Leonardo Momento Zero Hawaii stub

[petrisz]

Hi,

I’ve just purchased a Leonardo Momento Zero Hawaii stub and I’d like to share my impressions + ask your opinion on inks.

According to my understanding Leonardo was founded by ex-Delta employees. The pens are hand-made and manufactured in small batches. The nibs are tuned by Leonardo and I can attest to that. This size 6, 1.3mm stub nib performs very well. I’ve also tested the other nib options and they were consistently great and well tuned. The EF&F nibs were probably the best steel nibs I’ve tried: very smooth, while providing ample amount of feedback, no scratchiness at all, firm but not hard as a nail. The nibs are a bit on the wet side.

The “basic” resin Memento Zeros come in various colours (light blue-positano, dark green/blue/red marbled, horn, solid black) at €148, and they all look spectacular (maybe except for the solid black). The gold trimmed ones have gold plated nibs. The Hawaii comes for a bit more at €178. (Plus I’ve seen a yellow one exclusive to Fontoplumo.) The pens are numbered which is engraved into the barrel along with “Leonardo Officina Italiana”.

The looks of the Hawaii tries to imitate the sandy beaches and the blue ocean of Hawaii. The resin is layered and each layer has different colours from sandy brown with dark&white specks to turquoise and deep blue. The resin has some depth to it. Due to the different layers + shine + depth + polish it is quite impossible to take a picture of the pen that truly captures its beauty. The silver accents go well with the predominantly blue resin. The clip is quite tight but it has the usual Italian small clip-wheel to help you out.

Sizewise the Momento Zero is almost the same as the Pelikan M800. The Momento Zero is a bit wider as the barrel gradually widens in the middle. The section is also wider around the threads than the M800 section but then it tapers down and the section has around the same width as the M800 section at the place where people normally grip the pen.

The pen uses a converter (included) which can be operated by removing the blind cap or unscrewing the barrel. The converter is engraved with the Leonardo logo and the gold trimmed models have a matching converter, which is a nice touch.

My opinion is that these pens are amazing and well worth the price.

• The resin Momento Zeros look stunning, especially the slightly more expensive Hawaii model. You normally associate this spectacular appearance with much more expensive pens.
• Leonardo tunes all these steel nibs to perfection and makes you question what is all the fuss about gold nibs
• The attention to detail really comes through. The quality is great, the polishing is flawless, even the converter is engraved.
• The pen has a nice size.
• The Hawaii has all sorts of colours in it so it can be paired with all kind of different inks.

My question to you is: What ink would you recommend for this pen?
Here are some samples next to my Momento Zero Hawaii:

[Muszga]

Such a beatiful pen! Congrat! The KWZ I like the most on your picture.

[danielb]

I would recommend Akkerman Passage Blauw, or KWZ Baltic Memories as well.
I also considering getting a Leonardo pen for a while now, it’s good to hear, from multiple people (@attila also likes his), that they are good pens!
Do you think you’d use the blind cap for filling? I think it’s a good idea, but I don’t know how convenient it is in real life.

Also, how do you like the Akkerman inks you list? There isn’t too much info about these colors on the internet.

[petrisz]

It’s my first pen with a converter + blind cap so it’s a bit strange When I fill cc pens I always hold the converter & section firmly not to have the converter loose. When operating the cc by removing the blind cap the barrel keeps the converter steady. The turning knob of the converter is polished steel but it can be operated easily. On the other hand you do not see how much ink you manage to suck up.

I’m going to meat @dragorsi Wed 27 Feb afternoon, it would be great if you could join us. I’ll bring my Leonardo too

I’ll try to do a review of all the Akkerman inks I have. They behave well, I’m quite satisfied with them in general. All of them are custom made for Akkerman by Diamine as far as I know. The bottles look great and are very practical, their price/ml ratio is good, you get a lot of ink for a reasonable price. I’m no ink expert but will try to do some comprehensive review

[danielb]

I think I can make it on the 27th.

Akkerman being manufactured maybe the worst kept secret, or most repeated rumor.
I don’t know if that’s really true.
But I’d love to see your review of those colors, because the ones you showed aren’t that much discussed online

[petrisz]

Leonardo has released 2 new models to their Momento Zero line: a green ebonite with gold nib and a blue-coral marbled resin with steel nib.

Leonardo adds 2 new colors

(I’m not associated with Fontoplumo in any way, I just found this post on their website.)

[danielb]

The Pietra Marina reminds me of Pelikan M800 Stone Garden. It looks nice, maybe it’s time to get a Leonardo finally.

[dragorsi]

Ahh it’s such a pretty pen, too bad it’s most likely too big for me plus I don’t really like #6 nibs :sigh: yep, the problems I have XD

[ujh]

I ended up buying a second hand yellow Furore. Also a super pretty pen.

@urbanhafner

[dragorsi]

I’s pretty for sure.
But my favorite part of these pens is the name. You could cast a Brazilian soap opera with them

[petrisz]

Congratulations! I hope you’ll enjoy your new Furore for many-many years. What is its nib size? What’s your experience with the nib? I like mine so much that I’m trying hard not to buy a yellow, emerald or red Furore myself

[ujh]

I’m loving it @petrisz! I’ve had it for a week and I’m already on my fourth converter. I just can’t seem to put it down. Mine has a medium nib that is super smooth and fairly wet. I’m just in love with that pen and I’m considering adding a Momento Zero to my collection. The only slight issue I have with it is the converter rattling a bit. The metal bit on the end is banging against the metal collar that hold the end cap in place. Not when writing, but when I put it down or do any slightly “harder” movement I can hear it.