Onoto Magna 261.

[daveathall]

I have been looking forward to receiving this pen, it is made by a company near Norwich in England called Onoto http://www.onoto.com/home.asp, the fit and finish is superb, it is a stunning pen that writes beautifully straight from the box.

I must mention David Cooper who is a director of the company. He e mailed me with reference to the order and rang to answer some questions that I had regarding the pen.

I also purchased a leather pen case and some Onoto Mediterranean blue ink, tis a beautiful colour, I like it.

I am delighted with this pen and give it a very positive thumbs up.

Because of the finish, I have found this pen difficult to photograph, the pics don't do it justice.


I am not normally a slow reveal person but I thought the packaging and presentation deserved a mention.

First up it came in a cardboard box



A nice collection of leaflets explaining history, care, instructions on the operation of the pen and a handy polishing cloth.



A nice display box containing Warranty, certificate and registration documents



The pen number is 19, how apt, I spent 25 years in a British Infantry Regiment that was the 19th of foot, any guesses on the Regiments full name?



Oh, nearly forgot, and the pen!!!

It is beautifully made, is lighter than it looks, made in England engraved on the barrel















I paid an extra £40 to get the option of an 18K medium nib.










Writes smoothly straight from the box, has a nice amount of feedback, written on Clairefontaine paper using Onoto own Mediterranean blue ink filled using the standard supplied converter. The instructions indicate that the pen is perfectly balanced un posted, I found this to be the case.



For comparison, the Onoto Magna 261 was filled with Onoto Mediterranean blue, the Mont Blanc 149 was filled with Noodlers Blue/Black, both penned on Clairfontaine paper.







To provide some scale here is the Magna 261 next to a MB 149.








And finally with my Glashutte Original Sport Evolution Chronograph.











Hope you enjoyed this mini review.

[Skullring]

Beautiful pen Dave. I like the finish.

[Lion]

Dave, what a great looking pen you have and know it will bring you many years of pleasure writing with it!!!

[Numismatist]

Excellent and great photo with the watch! What a great diverse collection this sub-forum is showing

[sunburst]

Dave, that's a sleek looking FP(and your photos are superb as usual)
Congrats !!

[shandy]

Dave, Hearty congratulations! I was really excited to see this pen for many reasons, the main ones being the history of the company and the ledgendary build quality and from the pictures they match what I thought.

The historical connections for the company are wonderful as well, the pen used by Sir Winston Churchill, one of their pens found on the wreck of the Titanic, even a mention in a Lord Peter Wimsey novel!

I really love the chased pattern on the body of the pen, is it resin or hard rubber?

This is the first of the new Onoto's I have seen outside of the publicity pictures and I love it!

Love the ink colour as well

What a really well rounded collection you have Dave

PS. Looking at the Ink bottle I bet the Onoto ink is made by Diamine! Lovely ink!

[daveathall]

Thank you very much fellas, I am really, really pleased with this pen straight out of the box, it really is a smooth writer, very tactile.

It is made from high density acrylic Ian, perhaps that is what makes it so light to hold.

[JBat]

Great looking pen, Dave! I love the details like the clip and the end of the cap, and the nib looks terrific as well. Very nice. It also looks pretty similar in dimensions to the 149.

Congrats!!!

[JBat]

The more I get into fountain pens, the more I learn and the more I'm impressed with the breadth and diversity of quality pieces out there. It's a lot like the world of watches in that regard. It's very addictive, and maybe even moreso than watches due to the fact that pens are generally more affordable!

[Lion]

Originally Posted by JBat

The more I get into fountain pens, the more I learn and the more I'm impressed with the breadth and diversity of quality pieces out there. It's a lot like the world of watches in that regard. It's very addictive, and maybe even moreso than watches due to the fact that pens are generally more affordable!

John, I do know...I've bought seven fountain pens in the last month.....and now I'm addicted!!!

[Sweramic]

Very, very beautiful Dave! I really like the finish

Enjoy it my friend

[shandy]

Originally Posted by JBat

The more I get into fountain pens, the more I learn and the more I'm impressed with the breadth and diversity of quality pieces out there. It's a lot like the world of watches in that regard. It's very addictive, and maybe even moreso than watches due to the fact that pens are generally more affordable!

Originally Posted by Lion

John, I do know...I've bought seven fountain pens in the last month.....and now I'm addicted!!!

John and Leo. I know what you mean!

I have exclusively used a fountain pen since the age of 6 and I am now 47! for most of that time I never really collected or knew much about them. In fact in 2005 I purchased my now gone Mont Blanc Chopin from a lovely store in Glasgow, Scotland and I thought that it would be the last pen I ever owned!

A few years later I then found fountain pen network and the rest is history!

For me one of the greatest joys in finding more out about fountain pens has been entering the vintage world! I really recommend that those who are new to fountain pens seek out a local pen club and go along (I sure hope you find one near you Leo!) You will be amazed at some peoples collections and what wonderful, beautiful fountain pens you can buy for very reasonable prices, restored and fully functioning ready to give another 50/60..90 years service!

This is why Dave's Onoto is so exciting as it is one of the oldest pen companies out there! Their pens were I think it safe to say, the Rolls Royce of fountain pens in the UK in the early part of the 20th century and the new company really has done justice to the original ethos I think!

[daveathall]

A nice bit of history here:

http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Brief-History-of-Onoto-Pens

[2careless]

Thanks Dave! Now I have another pen to drool on!
Love the etched barrel design. Beautiful photos!

[Lion]

Dave, Thanx for the link to the background on Onoto Pens....makes for great reading and as a reference work!!!

[JimC]

Congratulations Dave! That is a great looking pen! I really love the etching, it makes the pen unique. That is good comparison shot with the 149, too. I didn't realize the Onoto was that large...

Enjoy, I'm sure it's a dream to write with... Thanks for sharing your pen through some great photos.

[daveathall]

Thank you once again for the very kind comments Kai, Leo and Jim.

[TswaneNguni]

Nice pen !!