We told you we were going to do a deep dive into Opus 88’s new fountain pen release this weekend, and the time has officially arrived. This new pen from Opus 88 is unlike any you’ve seen before…for more than one reason. And we predict that it’s going to be BIG…for more than one reason. Read on to hear all about what we’re not saying from one of your favorite Pen Chalet guest reviewers, the Pen Gangsta.

Our Guest Reviewer: The Pen Gangsta

Today’s Pen Chalet guest reviewer is The Pen Gangsta (a.k.a. @pen_gangsta – you may also know her by her Clark Kent name, Vanessa Langton). Vanessa is an art historian who excels in various hobbies most of which relate in some way to fountain pens or fountain pen inks. She shares her life with a few non-believers that you may find forcefully featuring themselves in her video reviews (quarantine problems), and appears to have superhero levels of lipstick application and control. We like her straight from the hip way of reviewing. You may have seen past reviews from the Pen Gangsta here on Pen Chalet, but if not…this is as good a time as any to introduce yourself.

*In the words of our reviewer:

Opus 88 Omar Flora Fountain Pen: The Unboxing

I’ve never owned an Opus 88 before, although I did try a friend’s Opus, and it wrote really well. So when I saw the Flora was coming out…and it had exactly the color scheme that I wanted with lots of pastels (it looked like Spring), I was all over that. I got it in the mail today. The pen comes encased in a white box that’s covered in an orange sleeve with some interesting details. Slide that sleeve off and you’re left with the white box. You’ll see the Opus 88 logo at the top right corner. Once you open up the box, you get your first look at the pen.

Opus 88 Omar Flora Fountain Pen Literature: You Should Read That

So, it comes with some literature that actually shows you how to use this pen. It offers directions on how to fill the Opus 88 Omar Flora. It’s an eyedropper pen so it will hold a lot of ink. I’m kind of excited about it, but at the same time, I hate having a pen dedicated to one ink for a really long time. Inside the box with the pen, there’s an eye dropper to use to fill up the pen with ink. I’m so glad they provided this.

It’s Only Polite to Stare When You’re Staring at a New Pen:

When you pick up the pen, you’ll notice it actually does feel like glass. It feels like quality. The pen is designed to resemble the look of a vase. The top has a lip that a vase would have and at the very bottom, it actually has a kind of platform surface and it actually stands up – like a vase. When you stop staring at the vase-like design of the pen, which is very interesting, you can look at the pen a bit closer.

Checking Out the Nib and Favorite Design Elements:

It has a #6 stainless steel nib (it’s a German nib). There’s no converter, but there is an O-ring to secure that ink when you use the eyedropper to fill it. And if you look inside at the end, you’ll find there’s a plunger-type mechanism. Once you have the ink inside the barrel, you’re supposed to untwist the end to let ink into the barrel – it’s for ink flow through to the nib. The ink should not come out of the end with the plunger mechanism. It’s sealed off.

Getting to Know the Opus 88 Flora: That’s One Big Pen

If this ink writes as smooth as my friend’s pen, I’m going to get another Opus 88 asap. The Opus 88 Omar Flora is a pretty large pen. In the video, you can see a comparison to what I consider a fairly standard size fountain pen, the Pineider Avatar UR fountain pen. They’re about the same height, but you’ll notice the difference in width. The Flora is quite wide in comparison. Does the pen post? Yes, it does post. It posts rather deeply, but it’s big. It’s really big – it’s got a big nib – it will hold a lot of ink. Everything about this pen is big. Let’s ink it up and see how she writes.

How Does Opus 88’s Omar Flora Fountain Pen Write?

Take off the cap, it posts nice and deep. Unscrew the barrel, you’ll see the nice O-ring that will prevent any ink from leaking out. With the O-ring, there shouldn’t be any need for silicone grease, but if there’s leakage, you can apply a dab of silicone grease in the threading of the pen. It’s recommended when using the pen to unscrew the plunger mechanism on the end to let ink flow through for good ink flow. Use the included eyedropper to add ink to the eyedropper system fountain pen.

Opus 88 Omar Flora has BIG Spring Vibes: Watch the Full Review

Watch the video to see the Opus 88 Omar Flora fountain pen stand up like a vase, to see how to ink your Opus 88 Omar Flora fountain pen, and watch a writing sample. In this video, the fountain pen was inked with Taccia Lipcolor Ink Pink Beige. For more information on the Opus 88 Omar Flora or other high-end pen and ink products, head to PenChalet.com.