Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Primary Manipulation Review: A Colorful Throwback Worth Rediscovering

Introduction

Some pens get tucked away and forgotten, only to feel brand new when they resurface. That is exactly the story with the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Primary Manipulation, batch two. This pen spent time in a selling pile, came back out, and then sat in its box for a long while before being brought back into the rotation. Coming back to it after years is a good reminder of why these early Primary Manipulation collaborations with Jonathan Brooks became so sought after in the first place.

Design and Materials

This is the first version of the Momento Zero Grande, from the second Primary Manipulation batch Leonardo produced with Jonathan Brooks. Two colorways were offered in that batch, and this one is the Vuvio, which leans toward warmer tones. The material is the real star here: a single rod of translucent resin carrying blues, oranges, greens, yellows, whites, and deep reds and purples all at once. No two sections of the pen look quite the same, and that variation is a big part of the appeal of these earlier Primary Manipulation runs.

Unlike typical numbered special editions, these pens carry just two bands rather than a number. The first batch is believed to have been around 70 pieces, with this second batch around 100, making it a genuinely limited run. One distinguishing detail versus the first batch: instead of the canonical pointed tip, this pen has a rounded tip.

Build and Filling System

The pen ships in a substantial presentation package: an outer sleeve, the usual Leonardo cardboard, a large presentation box, and an informational printout about the collaboration. Bottled ink was included as well; the standard black ink that came with it is very thick and heavily pigmented, which can make it troublesome in some pens and difficult to clean out.

The Momento Zero Grande is a piston filler. The mechanism is not especially smooth and has an almost ratchety feel when turning. Later Leonardo models improved on this, with easier disassembly for cleaning, but this early pen predates those updates. The cap unscrews in a little over one rotation, revealing the grip section used on the original Momento Zero and Momento Zero Grande models. It looks unusual, but it is genuinely comfortable to hold, at least for a writer who grips a bit higher.

Inking It Up

After years in the box, this pen needed a fresh fill. Fuyu-sogun, a winter-themed grey ink with blue and purple leanings, seemed like the natural pairing. The combination of a wet, large stub nib and a colorful grey ink promised good shading.

Filling a piston filler from a bottle is a slightly messy business, and wiping down the section and keeping the bottle rim clean are part of the routine. Once filled, the pen is ready to show what the ebonite feed and big nib can do.

Writing Performance

This example carries a 14k gold number-eight nib with an ebonite feed, firing a 1.1 stub. The pen originally shipped with an 18k nib, but it had a baby’s bottom that caused hard starts. Leonardo’s support replaced it with a 14k gold nib from their newer stock, and it has been flawless ever since. The writing experience is very wet, as expected from the ebonite feed, large nib, and piston filler, and it simply keeps going.

Despite the wet flow, the stub is actually fairly sharp, producing strong line variation between downstrokes and cross strokes. The nib is not especially bouncy, but the sheer size and gold softness give it a hint of spring. It is smooth without being overly slick, and it encourages writing a little larger and a little slower, which shows off inks with heavy shading beautifully on cream paper.

Price and Availability

This pen was expensive when purchased, at around €420, roughly $450 to $500 at the time. Prices have climbed further since: the current Vuvius Primary Manipulation special edition runs over €600 on the Leonardo website, which is over $700. The newer version does carry the model updates, but the premium is substantial. If you can find one of these earlier batches, it remains a striking pen.

For collectors who typically favor fine and extra-fine nibs, a wet 1.1 stub is a change of pace, but it is a rewarding one. It forces a bigger hand, slows the pace down, and makes shading inks shine.

Buying Advice

The Momento Zero Grande Primary Manipulation makes sense for a few kinds of buyers. If you love colorful translucent resin and want a pen where the material itself is the design statement, these early Primary Manipulation batches remain the best expression of it, with every color in one rod. If you want a piston filler with a big, wet stub nib for showing off shading inks, this is a strong candidate. Be prepared for higher prices on the current editions, and if buying used or old stock, check the nib carefully; the earlier 18k nibs had known baby’s bottom issues, though Leonardo has proven willing to swap them for newer stock.

Conclusion

Returning to this pen after years in its box confirms it belongs firmly back in the lineup. The translucent multicolor resin is still gorgeous, the 14k stub is smooth and beautifully wet, and the overall experience justifies why these early collaborations became collector favorites. It is a throwback in the best sense: a pen that reminds you why you fell for fountain pens in the first place.