Leonardo Momento Magico Fountain Pen - First Look

July 2021

Leonardo Momento Magico Review

Every pen enthusiast knows that when they've found the right pen, the moment the nib touches paper is like magic. This experience is the focus of Leonardo Officina's collection, called the "Momento Magico." After much experimentation in their workshop based in Naples, Italy, Leonardo introduces its most affordable, piston-filling fountain pen yet. Let's take our first look at this new design.

You can enter for a chance to win the pen featured in this video by completing the giveaway form in this blog post. Deadline for entries is by Sunday, July 11th at 11:59PM Eastern US Time. One random winner will be selected on Monday, July 12th, 2021. Best of luck!

Design and Aesthetics of the Leonardo Momento Magico Fountain Pen

Arriving in the summer of 2021, the Momento Magico introduces a dazzling array of marbled acrylic colors in gold or silver appointments. For those that prefer the look of a classic black pen, Leonardo offers the Magico in matte or glossy black with gold, silver, or black trim options.

Fans of Leonardo Officina fountain pens will immediately recognize the pointed, conical ends and thin, vintage-styled wheel pocket clip. It looks similar to the Momento Zero design in form and size with a few key differences.

Instead of thin, wedding ring-style cap bands, the Magico's cap band has a geometric cut-out design that shows the pen material underneath. The cap also has a step before it transitions to the barrel. A large ink window is visible even with the cap closed.

Comparing the Leonardo Momento Magico Fountain Pen with Other Fountain Pens

The differences don't end there. Let's take a side-by-side size comparison with the original Leonardo Momento Zero, the amply-sized Momento Zero Grande, Narwhal Schuylkill, and Sailor Pro Gear Realo.

Measurement	Sailor Pro Gear Realo	Leonardo Momento Zero	Leonardo Momento Magico	Leonardo Momento Zero Grande	Narwhal Schuylkill
Length Closed	5.3 in. / 135mm	5.59 in. / 142mm	5.71 in. / 145mm	5.94 in. / 151mm	5.71 in. / 145 mm
Length Uncapped	4.66 in. / 118.4mm	5.08 in. / 129mm	5.16 in. / 131mm	5.33 in. / 135.5mm	5.16 in. / 131 mm
Length Cap Posted	5.87 in. / 149mm	6.65 in. / 169mm	6.65 in. / 169mm	6.81 in. / 173mm	6.97 in. / 177 mm
Barrel Max Diameter	0.52 in. / 13.2mm	0.57 in. / 14.5 mm	0.49 in. / 12.5mm	0.66 in. / 16.7 mm	0.51 in. / 13 mm
Section Grip Dia.	0.41 in. / 10.4mm	0.47 in. / 12.5mm	0.47 in. / 12.5mm	0.47 in. / 12.5mm	0.43 in. / 11mm
Pen Weight	0.74 oz / 21g	0.88 oz. / 25g	0.7 oz. / 19.8g	1.1 oz. / 31.18g	0.7oz. / 19.8 g

Nib and Writing Experience of Leonardo Momento Magico Pen

Unscrewing the cap one full turn reveals the Magico's tapered grip section and stainless steel, number 6 size nib. The section has a gentle taper that flares out slightly at the end, which is a departure from the curved grip of the Momento Zero.

At the start of 2021, Leonardo switched their nib production from Bock to Jowo. I discussed this change in a previous post introducing the updates to the Momento Zero collection. The number six size steel nib has an elegant profile with the Leonardo wings and logo directly underneath the breather hole. The nib size is stamped on the right side of the brand mark. The feed is instantly recognizable as a Jowo plastic feed. The nib and feed are part of a housing assembly that unscrews from the grip section.

Maintenance and Ink Filling

The Momento Magico is available in extra-fine, fine, medium, broad, and 1.1mm nib sizes. By special order only, it is possible to obtain the Magico in a 14kt gold nib with an ebonite feed.

To keep your ink window clear and your piston operating smoothly, the Magico can be disassembled for maintenance using a special piston removal tool. The tool is available for purchase separately and is not included with the Momento Magico.

To fill up the Magico's 1.5ml capacity piston mechanism, twist the blind cap counter-clockwise until the piston head is visible through the ink window. Then, fully submerge the nib into a bottle of fountain pen ink. With the nib submerged slowly turn the blind cap clockwise until it meets flush with the barrel of the pen.

If you filled it correctly, you should see a volume of ink inside the window. If you do not see ink, then try the process again, making sure the nib is fully submerged up to where the nib meets the section.

You can find our step-by-step tutorial on how to disassemble the Momento Magico fountain pen on our YouTube channel.

Writing Sample and Final Thoughts

For the writing sample, I inked the Leonardo Momento Magico in extra-fine point with one of the new ink colors also released this spring, called Arancio Tarocco.

Since the Magico has the same #6 steel nib as the updated Momento Zero, I won't go into the full details about how the nib writes. If you'd like to read on about the new Jowo nib unit on Leonardo pens, check out our previous post on the 2021 Momento Zero changes.

What I will comment on is the difference in feel between the Zero and the Magico. Despite both pens being made of acrylic resin, the Magico is about 20% lighter, weighing in at about 20 grams. The difference in weight is noticeable with the Momento Zero feeling denser than the Magico.

The Magico's piston knob adds a 5mm difference to the overall length of the pen. This difference is negligible when writing cap posted or cap in hand. Thanks to the pen's lightweight construction and balanced profile, the Magico feels just as comfortable as the Zero.

Besides the weight, the Magico's most noticeable difference is the grip section. Unlike the Momento Zero's contoured grip, the Magico has a section that gently tapers and flares at the end, providing a wider area to hold.

Overall, the Magico is another enjoyable Leonardo design built with everyday writing in mind. Not only does the pen look stunning, but it also performs beautifully each time you pick it up.

The Momento Magico is due to arrive in July 2021. You may find all the available colors and trim options on Goldspot.com for $225 per pen. As I mentioned earlier, a version with a 14kt gold nib and an ebonite feed can be special-ordered for an additional $300.

I'd love to read your thoughts on this new Leonardo collection. Leave a comment below and let us know what you think about this new Italian fountain pen design.

You can find more beautiful, Italian-made pen designs on our Leonardo Officina Italiana brand page.

Thank you for reading! Stay inky, my friends. Take care!

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