Ancora Maxima May/June 2006 Stylophiles Online

By Nevada White

If you were to look over my pen accumulation, as I did recently, you'd probably notice what it's taken me years to recognize: A rather large proportion of the modern pens in my drawers are of Italian extraction.

Like linguine and penne with red sauce, I just can't seem to get enough of these pens. It's interesting, too, because while many Italian companies have exciting designs and outlines and materials, there can sometimes be a quality-control issue. For some, this enters in because their products are primarily handmade, which means the human factor contributes to slight inconsistencies that, in something requiring the precision that a pen requires, cause writing problems. Others, I'm not so sure.

Anyway, among my very favorite Italian pen makers is Ancora. This company has, in my not-at-all-humble opinion, the most beautiful nib on the market today. No questions asked, no prisoners taken, no quarter asked or given-Ancora's nibs are drop-dead, droolingly, slobberingly gorgeous. Period. More about that in a little bit.

Recently, a new Ancora model came across my desk. Billed the Maxima, it sports a different outline for a company whose claim to diversity has so far been largely in materials, not shape. From a cost standpoint, this is practical: If all your pens are made from the same mold or two, you don't have the costs of R&D, molding, and retooling.

However, you do risk boring your public, and I think it's testament to Ancora's originality that, for most of us, this hasn't happened (some of its high-end pens in the dominant silhouette have included marble and other stones as barrel materials). Especially when you consider that the more bulbous cap on the standard Ancora is a fairly definite, recognizable design statement. Of course, that's part of the point; you know instantly that any pen with that outline is an Ancora, and that adds to brand recognition, which adds . . . but I digress.

Anyway, the Maxima has a more slender design that harks back to the classic designs of earlier pens from the golden age, yet still has that ineffable Italian "look." Using the gorgeous Italian acrylic that comes closer than about anything else to the look of early (and inflammable) celluloid, this pen comes in amber/brown, red/blue, green pearl, and violet pearl colors. The marbled, chunky appearance of the material works well with the silhouette.

With the cap jewel and matching barrel-end cap, both in gold, and a self section (always my preference over the typical black section, which admittedly is more cost-effective for the maker), the new Maxima has a clean, finished look. The stepped top and large tassie ring, plus triple rings at the base of the cap, two of which are thin (the third shows an impressed design involving an oval alternating with a wheat sheaf), add to the pen's attractiveness.

The section itself has two trim rings, one at the nib end and one at the barrel joint. This is new, too. And all the trim is gold-another of my preferences. Many people think silver looks best with blues and cooler colors, but I prefer the warmth and elegance of gold with almost everything. The cap jewel matches the body of the pen for a coordinated overall effect. The cap is heavy enough to overbalance the pen if placed on the barrel; although, filled, this weight issue might balance out. However, posting is a nuncupatory issue since it doesn't appear that the cap is intended to post. For some, this will be a problem, although it wouldn't be either difficult or deleterious to the design for the manufacturer to pare down the barrel end a hair or two to allow posting.

This pen is of average or slightly more length, with a diameter somewhere between mid-range and large (a tish over a half-inch). The section will be comfortable for most hands, as it's slimmed down from the heftier barrel.

Now to the point of any pen review, as far as I'm concerned: the nib. Though it takes all the fiddly bits of a pen in order for the whole to work, the nib is the most critical. If it's not working properly, all the engineering elsewhere in the pen, no

matter how good, is useless.

Here is where Ancora shines yet again: its beautiful, drooly, luscious nib with long, slender, graceful tines that just demand to be flexed and written with. The most responsive and "cushiony" of all modern nibs, they are a joy. Each of Ancora's nibs is hand-made. That's right; while every other manufacturer we know of uses machine-made, mass-produced nibs, Ancora still makes them the old-fashioned way, using master craftsmen with decades of experience and knowledge. This is the company's primary attraction for me.

However, it's also the pens' biggest weakness. Anything handmade, as any craftsman knows, is subject to the vagaries of human variability. No two will be exactly alike, as they are with machine manufacture, so even if one works beautifully, the next may not. (This is why, if the initial mold was right, every single $1.50 disposable fountain pen works perfectly when the $500 ones won't.)

In early days, nib variations probably weren't much of a problem. Every stationer and jeweler who sold pens had some experience in tweaking them; many were factory-trained to provide nib, feed, and other adjustments. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case. If your nib doesn't work properly, this can be the start of a long, frustrating journey from dealer to distributor to manufacturer, and sometimes (though I don't mean to incriminate Ancora; I speak in generalities here and can't actually remember offhand which companies have the lengthy "wait" reputations) it can be literally months before it's returned-and sometimes, it still doesn't work right.

On the plus side, I have an Ancora that is the ultimate in pens. It's beautiful, well made, holds a ton of ink, and has a perfect nib with that soft, sweet, cushioned flex Ancora nibs have. It lays down a smooth, crisp line with some variation and makes my heart sing every time I write with it.

I have another that has nib problems, and it's frustrating to try to write with it. I've not yet addressed that with its originator, and that's my fault, so I'm not blaming anyone at this point.

The variation problems frustrate Ancora, too. To the company's credit, it addressed earlier quality-control problems by calling in a world-renowned nib craftsperson to troubleshoot. Those recommendations were implemented, but there are still some problems now and then. If you don't have access to a brick-and-mortar store, you can't test the nib/feed assembly beforehand to make sure it's properly cut, aligned, and set.

With Ancora's nibs, you can sometimes see the tiny variations from nib to nib (as you can with early vintage pens, for which all nibs were hand-cut). Of the four pens in the group of Maximas that we saw, one slit was a teensy, tiny bit off center (I was the only one who could see it; but I've spent a lifetime dealing with tiny on- and off-center lines). That may not matter when it's writing; or it may make a big difference. We do want you to know, though, that it can happen, so if you buy an Ancora don't be disappointed if there's a problem; just be diligent and persistent in making sure it's corrected, even if it involves trading the pen for a different one a couple of times until you get it right. You'll be extremely glad you did.

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