Today’s review looks at the “Furore” fountain pen from Leonardo Officina Italiana, the penmakers based in Naples, Italy who have exploded in popularity over the past two years. Their Momento Zero and Momento Zero Grande are some of my favorite fountain pens on the market right now, and the “Furore” is their first attempt at a new shape that, to date, has received less attention than the Momento Zero but presents an equally excellent value proposition.
Back to Basics: Pen Design from the 1920s Remains Relevant Today
For its second model, Leonardo chose another vintage-inspired design: a classic streamlined shape that borrows from pens like the Sheaffer Balance, an icon of 1920s-1930s penmaking. Although the larger size and bright acrylic material give this away as a modern pen, the shape and design elements such as the double cap band and roller clip will have the Furore looking right at home in your pen case next to your vintage pieces. Other things I immediately noticed upon unboxing my Furore are that (1) the ends are far less pronounced and pointy than Leonardo’s stock images make them appear, and (2) the pen itself is not long and skinny, something that also concerned me from images I had seen online. Sadly, while I’ve had opportunities to glance at the Furore on tables at pen shows, I never took the time to do a thorough overview until now.
I’m not sure whether the “Deep Purple” Furore is a limited edition, but my pen is numbered.
Where the Momento Zero incorporates a wide range of acrylics and other materials in patterns reminiscent of vintage celluloid, the Furore line comes in solid colors inspired by landscapes along the Amalfi Coast. Leonardo has chosen colors they characterize as “bright and strong,” and that’s a good description of the lineup, which includes: “Arancio” (orange), “Blue Emerald” (turquoise), “Blue Emerald” (a darker ocean blue), “Bronze” (pearlescent brown), “Deep Purple” (pearlescent purple, pictured here), “Grey Vulcano” (pearlescent grey), “Red Passion” (pearlescent red), “White Salt” (pearlescent white), and “Yellow Sun” (pearlescent yellow). Most colors are available with either gold or rhodium trim, and the Deep Purple model shown here is offered with rose gold. Since I’m trying to reduce the total number of pens that I own at any given time, my goal is to limit myself to a single Furore, but as with the Momento Zero, it’s going to be hard.
As I’ve said before about many other vintage-inspired fountain pen designs, there’s a good reason these particular shapes have withstood the test of time and continue to appear on pens nearly a century later. Both the Momento Zero and the Furore are insanely comfortable pens to use, posted or unposted. I love the fact that the caps post deeply, allowing Leonardo to make a larger pen that you can use unposted, but that we “posters” can still use in our preferred way without adding excess length or throwing off the balance.
The Leonardo Furore uses the same filling system as the Momento Zero: a threaded converter that can be used in the traditional manner or “piston style” by removing the blind cap.
Bored with the Standard Choice Between Gold and Rhodium? Give Rose Gold A Try
Speaking frankly, I’ve been a little bored with my fountain pens. Over the past few years, I’ve fallen into a rut where I’ve accumulated a lot of pens that may not appear identical, but definitely share a common design theme. There’s nothing wrong with that - it tends to happen in collecting, especially to those who have been in a hobby for a long time and learned what they like. But the line between developing strong preferences and locking yourself into a “rut” where you stop exploring new things is fairly thin. For the longest time, I resisted picking up a rose gold pen. Now I own two.
I knew little to nothing about rose gold as a material until recently. Rose gold derives its reddish hue from mixing pure gold with a copper and/or silver alloy, and the specific reddish tone can vary depending on the proportions used in the mix. Some rose gold trim appears almost pink, while others take on darker, more coppery hues. The rose gold used by Leonardo on my Furore leans toward the darker end of the spectrum, and accentuates the Deep Purple acrylic quite well.
Even the converter/“piston knob” is plated in the rose gold trim. I’ve previously remarked on Leonardo’s attention to detail, which continues with this pen.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
I regret waiting so long to give the Leonardo Furore an extended tryout, and purple pen fans will want to give this particular model serious consideration. For whatever reason, my perception of the Furore ended up skewed by the stock images available online, which made the Furore seem like a narrower pen than it actually is. The streamlined design turned out to be extremely comfortable posted or unposted. Most notable about this purchase for me is the fact that this Furore represents the first pen with rose gold trim in my collection, I love it, and it prompted the purchase of another rose gold pen, which you all will be seeing soon. Could rose gold be a new “thing” for me? We’ll see.
While certainly not “cheap,” Leonardo pens are notable for their relatively accessible price points: you can purchase one of their designs for as little as $160 in a standard material, which will net you an exceptional pen, and you can spend more if you desire a gold nib or aesthetic upgrades such as a rare material like Italian celluloid. I purchased this pen from site sponsor Appelboom, who carries the entire Leonardo Officina Italiana lineup, including not only the Furore but the acclaimed Momento Zero and the newly released Messenger. With a steel nib, the Furore runs 147 Euros / $163 USD, depending on the exchange rate. If you opt to upgrade to the 14k gold nib, the price jumps to 328 Euros / $365 USD. Here, the 14k nib in rose gold absolutely kills it in terms of overall finish and appearance. Personally, I find Bock gold nibs much more consistent in terms of overall performance than the standard steel. While Leonardo tunes their steel nibs, and the ones in my collection are all nice writers, I prefer the feel of the gold.
Finally, this rose gold Furore is special for another reason: it’s the first pen chose for review by my Patreon backers. One benefit I offer to my Patreon subscribers (at the “Bespoke” and “Special Edition” tiers) is the ability to vote on reviews. The Leonardo Furore won the first poll, and I have additional content in the works based on subscriber input. Many thanks to the generous Patreon supporters who made this review possible.
Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates. I purchased the pen featured in this review from site sponsor Appelboom, using affiliate credit generated through the Appelboom affiliate program, which is one way I support the blog.