OMAS "The Paragon"
A magical blend of vintage and modern
by
Giovanni Abrate
Part
of the OMAS "Arte Italiana" series of classic
fountain pens.
This pen is a classic OMAS design.
Mine is about ten years old and this particular model has
recently been replaced by a new pen, of more contemporary
design.
Still, in many ways this is THE
classic OMAS fountain pen and several variants of this
classic design are still being manufactured at the OMAS
facility in Bologna.
The first impression given by the
pen is its lightness!
This is a light pen, thanks to the
material used in its construction: light resin, with no
inner brass lining. The celluloid-type resin is of a type
that is exclusive to OMAS and the pen uses a piston fill
mechanism that does not employ brass or other metal parts.
At first this lightness feels odd, but when one puts the
pen to work, it feels comfortable and it reduces writing
fatigue: this is a pen made to be used and enjoyed.
The pen is a piston filler and the
filling knob feels very smooth: the pen fills without
hesitation. It is important to expel a couple of drops of
ink after filling the pen: this pen behaves like a vintage
pen and I found that unless the feed/collector is purged
by releasing a couple of drops of ink, the heat from the
hand holding the pen will cause the air inside the barrel
to expand to the point that the nib will release a drop of
ink… be forewarned!
The pen has the classic 12-faceted
OMAS shape both on the barrel and the cap. The cap is
fitted with a three ring band sporting the Greek motif
that has become a trademark of OMAS since it was first
adopted in 1926.
The clip is a slim, classic shape
and it is equipped with the small roller that in Italy is
known by the name “ruzzolina”!
The same three ring decoration that
is used on the clip is also used on the barrel, just above
the threads, in a slightly smaller size.
The nib is
an 18K, two-tone
(F in my pen) nib with a
considerable amount of flex.
I
have been using this pen next to a Waterman Man100 and a
Parker Duofold Centennial and their nibs are very stiff,
the proverbial “nails”. The Waterman and Parker pens have
smooth nibs, but they have absolutely no “give”: they are
typical “manifold” nibs, as found on the majority of
modern pens. The OMAS is completely different: the nib
flexes with very little pressure and gives a fair amount
of line variation. It is a very smooth nib, with a
generous ink flow.
This adds to the vintage feel of
the pen!
The OMAS “The Paragon” is an
addictive pen: once you start using it, it is hard to go
back to another pen: I think it is the combination of
light weight and the wonderful flexible nib that did it
for me!
I understand that not all OMAS pens
offer flexible nibs: I am glad my pen came with one, it
really adds interest and character to anyone’s
handwriting.
Defects?
It’s hard to find any flaw in this pen… Personally, I
would have liked to see an ink-view window, to monitor the
ink supply.
In order not to spoil the
clean design of the pen, OMAS could have used a small
Visulated section like the ones used by Sheaffer for their
classic Balance pens.
Still, this is a small detail and
one that does not detract from the wonderful writing
experience provided by this modern classic!
My vote: 9 out of 10!
2014 Giovanni Abrate - all
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