This pen had been on my list ever since it was released. I was worried it might sell out before I was able to meet my savings goal for it (definitely have to budget for these types of things!), but luckily, Iguana Sell had my back. Even though I usually prefer fine nibs, I went with a medium for a change, and I really do like it. It does indeed put down a medium-width line, and I think it just pairs well with this pen, plus it’s an extremely smooth writer, right out of the box, no adjustments needed at all. The piston is equally as smooth, as is the screw cap, which comes off without much turning, which I very much appreciate.
As far as looks, the pink/salmon color of the pen’s cap and body has a lot of depth and goes very well with the rose gold appointments and nib. The auroloide is actually not completely opaque, so for example, when looking at the pen when it’s capped, it is darker where the black grip and feed are compared to where the rose gold nib is since those colors kind of show through the pink/salmon auroloide. I wasn’t really expecting it to be as noticeable as it is, but it doesn’t take away from the beauty of the pen—in fact, I think it might enhance its depth even more! I also love that the contrasting color is black. It’s a rather stark contrast, yet at the same time, it makes complete sense, especially with the matching black feed. The ink window is rather handy and gives the pen another nice aesthetic touch as well. Also, the subtle curves of the clip and the simple script on the cap’s accent band ("Aurora") and the pen number on the cap just below the finial are delicate and smooth and complement each other very well.
I currently have my pen inked with Robert Oster Plumb Nut, and it is a great match, I must say. When not in use, it resides in a Rickshaw Bagworks single sleeve (L) so I don’t have to put it back in its (very large) box for storage every day to keep it protected. It fits perfectly in the sleeve, which does a very good job of keeping it away from potential sources of scratching while also being very low profile.
The only "gripe," I suppose, for lack of a better word, I had, is that the actual box it came in was kind of scuffed and had a bunch of sawdust residue or something covering it? I honestly thought it was a kind of spray painted effect, which would’ve been rather neat actually, had it not been wiped off with a finger. It wasn’t too hard to clean off, though, and I appreciated the bottle of black Aurora ink in the bottom compartment of the box.
While presentation-wise it could have been a tad cleaner, the pen itself is top-notch. The Aurora 888 Venus is a stunning pen and a wonderful, smooth writer, and I’m very glad I was finally able to purchase it!
(Video trigger warning: there is a loud siren that will start at 1:31 in the video and get louder before quieting down (it signals the beginning of Shabbat); it can still be slightly be heard at the end of the video. It's an old WWII air raid siren, so it is very loud. Also, please forgive my horribly scraggly sweater sleeves in the video—it was laundry day!)
