or skyscrapers in the day during a solar eclipse...
...sorry, I'm feeling silly today :)
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or skyscrapers in the day during a solar eclipse...
...sorry, I'm feeling silly today :)
Funny, I just posted the following photo on another pen forum the other day: backstage on the Bay, at our new venue, during our 4th of July concert...
https://i.imgur.com/Yhmnebp.jpg
Christof, am I correct in remembering that you are in architecture? The photo certainly has a reflection of that.
yes, the one with the three golden cap bands.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cf3455c6_k.jpg
nice pen.
It is nice
I can't believe they put an arrow on the nib... and the clip!? like... really?.... wow...
Unless of course they admitted right from the get go that they truly admired the Vacumatic and wanted to pay homage to it.
Then I guess it would be less cringy. I admit I have no clue about the history of this pen, I couldn't pick an Omas out of a lineup
But it is pretty :)
We should not forget that the perceived distance between America and Italy was much larger in the 1930's than it is today. A time when America had a very great influence on Europe, which was still recovering economically from the 1st World War.
American products were in great demand, but far too expensive for most Europeans.
In this context, I would consider the Extra Lucens as an honest tribute to the Vacumatic.
Here's a comparison:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...70ee0682_k.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4aa15a63_k.jpg
BTW: one of the most copied fountain pens in europe was the Parker Duofold, there are countless counterfeits from different pen makers in Germany, France and Italy, but there are also similarities between OMAS and Wahl-Eversharp (Doric).
For Example this one:
https://live.staticflickr.com/1544/2...31914ecf_k.jpgDuroll by C.M.Z, auf Flickr
A german "Duroll" from the 1930's. Even the name was copied!
https://live.staticflickr.com/1641/2...8e39794a_k.jpgDuroll Prospekt by C.M.Z, auf Flickr
wait... so that Omas is from the '30s?...
well... for me at least, that changes a lot
For me, that makes it worse, it's not an "homage" in my mind, it's more of a rip-off in an attempt to capitalize on the styling, design, marketing and desirability of the Vacumatic.
In my mind it would only count as an "homage" if it had been made after Parker had stopped making the Vacumatic, I thought it was from the 80s, 90s or 00s... in a nod to the iconic design of the Vacumatic.
I'm ok with copies when the pen design is old; like the safari copies, or the Kaweco Sport copies who's patents have long run out. Or better; the Wing Sung 601 since the "51" is not only no longer under patent, but also long out of production.
But when you basically steal their design and their trademarks (arrow on nib, arrow on clip etc) then to me it is less forgivable. I mean, I get it, they were doing what they would do in the 50s with cheap copies and counterfeit "51"s. The way that china is making fake sonnets (one of the reasons I would NEVER buy a used sonnet) and the way china makes knock offs of everything from vac filling Japanese pens to knock off ray-ban sunglasses.
Don't get me wrong, it's still a beautiful pen. But since it was made at the same time as the Vacumatic was still a relatively new design, then to me, it is the perfect example of a "knock off" or "copy cat". To be an Homage, part of my mind wants it to be looking back at a historical design, not at it's contemporaries. To me, it's not an Homage if you are trying to steal their sales. It's an homage if you are honouring the design.
It's also funny that decades later, Parker would change their arrow clip to look like the one on the Omas! :P
Also a beautiful pen. But again, that's the kind of stuff that gets taken to court for patent infringement.
Someday, I will eventually get around to owning a Duofold...
I am more ok with copies than I am with counterfeits. Counterfeits I have NO time for. Copies I understand usually fill a market share: people who want the styling or functionality, but don't have the $$$
Counterfeits I have a problem with because at that point, the business who made them is LYING to the customer and in fact, stealing because they are not delivering the product they SAY they are delivering. Copies (but with different branding) are LESS offensive since they are usually significantly cheaper, and again, fill that market niche in the lower price tiers. I like them less than original designs, but infinitely more than counterfeits.
Of course it's a matter of opinion, but you're probably right about that point. As I said, one have to evaluate it in the historical context. Vacumatics were simply to expensive in Europe at that time, and intercontinental court cases were probably few and certainly not because of fountain pens... America was far away for italian pen makers.Quote:
...it's more of a rip-off in an attempt to capitalize on the styling, design, marketing and desirability of the Vacumatic.
But not 80 years later... 😂Quote:
Also a beautiful pen. But again, that's the kind of stuff that gets taken to court for patent infringement.
And it is precisely because of these historical circumstances that these pens are of interest, don't you think?
Now this is a different case. The LAMY Safari is still in production and in my opinion it is just illegal to produce and sell a 100% identical pen, even with brand logo. But Chinese fountain pen copyists don't mind. On the contrary, that's the business...Quote:
I'm ok with copies when the pen design is old; like the safari copies...
So yes, now taking into consideration that the Omas likely sold for MUCH cheaper than the Vacumatic (same with the Duroll I assume?...) then that puts them into the world of "clones" vs the world of "counterfeits" Clones I can tolerate. I look down on them slightly in the sense that they lack originality of design and therefore I consider the business tactics to be a bit tacky/lacking in class. But as I stated, they fill a market niche that the original manufacturer isn't reaching: poorer people who still want a nice looking pen
Ah, see here, I guess I wasn't clear.
The Chinese copies with the Lamy logo on them? THAT'S a counterfeit, and I have no time for it, that's just fraud. What I'm more ok with is the ones that are the same in every other respect, but do NOT have Lamy written on them. Aka the Clones. Because while yes, the safari IS still in production, the patents ran out long ago. So at that point it ends up being a lot like the Omas, and the Duroll: It's still a little slimy of them to do it... but not full on illegal. I am given to understand that the Italian pen world did a lot of the counterfeiting back in the 50s and 60s of the Parker "51"
But the Omas and the Duroll I acknowledge fall squarely into the "clone"/ ahem... "heavily influenced by" category :)
And both are very nice looking pens!
Ok, I have redone the photograph. Now it's already better, but still lots of reflections....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...69b393c1_k.jpg
The main problem is, that I cannot use the lighting set up that I usually use, since I need additional light from the background to make the pens glow...
Difficult.
I remember a similar problem that automakers would have with reflections when photographing the newest model cars for advertisements. The photographer would rig multiple 6 foot long white sheets to bounce the light from several flashes (along with foreground and backlight) to give better diffusion. This was in the days before Lightroom/Photoshop.
the focus is better on the new shot too :)
This comment from Jon prompted me to take another photo of fountain pens following an architectural motif. Here it is:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0c229f03_c.jpg