OMAS D-DAY 50th Anniversary- Review

First Impressions

I am a big military buff and I really dig historical things especially military memorabilia. I only started collecting fountain pens in the past 2 to 3 years now. So when this pen came out in 1994 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of D-Day at Normandy, I was just entering my final year in my enlistment in the United States Air Force. I had no clue that people were still using fountain pens, so I knew of nothing about fountain pens. Ten years later, I started to collect/use fountain pens. I read about this pen in a few online articles and I became extremely interested in this pen, I wanted to know more about it.

Well, back then, I was really not very attracted to OMAS fountain pens because of the odd shapes of the OMAS Paragon and 360 pens. I just didn’t care for the faceted shapes that OMAS used on its most popular pens. I like the OMAS Ogiva pens because they are roughly the same size as the Paragons but it is completely round rather than faceted, like the Paragons. I finally saw what the D-DAY pen looked like and I wanted one, BADLY!!! I just didn’t want to shell out a ton of money; I prefer to buy a gently used one with everything rather than a brand new one that has been untested.



Thank goodness for the Pentrace Green Board, I found a seller that wanted to dump his pen for an amount of money that was awfully cheap. There were only 5300 of these Limited Edition Fountain Pens made. The number 5300 signifies the number of ships that crossed the English Channel on the dawn of June 6th 1944. My pen is number 320, I wonder which ship was #320 to cross the English Channel. That would be an interesting thing for me to research in the near future. Everything about this pen is symbolic in some way shape or form. This really is a piece of history and it symbolizes and commemorates the courage, sacrifice and determination of the soldiers from the United States, Canada and England. The landings on Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches on the coast of Normandy France. The Landing on Normandy on D-Day is considered one of the greatest military operations of all time. What better way to honor the men who laid their lives down for the freedom of Europe than to make a symbolic fountain pen.
Appearance/ Finish 5 out of 5

Wow, where do I start with this pen? When it came in the mail, I was so excited that I wanted to tear the Priority Mail box to get to my new pen even before I got to the house. I really was not all that sure to the exact size of this pen but when I opened the Priority Mail box, it revealed a small very heavy box that really left me scratching my head. Since this is a Limited Edition Fountain pen, I was thinking that this pen box would be huge with lots of extras. Well, I was pretty wrong, that for sure. Was I disappointed by what I saw? Nope, not at all!!!



The Pen came in a very heavy metal container with a cardboard slip cover that the metal container slides in and out of. The Slip cover has 3 major colors to it and they are OD Green, Sky Blue and Dark Blue. The color on this box has significant meaning that ties into the overall theme of this Limited Edition Fountain Pen. The Green color symbolizes the Earth, while the Light Blue is the Sky and the Dark Blue is the Ocean. The Box has the words”Pour la Liberte” which translates to “FOR FREEDOM” but I am not a French Major and I know nothing about the language, so please excuse my lack of knowledge of the French Language!!!

Now, the metal pen case inside the cardboard slip cover is made out of Aluminum and it looks like an older U.S. Army First Aid bandage case that soldiers used during WW II, Korean Conflict and possibly the Vietnam War. It is extremely heavy and it really is a wonderful looking case. There is a spot on the top right hand corner of this case where you can engrave your initials on the case itself if you choose to do so. The case is NOT hinged and it comes right off by pulling apart the aluminum halves. On the top half in the inside of the case is the small booklet that gives you the condensed history of D-DAY and it also doubles as an instruction manual/warranty card. The booklet is held in place by a spring loaded clip that ensures the booklet remains in place until you want to remove it. The inside of the bottom half is another clip that holds the pen in place securely but without scratching it.

Design/Size/Weight 5 out of 5

Ok, let’s get on to the most important part of this review, the pen. The pen is rather interesting looking; it reminds me of a parker 51 design. The OMAS D-DAY pen uses the OMAS Ogiva body and it builds up from there. The pen measures in at 5 ½ inches in length capped and about 6 ¾ with the cap posted. The width is around 1 5/8 and weighs in at .8 oz, or at least that is what the standard OMAS Ogiva weighs in at. I believe that the pen weighs in a tad bit more due to the metal cap on the D-DAY rather than the resin or celluloid cap that is on the standard OMAS Ogiva. The cap is made out of Rhodiated brass that is silver in color with a matte finish to it. Typically, the OMAS cap bands are decorated with a Greek Key design and the standard OMAS Ogiva is no different. Since this pen is not the standard Ogiva, the D-DAY pen is void of the Greek Key design on the Cap band and replaced with writing instead. The writing on the cap band reads “D-DAY 1945-1995” and it is really nice looking. The Clip on the pen is a gold color just like the cap band. OMAS usually uses the wheel on the clip to make it easier to remove the pen from a shirt pocket. This pen does not have that but I can careless because I think they wanted this pen to look more American or English in style like the Parker 51 does. The pen design is very simple and to the point, it does not have all the little fancy stuff you usually get from a limited edition pen.



The Pen is a green color which is not quite OD Green but it is a medium shade of green. The width of the pen is about the same as the Paragon and IS the same as the standard Ogiva. The pen feels perfect in my hand and it is a well balanced too. With the cap posted, the pen seems to rest on the web of my hand between the index finger and the thumb. This gives it a perfect writing position for me along with an extremely comfortable writing experience. My hand does not tire at all when I write for an extended period of time. This is somewhat rare because I generally write with full size to oversized pens and the main drawback is that my hands get tired. This pen is the exception and I have noticed with my other OMAS pens, they fit just as well too. There is an extended section to grip on to, unlike other pen designs from different manufactures. As for writing with the cap completely off the pen, it is almost as comfortable and with the extended section for grip, you can choke up on the pen in either direction.

Nib Design and Performance 5 out of 5

This pen has a Broad width nib that is an 18kt gold monotone (gold) color. This pen has the typical OMAS nib design with the trademark arrow inscribed in the nib. The left side portion of the nib has the width inscribed. This nib is a broad width so on the side there is a “B” inscribed. This is a fairly good sized nib and it is roughly the same size as the Stipula Etruria Nib and the Pelikan M800 nib. Unlike the OMAS 360, the nib is very symmetrical especially to the size of the pen. Even though the OMAS D-DAY pen uses the same nib/feed unit as the OMAS 360, the D-DAY is more proportionate to the size of the nib.



The feed on this pen is made out of Ebonite, which I consider the best material to make a feed out of. This feed provides plenty of ink to the nib and this pen is a very wet writer, which I prefer because you can always scale back a bit by using a dryer ink if it is too wet for you. How does it write? Perfect!!! The nib is a buttery smooth and lays down copious amounts of ink to the paper. This nib needed ZERO adjustments and writes perfect in just about every angle humanly possible!! Unlike the other medium nibs I have on my Paragon and 360, this nib is very rigid with no flex or spring. I guess you can call this nib a wet nail. It doesn’t bother me in the least!!! I have yet had this pen skip on me and I believe due to the ebonite feed, starvation is not an issue at all. The quality on this nib and fed unit is fantastic and it exceeds all of my expectations. So far I doing well with OMAS pens, I have 3 and all 3 write perfectly!!!

The Filling System 5 out of 5

The OMAS D-DAY pen uses a piston filler that holds what seems like gallons of ink!!! The action on the piston knob is nice and smooth from the day I received it up until this review. Filling is a breeze and I have yet had this pen burp or blot inside of the cap. I use my pens and I use them to the max and 90% of the pens I use have at least some burping or blotting inside the cap but surprisingly, this pen keeps the ink where it is supposed to be when you are not writing, inside the piston chamber!!! OMAS did their job in making a nice reliable piston filling unit, Bravo OMAS, Bravo!!!



Cost 5 out of 5

The MSRP of this pen is, well, I really don’t know!!! This pen is a limited edition of 5300 pieces and this was in 1995. So that was over 10 years ago, so I have only seen 1 or 2 places have this pen in stock and the prices are outrageous. I say an OMAS D-DAY on EBay last week go for about $500.00. I don’t think they had a buyer on that auction, I know that I would have not spent $500.00 on this pen. I would have bought a few Bexley pens or an OMAS ARCO Paragon Celluloid instead.

I was lucky enough to have seen this pen on the Pentrace Green Board a couple of months ago going for $170.00 and I jumped at the chance. Yes the pen is used but I don’t care, I use my pens and so did this person. Luckily, the seller used this pen but ever so gently and there were little signs of use. So I knew he took good care of this pen and I was very happy with that. At $170.00, I consider this a total steal and I seriously doubt it that you will ever find one at this price but who knows. Regardless, I have to give this pen a full 5/5 for price due to what I paid for it!! Great bargain for me!!!

Conclusion

I love this pen!!! I love the way it writes and the way it looks. I even love the way it feels in my hands when I write with it. The pen is a good size and it has the right amount of heft to make this pen extremely balanced and comfortable. The nib writes perfect along with the ebonite feed that channels the ink from the piston chamber to the nib. Perfect flow and never a skip!! The piston filler has wonderful action to it, not too stiff but defiantly not loose either.




I have to say that I enjoy everything about this pen and I think I made a good choice in purchasing it. I love the fact that it is a commemorative pen that is a limited edition. This pen differs from pocket jewelry made by Krone because it is made for everyday use and it is constructed to handle the abuse for everyday writing. The pen is simple and not very flashy at all but each part of the pen is symbolic all they way down from the color of the barrel to the matte finish of the cap. I love what this pen symbolizes and whom it is dedicated to. As a prior military man, I use this pen with pride, knowing the sacrifices our men and women in uniform face on a daily basis with little to no recognition. I get a lot of compliments from the GI’s I work with on a daily basis. I think that OMAS did everything right when it came to the planning and creation of this limited edition fountain pen. It is one thing to own a pen like this and say “hey, look what I got, it’s a D-DAY commemorative pen” But to say “I have a D-DAY commemorative pen and it is something I can identify with. I was not born during that time but I carried on the torch that was passed on to me by my fellow brothers in arms. I continue on their dream of a free world. Every time I use this pen, it reminds me of the ultimate sacrifice that our brothers and sisters have made in the name of freedom”. I guess that is why I hold this pen so special to me and this is something that I am going to pass down to my children and explain to them what this pen represents and why it is so historically important.



Some might say that I am foolish to be using a limited edition fountain pen as a daily writer. Well each to their own, I look at it this way. A soldier in all of his glory is never free of wrinkles, starched fatigues or polished boots. A soldier in all his glory is covered in sand, blood and mud from the days fight and I feel the same about this pen. I feel that the intended purpose of this fountain pen is to be used. Fill it up with ink and write away, what good is a pen if you don’t use it, right? This is not your typical pocket jewelry with precious stones, rare metals and fancy paintings. This is a tool to be used for a specific purpose and used during the trials and tribulations of daily life. Same as with a soldier, they are not here to look good; they are here for the sole purpose of doing a job, a dirt job. Weird analogy but that’s how I see it. This pen has my Full recommendations; I don’t know if you can still buy one of these pens brand new or not but I am sure they will be quite expensive.