OPUS 88 OMAR
Michael Hsu has been building the OPUS 88 brand for the past two decades by crafting each design to high standards. Since 1988, Michael worked as an OEM/ODM supplier and has developed a reputation for excellence. This reputation is clearly evident in the fountain pens OPUS 88 produces. I have previously reviewed the Opus 88 Koloro and Picnic models. I reached out to OPUS 88 and they graciously sent me two of their new OMAR pens for review as well as an Orange Fantasia to review as well. That’s right this is another two-part series! The first pens I will be reviewing are the OPUS 88 OMAR in Brown as well as in Green. The OMAR line are also available in a demonstrator, grey, and purple.
Design: The OMAR pen is definitely a full size or even an oversize pen. The cap finial and bottom finial are ivory white. There is a chrome band under the cap finial and a smaller chrome ring attached to the clip. The clip has an elongated teardrop shape with Opus 88 engraved at the top. The cap is made from a marbled resin which looks like vintage celluloid and is slightly translucent. The materials are varying shades of brown on the brown model and varying shades of green on the green model. The cap unscrews and takes three turns to remove. The bottom finial is also the ink shutoff valve for the pen and has a chrome band where it meets the body. The barrel is slightly translucent resin which allows you to see the ink level. The contrast between the cap and barrel material helps give the pen a cohesive design. Overall, the body is a classic cigar shape and has a slight stepdown from the body to the grip section with smooth cap threads. The grip section has a slight taper and flared finger stop allowing a comfortable grip for longer writing sessions. You can post the cap as well, but in my opinion, it makes the pen really long and slightly unwieldy.
Nib Performance: I received a medium and broad nib for this review. Both nibs performed flawlessly when capped for longer periods, and started right up even when uncapped for longer periods. The nib has “OPUS 88”, “M” for medium, “B” for broad engraved and decorative scroll work around the edges. The OMAR models are fitted with #6 size nibs which is great especially if you like to swap your nibs. The interesting part about this pen is the ink shutoff valve. The flow of ink is controlled by opening and closing the ink shutoff valve. The more you close the valve, the drier it writes and the more open it is, the wetter it writes. You can adjust the pen to the flow you prefer for your writing sessions.Filling System: The pens are eyedropper filled and they hold an insane amount of ink, around 3.5ml by my measure. To fill the pen, you unscrew the grip section to open the barrel. I have found that if you open the ink shutoff valve it makes it easier to fill the pen as well. Once this is open, you fill the included eyedropper with your ink of choice and fill the barrel until just below the top of the ink shutoff valve rod inside the pen. The simply screw the grip section back onto the body.Value: Retail and street price for the OMAR line is about $123, which is a pretty incredible price for what you get.
Overall: I am really blown away by these pens. I prefer larger pens due to having larger hands, and these fit both at the grip and the overall length of the pen. The ridiculous ink capacity means that you can write for days and not have to worry about the pen running dry, and the #6 nib is a huge plus. These have been in my daily rotation since I received them for review and I don’t see a time when they won’t be in it.Specs:Name: Opus 88 OMARDesign: ResinLength: 149.5mm (5.89in)Posted: 180.4mm (7.10in)Diameter: 15.8mm (0.62in)Weight: 34.0g (1.20oz)Nib: Stainless Steel #6Filling System: Eyedropper with ink shutoff valvePros: Huge ink capacity, beautiful material, #6 nib, great price, beautiful color optionsCons: Honestly none.In the same price range:Conklin EmpirePelikan M200Aurora Ipsilon
Nib Performance: I received a medium and broad nib for this review. Both nibs performed flawlessly when capped for longer periods, and started right up even when uncapped for longer periods. The nib has “OPUS 88”, “M” for medium, “B” for broad engraved and decorative scroll work around the edges. The OMAR models are fitted with #6 size nibs which is great especially if you like to swap your nibs. The interesting part about this pen is the ink shutoff valve. The flow of ink is controlled by opening and closing the ink shutoff valve. The more you close the valve, the drier it writes and the more open it is, the wetter it writes. You can adjust the pen to the flow you prefer for your writing sessions.Filling System: The pens are eyedropper filled and they hold an insane amount of ink, around 3.5ml by my measure. To fill the pen, you unscrew the grip section to open the barrel. I have found that if you open the ink shutoff valve it makes it easier to fill the pen as well. Once this is open, you fill the included eyedropper with your ink of choice and fill the barrel until just below the top of the ink shutoff valve rod inside the pen. The simply screw the grip section back onto the body.Value: Retail and street price for the OMAR line is about $123, which is a pretty incredible price for what you get.Overall: I am really blown away by these pens. I prefer larger pens due to having larger hands, and these fit both at the grip and the overall length of the pen. The ridiculous ink capacity means that you can write for days and not have to worry about the pen running dry, and the #6 nib is a huge plus. These have been in my daily rotation since I received them for review and I don’t see a time when they won’t be in it.Specs:Name: Opus 88 OMARDesign: ResinLength: 149.5mm (5.89in)Posted: 180.4mm (7.10in)Diameter: 15.8mm (0.62in)Weight: 34.0g (1.20oz)Nib: Stainless Steel #6Filling System: Eyedropper with ink shutoff valvePros: Huge ink capacity, beautiful material, #6 nib, great price, beautiful color optionsCons: Honestly none.In the same price range:Conklin EmpirePelikan M200Aurora Ipsilon
