Opus 88 Koloro info

[abuomar]

In terms of writing experience, modern pens generally perform alike. But I am a huge fan of these safety piston eyedropper filling systems. I first came across this mechanism with a Japanese eyedropper, and was immediately swooned by the simplicity and increased ink capacity. There is a air of nostalgia to eyedropper pens, and they are as minimalistic as fountain pens can come.

Burping and leakage seem to be the most common concerns regarding eyedroppers. Burping tends to happen when the barrel is warmed from use, creating warm air pressure inside the ink chamber, forcing more ink through than desired. This was common with old eyedroppers because they were often made with ebonite which warmed to the hand relatively quick, coupled with an unregulated ink output. With the safety piston, you can regulate the flow to decrease this risk. And I am hoping that acrylic (a change in material) will also have a positive effect.

So I am super excited to see this eyedropper system on modern pens, and can't wait to get that clear model in my hands! I just hope these new eyedroppers will be much easier to service, even better if Opus 88 is open to show users how to service it (like how TWSBI includes a wrench so you can grease the piston on your own).

Good points, especially regarding the user-serviceability of the safety piston/rod mechanism. Having never owned an eyedropper before (aside from a Noodler's Charlie) and certainly not one with a safety piston/rod mechanism, how does the piston/rod regulate the flow of ink to prevent leakage, exactly?

Now that I think of it, the various piston filling pens I have are more or less essentially eyedroppers themselves, with the exception of the piston mechanism that is. The basic concept is the same, large reservoir of ink inside the barrel which leads directly to the feed. Aside from the usage of the piston to draw up ink into the barrel, not sure if it also functions as an anti-leakage/safety mechanism as well.

[stevekolt]

I just ordered a tan and blue model. I've never used an eyedropper pen before. Does this pen need silicone grease on the threads to prevent leaks? Any help would be appreciated...

[abuomar]

I just ordered a tan and blue model. I've never used an eyedropper pen before. Does this pen need silicone grease on the threads to prevent leaks? Any help would be appreciated...

I just bought the tan and blue Koloro today as well, from a local brick and mortar. I haven't inked it up yet but a few of the guys at the store (who have also bought the Koloro, one guy even has all the colors) said there's no need for silicone grease, as there's an o-ring on the topmost thread of the section, closest to the nib.

[jeffraffe]

... how does the piston/rod regulate the flow of ink to prevent leakage, exactly?

Now that I think of it, the various piston filling pens I have are more or less essentially eyedroppers themselves, with the exception of the piston mechanism that is. The basic concept is the same, large reservoir of ink inside the barrel which leads directly to the feed. Aside from the usage of the piston to draw up ink into the barrel, not sure if it also functions as an anti-leakage/safety mechanism as well.

This picture from FPN user rpsyed shows how the piston stops ink flow in a Japanese ED quite clearly. And you are right, piston fillers only differ in that there is a built-in mechanism to help you draw ink into the barrel. But the compromise here is a decreased capacity, as it is often not easy to get a full fill in one shot.

I just ordered a tan and blue model. I've never used an eyedropper pen before. Does this pen need silicone grease on the threads to prevent leaks? Any help would be appreciated...

I just bought the tan and blue Koloro today as well, from a local brick and mortar. I haven't inked it up yet but a few of the guys at the store (who have also bought the Koloro, one guy even has all the colors) said there's no need for silicone grease, as there's an o-ring on the topmost thread of the section, closest to the nib.

No silicone grease necessary, but it can smooth the action as well as help maintain the threading of the section and barrel if you apply a thin coat. I usually apply a coat also on the end cap, since you work it every time you write. But that's just the OCD in me, not at all required. Enjoy your new pens!

And for those who are interested, I've just read this interesting review on another modern Japanese ED the Namiki Emperor. The review has some relevant information and links on Japanese eyedroppers.


Here's another with caption

[abuomar]

This picture from FPN user rpsyed shows how the piston stops ink flow in a Japanese ED quite clearly. And you are right, piston fillers only differ in that there is a built-in mechanism to help you draw ink into the barrel. But the compromise here is a decreased capacity, as it is often not easy to get a full fill in one shot.

No silicone grease necessary, but it can smooth the action as well as help maintain the threading of the section and barrel if you apply a thin coat. I usually apply a coat also on the end cap, since you work it every time you write. But that's just the OCD in me, not at all required. Enjoy your new pens!

And for those who are interested, I've just read this interesting review on another modern Japanese ED the Namiki Emperor. The review has some relevant information and links on Japanese eyedroppers.


Here's another with caption

Great! Thank you kindly for the illustrations on how the safety piston/rod works. Now I understand it fully, so thanks again. I've also taken your advice and applied some silicon grease to the threads on the end cap, now when I unscrew it prior to writing the action is much smoother and with less resistance than before.

I've inked up my tan and blue Koloro with Diamine Salamander, which I think is a fitting color. I flushed the pen beforehand and was able to measure the ink capacity of the barrel, which is 2ml if you fill it to just below the threads or to the upper tip of the rod/piston. It writes smoothly, nib is quite juicy and wet. Nib and feed is friction fit into the grip section. Clip is not too tight, just nice. The pen feels light, can be used unposted even with my large-ish hands. Posted, the cap doesn't throw off the balance much, but I prefer to not my post my pens so it's personal preference. The included glass eyedropper with red bulb is very nice, one full draw with it is about 1ml of ink. It is very easy to use and it's also easy to clean afterwards.

All in all, great looking pen, nice writer, quality build, but maybe priced a tad too high. My only real gripe with the Koloro is the number of turns it takes to unscrew the cap. On mine, it takes close to 4 turns to fully release the cap. I think if you're taking short notes with this pen, frequent capping and uncapping would pose troublesome. For longer writing sessions, it wouldn't be a problem as you would only cap-uncap maybe once. If I'm asked to nitpick, here's another one: there are no guides on the top of the feed to show how the nib should be seated on the feed or to indicate how far the nib should be pushed into the grip section together with the feed. For seasoned fountain pen users, this would be of less import but for newbies, it might pose a problem, especially since there's a flat part of the inner grip section which has to be aligned with the bottom of the feed for it to go in properly. It's not really visible and is not marked or indicated anywhere, so it isn't that obvious. Someone who's new or isn't careful might jam it in whichever way they fancy and consequently damage the feed and/or have their nib and feed stuck inside the section.

Just my $0.02.

[stevekolt]

Received mine today. Writes well out of the box, with a VERY fine nib. Two minor nits to pick...It takes almost 4 full turns to uncap, and I wish the section was also ebonite instead of plastic. Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with this pen, and it holds quite a bit of ink.

[abuomar]

Received mine today. Writes well out of the box, with a VERY fine nib. Two minor nits to pick...It takes almost 4 full turns to uncap, and I wish the section was also ebonite instead of plastic. Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with this pen, and it holds quite a bit of ink.

Apparently we have identical nits to pick, i.e. the 4 turns to uncap. A bit of an inconvenience when you want to write fairly quickly. Did you get the fine nib? I tested it in store and found the F to be closer to EF. I measured ink capacity of the barrell to be ~2ml.

[stevekolt]

Yes, I got the fine nib, and it does seem closer to German EF. I was able to get about 1.5 eyedroppers full into the pen. This is my first eyedropper with a piston, so like a knucklehead I overfilled the pen, and when I screwed down the endcap, I had some ink overflow to clean up. Oh well, live and learn.

Does anybody know when the demonstrator version may be available?

[abuomar]

Yes, I got the fine nib, and it does seem closer to German EF. I was able to get about 1.5 eyedroppers full into the pen. This is my first eyedropper with a piston, so like a knucklehead I overfilled the pen, and when I screwed down the endcap, I had some ink overflow to clean up. Oh well, live and learn.

Does anybody know when the demonstrator version may be available?

The F I tried in store was closer to a Japanese EF, IMHO. Did you unscrew the endcap before inking the pen up? If yes, any particular reason why? I didn't, and IIRC the instruction manual also didn't say that the endcap has to be unscrewed prior to filling the barrel with ink.

My local retailer told me the demo version of the Korolo will be available sometime in January 2018. No idea about the price though, could be a bit higher due to the #6 nib. Also, Opus told him that the pen will be made using some sort of CNC lathe, not injection molding. So inside the barrel there will be 'CNC cutting trace', whatever that means. Maybe akin to tool marks on handmade ebonite pens?

[jeffraffe]

The F I tried in store was closer to a Japanese EF, IMHO. Did you unscrew the endcap before inking the pen up? If yes, any particular reason why? I didn't, and IIRC the instruction manual also didn't say that the endcap has to be unscrewed prior to filling the barrel with ink.

My local retailer told me the demo version of the Korolo will be available sometime in January 2018. No idea about the price though, could be a bit higher due to the #6 nib. Also, Opus told him that the pen will be made using some sort of CNC lathe, not injection molding. So inside the barrel there will be 'CNC cutting trace', whatever that means. Maybe akin to tool marks on handmade ebonite pens?

I have pre-ordered the demo one on their FB page, scheduled to ship by Dec 8th. On the FB page, they've also mentioned the CNC trace. As indicated by the rep, the barrel is not hand finished (polished) on the inside. So it will be somewhat frosty as opposed to completely transparent (crystal clear). Pre-order pricing was 110USD incl. worldwide shipping, the MSRP will be +$10 after pre-ordering period.

And FYI there's absolutely no need to unscrew the end cap during a fill. The ink will trickle down the piston once expelled from the eyedropper, the piston as it is should not get in the way of filling the pen.

[abuomar]

I have pre-ordered the demo one on their FB page, scheduled to ship by Dec 8th. On the FB page, they've also mentioned the CNC trace. As indicated by the rep, the barrel is not hand finished (polished) on the inside. So it will be somewhat frosty as opposed to completely transparent (crystal clear). Pre-order pricing was 110USD incl. worldwide shipping, the MSRP will be +$10 after pre-ordering period.

Thanks for the info, didn't know there's a preorder for the demo version. USD110 is a fair price for it, considering the larger nib and that it includes shipping cost as well. I guess the CNC tracing marks isn't a bad thing if it makes the inside of the barrel look somewhat frosty. What's strange to me though is that Opus elected to make a pre-order/group buy for the demo version instead of going through their normal retailers/distributor channels. I did contact them a few weeks ago to inquire if I can purchase the normal Koloro directly from them as my local retailer has priced it quite high (USD115 for the normal Koloro, whereas Pen Chalet could afford to sell it for USD93 and even less during their Black Friday sales ~USD75). Opus straight up told me NO and to go and buy from their local agent/distributor. Even if I still wanted to purchase from them, they said their price will be the same as my local retailer's price. A bit peeved about that, honestly.

[jeffraffe]

Thanks for the info, didn't know there's a preorder for the demo version. USD110 is a fair price for it, considering the larger nib and that it includes shipping cost as well. I guess the CNC tracing marks isn't a bad thing if it makes the inside of the barrel look somewhat frosty. What's strange to me though is that Opus elected to make a pre-order/group buy for the demo version instead of going through their normal retailers/distributor channels. I did contact them a few weeks ago to inquire if I can purchase the normal Koloro directly from them as my local retailer has priced it quite high (USD115 for the normal Koloro, whereas Pen Chalet could afford to sell it for USD93 and even less during their Black Friday sales ~USD75). Opus straight up told me NO and to go and buy from their local agent/distributor. Even if I still wanted to purchase from them, they said their price will be the same as my local retailer's price. A bit peeved about that, honestly.

I think the pre-order on FB was more for their local following.

I totally get your irritation; but from the manufacturer's point of view, I guess it's more sustainable for them to work in favour of their distributors/retailers (being a brand trying to spread their name on the international stage). And Pen Chalet always has some of the best prices I could find, so naturally I would not expect local retailers to compete. In this case, you're really spending that extra buck to keep your local pen shop alive.

On another note, I see that Pen Chalet now has the demo ones on pre-order and they are currently running a 10% holiday sale plus their usual free shipping over $50

[abuomar]

I think the pre-order on FB was more for their local following.

I totally get your irritation; but from the manufacturer's point of view, I guess it's more sustainable for them to work in favour of their distributors/retailers (being a brand trying to spread their name on the international stage). And Pen Chalet always has some of the best prices I could find, so naturally I would not expect local retailers to compete. In this case, you're really spending that extra buck to keep your local pen shop alive.

On another note, I see that Pen Chalet now has the demo ones on pre-order and they are currently running a 10% holiday sale plus their usual free shipping over $50

Thanks for chiming in. I see, if the Facebook preorder is really more for their local clientele then it's fine. Can't see why they just couldn't tell their international customers to 'get it from your local retailers/distributors' with regards to the clear demo version, though. None of this preorder stuff, I suppose. But then again, maybe it's just me...and my pet peeve. Anyway, I totally get that I spent extra on my Koloro to keep my local brick and mortar pen store in business, supporting the mom and pop's store and all that. Actually that's why I decided to just get it from them even though I could get it for less from Pen Chalet (even after factoring in the cost of shipping to Malaysia). I just wish Opus can keep their pricing consistent across all markets. I read somewhere that the Koloro's price in Taiwan is consistent with Pen Chalet's price. Ahh, all water under the bridge now I guess.. Enjoying using my Koloro, I guess that's all that matters.

[stevekolt]

I will wait to find out if the demonstrator takes four turns to uncap. It really irks me on the Koloro...

[abuomar]

Yes, that too. I didn't realize how much I was used to pens that only took 1-1.5 turns to uncap until I bought the Koloro. Irksome. I wonder if there's some intrinsic benefit to have a cap that takes so many turns to unscrew on an eyedropper? Apparently some Indian and Chinese eyedroppers also have this 'feature'.

[stevekolt]

I had to keep the minutes for our church business meeting tonight. Wanting to make sure the nib didn't dry out led to my having to recap the pen between notes. So much capping/recapping in such a short space of time was not fun at all. This one may be heading to the marketplace here on FPG...

[abuomar]

I had to keep the minutes for our church business meeting tonight. Wanting to make sure the nib didn't dry out led to my having to recap the pen between notes. So much capping/recapping in such a short space of time was not fun at all. This one may be heading to the marketplace here on FPG...

I can imagine. Maybe just recap halfway (so about 2 turns) in such instances when you might want to uncap quickly/often. Not sure if it would prevent the nib from totally drying out, but at least there's less air near the nib even though the cap is only halfway screwed on.

Also, I read a blogpost a couple of days ago saying the reason why the Koloro needs 4 turns to uncap/cap is that it's a limitation of the ebonite material the cap is made of. It says that ebonite is somewhat fragile so the manufacturer had to cut more threads in so that the cap won't break easily (break during manufacturing or during normal use remains unclear). Not sure how true this is though.

I saw an Instagram post recently where some dude sanded down his Lecai eyedropper pen (Chinese made). Previously it took 7 darn turns to uncap/cap, after sanding the threads down it's down to a more manageable 1.5-2 turns. Not sure how he did it though, or if this is something one would want to do to a pen as nice/not-as-cheap as the Koloro.

[grainweevil]

I had to keep the minutes for our church business meeting tonight. Wanting to make sure the nib didn't dry out led to my having to recap the pen between notes. So much capping/recapping in such a short space of time was not fun at all. This one may be heading to the marketplace here on FPG...

You might want to explore getting into the habit of "soft capping" in these situations - just resting the cap in place and not actually turning it.

[jeffraffe]

I had to keep the minutes for our church business meeting tonight. Wanting to make sure the nib didn't dry out led to my having to recap the pen between notes. So much capping/recapping in such a short space of time was not fun at all. This one may be heading to the marketplace here on FPG...

You might want to explore getting into the habit of "soft capping" in these situations - just resting the cap in place and not actually turning it.

So I have received my demo eyedropper in the mail (will update with photos on weekend), it is quite a substantial pen. Noticeably larger than the Ahab and Diamond 580. This pen takes exactly 3 and 1/2 turns to uncap. In terms of repeated usage, I have always done what grainweevil has suggested. I just keep my rotation pen resting in the cap on my work desk all day. More of a problem when you are on the fly, writing on the support of your palm. In which case, only the VP can save you.

Nevertheless, I definitely see room for improvements.

[abuomar]

You might want to explore getting into the habit of "soft capping" in these situations - just resting the cap in place and not actually turning it.

So I have received my demo eyedropper in the mail (will update with photos on weekend), it is quite a substantial pen. Noticeably larger than the Ahab and Diamond 580. This pen takes exactly 3 and 1/2 turns to uncap. In terms of repeated usage, I have always done what grainweevil has suggested. I just keep my rotation pen resting in the cap on my work desk all day. More of a problem when you are on the fly, writing on the support of your palm. In which case, only the VP can save you.

Nevertheless, I definitely see room for improvements.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts on the demo Koloro. I keep waiting for Joe Crace to upload his review of the Koloro on the Gentleman Stationer page, but it's still not there yet. Hoping it'll be soon.

Kinda disheartened to see that the demo version still needs a substantial number of turns to uncap. 3.5 turns is still too much, IMHO. 2 would be ideal. I recently received an Indian eyedropper pen from Gama, it's full ebonite and need about 2 and a quarter turns to uncap. So I don't see why Opus couldn't make the Koloro uncap with just 2 turns or so, or if it's even really a limitation of the ebonite material. If the Indian penmakers can do it, then why can't Opus.