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OMAS Paragon 2005 Re-Engineered
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The new OMAS Paragon was recalled because
of problems with the design. Some of the pens leaked from the
inside if the filler knob was tightened beyond a certain point.
The pen has been re-engineered so that it will not have this
problem. OMAS Italy has kindly provided us with these cutaway
sections and inner barrel so that we can display the change.
The new section is gold plated, the old is silver.
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In each of the sets of pictures below, the
top one is the re-engineered version, the lower one is the older.
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Note the arrow above. It shows the stop for
the inner barrel of the revised design as it is screwed into
the metal section. The inner barrel has a consistent thickness
with no major steps in size.
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Now, notice the arrow above on the old version.
See the stop, where the inner barrel stops and steps down in
size. This was the weak place where cracking occurred. When
the filler knob was tightened, it pulled against this place,
literally pulling the inner barrel apart. We know, having had
this unfortunate experience.
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The new version, above is consistent in the
outer diameter, and wall thickness of the plastic sleeve. The
wall thickness of the new inner barrel is about 1.13 mm at each
end. The wall thickness of the old was .87 mm at the back and
about .74 at the nib end.
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Again, this arrow above, shows the critical step. It is now corrected and the recall is underway. If you have one of the first generation OMAS Paragon 2005, we suggest that you return it for replacement. The new sleeve pens were first shipped on January 18, 2006. We suspect that OMAS has engineered this inner barrel system to accommodate a range of outer barrel and cap materials. We look forward to seeing celluloid versions of this pen. Of course, the advantage of this sort of plastic over celluloid, where it contacts the ink and plunger, is its stability. The injection molded inner barrel is more stable, replaceable and makes the pen design more versatile. At the same time as the leak problem was solved, OMAS has also taken a positive step in lightening the pen. The solid metal gripping section of the pen has been made thinner to accommodate the heavier wall of the inner barrel. The result is a pleasing front weighted writing instrument. (Nothing is worse for balance than a pen that is heavy to the back.) Please also notice that the front of the inner barrel is threaded to accept complete nib units. The nib units come with an "O" ring seal that make changing the nib much easier. |
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