PDA

View Full Version : Aurora Ipsilon-Italic Nib- I am returning it.



KrazyIvan
June 11th, 2012, 10:20 AM
I had eluded to this pen in some posts. It is the second Italian pen I own that has some issue with it. It is a shame really. It has a big italic nib roughly 2 mm but I have no sizing from Aurora as it is listed simply as an italic nib. I purchased it back on the 30th of April. It arrived around the 5th or 6th of May IIRC. I was really excited to try out my first Aurora but when I inked it with Waterman Florida Blue, it worked for a bit with paint brush-like strokes, then it stopped. Ink flow was intermittent after that. I found the problem quickly. A text book example of "baby's bottom". I could see the ink between the tines and it flowed very freely but that little curvature in the inner wall of the tines just kept the ink from touching the page.

I could fix this very easily but I was not going to risk voiding my warranty. I have a full Aurora warranty and I wanted somebody to make good on it. I went through the retailer and I was assured I would have a new nib. Apparently the nib is on back order now and it it wont get here before my return privilages expire with the retailer. I just decided to exchange the pen for a Pelikan M200 Tradition with a B nib.

I am disapointed with Aurora. I know it is one pen and there can be pens with issues that get through the cracks. I do think that baby's bottom should have been caught at the manufacturer. It is readily apparent under magnification. In the end, the retailer (ipenstore.com) is making it right and I appreciate that.

writingrav
June 11th, 2012, 11:48 AM
Sad indeed, Ivan

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

FP_GaF
June 11th, 2012, 01:35 PM
I own three Auroras, a Talentum I got at half price new, an Ipsilon Deluxe I bought used (also half price) off eBay and a used Aurora 98 (also an eBay find). All three are very dear to me. Fabulous writers, no issues, silky smooth. Awesome nibbage, as Stephen Brown would say, on all of them. I think you just got unlucky with this one. I would give the brand a second chance. I love them, maybe because I really got lucky.

So, maybe you have to suffer to compensate for my joy... Sorry mate!

KrazyIvan
June 11th, 2012, 02:04 PM
I am sure the brand shines when a good pen is had. I may try another but it will be a while.

melissa59
June 11th, 2012, 02:37 PM
I think you made the right choice to return it.
I don't understand why the manufacturer did not have another nib ready for you. Worse, I don't understand why the manufacturer would force you to wait until after the return period has expired. That sends out nasty red flag warnings. Good customer support is hard to find these days.
Good for you getting yourself a Pelikan before the price hike. I hope you enjoy it!
Kudos to ipenstore.com for working with you!

FP_GaF
June 11th, 2012, 03:03 PM
I understand your disappointment very well and I guess if I had your bad experience I would also think twice about trying a second time. Why would you with so many choices available.

The first impression is so important. It can ruin a good thing forever. And yet customer service is so often the weak point in many companies nowadays; just as melissa59 says, it is really hard to get good customer service these days.

I hope that someday you will try this brand again. But there are so many really awesome fountain pens to discover. The Pelikan M200 is a wonderful pen, too. Enjoy!

Cheers

KrazyIvan
June 11th, 2012, 03:06 PM
Since I was dealing with ipenstore.com directly, I can't know for sure what Aurora was saying but I was told it was that the italic nib was back ordered. To this point I was dealing solely through email. When I called this morning, "Jim" did not understand why they did not just give me one from their stock. At this point this was the first time I was dealing with Jim. He was nice and apologized for the mixup and I asked if I could exchange it. He said that was fine but they needed to check if they could get the B nib for me soon because they were out. He called back but I missed the call. The Pelikan with a B nib should be here by the end of the week.

ink mixer
June 11th, 2012, 07:53 PM
I had a similar situation with my Ipsilon. I bought it second hand (NOS), and I found a gigantic baby bottom when I inked it. Because I hadn't bought the pen directly, I sent it off to Tyler Dahl. I enjoy it a lot now. The only saving grace is that I still came out slight ahead of buying it new in a store.

KrazyIvan
June 11th, 2012, 08:37 PM
If I would have purchased the pen second hand I would have taken care of it myself. The fact that you also had trouble makes me think twice about Aurora. I am not totally abandoning the brand but I am left with a sour taste in my mouth that is discouraging. I may go second hand instead.

ink mixer
June 12th, 2012, 05:42 AM
I understand your feelings. I was really angry when it happened to me. I also think returning it is the right thing to do since Aurora should really be forced to deal with it. I think every manufacturer should have a QC check where they write with the pen. That being said, it seems like most of the big brands have their quality problems, except maybe Platinum, Sailor, and possible Pilot. At some point, I want to get a Talentum with the stock italic nib. If that has problems, then no more pens from Aurora.

KrazyIvan
June 12th, 2012, 10:06 AM
I am happy with the way ipenstore.com is taking care of the situation and I will buy from them again.

Maja
June 12th, 2012, 01:27 PM
That's too bad, Ivan, but I appreciate you letting us know about (a.) the problem and (b.) the nib width. I never would have guessed that their factory italic was so wide :shocked:

KrazyIvan
June 12th, 2012, 01:49 PM
I have been meaning to post pictures because of the nib but I did not since I had the on-going issue. I have the pictures already just have to upload them. Maybe tonight.

maiboo
June 14th, 2012, 04:47 PM
I bought an Aurora Ipsilon with an italic nib once and promptly returned it. Not only did it look funny, it didn't write quite right. So instead I bought one from Richard Binder and had him grind it to a CI for me. It's my best writer. Gotta love Richard Binder's grind.

KrazyIvan
June 27th, 2012, 02:28 PM
Well, I have a happy ending to this story. Ipenstore.com allowed me to exchange the pen since the italic replacement was taking so long. I steered clear of Aurora for now. I replaced it with a Pelikan Tradition M200. Jim and Ryan worked with me and sent me the Pelikan and even sent me a postage paid box to send the Aurora back to them. I think they went above and beyond and I truly appreciate it. There eBay name is streetfair (http://myworld.ebay.com/streetfair/&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2754).

Lane
February 4th, 2013, 06:46 PM
Well, I have a happy ending to this story. Ipenstore.com allowed me to exchange the pen since the italic replacement was taking so long. I steered clear of Aurora for now. I replaced it with a Pelikan Tradition M200. Jim and Ryan worked with me and sent me the Pelikan and even sent me a postage paid box to send the Aurora back to them. I think they went above and beyond and I truly appreciate it. There eBay name is streetfair (http://myworld.ebay.com/streetfair/&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2754).

Sorry to be so late on the uptake here. I thought it was interesting that you got your M200 from ipenstore/streetfair. My M200 (which is on the way - delivery scheduled for 2/7!) is coming from ipenstore too. I second your recommendation of them. They are a great no nonsense ebay seller. I've bought from them before and always had a good experience. By the way, have you noticed how few US seller's there are of the Pelikan M200 on ebay?

It's also interesting because one of the other pens I was considering was an Ipsilon. I've generally heard good things about the Ipsilon and was surprised to hear about your issues. Makes me hesitant about the brand - Although Stephen Brown's review of the pen is very positive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AbBYYBQe5A

KrazyIvan
February 4th, 2013, 07:37 PM
Yes, I do feel that my issues stemmed from the nib I chose.

chad.trent
February 12th, 2013, 08:56 AM
Yes, I do feel that my issues stemmed from the nib I chose.

I don't know. I have an Ipsilon with a M nib, and it has the same problems you describe.

KrazyIvan
February 12th, 2013, 11:21 AM
Alright-y then. :D

john
May 19th, 2013, 08:12 AM
I own an Ipsilon too, although there is not any issue of my Ipsilon. I am not satisfying of the 14k nib. The size is too small and very hard.

Whitebird
June 30th, 2017, 05:08 AM
Well, I'm about 4 years late joining this conversation, but I've just had the same experience as KrazyIvan. Bought the Ipsilon with the Italic nib, and the pen absolutely would not write. The nib was horrible, misalligned tines and unbelievably scratchy. I'm not an Italic newb, here, and I like mine extra-crispy, but that wasn't the issue here.It was almost as if they did the rough forming of the nib but never got around to the fine-finishing. It didn't fit the feed well at all, and so the ink-flow couldn't be maintained. The thing would just stop as if it was bone-dry every couple of words. Even dipped it wouldn't work.
Like you, I got it from Ipenstore, and like you, I worked with Jim and he quickly made it right. Really good store to deal with, and I'll deal with them again anytime, but I'll never buy another Aurora from anyone. There are just too many good pens out there. Too bad, I wanted to collect Ipsilons in several colors, and had the new Aurora Style in matte blue with rose gold as the next pen on my list. Not anymore.

Chrissy
June 30th, 2017, 06:18 AM
It's very sad when a pen doesn't write out of the box, and the buyer is disappointed because of a simple fault that should have been picked up by the manufacturer. I once asked Aurora if they had a nib exchange scheme, before I bought an Optima with a F nib. They said yes they did: I would need to buy a new nib, and they would quote me the price on receipt of my pen. When I asked if I would keep the original nib if I paid for another one, their replies abruptly stopped. That put them into a category of 'poor Customer Service' for me. Oh and that was the CEO by the way!

I'm pleased that you have settled on another pen that you're happy with. :)

RocketRyan
June 30th, 2017, 10:56 AM
I have two, a fine and a stub, both amazing. Such a shame you got a lemon.

KrazyIvan
June 30th, 2017, 12:46 PM
This experience turned me on to Pelikan. It was not a bad thing. I gave Aurora a second chance and got the Duocart. It is a very smooth, wet writer. Not sure if I would get another italic though.

Whitebird
July 19th, 2017, 08:43 AM
I'm retracting my previous declaration that I wouldn't be getting another Aurora. As I mentioned in my first post, Ipenstore sent me a replacement for my original Italic nib. I don't know if there are problems with their Ipsilon Italics overall, or if I just got a dud, but I asked that the replacement nib be a Broad, rather than another (risky) Italic. The Broad is wonderful! Straight out of the box it went right to the top of my daily-writers list, tied for first place with a few other much more expensive pens! It writes more like a generous Medium, IMHO, and it has no sweet-spot, just writes beautifully any way you ask it to. I like it so much, when an Ipsilon Deluxe with a Medium 14K nib came up on Ebay I pounced, and it immediately took it's place at the top of my favorites-list with the Broad Ipsilon. Now I'm eyeing another one. So... I've gone from Anti-Aurora to Aurora-Addict. Don't write off the brand due to one bad experience, I guess is the moral of the story.

penstaking
April 17th, 2018, 05:47 AM
And this all started...from something that could have been quickly administered to by a pen dealer -- assuming you go to an actual pen store to make your purchases. A company that for a century has manufactured pens with a peerless reputation for beauty, craftsmanship, and utility, is trashed because one customer (or even two or three) had a slightly off nib.

I have nine Auroras, all bought from professional pen dealers whom I've gotten to know over decades, any one of whom has quickly repaired any nib issues I may have had (with other brands -- never with Aurora, whose reliability is legendary.)

Aurora, BTW, makes genuine italic nibs, not 'stub' nibs. My guess is that newcomers to the brand haven't any idea how to hold or use such nibs.

KrazyIvan
April 17th, 2018, 11:37 AM
And this all started...from something that could have been quickly administered to by a pen dealer -- assuming you go to an actual pen store to make your purchases. A company that for a century has manufactured pens with a peerless reputation for beauty, craftsmanship, and utility, is trashed because one customer (or even two or three) had a slightly off nib.

I have nine Auroras, all bought from professional pen dealers whom I've gotten to know over decades, any one of whom has quickly repaired any nib issues I may have had (with other brands -- never with Aurora, whose reliability is legendary.)

Aurora, BTW, makes genuine italic nibs, not 'stub' nibs. My guess is that newcomers to the brand haven't any idea how to hold or use such nibs.

I assure you I have plenty of italics and know how to use them along with architect nibs. The dealer offered to replace the pen, and I decided to go with something else. I could have repaired it myself but did not want to bother with it at the time. I got to try another brand I had not examined before, and I ended up with another Aurora that will remain in my collection. I do recommend that if one does not know how to adjust or grind nibs that one learns that valuable skill. One will never have to return a pen for not writing the way one prefers, ever again.

dannzeman
April 18th, 2018, 07:37 AM
I do recommend that if one does not know how to adjust or grind nibs that one learns that valuable skill. One will never have to return a pen for not writing the way one prefers, ever again.
Or just buy from a retailer who includes that service at no additional charge (https://nibsmith.com) [emoji6][emoji6]

My experience with Aurora's italic is that it is very sharp and not forgiving. To my knowledge, no one else makes an italic like this. Some work perfectly out of the box, others require a lot of work and for that reason I don't generally stock it, but will order it on request. My recommendation is to go with the BB instead of the italic. It's the same width, offers nearly the same line variation, and is so much smoother!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

KrazyIvan
April 19th, 2018, 03:24 PM
I do recommend that if one does not know how to adjust or grind nibs that one learns that valuable skill. One will never have to return a pen for not writing the way one prefers, ever again.
Or just buy from a retailer who includes that service at no additional charge (https://nibsmith.com) [emoji6][emoji6]

My experience with Aurora's italic is that it is very sharp and not forgiving. To my knowledge, no one else makes an italic like this. Some work perfectly out of the box, others require a lot of work and for that reason I don't generally stock it, but will order it on request. My recommendation is to go with the BB instead of the italic. It's the same width, offers nearly the same line variation, and is so much smoother!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well played Mr. Smith. :)

That is true. Getting the pen looked at beforehand is an option. Not everyone offers that service and you certainly fill a niche that needs to be filled. I still have a Visconti HS that needs your services but I keep putting it off. While I will mess with nibs on pens $200 or less, that pen is worth twice that and I can accept I have my own limitations and fears of irreperably damaging a pen in that price range.

Let me also post about the frame of mind I was in when I bought this pen. The original post is from 2012 so forgive me if I get some details wrong, I'm going from memory. When I received the pen, I was disappointed. I could see that the ink was flowing to the tip of the tines but the severe baby's bottom made it impossible for the ink to reach the page without pushing down on the nib. I had spent just over $100 USD on a pen and was angry because it did not work. I would have had to shave about .5 mm (IIRC) off the nib to get it to write. I could tell it was going to flow pretty wet. At that time, the sentiment on this very board was spending that amount of money on a pen only to have it not write was a crime. The only way to get the attention of manufacturers was to send the pen back. So I did. That's pretty much it. I have a Duocart now. It is a very nice writer and I would give the Ipsilon another chance if I had the cash to spare but that is not possible now. I have not written off the brand and much admire pens in the Aurora line. It's just going to be some time before I can enter that market again.