@Pineider Avatar Saffron Fountain Pen Review @GoldspotPens

Thank you kindly to Goldspot Pens for sending this pen for a review.

ABOUT

Body material: Resin
Trim: Metal
Cap: Magnetic
Posts: Yes, friction
Filling system: Standard international cartridge/converter
Nib: Steel
Length (capped): 142.73 mm/5.62"
Length (uncapped): 129.64 mm/5.10"
Length (posted): 162.97 mm/6.41"
Length (section): 24.70 mm/0.79"
Diameter (barrel): 10.22 - 13.29 mm/0.40" - 0.52"
Diameter (section): 9.91 - 11.10 mm/0.39" - 0.44"
Weight (all): 28 g
Weight (cap): 10 g
Weight (body): 18 g
Price: $223.95 USD
Where to buy: Goldspot Pens

PACKAGING & PRESENTATION

The Avatar is presented in a luxury gift box wrapped in a Pineider-branded cardstock sleeve. The gift box is a brown-grey faux leather with the Pineider logo on top. It is an angular box that reminds me of an old writing desk shape with a shelf on the inside. The pen is accompanied by a pack of Pineider stationery, an information package with pen details, warranty, company profile, and instructions. It is interesting packaging and presentation and it is nice that it comes with stationery! In terms of waste, it is still quite large and I don't find it interesting enough to want to keep.

APPEARANCE

The Pineider Avatar is a round baton-like pen with rounded ends, tapering towards the barrel end. There is nothing on the finial aside from the clip's attachment. The clip is thin with a quill design on it. The end of the cap has a wide steel band, which is engraved with the skyline of Florence. While the skyline itself is cute, I do not care for the type of engraving. It looks a little rough and cheap to me.

Uncapped, the section is round, tapering slightly towards the nib. It is a smooth metal section. The cap, barrel, and a small piece behind the metal section are a vibrant, beautiful orange-yellow resin. I think that's the best part about this entire pen. The color caught my attention! I would prefer a matching resin section instead of the metal.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The #6 steel nib is a medium. It has a single slit, no breather hole, and is engraved with a fleur de lis, Pineider, 1774, Punta Indio, and an M for the nib size. I like the nib design - I think it looks quite cute, and I am happy to see it is engraved.

The nib performs quite well and I have no complaints about its performance. It is a firm nib that writes on the medium to dry side with pretty fast drying times. It does well with long and fast writing, no skips or hard starts, and it is a solid, reliable writer for everyday use. It actually leans to the finer side of a medium. The nib does not offer an unusual or unique writing experience if that is what you are looking for, but I find it more than satisfactory and functional.

The cartridge/converter system works well so far.

IN HAND 

The spring-loaded clip is pleasant and is easy to operate one-handed. It can open quite far to hold on to a lot of papers or fit into a wider/larger pen case. The downside of this is is that it is not a snug hold so I actually prefer not to rely on the clip for this pen. It does better in zippered pouches or rolls.

The section is comfortable in terms of the shape and I was surprised to find it was not all that slippery. It was usable for longer writing sessions. There are no cap threads but the step up to the barrel is a bit sharp. 

Top to bottom: Pineider Avatar, Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator, Opus 88 Koloro Ebonite, Lamy Safari.

Unposted, the pen is heavier at the section and lighter at the back - I do not find my grip slipping down. It feels a little off balance so you have to like the feeling of a heavier section/pen weighted towards the front. I prefer pens with a balance towards the center. The cap can be posted by friction, which helps to balance it out. Unfortunately, it feels too long so I prefer unposted. 

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

This is an interesting pen. It's a pretty pen with cool packaging and presentation - the stationery is a nice touch, it comes with a converter, which I prefer over cartridges (if both cartridges and a converter cannot be included), the material really is beautiful, and the nib performs quite well. I'm not crazy about how it feels in hand (section and balance) and I think the price is too high for the downsides I experienced. However, the color is truly exquisite and if you are in the market for a reliable writer that is also rather pretty and low maintenance, it may still be an option for you!


I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.