collection!

Rants of The Archer thanks Kenro Industries the U.S. distributor of Montegrappa, for providing the Miya 450 in this review. The Miya 450 is a limited edition pen and may not be available for long. Kenro offers the Miya 450 at US$795, and that's a great price for such an excellent pen! 

To learn more about Kenro Industries and its brand offering, visit their website at https://www.kenroindustries.com/. For updates and promos, follow Kenro Industies on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenro_official/.