Opus 88 Mini

TL;DR: The Opus 88 Mini puts big ink in a small pen. The clever bit is the travel-safe eyedropper system: you ink the whole barrel (far more than any cartridge holds), and a shut-off valve seals it away until you are ready to write, so it rides along leak-free. And despite the size, the barrel is a full standard width, so it writes like a full-size pen while staying small enough to keep on you all day. Then there are the fun designs: Baby Beluga, Bengal Tiger, Savannah Zebra, Matcha, and Celestial Zodiac. These are pens that turn heads wherever you write. Pick your look and choose from five #5 JoWo nib grades to best fit your handwriting preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much ink does the Opus 88 pocket pen hold? +

The Opus 88 pocket pen holds around 1.5 ml, roughly double what a typical converter carries. That comes straight from the eyedropper design, which turns the whole barrel into the reservoir. In practice, it means long stretches of writing between refills, and for a pen this size, that is a big part of the appeal.

How does the Opus 88 Mini's eyedropper filling work? +

Instead of a cartridge or converter, you unscrew the grip section from the barrel and fill the barrel itself with ink using the included pipette. At the end of the barrel sits a piston-driven shut-off valve, controlled by the blind-cap knob at the tail. Closed, it seals the ink away from the nib so the pen can travel without leaking or burping ink, which is exactly why eyedropper fans trust it on the road. When you sit down to write, you loosen that blind cap a turn to let ink reach the feed, then snug it back when you are done. Each Opus 88 Mini ships with a pipette and a spare O-ring.

Which Opus 88 Mini nib size is best for everyday writing? +

For most people, a Fine is the safe everyday pick: it behaves on almost any paper and keeps smaller handwriting legible. Want a wetter, broader line? Go up to a Medium or a Broad. Writing small or taking fast notes and fighting smudges? Drop to an Extra Fine. And if you like a little line variation in your everyday hand, the 1.4mm Stub is a genuinely fun option that most pens this size do not offer.

Can you replace or swap the nib yourself? +

Yes, you can easily do it yourself. The Mini uses a screw-in #5 JoWo nib unit, not a friction-fit nib, so there is nothing to pry. You unscrew the whole nib-and-feed section from the grip and hand-tighten a replacement in its place, no tools required. That makes it easy to try a different grade down the line, or swap in a fresh nib if one ever gets damaged.

How small is the Opus 88 Mini fountain pen? +

The Opus 88 Mini fountain pen is about 4.7 inches closed and roughly 4.3 inches uncapped, making it genuinely pocket-sized. Posted, it stretches to about 5.5 inches, right around a standard pen. What surprises people is the girth: the barrel is about 0.6 inches across, a full-size width rather than a skinny pocket profile. Folks who find the full-size Opus 88 a bit too large in the hand often size down to the Mini for exactly this reason.

Can you post the cap on the Mini? +

You can, though how firmly it posts can vary a little from one pen to the next. The good news is the Mini is built to write unposted, and that full-width barrel gives you plenty to hold onto comfortably without posting the cap at all.

Is the Mini comfortable for larger hands? +

More comfortable than most pocket pens, yes, because they are usually tiny and slim. The generous thickness of the Opus 88 Mini’s barrel fits more comfortably in medium-to-larger sized hands. The grip section itself is a touch slimmer, so if that doesn’t suit you, other pocket fountain pens vary in grip length and diameter.

Opus 88 Mini

Frequently Asked Questions

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