Omas Limited Edition 360 Lucens

Limited Edition 360 Lucens – Impressions

If you follow our Facebook and Twitter accounts, you might have seen that at the shop we have received some very spectacular Omas Limited edition fountain pens in the last month. They arrived together in one of our most anticipated deliveries yet, the I Think Rose Gold Edition and the Trip of the Pheonix.

(From Greece to China, and then to Shrewsbury.)

  

And yesterday we received another Omas limited edition - the 360 Lucens Limited Edition. 

(Because I think it's nice enough to deserve a picture, the box doesn't disappoint either...)

This commemorative version of the popular Omas design is a Vintage edition, and was released in 2006 to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the 360 model which was founded in 1996.  These dates are engraved on the 18k gold nib. My camera phone was woefully inadequate for getting a decent shot of the nib - the engravings were too tiny and delicate, it wouldn't focus properly, and the light needed to see also caused a lot of detail-eclipsing shineback). Google has a few good pictures, if you'd like to research further.

The 360 Lucens is available in 500 Gold and 500 Silver finished numbered fountain pens, and we have the silver edition. The body is made of a blue version of the famous Lucens celluloid. The cap is opaque blue, marble patterned with elements of black, purple and touches of silver-toned lavender. 

What my pictures, or the pictures of the pen on the website, fail to show is the shine to the silver accents. The silver looks matte in the product shots, when in reality it shines. Look what happens when it meets light, and no camera filter: 

The barrel of the pen is translucent – the purple details are spaced and three dimensional (they are genuinely like lavender sprigs, and that’s not just me being more purple and flowery than the pen…), giving a clear view of the piston filler system inside.

The blue celluloid is tinged an interesting shade of very pale sunlight yellow – adding to the impression of the barrel preserving flora… and this was the only part of the design of the 360 Lucens which I initially erred about. Unimaginative perhaps (and a personal preference), but with silver fittings I thought that a silver-tinged celluloid would be better matched. With the cap on, the three lines of silver trimming on the cap do contrast – that the simultaneous opaqueness and transparency of its design. 

 

But then, for the celebration of a collection that Omas describes as the most revolutionary writing instruments of our time, to give simply what you expect wasn’t going to be enough for a tenth anniversary special. And what’s more, after looking at the 360 Lucens for a while, for me these contrasting elements reconciled – and I’ve decided that it is one of the more beautiful and both literally and figuratively three dimensional pens that I have seen. It’s the uniqueness of this design that makes the 360 Lucens memorable, and a good combination of evolving 360 design, combining the transparency of the new vintage editions and the classic design of other 360s.  

The closest 360 model I’ve held in my hand, and which I feel would make the best comparison is the Turquoise Vintage 360, which I was given to test as an introduction to Omas on my first day at Write Here. The 360 Lucens, at 38g, is heavier. For such a slender pen, the weight of the 360 Lucens is impressive and it feels surprisingly solid and 'dense' to hold, and if you prefer a more substantial pen, adding to the writing experience provided by the ergonomically designed 360 model which has very clear cut edges that fit into the hand. 

Post any comments and questions that you may have below!