Pensieve: Omas Ogiva Alba in Green

Ever since Goulet Pens announced that they would be carrying the new Omas Ogiva Alba pens, I’ve wanted one. I can’t say why, really. I have a Platinum 3776 Century Nice with a very similar ribbed exterior (but it’s frosted/clear). The teal green Omas captivated me.

I ordered one with a fine extra flessibile nib before Christmas, but sent it back, never even opening the box. I felt guilty for spending money on a pen for myself when we’d already spent so much on Christmas presents.

Then, when the pen came down one hundred dollars in price, I couldn’t help myself. All they had left in stock in the green color was an extra-fine, extra flessibile. I ordered it, hoping it wouldn’t be too fine and scratchy.

It turns out that Omas nibs put out a lot of ink, so the EF writes more like a fine. It offers a little feedback at times, but when I get it in its sweet spot it writes wet and smooth. I expected it to feel bouncier since it has the flex capability, but it’s pretty rigid unless you press into it for the flex. Regardless, I love the way it writes and the flex is great. I don’t use flex in my regular handwriting, but for signatures or something fancy, it adds just the right amount of line variation. I try to be careful when I flex it because I read that it’s easy to spring the nib if you press too hard.

The Omas is a piston filler, and that is a huge plus. It is 5.75 inches capped, weighs 21 grams, and holds .9ml of ink. Platinums are 5.5 inches capped, 24.3 grams, and hold .5ml of ink. So while the pens are similar, I much prefer a piston filler.

From top to bottom: Platinum Century Nice, Omas Ogiva Alba, Platinum Century Chartres Blue

The pen itself is gorgeous. When I removed it from the box I oohed and aahed. It looked like an emerald. The green color shifts from a dark green to teal to teal-blue, depending on the light. It is clear enough that you can see the pen’s inner-workings, but also dark enough that it doesn’t look or feel like a cheap demonstrator. It shouldn’t, since it is definitely not a cheap pen! This is a limited edition pen. Mine is number 60 out of 327.

The bands on the pen accent it perfectly. Although I prefer gold accents on most of my pens, the silver complements the green. Both the cap band and the gripping section band are decorated with Omas’s Greek key design. The band at the piston knob is a thin sliver ring. The clip has the typical Omas cylinder. I never use the clip, so I don’t know how well it works, but it’s an ingenious design.

The nib has no decorative engraving—just the words “Extra Flessibile,” “Omas,” and “14K.” EF is engraved on the side of the nib. The simplicity of the nib is nicely contrasted with the design on the band.

The packaging is elegant. The box is made of sturdy cardboard in dark and light grey. The pen comes in a suede-like sleeve nestled in an impression on the inner box. The sleeve is handy to protect my pen when I carry it.

I love having a modern pen that offers flex. I realize it’s not the equivalent of the vintage flex pens, but those vintage pens tend to give me nothing but trouble. With the Omas, I can write like I normally do, invoke flex when I want to, and I don’t have to worry about dried up sacs or lever boxes or babying the pen.

My Omas Ogiva Alba is like holding a little bit of the Aurora Borealis in my hand, and it is lovely.

 

Handwritten Review Photos: