jouesdeveau
June 29th, 2015, 05:17 PM
Though I spend a lot of time buying, selling and repairing Sheaffer plunger-fillers, I have a yen for modern Italian pens. Recently, my wife and I were in Rome, and I used the occasion and the relatively good Euro/Dollar rate, to acquire a brand new Omas from Stilo Fetti, a shop about a block or two from the Pantheon. Marco, the proprietor, told me that it was a limited edition made specifically for Stilo Fetti. The celluloid has been used on other Omas models. The color is called Blue Senape (mustard).
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a152/gmberg/Omas/IMG_5207_zpszd5s7t1i.jpghttp://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a152/gmberg/Omas/IMG_5212_zps3n8n7wnu.jpg The cap (right) reads: "Omas Italy 017/131". http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a152/gmberg/Omas/IMG_5215_zpsqacycw67.jpg
THE PEN
Having had this pen inked up and working now for about a month, I can now say that I am completely delighted with it. It has what I would call an old-fashioned Omas nib which is exquisitely expressive with perfect flow. Its long tines are flexible, not 1920s Waterman flexible, but flexible nevertheless. And no matter how quickly I apply pressure to thicken the line, the feed provides enough ink to avoid "railroad tracks". It releases well from a full press without leaving a blob. At the shop, I was considering a Visconti Divina, but the superb Omas nib sold me on it.
At the Triangle Pen Show I had Linda Kennedy put a fine stub on it, and it now ranks right up there in my collection with an Arte Italiano brown Arco with a Mottishaw nib. Like the Arco, this limited edition Stilo Fetti has all the typical quality of an Omas, in this case, for example, the three cap bands perfectly blend into the cap and conform precisely with the faceting, a signature design feature of Omas.
THE SHOP: STILO FETTI
As well, I want to tip my hat to the shop in Rome where I bought the pen, Stilo Fetti, just steps away from the Pantheon at Via degli Orfani, 82. Its proprietor, Marco, was extremely patient as I examined quite a few pens in his very large stock. When I wanted some time alone with my wife to decide on what to buy, I told him, “I’ll be back”. Instead of simply saying goodbye, he recommended a café where we had what turned out to be the best cup of coffee in Rome (quite a claim!: OK- it's Tasso d'Oro). And when I returned to buy the pen, he recommended a very fine local restaurant for lunch (devoid of tourists) which could never be found since it was down several alleys
without street signs and had a door that was entirely unmarked. He walked us there himself and introduced us to the maitre d.
Finally, the actual glass a brick of the shop was a treat to anyone who loves old shops. It is alleged to be the oldest pen shop in Rome, and it was filled with wood cases set in warmly polished wood-framed rooms with thick carpets and soft lights. Though I speak no Italian, Marco and his staff easily understood what I was looking for and were very helpful and considerate. There is no question that when I return to Rome, I will return to Stilo Fetti.
Here's their contact info:
Stilo Fetti, Via degli Orfani, 82, Roma. Tel. 06.678.96.62.
www.stilofetti.it
info@stilofetti.it
Gerry Berg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a152/gmberg/Omas/IMG_5207_zpszd5s7t1i.jpghttp://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a152/gmberg/Omas/IMG_5212_zps3n8n7wnu.jpg The cap (right) reads: "Omas Italy 017/131". http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a152/gmberg/Omas/IMG_5215_zpsqacycw67.jpg
THE PEN
Having had this pen inked up and working now for about a month, I can now say that I am completely delighted with it. It has what I would call an old-fashioned Omas nib which is exquisitely expressive with perfect flow. Its long tines are flexible, not 1920s Waterman flexible, but flexible nevertheless. And no matter how quickly I apply pressure to thicken the line, the feed provides enough ink to avoid "railroad tracks". It releases well from a full press without leaving a blob. At the shop, I was considering a Visconti Divina, but the superb Omas nib sold me on it.
At the Triangle Pen Show I had Linda Kennedy put a fine stub on it, and it now ranks right up there in my collection with an Arte Italiano brown Arco with a Mottishaw nib. Like the Arco, this limited edition Stilo Fetti has all the typical quality of an Omas, in this case, for example, the three cap bands perfectly blend into the cap and conform precisely with the faceting, a signature design feature of Omas.
THE SHOP: STILO FETTI
As well, I want to tip my hat to the shop in Rome where I bought the pen, Stilo Fetti, just steps away from the Pantheon at Via degli Orfani, 82. Its proprietor, Marco, was extremely patient as I examined quite a few pens in his very large stock. When I wanted some time alone with my wife to decide on what to buy, I told him, “I’ll be back”. Instead of simply saying goodbye, he recommended a café where we had what turned out to be the best cup of coffee in Rome (quite a claim!: OK- it's Tasso d'Oro). And when I returned to buy the pen, he recommended a very fine local restaurant for lunch (devoid of tourists) which could never be found since it was down several alleys
without street signs and had a door that was entirely unmarked. He walked us there himself and introduced us to the maitre d.
Finally, the actual glass a brick of the shop was a treat to anyone who loves old shops. It is alleged to be the oldest pen shop in Rome, and it was filled with wood cases set in warmly polished wood-framed rooms with thick carpets and soft lights. Though I speak no Italian, Marco and his staff easily understood what I was looking for and were very helpful and considerate. There is no question that when I return to Rome, I will return to Stilo Fetti.
Here's their contact info:
Stilo Fetti, Via degli Orfani, 82, Roma. Tel. 06.678.96.62.
www.stilofetti.it
info@stilofetti.it
Gerry Berg