OMAS Arco Brown May/June 2006 Stylophiles Online

By Bill Riepl

One of my all time favorite celluloid materials has got to be that used on the OMAS Arco Brown Paragon. It's truly a unique material, one of the few in the modern pen world that hasn't ended up in use on other pens. No, if you want to feast your eyes upon this gorgeous and alluring mixture of light and dark shimmering brown, you're buying an OMAS, simple enough.

Fortunately what you get with that purchase is a very classy pen, in fact what could easily be called a "timeless" classic, as the same basic design was being made from the 1930s through present day. A trim elegant profile, with faceted cap and barrel, and a slim tapered rollerball style clip. In plain black, the Paragon is a darn good looking pen. Throw in a material like the Arco Brown celluloid, and you end up with something very special.

Special enough for it to be considered to be the "quintessential OMAS" pen according to an impromptu poll conducted at the Chicago Pen Show. By far the number one answer to "What is your favorite modern OMAS pen?"

The Arco is also special enough to still be sought after today, even after the introduction of an "all new improved" Paragon by OMAS. The Arco Paragon has always been an easy pen to sell for retailers, and finding one used was always a bit of a challenge as they tend to get bought up almost as soon as they hit the market. With the phasing out of the old style Paragon, it's likely that this trend will only increase.

There's always the risk of a relatively short life span when you introduce a radically different material into the market. Tastes change, markets change... It's really quite an achievement for OMAS to have managed to carry on not merely production, but to have enjoyed spirited sales of the Arco Brown over the last fifteen years. The pen itself is good, but that celluloid... Wow!

Considered as a "Modern Classic", the Arco Paragon weighs in with several solid characteristics. First of all, it's a very usable pen, which might sound simple enough, but as those who have been in the modern high end pen market for a while will recognize, it's really not as simple as it sounds. Many pens seem to be made with an idea to commemorating whatever the limited edition theme might be, or perhaps just created in an effort to see how much solid gold and diamonds can be fit onto one writing instrument. Either of the above might very well make for a visually stunning pen, but when it comes time to ink it up and carry it around in a shirt pocket all day...

The Arco Paragon has a lot going for it from a pen lovers standpoint. For one thing, it hasn't followed the recent trend towards very large oversized pens. It's a... Well, it's a pen sized pen! It may not make for as impressive a status symbol, but when it comes to fitting in your shirt pocket, it's a real winner.

Another positive note in this regard is the weight, as the celluloid construction makes for a very lightweight pen. Not only in the shirt pocket, it's also easy on the hand if you're undertaking any marathon writing sessions. It's balanced in the hand even with the cap posted, and it's one pen that I can use for literally as long as I want without it beginning to feel uncomfortable. (Of course, that could be psychosomatic, with the sheer good looks influencing my subconscious a bit!) In terms of size, the Arco really does come out to be almost exactly what most people would consider to be "just right" size. Even those of us like myself, who prefer larger pens, find it large enough to be comfortable, while those who usually prefer slimmer pens find it light enough to still be usable.

Nibs are variable, I've seen some with just "average" nibs, while on the other hand, I've run across a couple with gorgeous flexible nibs. Really flexible, not just "springy". The one currently in residence splits the difference with a fairly firm, but gorgeously smooth broad nib that has just enough line width variation to be interesting enough to live up to the celluloid.

The only other trouble spot that will sometimes arise is that the piston mechanism on the celluloid OMAS pens can be a bit stiff to operate. It doesn't affect the operation of the filler, just makes things a bit tough when filling the pen. The relatively small piston knob doesn't help in this regard, it can be hard to get a grip on in the best of cases, throw in a stiff piston mechanism and it can get frustrating quickly!

A couple of minor quibbles. More than offset by the classic design, the elegant shape, and of course, that gorgeous celluloid. By whatever definition, the Arco is clearly one of the all time "Modern Classics"!

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