Armando Simoni Club Bologna Medio Review: A More Manageable Flagship Fountain Pen

Introduction

The Armando Simoni Club Bologna Medio is the smaller sibling of the Bologna Extra, the large celluloid pen the brand launched back in 2017. The Extra won plenty of admirers, but its size and its weight made it too much pen for a lot of people. The Medio answers that with a more approachable footprint while keeping the features that made the line interesting: figured celluloid, a gold nib, an ebonite feed, and a filling system you don’t see every day.

This pen is a limited run of 60 pieces, split evenly between rhodium trim and gold trim, and the example here is the rhodium-trimmed version in blue celluloid. Here is what stands out, and what to weigh before spending on it.

Size and In-Hand Feel

Next to an everyday steel-nibbed pen, the Medio looks like a proper full-size fountain pen, and next to the Bologna Extra it looks almost compact. The Extra is significantly larger in both length and girth, and it carries a number 8 nib that the Medio does not.

In the hand, the Medio lands in roughly the territory of an M800-class pen: not too small, not too large, not too girthy, not too skinny. For many writers that is the sweet spot, and it is noticeably easier to live with than the Extra, which is very large and cannot be posted. The Medio can technically be posted, though the cap wobbles slightly when you do. Even unposted, the balance works, and the metal in the filling system gives the pen a solid, substantial feel.

The barrel tapers down nicely and the overall proportions look well balanced. The celluloid here is the blue La Royale finish, a deep, rich material that photographs as good as it feels.

Build and Design Details

Armando Simoni Club’s design language carries over from the larger pen. The cap finial carries a medallion reading ASC, the clip has a small wheel detail that usually works well even though this particular clip is quite stiff, and the center band uses the brand’s familiar Greek key pattern. One thoughtful touch: there is a metal ring at the cap lip, which helps protect the celluloid in an area prone to pressure and cracking.

Nib, Section, and Filling System

The 14k nib is marked 14k 585 with the ASC logo and rhodium trim. Signage on the nib grades was a little contradictory, but it appears to be a medium Magic Flex-style nib: the full-size Bologna Extra carries a Magic Flex semi-flex nib with an adjusted feed that maintains ink flow while flexing, and the Medio behaves in a similar spirit, though it does not appear to have that special adjusted feed, so a careful hand is wise when flexing.

The section tapers down and flares out with an ebonite feed, and the threads and step-down are slightly sharp but not off-putting. Unscrew the section and you find an o-ring for friction plus a piston unit with an ink window and a small turning knob with attractive engraving. Whether you call it a piston filler or a captive converter is a matter of debate; it cannot easily be removed either way, and it carries real weight, which contributes to the pen’s solid feel.

How It Writes

With a washable blue ink in the nib, the pen writes with definite feedback but no scratchiness. It is the kind of nib that reminds you that you are writing with a fountain pen, which many enthusiasts genuinely enjoy. Flow is solid; the ebonite feed keeps up with ink demand nicely, even with a fairly dry ink, and line variation stays consistent at normal speed.

Flexing produces a satisfying amount of line variation for those who enjoy that style of writing, and reverse writing is possible without much scratch. The nib and feed appear well tuned as a pair, and the overall writing experience is very good.

What Could Be Better

The price is the first honest caveat. At an MSRP of $745, this is firmly a luxury-segment purchase, and even for a limited run of 60 pens that is pricey. You are paying for nice celluloid, an interesting filling system, solid construction, and a nib that writes well, and whether that justifies the cost is a personal judgment. Club members get a $10 discount.

Second, the filling system is arguably less interesting than the pneumatic compressor filler on the Bologna Extra, which is a robust and genuinely novel mechanism. A piston is still good: decent capacity, more convenient than a cartridge converter, and nicely made here. It just feels more ordinary by comparison.

Buying Advice

The Bologna Medio makes sense for writers who found the Bologna Extra too large or too heavy but still want the celluloid charm, a gold nib with flex potential, and a proper filling system. If you value a manageable M800-class size and enjoy a nib with feedback and line variation, this is an easy pen to like. If price is the deciding factor, treat it as a luxury purchase and be sure the blue celluloid and the writing character genuinely appeal, because ASC tends to release its pens in multiple finishes, so alternatives may appear over time.

Conclusion

The Armando Simoni Club Bologna Medio is a well-executed compromise: nearly all the character of the Bologna Extra in a size far more people can use daily. The Magic Flex-style nib, ebonite feed, and captive piston system give it real substance, and the price is the main hurdle. For collectors in the luxury segment, it is a compelling limited edition.