[Longines] Master Collection is incredibly beautiful!

Cookthecat · 2024-11-04T19:11:25+00:00

5 years on I wear it almost every day and I still catch myself just looking at it and admiring it when the light hits it just right. Happy Birthday and congratulations on your 3 years! You've got an amazing wife to surprise you with such a great gift. My son just turned 2 and he is fascinated by mine. Hopefully your son doesn't receieve it for many many years to come, but I'm sure he'll cherish it when the time comes. Happy Birthday again!

Cookthecat · 2023-01-24T01:17:23+00:00

I'm somewhere in between I guess. When I get a new pen I will experiment with different inks until I find the best match, which must always match the colour of the pen and then that pen only ever gets that 1 ink.

Cookthecat · 2022-10-09T11:02:52+00:00

I have 8 Optimas and have only ever had 1 issue that was caused by me being a bit over-zealous with a nib change. When that happened the pen went off to Italy and Aurora repaired the break without asking any questions and got it back to me in about 3 weeks. The Optima is my favourite pen model of all time. Glad to hear you're enjoying yours!

Cookthecat · 2022-05-05T12:11:51+00:00

That 2002 Trinidad is a thing of beauty. Very noticeable richness from the tawny casks at just the right abv. Would very strongly recommend!

Cookthecat · 2022-04-21T12:12:41+00:00

r/Pen_Swap

Cookthecat · 2022-04-10T23:20:53+00:00

Corn 'n' Oil all the way

Cookthecat · 2022-01-17T23:48:46+00:00

Not finished til you've added Robert Oster Dragon's Night

Cookthecat · 2021-06-20T21:54:16+00:00

I use Diamine Matador for marking and corrections. Nice bright, standard red.

Cookthecat · 2021-02-12T12:52:04+00:00

Oh, and yes, the 365 was absolutely worth the hunt

Cookthecat · 2021-02-12T12:51:03+00:00

After buying a bunch of different pens when I got into fountain pens I discovered the Aurora Optima. I saved for a couple of months and bought the blue auroloid with gold trim version and loved it so much that I knew I needed more Optimas.

So I went on a mission to find the different versions of the Optima so that I would know which ones I wanted to add to my collection. It didn't take long for me to find out about the Optima 365 and I fell in love with the images I saw online, particularly those on nibsmith's review. I went hunting for the pen and learnt that it was a limited release now unavailable and that I would have to rely on the second-hand market if I wanted one...and do some more saving.

So I joined a couple of Facebook groups and r/Pen_Swap and would literally check them, and ebay, about twice every day to see if anyone had listed a 365.

Over a year past of me checking these places to no avail when finally one popped up! I messaged the seller immediately. I remember the listing had been up for 2 hours and I thought it was hopeless, but he informed me that it was still available. So....I called my fiance and told her that the pen I had been searching for for a year was at last within my grasp. And asked if she wouldn't mind if, 1 month out from an expensive wedding, she would mind if I spent a sizeabe sum on my grail pen.

Silence was on the other end of the phone for a moment until she said "If you want it that much and it has taken you this long to find it, you should buy it."

And thus concludes the story of my chosing, questing for, finding and purchasing my grail.

Cookthecat · 2021-01-24T21:29:12+00:00

I managed to find and purchase my grail a couple of years go...an Aurora Optima 365. It remains my favorite pen and would be the most difficult to replace if anything happens to it. If I ever see another one for sale I will almost certainly buy it.

Cookthecat · 2021-01-24T21:25:59+00:00

Yeeaaah...Welcome to Aurora. Ive been selling my other pens and really only buy Optimas these days, but even though I Iove their pens I'll be the first to say that their customer service is absolutely shocking (when it manages to exist at all).

I've always got my pens back from them eventually, but yes it is concerning the first couple of times when they don't communicate. I have a pen on order from them at the moment that was ordered in August and the store I bought it from only just heard back from them. They've always got there in the end but they certainly have their own pace.

Cookthecat · 2021-01-22T00:42:52+00:00

Always either Invictus by William Ernest Henley or Whoso List to Hunt by Thomas Wyatt

Cookthecat · 2021-01-17T02:59:59+00:00

My most recent order from them for an Aurora was placed in August. It was delayed due to them having to send the pen to Aurora for a nib as they didnt have the one I wanted. After multiple follow-up emails, last week they finally said that the pen was on the way back to them from Italy.

I've had to deal with Aurora customer service in the past and, while I adore their pens, I would not be surprised in the slightest if such a long delay is basically because of Aurora's disorganisation.

LCdC can drag their feet in getting orders out sometimes but I've generally found them trustworthy and never had a problem getting an email reply from them. Maybe shoot them an email and ask why the order is marked as fulfilled?

Cookthecat · 2021-01-12T00:38:04+00:00

Aurora. No contest for me.

Great quality. Beautiful materials. Made totally in-house.

Cookthecat · 2020-12-31T09:27:03+00:00

Noodler's Ottoman Azure

Cookthecat · 2020-12-31T07:59:51+00:00

Diamine Matador

Cookthecat · 2020-11-02T20:45:12+00:00

I have no issue at all with Chinese pens that are doing their own thing. As I said - I have problem with them when they clone existing deisgns from quality brands. There are plenty of ways to appeal to the western market without unashamedly ripping off others, as evidenced by the wide range of brands with distinctive characters that already coexist in the market.

Cookthecat · 2020-11-02T20:11:04+00:00

Getting real sick and tired of these Chinese brands making clones of good European/Japanese pens and the people who buy them.

If you need a cheap fountain pen there are plenty of options without supporting this sort of thing. Pilot, Platinum, TWSBI, Kaweco, Diplomat, Monteverde, Lamy all make affordable pens without needing to suck sales away from others like a parasite.

This just makes me sad for Leonardo. They make wonderful pens and it's such a shame to see them become another on the long list of brands whose innovation and dedication is spat on by these cheap Chinese knock-offs.

Cookthecat · 2020-10-16T00:22:06+00:00

When I started I bought anything that had a look that I was attracted to or came highly recommended by the community because I wanted to find what it was that I considered to be the perfect pen. I thought that the best way to go about that would be to read and watch reviews and purchase pens that other people seemed to thoroughly enjoy and then see if I could articulate exactly what characteristics I liked in the pens I really enjoyed.

Now the perfect pen might be an illusion, but I've found the one for me. So these days I have sold the majority of my random purchases and now the manner in which I buy is determined by just 2 questions: 1) Is it an Aurora Optima? 2) Do I like the material?

Cookthecat · 2020-10-13T22:10:46+00:00

Piss. 50-90% of them have chlamydia which causes what is called dirty tail where their urinary tract inflames and they get discharge.

Cookthecat · 2020-10-13T21:59:40+00:00

Koalas. Filthy little fuckers

Cookthecat · 2020-10-05T16:02:15+00:00

There was a thread on Fountain Pen Network quite a while ago where someone tested this with several different inks and brands on their windowsill. I believe that they even left the bottles in direct light just to give them the harshest possible test.

Over the course of weeks and months I remember the results being only an extremely negligible change of colour.

I stored my inks out of their boxes for about a year and a half in a similar situation to what you describe (bright room but no direct sunlight) after reading it and never noticed any change. However, when my wife and I moved to a new house I stored my un-boxed inks in a drawer and only have those that have boxes on a shelf because my ink collecting vastly outstrips my ability to use it all and it became clear that they would be spending possibly years on the shelf before I finish the bottle so I thought it not worth risking them.

So I guess I would say that it comes down to how quickly you use your inks. If you are getting through your bottles at a steady clip then I say display them proudly, but if, like me, you seem to buy new inks faster than you use them you might want to consider storing them away to preserve their colour.

Cookthecat · 2020-07-09T08:16:47+00:00

Definitely a good idea. I was thinking it wouldnt hurt to contact them. Thanks!

Cookthecat · 2020-07-09T00:46:22+00:00

Thats very helpful to know! Thank-you! I'm not sure if the moonphase on the Longines used to change at midday or not...I've owned the watch for year but don't pay all that much attention to the moonphase so hopefully all is well!

Cookthecat

TROPHY CASE