Ink & Pen Review: Opus 88 Baby Beluga & Nahvalur Atlantic Blue

For today’s post, I will be reviewing the Opus 88 Mini Fountain Pen (Baby Beluga) & Nahvalur Atlantic Blue. These were graciously provided by Goldspot Pens for review. This will be a lengthy post!

First off, the pen:

Opus 88 fountain pens are eyedropper pens and feature safety shut-off valves (similar to the Pilot 823s). The Opus Mini 88 is the smaller-sized pen, and features a postable cap. This Baby Beluga is an exclusive collaboration with Goldspot Pens. The pen came packaged in a navy blue box with the included eyedropper.

Design (5/5):

This mini pen measures 119 mm capped (4.68”), 140mm posted (5.51”) with the cap, and weighs 22.7 g without ink. The grip measures 10mm - 12mm (0.38” - 0.47”) and is not tapered. The pen is easy to fill; untwist the section and use the included eyedropper to fill with your choice of ink.

I am giving this pen a 5/5 on the design. I found the pen very comfortable both posted and unposted. I liked the grip and did not have hand fatigue during writing sessions.

Color: (5/5)

The Baby Beluga artwork was designed by Tracy Marsaioli, who has collaborated with Goldspot Pens and Retro 51 pens (Autumn Leaves, Tea Time, April Showers).

I love the ocean themes! This is a beautiful pen and as such I am awarding it a 5/5. The artwork is color-printed; I will update this review to see if there is chipping/wear and tear over time.

Nib: (2/5)

This pen features a #5 stainless steel nib by Jowo. Unfortunately the nib was very scratchy out of the box. The scratchiness feels as if the nib is caught on the paper (vs the pencil-like feedback of a Sailor pen).

Ink Capacity: 5/5

This pen boasts a hefty 1.5 mL ink capacity.

Overall:

The Opus 88 Mini may be small but it carries it’s own weight! I liked the ocean theme, ink capacity, and shut-off valve. I would caution that the F nib may need smoothing out of the box.

And now, we will be taking a look at Nahvalur Atlantic Blue. I previously reviewed their fountain pen here.

The ink came packaged in a glass bottle with a sea-themed box.

Swabs:

Nahvalur Atlantic Blue is a medium teal with high shading and no sheen. It is slightly bluer than Pilot Iroshizuku Syo-Ryo and is a similar shade to Monteverde Iced Cookie.