SCRIBO Piuma Fountain Pen Review

SCRIBO Piuma Review

Most of you will agree that the fountain pen's nib is the heart of a great writing experience. In this review post, we'll take an in-depth look at arguably the world's most unique, high-performance gold nib. Let's check out the Scribo Piuma collection.

Win a SCRIBO Piuma Fountain Pen: Giveaway

You can enter for a chance to win a Scribo fountain pen ink featured in this video by completing the giveaway form in this blog post. Deadline for entries is by Sunday, July 18th at 11:59PM Eastern US Time. One random winner will be selected on Monday, July 19th, 2021. Best of luck!

You may watch the video above or read the blog post below (or both!) to get all the juicy details about this amazing new pen collection.

SCRIBO Ink Giveaway

The Heritage Behind SCRIBO Piuma Pen

SCRIBO is short for Scrittura Bolognese - a pen company based in Bologna, Italy. The name might be new, but the heritage behind the brand is decades old. When the highly-regarded OMAS brand bankrupted in 2016, its laid-off former employees founded SCRIBO.

We covered Scribo's first fountain pen design, called the "Feel," in a previous blog post. Right now, we're talking about their latest design - the Piuma.

Design and Specifications of the SCRIBO Piuma Fountain Pen

The first edition of the Piuma is available in 4 acrylic colors - "Lieve Grigio," which is the same solid color as the Feel in Grey-Blue, a deep blue-marbled "Utopia," a solid, rich burgundy called "Ratio," and a wine purple-red marbled "Altrove." Each color is limited to 219 pieces worldwide.

The Piuma has a streamlined shape with a cap and barrel that meet flush. The rounded profile has two facets on the "front" side with the clip and the 180-degree opposite side of the pen.

The "SCRIBO" brand mark is depressed into the material on the facet that aligns with the clip. Speaking of the clip, it's flat, rectangular shape is L-bracketed into the top of the cap. Recessed into the crown of the cap is a circular medallion with the Scribo feather emblem.

Comparing SCRIBO Piuma Fountain Pen Sizes

To gauge the size of the Piuma, let's compare its size with other pens you might be familiar with in the Lamy Studio, Diplomat Aero, Esterbrook Estie, and Scribo Feel fountain pens.

*Measurement* Lamy Studio SCRIBO Feel SCRIBO Piuma Esterbrook Estie Diplomat Aero

Length Closed

5.51 in. / 140mm

5.875 in. / 149.2 mm

5.68 in. / 144.3mm

5.87 in. / 149mm

5.5 in. / 139.6mm

Length Uncapped

4.96 in. / 126mm

5.255 in. / 133.5 mm

5.17 in. / 131.4mm

4.96 in. / 126mm

5 in. / 128mm

Length Cap Posted

6.02 in. / 153mm

N/A

6.85 in. / 174mm

6.7 in. / 170mm

6.3 in. / 159.1mm

Barrel Max Diameter

0.47 in. / 12.1mm

0.67 in. / 17 mm

0.59 in. / 15mm

0.52 in. / 13.3 mm

0.59 in. / 15mm

Section Grip Dia.

0.33 in. / 8.6mm

0.44 in. / 11.1 mm

0.46 in. / 11.6mm

0.43 in. / 10.8mm

0.44 in. / 11.3mm

Pen Weight

1.1 oz / 31g

1.29oz / 36.50g

1 oz. / 23.8g

0.8 oz. / 22.7g

1.4 oz. / 41g

Unique Features of the SCRIBO Piuma

Unscrew the cap 1 & 3/4 turn to reveal the matching acrylic grip section and gold nib. It is worthwhile to note that opening and closing the cap is performed with more force than usual. Scribo designs the Piuma so that the facets will match up when the pen is closed. In order to make the facets align, a higher degree of torque is required to secure the cap.

After speaking with Scribo's founder, Luca Baglione, about the cap closure, he hinted future editions of the Piuma will have a lighter tolerance for screwing the cap on completely. Don't worry about the material or the cap threads - they are robustly built and will handle the rigors of opening and closing the pen.

To access the cartridge/converter filling system, unscrew the front grip section from the barrel of the pen. A standard, international size ink converter is included with the Scribo Piuma fountain pen. It may also fit standard, international ink cartridge, which are not included with the purchase of this pen.

The Nib

The nib is where this pen sets itself apart from other Italian pen brands. Upon founding the company, Scribo placed a heavy investment in obtaining the tooling from Bock to reproduce the beloved OMAS nib that was no longer in production.

Much like the "Feel" collection, the "Piuma" is available in two different nib grades: a 14kt gold "Feel the Flex" nib and an 18kt gold "Feel the Writing" nib. All nib styles are paired with a custom ebonite feed to provide a wetter, more consistent flow of ink.

As you might assume, the 14kt gold "Feel the Flex" nib produces line variation thanks to its flexible design and gold content. It is available in EF, F, M, or B tip sizes.

The 18kt gold "Feel the Writing" nib is available in a wide array of sizes from EEF, F, M, B, BBB, or 1.4mm stub.

For the writing sample, I inked each pen with Scribo's Rosso Melograno ink. Scribo formulates their ink to perform best with the ebonite feeder of their fountain pens.

The pairing works beautifully. The Scribo gold nib sings on the page with a smooth, fluid grace.

Writing Experience with the SCRIBO Piuma Fountain Pen

As a fan of flex nibs, the SCRIBO 14kt gold "Feel the Flex" checks off all the boxes for a wonderful, flexy writing experience. It has just enough bounce, snapback, and flow to keep up with the demands of pointed pen handwriting styles like Spencerian or Copperplate. Even if you wanted to add a little flair to your regular cursive, this is a fun nib to write with.

While they aren't nearly as flexible, the 18kt gold "Feel the Writing" nibs are soft and super smooth. Much like Sailor, this collection has a wide variety of nib sizes to accommodate your preferences. The newest addition, EEF can achieve a needlepoint 0.2mm line width with a noticeable degree of feedback. For boldness akin to a magic marker, the BBB lays down a 1.25mm downstroke and 1mm horizontal line.

Since these wet and wild nibs are being fed with a converter instead of a piston mechanism, it should be noted that the 14kt gold flex, 18kt gold B, BBB and 1.4mm stub will probably go through fill ups quickly. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if you enjoy changing inks often.

While the Scribo nibs are the focal point of the excellent writing experience, it's also worthwhile to note that the pen design itself is exceptionally comfortable with the weight and feel of a worthy writing instrument. While it is possible to post the cap, it doesn't post all that well and looks a little awkward when posted. Writing cap in hand is just fine, as the body has an ample size, girth, and weight for a snug fit.

The matching acrylic grip section has a generous length and diameter. The thicker cap threads and section step are set back far enough so they do not interfere with most grips.

Overall the Scribo writing experience is like a dream for pen enthusiasts who love a smooth, juicy nib and especially so for those who enjoy adding a bit of flex into their handwriting.

Packaging and Guarantee of the SCRIBO Piuma Fountain Pen

Each Piuma fountain pen is packaged in a paperboard-style gift box with a magnetic flap and Scribo's logo debossed on the top lid. The pen is tucked away in a leather and cotton 2-pen case with included polishing cloth. Also included is a care and use pamphlet with Italian and English instructions. All Piuma pens are guaranteed by the manufacturer for 3 years against defect.

You can find more beautiful, Italian-made fountain pens with unique writing nibs by browsing our Scribo brand page.

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

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