This is the first and, for now, only Aurora in my collection. It's unquestionable that Aurora is one of the major brands in the fountain pen industry and I think it's welcome in every serious collection. The materials used in the construction of their writing instruments as well as the processes are high end. Their auroloid (Aurora's proprietary cellulose acetate resin) is interesting and have a good appeal; probably one of the best modern substitutes for celluloid. Additionally, Aurora is one of the decreasing number of companies that make their nibs in-house, which is excellent. All this make this particular pen worthy having.

That being said, there are some aspects of it that do not justify the price tag Aurora puts on their pens. At a comparable price to a Sailor Pro Gear KoP or a Pelikan Souverän M1000, this 88 model doesn't deliver anything exciting. The 18 K Au nib has nothing special regarding writing experience, design, size or construction. It writes well, but I've tried steel nibs which write better and look nicer. The size is also pretty small (to the point of being unconfortable but for the rather small hands out there) compared to their near-priced competitors. The cap doesn't have any sealing device: its a simple bare and rather thin resin screw cap without even an O-ring.

In summary, although it's a beautiful and fairly well built pen which I very welcomed in my collection, I struggle to justify the price asked for, and I'm not particularly excited about it.