Fountain Pen Review: Opus 88 Mini Fountain Pen in Sakura Cherry Blossoms

I have always been a fan of Opus 88 pens for their look/style. Unfortunately, they’re also often quite large pens which makes them not as comfortable for me to use. So I was thrilled a few weeks ago to find out about Goldspot’s Opus 88 Mini Fountain Pen in Sakura Cherry Blossoms ($79) and ordered one immediately.

The Sakura Cherry Blossoms is made much the way other Opus 88 models are. It features and acrylic resin body with color printed design. The mini features a #5 Jowo steel nib (available in XF, F, M, B and 1.4mm stub) and silver-colored hardware (ring and clip). It also features Opus’ eyedropper filling system which means you can just fill it with ink and go!

Opus 88’s Mini Fountain Pen fits right into the category of pocket pens, featuring a capped length of 4.75″ (12cm). While it is definitely shorter than many of the Opus 88’s, it also has slightly more girth than some of the other pocket pens I enjoy using. You can see that the Kaweco AL Sport comes in much shorter than the Cherry Blossoms, but the Franklin Christoph P45 is closer in size. I grabbed a Platinum Preppy (not really a pocket pen) just for size comparison.

L to R: Kaweco X Hello Kitty AL Sport, Franklin Christoph Special Vanness P45, Opus 88 Mini Sakura Cherry Blossoms, Platinum Preppy Wa Modern Maki-e

Now let’s talk about the writing! I had a bit a of trouble starting this one. I don’t know if it’s that the nib and feed were a bit tight, or that I chose to fill it with Sailor Jentle Sakura Mori (I mean how could I not?), but it took me a few minutes to get the ink flowing smoothly. After that it was easy to use. I chose the fine nib, and it writes quite nicely. I can’t decide if the Sakura Mori is practical for every day writing (it’s pretty light in a fine nib), but I know I’m going to enjoy this pen for spring and many seasons to come.

Paper: Maruman Mnemosyne N182A Inspiration Notebook A5 ($10.50)
Pen: Opus 88 Mini Fountain Pen in Sakura Cherry Blossoms ($79)
Ink: Sailor Jentle Sakura Mori

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