I have an MZG in Ocean Sunrise resin. It's my favourite pen in my collection. I love the feel of it, the way it writes, and the look of the resin. Great pen.
The new nib stamping is really lovely. I have a Micarta MZ with that 1.5mm stub and I couldn't be more pleased. Wouldn't mind owning a MZG, of course. ;)
If you enjoy Italian pens, I definitely can recommend Santini, a small family penmaker shop with beautiful pens and custom nibs. I got the Santini Libra Cappuccino last May and it’s gorgeous. I got it with a medium cursive italic grind, 18 k gold nib. I paid around 270 € (10% off coupon upon asking). It was a great value imho. I‘ve paid that much for SS nibs by Bock, Schmidt or JOWO. Thanks for the review. I‘ve been wanting a Leonardo.
Even though the colours weren't what you were hoping for, I think I actually prefer what you got. It's a beautiful pen! I've had the huge privilege of using a 1 of 1 MZG Black Ice with a black 14k fine cursive italic nib & ebonite feed over the past week, and I have never enjoyed using a pen as much as I have with this one. I've been using it at the same time as a 1950's MB 149, and as stunning & wonderful to use the MB is, the MZG is just on another level entirely. I really wish I didn't need to send it back to its owner at the end of this week 😭
Beautiful Pen a bit on the expensive side but thats what you get for the quality I much prefer the memento magico its perfect size and the ink window works great and its not that difficult to disassemble and clean and maintenance
Thank you very much for a wonderful review, as always. Your pen is exquisite, and its color is lovely. I have a MZG in sand with Bock nib (steel). Wonderful writer. The Leonardo nibs are spectacularly engraved. At present, I'm trying to save up for Leonardo MZG with 14 karat point, most assuredly with your pen's color in mind. Take care.
Excellent looking pen. I think it looks much better than the thousands of Brooks resins out there. All the swirls and gold dust is subdue and blends in nicely. And you can't go wrong with a stub. Just in case you didn't know and for other viewers reading this comment, the wheel clip is of course taken from it's Delta roots, which is taken from OMAS. I think both the MZ 2.0 and MZG 2.0 have that straight grip section. The previous MZG also had same grip as your MZ.
I like the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande a lot. I bought one in January. Mine has the "Sand" resin. It is not a 2.0 version but I do not mind it does not have an ink window. It writes excellent. I have the elastic steel EF nib. Is it different than the regular Moments Zero? Yes. I will treasure this pen. Great review, James.
I have this exact pen with the same finish and 1.5 stub nib! We definitely think alike! Also, the tool to remove the piston from HongFian N7/N6 fits this pen. You don't have to spend 30 bucks on Leonardo's.
James, I too have this pen. I ordered it thinking it would have much more blue as well, however what I found out was the blue part of this resin became almost impossible to source after the initial launch of this color… so we got caught with a giant wait while supplies were obtained. However, the second and subsequent releases of this resin all now have more of the gold stardust rather than the blue. Still an amazing pen and I do not regret it one bit. However, i am not a fan of the fact the 2.0 with a steel nib has an ABS feeder where as they now have only gold nibs with their in-house ebonite feeds (❤❤❤). I prefer the ebonite to the ABS all day long. Just my 2 cents.. thanks for sharing your Leonardo, I am forever in hunt for the Leo’s as they ARE my favorite brand of all
I too am "frugal" lol. But, I have an end of year bonus coming my way from work, so I'm trying to decide on a "grail" pen & a Leonardo is definitely on my list. Would love your suggestion for a higher-end pen!
I loved this video. Sometimes it’s good to put away the pennies and get something new. Have you seen the new Jinhao 9019? It has a monstrous converter that uses all that space.
Congrats on the beautiful new pen! I don’t suppose you’ve investigated whether or not any of the piston wrenches from Majohn or Hong Dian will fit this pen, by chance?
I'm not sure which one I had handy at the time I last cleaned it, but that was the wrong one. Next time it's empty I'll get them all out and see what might be compatible.
Wonderful review as usual. The first Leonardo I purchased (MZ ) was disappointingly dull and muted. But I was able to send it back (at my expense). The replacement was much better looking. The barrel grip on the Momento Zero is one of its most attractive features to me. I don't care for the Grande's grip, which is the main reason I haven't been interested in this model. The other reason: for me personally, the additional price for the Grande over the MZ is out of line a bit too much.
Glad you ended up with one you like more. I don't mind the MZG grip at all, but would be even more pleased if they'd gone with an adaptation of the MZ.
A lovely addition to your collection! Do you know if the piston mechanism is brass or plastic? That would make a difference in the weight. If plastic, I'd have to proclaim myself satisfied with my Asvine P20.
It's a brass assembly (you can see it here on the Pura edition: th-cam.com/video/LW6kfZxveoQ/w-d-xo.html). I'll have to post a cleaning video after I run it out of ink this time. That P20 is just better than it ought to be, isn't it?
Now that's a hard one. I'd give the long-writing comfort to the Leonardo(s), the ink capacity is definitely Leonardo. The resin is tough...might depend on the day...but that brown resin of the Mythos is really nice. Posting is a Leonardo win, too. That all sounds like a strong Leonardo win, but it's a photo finish.
Beautiful pen, enjoy! Leonardo is high on my wishlist, but it bugs me that most of the more interesting Momento Zeros like Pura or Primary Manipulation only come as Grande, which are too big for my needs (and the smaller ones don't have the piston filling). Meh Anyway, thank you.
The Majohn may have copied the Leonardo Momento Zero, but the Leonardo looks like it was heavily influenced by the vintage Wahl-Eversharp Decoband, down to the clip. Flattery or a clone? 🤔😉 Gorgeous pen! Second I've seen filled with Kon-Peki. Fancy pen certainly doesn't mean fancy handwriting, but yours is certainly excellent. And the stub accents that very well. I'm with you about the wrench. If needed, it's definitely a boon. I have an Osmiroid 75 that is absolutely not capable of being taken apart beyond the nib unit. I understand making that cheaper student pen hard for a kid to take apart, but they are also a gold standard for some for calligraphy, and us older folks who used a version for calligraphy at one point would like to take them apart. They're cheap, so even with silicone grease, they get sticky over the years. But I've never seen anyone who has successfully disassembled one. I also get saving up for something. Took several months to afford the type of Parker 51 I wanted (I'm not a fan of the Aerometric system, so got a Vacumatic.) Sometimes you just have to. 😁 Thanks for sharing your new toy! Hope it gives you years of enjoyment!
Those Wahl-Eversharp Decobands are impressive looking pens. I see the disassembly tool like I do converters, I'd like to see it in the box. I get though, that if you've got a collection of pens (many Leonardo buyers do) there's no reason to collect that tool, too. But still...
@@JG3Reviews Vintage Wahl-Eversharp is just impressive. I have several 1940s Skyline pens and a 717. The best gold nibs I own. The wrench is basically just stamped steel, so why not add it? It's ultimately under a $1 USD thing to make, so...
@@ironmic9244 the Wahl-Eversharp is earlier than the OMAS, and Italian pens have a history of taking design cues from American pens. Look how many took their design from Parker, for example. The modern Decoband also took a cue from another. The filling system is a Chilton, which came out in the early 1900s. So, out of copyright like the multitude of Duofold copies did. 😉 But the modern version is a very nice pen. I've seen multiple people sing their praises. Mainly because of the material used, though they seem like great writers, as well. Though I'm not sure if they are as nice as my vintage nibbed ones. First line of my first Skyline I was in love with them. Though, as always, ymmv. 😁 Are they worth the money? Probably, but only if you can afford it. Like vintage, they're generally pretty pricey. (You can find several Waterman's 52's for the price of a single Decoband, new or old.)
@@paulherman5822 I know OMAS was heavily inspired by Parker. It's not as easy to find the history of fountain pens or specific pens online, unless you know of any. We've chatted before and you do have an extensive knowledge from what I remember of our last comment conversation. I was trying to look up Wahl-Eversharp's history. Is there any connection to the hair clipper Wahl? The modern Decoband is going for a few pretty pennies. I'm a little weary of stuff that comes out of the Pen Family now.
It's a larger, more robust pen (that is no cut on the excellent Asvine), and the materials are upgraded. The trim on the Leonardo is higher grade, and the roller on the clip seems sturdier. All that said, both are excellent, just different ends of the market.
It's a pity the MZG 2.0 Stardust you got is more an one-off because I really find this one much, much prettier than what this resin supposed to look on advertising pictures
What is the 2.0 designation mean? What upgrades are you referring to? I'm asking as someone who has not owned a Leonardo. I wish that you or someone, would make a video on the fact that we're not getting the pen colorways that we're seeing in promotional videos, shorts, and photos. Apparently, when a retailer gets a shipment of new pens, they must select the very best specimen for their promotions and then we; as the customer; feel a definite letdown when we open up our own order. This has happened to me TWICE recently. I know all about variations in resins, etc. but your pen is a good example. The pen you received looks nothing like the promotional photo. I've decided I will no longer order resin pens online, unless I can get sample photos emailed to me, so I can select the pen I want. Sorry for the long rant, but I'm really disturbed by this issue. I was so intrigued by your PenBBS review that I tried to order one of the Galaxy pens, but it was a no go; they are out of stock. I could get a demonstrator but I already have several Narwhal/Twizbi clear pens. Oh well...
I definitely see where you're coming from. It's difficult when you can't walk into a store and pick the one you like, and some stores have a policy of "you get whatever box is next on the shelf" which, to some extent, I understand...and to some I don't at this price. Those Galaxy pens go fast!
The 2.0 designation is like any other 2.0 version for any other product. This is just a newer version. Some of the differences were highlighted by James. The grip section is tapered, and there is no ring at the end of the section. I think the dimensions are the same, but now you can get that wrench, and with the gold nib there is an ebonite feed which was not on the original MZG. I too have experienced the let down of the actual pen vs the photo. I bought the Stipula Etruria Magnifica Propolis. The pictures looked amazing, but the one I got did not have much of the pattern. Only a little bit on the end cap, and the cap. Most of the pattern is on the section. If the pen looked like the section, I would have been over the moon. Looks very bland, like large bald spots on the pen. Now I call it 'Baldy'.
Love the patina-esque look
I have an MZG in Ocean Sunrise resin. It's my favourite pen in my collection. I love the feel of it, the way it writes, and the look of the resin. Great pen.
I have an MZG 2.0 also in Stardust. Mine is between yours and the one in the picture you showed. Love it.
Truly a beautiful pen, congrats !!
The new nib stamping is really lovely. I have a Micarta MZ with that 1.5mm stub and I couldn't be more pleased. Wouldn't mind owning a MZG, of course. ;)
If you enjoy Italian pens, I definitely can recommend Santini, a small family penmaker shop with beautiful pens and custom nibs. I got the Santini Libra Cappuccino last May and it’s gorgeous. I got it with a medium cursive italic grind, 18 k gold nib. I paid around 270 € (10% off coupon upon asking). It was a great value imho. I‘ve paid that much for SS nibs by Bock, Schmidt or JOWO. Thanks for the review. I‘ve been wanting a Leonardo.
Even though the colours weren't what you were hoping for, I think I actually prefer what you got. It's a beautiful pen!
I've had the huge privilege of using a 1 of 1 MZG Black Ice with a black 14k fine cursive italic nib & ebonite feed over the past week, and I have never enjoyed using a pen as much as I have with this one. I've been using it at the same time as a 1950's MB 149, and as stunning & wonderful to use the MB is, the MZG is just on another level entirely. I really wish I didn't need to send it back to its owner at the end of this week 😭
Very nice!
Beautiful Pen a bit on the expensive side but thats what you get for the quality I much prefer the memento magico its perfect size and the ink window works great and its not that difficult to disassemble and clean and maintenance
I forget about the Magico. Kind of a Goldilocks between the MZ & MZG, right?
Thank you very much for a wonderful review, as always. Your pen is exquisite, and its color is lovely. I have a MZG in sand with Bock nib (steel). Wonderful writer. The Leonardo nibs are spectacularly engraved. At present, I'm trying to save up for Leonardo MZG with 14 karat point, most assuredly with your pen's color in mind. Take care.
Excellent looking pen. I think it looks much better than the thousands of Brooks resins out there. All the swirls and gold dust is subdue and blends in nicely. And you can't go wrong with a stub. Just in case you didn't know and for other viewers reading this comment, the wheel clip is of course taken from it's Delta roots, which is taken from OMAS. I think both the MZ 2.0 and MZG 2.0 have that straight grip section. The previous MZG also had same grip as your MZ.
Your pen has plenty of stardust; it's actually really nice!
I like the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande a lot. I bought one in January. Mine has the "Sand" resin. It is not a 2.0 version but I do not mind it does not have an ink window.
It writes excellent. I have the elastic steel EF nib.
Is it different than the regular Moments Zero? Yes.
I will treasure this pen.
Great review, James.
How do you like the elastic nib?
@@JG3Reviews I really like it.
I have this exact pen with the same finish and 1.5 stub nib! We definitely think alike! Also, the tool to remove the piston from HongFian N7/N6 fits this pen. You don't have to spend 30 bucks on Leonardo's.
Thanks, that's good to know!
@@JG3Reviews you're welcome
James, I too have this pen. I ordered it thinking it would have much more blue as well, however what I found out was the blue part of this resin became almost impossible to source after the initial launch of this color… so we got caught with a giant wait while supplies were obtained. However, the second and subsequent releases of this resin all now have more of the gold stardust rather than the blue. Still an amazing pen and I do not regret it one bit. However, i am not a fan of the fact the 2.0 with a steel nib has an ABS feeder where as they now have only gold nibs with their in-house ebonite feeds (❤❤❤). I prefer the ebonite to the ABS all day long. Just my 2 cents.. thanks for sharing your Leonardo, I am forever in hunt for the Leo’s as they ARE my favorite brand of all
Ah, that's good insight, thank you! I wondered what took so long. Agreed on the ebonite.
I too am "frugal" lol. But, I have an end of year bonus coming my way from work, so I'm trying to decide on a "grail" pen & a Leonardo is definitely on my list. Would love your suggestion for a higher-end pen!
I loved this video. Sometimes it’s good to put away the pennies and get something new. Have you seen the new Jinhao 9019? It has a monstrous converter that uses all that space.
I'm catching on comments, so you may have already caught it--the 9019 review is up now. 👍
Amazing
Congrats on the beautiful new pen! I don’t suppose you’ve investigated whether or not any of the piston wrenches from Majohn or Hong Dian will fit this pen, by chance?
I'm not sure which one I had handy at the time I last cleaned it, but that was the wrong one. Next time it's empty I'll get them all out and see what might be compatible.
Wonderful review as usual. The first Leonardo I purchased (MZ ) was disappointingly dull and muted. But I was able to send it back (at my expense). The replacement was much better looking.
The barrel grip on the Momento Zero is one of its most attractive features to me. I don't care for the Grande's grip, which is the main reason I haven't been interested in this model. The other reason: for me personally, the additional price for the Grande over the MZ is out of line a bit too much.
Glad you ended up with one you like more. I don't mind the MZG grip at all, but would be even more pleased if they'd gone with an adaptation of the MZ.
A lovely addition to your collection! Do you know if the piston mechanism is brass or plastic? That would make a difference in the weight. If plastic, I'd have to proclaim myself satisfied with my Asvine P20.
It's a brass assembly (you can see it here on the Pura edition: th-cam.com/video/LW6kfZxveoQ/w-d-xo.html). I'll have to post a cleaning video after I run it out of ink this time.
That P20 is just better than it ought to be, isn't it?
Hi James. Do you prefer the Leonardo over the Visconti that you purchased a few months ago?
I too am curious what your thoughts are on the comparison of the MZG 2.0 vs the Visconti….
Now that's a hard one. I'd give the long-writing comfort to the Leonardo(s), the ink capacity is definitely Leonardo. The resin is tough...might depend on the day...but that brown resin of the Mythos is really nice. Posting is a Leonardo win, too. That all sounds like a strong Leonardo win, but it's a photo finish.
I have small hands, so I wish they would make a piston filler version of the regular size Momento Zero or Furore.
I think the Mosaico, the Supernova, and I think there is one more that is the size of the MZ and is also a piston.
Beautiful pen, enjoy!
Leonardo is high on my wishlist, but it bugs me
that most of the more interesting Momento Zeros like
Pura or Primary Manipulation only come as Grande,
which are too big for my needs (and the smaller ones
don't have the piston filling). Meh
Anyway, thank you.
A piston MZ would be a hit, I'd think. (edited to add, that may be the role of the Leonardo Magico).
The Majohn may have copied the Leonardo Momento Zero, but the Leonardo looks like it was heavily influenced by the vintage Wahl-Eversharp Decoband, down to the clip. Flattery or a clone? 🤔😉
Gorgeous pen! Second I've seen filled with Kon-Peki.
Fancy pen certainly doesn't mean fancy handwriting, but yours is certainly excellent. And the stub accents that very well.
I'm with you about the wrench. If needed, it's definitely a boon. I have an Osmiroid 75 that is absolutely not capable of being taken apart beyond the nib unit. I understand making that cheaper student pen hard for a kid to take apart, but they are also a gold standard for some for calligraphy, and us older folks who used a version for calligraphy at one point would like to take them apart. They're cheap, so even with silicone grease, they get sticky over the years. But I've never seen anyone who has successfully disassembled one.
I also get saving up for something. Took several months to afford the type of Parker 51 I wanted (I'm not a fan of the Aerometric system, so got a Vacumatic.) Sometimes you just have to. 😁
Thanks for sharing your new toy! Hope it gives you years of enjoyment!
Those Wahl-Eversharp Decobands are impressive looking pens.
I see the disassembly tool like I do converters, I'd like to see it in the box. I get though, that if you've got a collection of pens (many Leonardo buyers do) there's no reason to collect that tool, too. But still...
@@JG3Reviews Vintage Wahl-Eversharp is just impressive. I have several 1940s Skyline pens and a 717. The best gold nibs I own.
The wrench is basically just stamped steel, so why not add it? It's ultimately under a $1 USD thing to make, so...
I feel the MZ takes it's cues from the OMAS Paragon without the facets. What do you think of the modern Decoband?
@@ironmic9244 the Wahl-Eversharp is earlier than the OMAS, and Italian pens have a history of taking design cues from American pens. Look how many took their design from Parker, for example.
The modern Decoband also took a cue from another. The filling system is a Chilton, which came out in the early 1900s. So, out of copyright like the multitude of Duofold copies did. 😉
But the modern version is a very nice pen. I've seen multiple people sing their praises. Mainly because of the material used, though they seem like great writers, as well. Though I'm not sure if they are as nice as my vintage nibbed ones. First line of my first Skyline I was in love with them. Though, as always, ymmv. 😁
Are they worth the money? Probably, but only if you can afford it. Like vintage, they're generally pretty pricey. (You can find several Waterman's 52's for the price of a single Decoband, new or old.)
@@paulherman5822 I know OMAS was heavily inspired by Parker. It's not as easy to find the history of fountain pens or specific pens online, unless you know of any.
We've chatted before and you do have an extensive knowledge from what I remember of our last comment conversation. I was trying to look up Wahl-Eversharp's history. Is there any connection to the hair clipper Wahl?
The modern Decoband is going for a few pretty pennies. I'm a little weary of stuff that comes out of the Pen Family now.
You have probably covered this, but where did you get the Diamine 30ml ink bottle tray? I like it.
It's a 3D print I downloaded here: www.printables.com/model/377704
I've also printed enlarged versions for Monteverde and Birmingham Pen Co.
How does this compare to the Asvine P20?
It's a larger, more robust pen (that is no cut on the excellent Asvine), and the materials are upgraded. The trim on the Leonardo is higher grade, and the roller on the clip seems sturdier. All that said, both are excellent, just different ends of the market.
How much dies the colour of the pen change when it's inked up? I noticed the material has some translucency.
I'd say not too much, but that may depend on the ink. I noticed no big difference with the two I've been using (Iroshizuk Kon-Peki most of the time).
I don't think the pen writes dry. I believe it's probably your absorbent paper.
I agree. It has very good flow.
It's a pity the MZG 2.0 Stardust you got is more an one-off because I really find this one much, much prettier than what this resin supposed to look on advertising pictures
What is the 2.0 designation mean? What upgrades are you referring to? I'm asking as someone who has not owned a Leonardo. I wish that you or someone, would make a video on the fact that we're not getting the pen colorways that we're seeing in promotional videos, shorts, and photos. Apparently, when a retailer gets a shipment of new pens, they must select the very best specimen for their promotions and then we; as the customer; feel a definite letdown when we open up our own order. This has happened to me TWICE recently. I know all about variations in resins, etc. but your pen is a good example. The pen you received looks nothing like the promotional photo. I've decided I will no longer order resin pens online, unless I can get sample photos emailed to me, so I can select the pen I want. Sorry for the long rant, but I'm really disturbed by this issue. I was so intrigued by your PenBBS review that I tried to order one of the Galaxy pens, but it was a no go; they are out of stock. I could get a demonstrator but I already have several Narwhal/Twizbi clear pens. Oh well...
I definitely see where you're coming from. It's difficult when you can't walk into a store and pick the one you like, and some stores have a policy of "you get whatever box is next on the shelf" which, to some extent, I understand...and to some I don't at this price.
Those Galaxy pens go fast!
The 2.0 designation is like any other 2.0 version for any other product. This is just a newer version. Some of the differences were highlighted by James. The grip section is tapered, and there is no ring at the end of the section. I think the dimensions are the same, but now you can get that wrench, and with the gold nib there is an ebonite feed which was not on the original MZG.
I too have experienced the let down of the actual pen vs the photo. I bought the Stipula Etruria Magnifica Propolis. The pictures looked amazing, but the one I got did not have much of the pattern. Only a little bit on the end cap, and the cap. Most of the pattern is on the section. If the pen looked like the section, I would have been over the moon. Looks very bland, like large bald spots on the pen. Now I call it 'Baldy'.