This is not a new acquisition but a pen that I bought, gleefully, at the London Pen Show in March 2019. The Furore was then a fairly new model, which followed Leonardo’s Momento Zero and was very similar except for having bullet shaped ends.
With a range of vibrant colours, said to celebrate the natural colours of the Amalfi coast, it is hard not to be drawn to a display of these stunning Italian pens at a pen show. Shiny, smooth, tactile and colourful, with a lovely chatoyance as you turn the pen in your hand, I found the pen irresistible. Each pen is numbered on the barrel. Having chosen this refreshingly bright orange pen, it was an added bonus to learn that mine bore the serial No. 001 for this colour. I opted for a fine nib. There are both gold coloured or silver coloured nibs and fittings available.
Description.
This is quite a large pen but not overly heavy. The cap features a sturdy metal clip with a rolling wheel at the end and two gold coloured cap bands. The cap unscrews in one full turn. The section shape will be familiar from the Momento Zero, having the same generous girth at the barrel but then tapering to a narrower girth lower down. This looks a little odd at first but makes for a comfortable grip with a natural dip where I rest the pen on my second finger.
The barrel unscrews on resin threads. It is a cartridge converter pen, taking standard international cartridges but comes with a handsome, screw in, branded converter. Like the Momento Zero, there is also the option to access the converter by unscrewing the end of the barrel only, so keeping your fingers away from the ink bottle. The downside is that you do not get the same instant visual confirmation that you have filled your pen.
Nib and writing performance.
The steel fine nib works well, with a deliciously pencil-like feedback. The nib and feed are friction fit but very tight and I have not attempted to remove them since the fine nib was fitted for me when I bought the pen.
Size and weight.
The pen measures 145mm closed, 130mm open and 165mm if posted. The cap does post, quite deeply and securely and without upsetting balance, to make for a very comfortable unit if you do not mind the length.
Despite its large size, the pen weighs only 25g in all, of which 18g is the pen uncapped and 7g for the cap alone.
Likes and dislikes.
As pens go, this is a gorgeous specimen. Imagine seeing this in a tray of black pens: it would be hard not to pick it up. It has a host of nice attributes, such as the vibrant colour, attractive shape, chatoyance, comfortable grip and the smart, screw-fit converter, as well as being an enjoyable writer. On the down side, the translucence of the material does mean some discolouration at the section once the pen is inked. Also, personally, I am not so keen on the rolling wheel pocket clip feature, largely because I have seen other clips where the wheel has been lost, leaving an unsightly fork. But the wheel does help in sliding the clip over a pocket, if you want to carry the pen that way although I prefer to use a pen case.
Final thoughts.
Having reflected on my positive views on this pen, I am embarrassed to say that I have not made more use of the pen, in what is almost two years since I bought it. But in the pen’s defence I admit that this is not through any fault of the pen but rather its misfortune in landing in a household whose owner was already awash in good pens, competing for attention. And it is for this reason that I must get a grip on my appetite for shiny new pens and bring this one back into my rotation.
Fountain pen blog 
That one statement about losing the clip wheel is having me rethink my desire to acquire certain Italian pens.
Thanks
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The wheeled clip does seem to feature on several Italian brands including Leonardo and Montegrappa. I was not referring specifically to Leonardo when I mentioned seeing clips with the wheel missing. I have not had any such trouble with my pens, but then I seldom use the pocket clip anyway.
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Thanks for posting this review of a gorgeous pen. By a coincidence, I was also at the London pen show in 2019 and almost bought the same pen but didn’t. You now make me regret I did not…
These Momento Zero pens are very attractive- (I now have three: the Pietra Marina, the Blue Abyss and the Hawaii). I find them fun to hold in the hand and good writers although I have had some trouble with the nibs. Recently I converted all three to broad nibs by buying replacement units but still found that my Pietra Marina had a tendency to skip. I think I have now identified the problem: unlike other pens like Sailor or Pelikan pens, the Momento Zero nib on my Pietra Marina dries very quickly if I stop writing. Mine seem to dry and then skip for the first stroke if I leave the pen not writing but held in the hand for more than 5-6 seconds. I have not found a way of remedying this, except that all my Momento pens have steel nibs, whereas my Sailor or Pelikan nibs are all 14, 18 or 21 carat gold nibs, which I think may be where the difference lies. I still use my Momento pens, but for daily use find I always revert to Sailor or Pelikan.
I’d be interested in your experience with Momento Zero nibs.
Best wishes for the new year!
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It is a coincidence that we were both drawn to the same pen! I have not had a lot of experience of Leonardo nibs: I have only two of their pens – a Momento Zero with a medium and this Furore with a a fine, both in steel. I have not had problems with skipping. I did need to exchange the section of my Momento Zero due to a tiny hairline crack when I first received it, but the medium nib was a dream to write with! I was given a replacement nib and front section. The tines on the replacement now tend to click against each other and so the nib probably needs a little tweaking.
Certainly your pens should not dry and skip after a pause of just 5-6 seconds. I do vaguely recall from a video review by Penultimate Dave that the early Momento Zero broad nibs may have suffered from “baby’s bottom”. If it is that, the nib may improve once written in to your angle, or else need a little smoothing perhaps. I am not aware of this being a problem of steel nibs versus gold. For instance I have a humble TWSBI Eco which never seems to dry out or hard start!
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Rupert,
Another interesting pen and review. Love the colour!
Haven’t got any Italian pens maybe I should “invest” although having added four or five pens last year I promised the family that there wouldn’t be as many, if any this year!!
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Thank you Charles. Italian pens can set you on a slippery slope with their vibrant colours and/or stylish designs. Aside from Leonardo (which now has a huge colour range to chose from) there are Aurora, Montegrappa, Pineider, and Visconti to look into, when you get a chance!
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nice post, thanks for sharing, keep up the good work
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Thank you!
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One of the most enjoyable things about this blog is that Rupert buys all kinds of pens and tells us about them, sparing me the trouble and expense of buying so many pens myself. What’s more, he buys pens I find thrilling at a distance, such as this one: lovely shape, bright orange plastic, chatoyance. For myself I tend to buy pens redolent of my austere youth: I was born during the Depression, I began using pens during World War II, and all of that still gives me a warm family feeling.
The other point is that by occupation I’ve been a journalist of the new and often outrageous. I began doing art writing for Artforum, then the magazine of record for advanced art. Also for the London magazine Studio International. My major cultural contribution is probably my article about J. G. Ballard, who as a writer was not much like Jane Austen. Or Barbara Pym. Against that background I can enjoy my Newhaven Parker Duofolds in quiet colors, which make rather a contrast with so much that I’ve written with them.
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Thank you Jerome. It is encouraging to know that my pen acquisitions are also giving vicarious enjoyment to others. It is an interesting idea to associate certain pens with the subject matter of their writing: it must take a lot to shock your Duofolds.
Having a few frivolous pens in loud colours may be useful for balance.
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But I am not a lawyer. My brother-in-law is one, and has said he doesn’t want to look like a lawyer all the time. I am by contrast a literary bohemian, my opinions and my circumstances have not always been comfortable, and if I am seeking balance I’d like comfortable-looking pens for myself. I do, however. own a Cross Townsend in fairly bright red.
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It was a very good post indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it in my free time. Will surely come and visit this blog more often. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for visiting the blog and for your encouraging comments. I am very glad that you enjoyed the read.
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