A Pen I like: Omas 360 Review

Omas 360, White, F nib

Here’s a pen I came by quite by accident.

Back in 2014 I bought a guy’s entire collection, not quite knowing what I was getting into. I thought it was going to be about 50 pens, but it was well over a hundred- there were a lot of really nice pens, quite a lot of merely nice pens, and a smattering of cheap pens (along with a bunch of leather stuff, inks and a big 96 pen case.)

Deal of the century!

One of the really nice pens was this Omas 360. It’s what I’d call user grade, but a helluva treat anyway.

When I first tried to ink it up, I found it wouldn’t write, at all. Boo. The nib was misaligned and otherwise mashed. Oh no!I cleaned it and put it away.

Fast forward a year or two, to when I saw muh man Dan Smith at the DC pen show. I handed him the 360 and a couple other things that needed work and he took them home to Iowa for some TLC.

The pen returned looking all straightened out, and it ended up in my storage case for two years before I hauled it out for the inking. As expected, it writes flawlessly, with a wet fine line and a most sumptuous springiness to it.

My 360 is a gleaming white with gorgeous chrome trim. The nib is perfectly plated to match; this pen is something of a stunner.

These days it’s not as easy to get your hands on an Omas as they’re not making any more pens. I’m happy to have a 360 I enjoy writing with, and with a bit of a story to it to boot. I don’t use it daily, but it’s a treat when I do pull it out.

If you do decide to get hold of a 360, do write with it first, not just to check the line and the flow, but because of the peculiar triangular shape– you may want to have the nib and feed rotated a bit to suit your writing angle. I’d recommend paying a nibguy with relevant experience to do it for you.

 

I like:

• The shape and pedigree
• That nib is beautiful and performs like an ice skater.

 

I don’t care for:

• White pens all that much
• Dead on nib orientation

 

Bang for the buck: Not Anymore

Special out of the box: Yes

Looks: like an elongated triangle

Writes: Like Nancy Kerrigan and Greg Louganis had a baby.