Part 2!!! Opus 88 Fantasia Terracotta
Part 2!!!!! The review today is of the Opus 88 Fantasia in Terracotta.
Design: The pen is compact but has a huge ink capacity. The cap and bottom finial are made from a brownish red ebonite and the barrel and grip are brown translucent acrylic. Starting at the cap, the top finial has a chrome insert with “Opus 88 Fantasia” engraved. There is a raised bar on the finial that fits into the bottom final to open and close the ink shut off valve, but you can operate it with your fingers as well. The clip has an elongated teardrop shape and fits perfectly with the design of the pen. There are black, green, yellow, red, brown, and orange bands on the cap which help give a nice contrast to the ebonite. The bottom finial has an “X” cut out which is what the cap finial bar fits into. The end of the pen is threaded allowing the cap to be screwed on to post and that makes the pen full size. The body is cylindrical and there is a slight step down from the body to the grip section. The grip section is fairly short, so I found myself holding the pen a bit higher on the body and the cap threads are smooth and don’t get in the way.
Nib Performance: The nib is a #5 size nib which fits this smaller pen perfectly. It has “Opus 88”, “F” for fine, and some decorative scroll work engraved around the edges. The tines on the model I received were slightly tight so it wrote a bit dry out of the box. I gave the tines a slight flex and it wrote perfectly after that, laying down a nice medium flow line and a consistent fine line.Filling System: The pens are eyedropper filled and they hold an insane amount of ink, around 2ml 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. Then simply screw the grip section back onto the body.Value: Retail price for the Fantasia is $125, and the street price is around $100, which like the OMAR is a pretty amazing value for what you get.
Overall: This is a pretty awesome little pen. It fits perfectly in a pocket but when posted it is the perfect size for a larger hand. The contrast of the ebonite and acrylic is perfect and well thought out. The slight nib issue, I will chalk up to being a random miss as I have used 6 other Opus 88 fountain pens and have never had an issue. It holds a huge amount of ink for such a tiny pen which makes it perfect for traveling or keeping it in a bag or purse. This is a wonderful little pen and a perfect addition to the Opus 88 line up.Specs:Name: Opus 88 FantasiaDesign: Resin and eboniteLength: 116.8mm (4.6in)Posted: 144.7mm (5.7in)Diameter: 14.4mm (0.57in)Weight: 19.8g (.7oz)Nib: Stainless Steel #5Filling System: Eyedropper with ink shutoff valvePros: Huge ink capacity, beautiful material, great price, beautiful color options, compact for travelCons: Small grip sectionIn the same price range:Conklin NozacVisconti BreezeBenu Hexagon
Nib Performance: The nib is a #5 size nib which fits this smaller pen perfectly. It has “Opus 88”, “F” for fine, and some decorative scroll work engraved around the edges. The tines on the model I received were slightly tight so it wrote a bit dry out of the box. I gave the tines a slight flex and it wrote perfectly after that, laying down a nice medium flow line and a consistent fine line.Filling System: The pens are eyedropper filled and they hold an insane amount of ink, around 2ml 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. Then simply screw the grip section back onto the body.Value: Retail price for the Fantasia is $125, and the street price is around $100, which like the OMAR is a pretty amazing value for what you get.Overall: This is a pretty awesome little pen. It fits perfectly in a pocket but when posted it is the perfect size for a larger hand. The contrast of the ebonite and acrylic is perfect and well thought out. The slight nib issue, I will chalk up to being a random miss as I have used 6 other Opus 88 fountain pens and have never had an issue. It holds a huge amount of ink for such a tiny pen which makes it perfect for traveling or keeping it in a bag or purse. This is a wonderful little pen and a perfect addition to the Opus 88 line up.Specs:Name: Opus 88 FantasiaDesign: Resin and eboniteLength: 116.8mm (4.6in)Posted: 144.7mm (5.7in)Diameter: 14.4mm (0.57in)Weight: 19.8g (.7oz)Nib: Stainless Steel #5Filling System: Eyedropper with ink shutoff valvePros: Huge ink capacity, beautiful material, great price, beautiful color options, compact for travelCons: Small grip sectionIn the same price range:Conklin NozacVisconti BreezeBenu Hexagon
