Opus 88 Koloro Fountain Pens Reviews

A very cool looking pen which writes quite nicely. My only complaint is that the ink migrates under the barrel into the nib theads, which is somewhat unsightly, particularly since it doesn’t occur evenly.

The Opus 88 is such a pleasant surprise! I didn’t quite know what to expect from a sub-$100 fountain pen from a brand I’d never heard of. But you’ve got a gem, my friend! It’s so well made and so well finished. The presentation is gorgeous. It writes beautifully. And the eyedropper system with the “rod” in the middle is genius to keep the ink from getting trapped behind a large bubble of air. I also like that by screwing back down the blind cap, you can effectively shut the pen off which may make it safer for flight / travel.

I think this pen would easily fit in the $150-200 range and I’d recommend it over just about any other sub-$100 fountain pen anywhere. The only caveat being that eyedropper pens can be a bit polarizing with some people being totally open to them while others aren’t comfortable with them. But if you can get past that (and why wouldn’t you since they include a very high quality glass filler!?), this thing is a GEM!

I received my first Opus88 Koloro in the teal blue ebonite and light translucent blue acrylic, and immediately ordered another one (brown ebonite/light blue acrylic). I especially like the rod and valve mechanism in the barrel, which eliminates two of the concerns I've always had with an eyedropper: risk of ink leaking during travel, and no way to increase ink flow. The rod/valve mechanism solves these problems perfectly: one can close the valve for travel and open it for ink flow, and if a bit more ink is needed to prime the feed, it can be done by adjusting the rod. The ebonite and acrylic are machined well, with no tool marks or flaws in the materials. I was hoping the section was ebonite, but it is the same acrylic as the barrel (which still looks quite nice). The nib is a #5 steel German nib which is appropriate for the pen's size, and it was perfectly tuned - very smooth out of the box. I hope Opus88 comes out with more interesting designs. This is a quality pen that's priced economically. It's great to see Pen Chalet carrying some of these quality brands not found elsewhere.