Santini Giant 8 Intenso Review: A Giant Fountain Pen with Real Character

Introduction

Some pens win you over before you even write with them. The Santini Giant 8 Intenso is one of those. Santini is a small Italian workshop based in the Turin region of northern Italy, run by Giovanni Santini, who began producing pens back in 1998. The brand does something genuinely rare these days: it manufactures its own nibs in-house, working them from small pieces of gold all the way through to the finished product.

This particular model was the only pen purchased at a recent pen show, and it earned that spot instantly. It is a large, resin-bodied piston filler with rhodium-plated bronze trim and an oversized number 8 nib. At roughly 675 euros depending on the euro to dollar exchange rate, it is a considered purchase, but the combination of material, construction, and nib size makes a strong case for itself.

Design and Materials

The Intenso finish is the star of the show. The deep blue resin shifts between very dark sections with subtle swirling and textured areas that resemble a crater-filled lunar surface with a dusty creaminess to them. The pearlescence in the material catches the light and genuinely brings it to life, and the visual interest shows up in several places across the cap and barrel.

Trim details are well thought out. The cap carries three bands, two thin ones surrounding a larger band with a Greek key design, and it is stamped with the company name and Italia. The pens are manufactured entirely in Italy. A nice touch on this example: the cap threads have three entry points, and one of them lines the visually interesting part of the resin up neatly at the joint. The clip is on the wide side but not overly thick, slightly stiff, with a wheel that accommodates both thick and thin pocket materials. The piston knob ends in a second grooved band that looks good and also improves grip when filling.

Build, Filling, and Daily Handling

The Giant 8 is a piston filler, and the mechanism is one of the more pleasing aspects of the pen. When you twist the knob, it does not separate slightly from the barrel the way most pistons do; it stays in place. There is also a ratcheting safety system that prevents over-tightening, and the sound it makes is satisfying in its own right.

The cap twists off in one and a quarter rotations, revealing the nib and a low-profile ebonite feed that looks excellent. The section is virtually straight, rising only a tenth of a millimeter from end to end before a small step up to the barrel.

Size and In-Hand Comfort

The name is not a marketing exaggeration. This is a genuinely giant pen, and it holds its own in comparisons with other oversized pens such as the Namiki Emperor, Danitrio Genkai, and Sailor King of Pen in ebonite. Even next to those, it is a substantial presence, and the number 8 nib is nearly as large as the Namiki’s.

Despite the size, it is comfortable. The pen is plenty long enough to use unposted, and it feels well balanced in the hand. The cap does post securely, deeper than expected, and even posted the pen does not become unwieldy or back-weighted. For anyone who enjoys large pens, this one sits comfortably in that category.

The Number 8 Nib and Writing Performance

The 18 karat gold, rhodium-plated number 8 nib is the visual highlight when the cap comes off, and there is also a gold-plated version available. Santini makes these nibs in-house, and the example here is stamped rather than engraved, marked 750 with the year 1998 flanking the logo.

One honest criticism: the depth of the stamping is inconsistent. Some elements, like the 750, are well struck, while parts of the logo and the two date digits are shallow, spotty, or barely legible. On a pen this expensive, cleaner stamping would elevate the whole experience.

In use, the medium nib writes very well. Ink flow is decent, the feed keeps up with fast writing, and you can push slightly for a bit of line variation. Reverse writing is a little scratchy. The main flaw is occasional hard starts, not while writing but between sessions or if the cap stays off too long, when the nib dries out a little at the tip. Once it is writing, it keeps up just fine.

Writing Sample Impressions

For the writing sample, the pen was filled with Robert Oster Admiral Blue, a nicely shading blue that suits the material well. That particular ink is a retailer exclusive available through Galen Leather.

The overall impression from extended writing is that this is a very nice nib to use. It delivers a pleasant medium line with modest line variation under gentle pressure and keeps its flow reliably once started. The hard-start tendency is the only real wrinkle, and it is worth knowing about if you tend to leave pens uncapped between notes.

Buying Advice

The Giant 8 is available from a couple of European retailers, but the official Santini site is a sensible first stop. Pricing sits around 675 euros depending on the exchange rate, which feels appropriate for what you get: beautiful resin, solid construction, an oversized in-house gold nib, and a well-executed piston filler.

Is it perfect? No. Is it tantalizingly close? Yes. If the nib stamping were cleaner and the occasional hard starts disappeared, this could rank among the very best pens in a large collection. The potential is absolutely there.

Conclusion

The Santini Giant 8 Intenso is a bold, characterful oversized pen from a workshop that still makes its own nibs, and that rarity shows in the writing experience. Its flaws are small and specific: nib stamping quality and occasional drying between sessions. Its strengths, the material, the size, the filling system, and the number 8 nib, are much bigger. For lovers of large Italian fountain pens, this is an easy brand to get excited about, and very possibly not the last Santini worth owning.