Delta/chatterley Fusion 82 Le

January 19, 2013

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7 by the Inguz, on Flickr

INTRODUCTION: Hello fellow "fountaineers." This review will contain many firsts for me. First review (I'm new here), first Delta FP, first italian pen, first stub nib. So take the review with those in mind. There are other unboxing reviews of Delta so I won't go into that part. The Delta packaging is pretty cool and very modern. The material that hugs the pen is some kind of foam and it did cover the portion it was hugging in flecks of the black material that had to be rubbed/washed off, nothing major though. There's documentation and papers included in the box.

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Appearance & Design (1-10) – 9. This is a limited edition Delta Fusion 82 from Chatterley. The pen is cast from resin and it's the brown color. It's a somewhat classic cigar shape and the resin is a very beautiful caramel color with swirls of lighter color and bright flecks throughout. As you will see if you compare the photo above with the photo below the swirls are not evenly distributed throughout the pen. They seem to have settled to the bottom on one side of the barrel, unfortunately the "settled" side faces the nib so I see the boring portion when I'm holding it to write. On the swirly sides it's quite wonderful. Since these are cast individually I'm guessing every pen will be different in this respect. The clip and bands on the cap are of made in a shiny silver metal, are well matched and they contrast nicely with the warm color of the resin. The resin in between the bands is matched differently from the rest of the cap so there's some contrast there. Pen is inscribed with the words "DELTA italy 17/18" above the band. The band is inscribed with a modern cursive font with the words "FUSION 82."

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Construction & Quality (1-10) – 8.5. The resin is well cast, there are no imperfections that I can see on it. Surface is even and nicely glossed. The clip is solid and perhaps a little tough, I don't know if the release will soften or not but I don't use clips so this doesn't matter to me. The threads on both the barrel and the cap are wonderful and I find myself unscrewing it constantly just to feel the action there. It's a lot more engaging and well-built than my TWSBI 540 and my Pelikan 250 converter which are my only other threaded fountain pens. It takes one turn to open the cap. The nib housing portion of the body is from a different resin bar or something so while the colors are the same as the body the orientation of the swirls doesn't match, you can tell it's a different portion. The inside of the cap and the body have a smell to them, it's a little distracting since I wasn't expecting it but it doesn't smell too bad. I'm guessing it will fade eventually. The Fusion is surprisingly light, way more than I was expecting. While I can use it unposted it does feel a lot more balanced posted. I don't usually post my pens so this will take some getting used to. The cap posts securely after a firm push and seems to be seated behind the threads so they don't contact the body and score it. There is a size comparison below if you're curious about dimensions. Pen definitely screams quality.

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Weight & Dimensions (1-10) –

Nib & Performance (1-10) – 8 This is my first stub nib so I'm still not quite sure what to expect from it. When it gets going it lays down a fair amount of ink and has some lovely variation in the line. It does seem to hesitate sometimes on the first stroke and will dry fast if left uncapped. I did rinse it well after I received it and did some minor adjustments to it after the first few tries. It's not as smooth as the Pelikan nib or the Vanishing point but those are fine and medium points respectively and I understand that this being a stub there is a lot more to contact the paper. Speaking of contact with the paper, it is a loud nib when it writes, again I'm a stub nib noob and I assume this is part of the experience. It doesn't feel scratchy though. Is the Delta Fusion nibs as revolutionary as their marketing materials make it sound? I don't know but I'm enjoying it so far and it seems to be getting better and better the more I write with it. Sample below is done with Pelikan Edelstein Mandarin because what else could I fill this caramel beauty with anyway?

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4 by the Inguz, on Flickr

Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) - 8.5 This is a converter pen, it's threaded so it's nice as far as converters go and sits very securely in the body. I do not fear any spills from this pen. I do wonder if this can be made into an eyedropper and wonder if anyone has tried this and what the process is for the conversion.The stub nib lays down a lot of ink so I'm sure the converter capacity won't last for long. I haven't run out yet but haven't been doing insane amounts of writing either.

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From left to right: Delta Fusion 82, Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Black, TWSBI 540 Amber, Faber Castell Ambition pearwood, Pelikan 250 converter.

Cost & Value (1-10) – 8.5 The pen runs for $199, this might be the most I've spent on a pen so far (I think.) It's well constructed and beautiful piece of art. Are there smoother pens for the price? Probably, but I'm pretty sure they won't be as pretty as this one, the limited edition factor also snagged me I suppose. Delivery and ease of use on the Chatterly site were very satisfactory.

I'm not going to give you a conclusion. As you can see from the extent of my collection above they are all VERY different pens and don't really compare to each other very well. I'm happy with my purchase and I'm loving the pen more and more with every use so there you go.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Inguz

January 20, 2013

Nicely done! Are you sure this is your first review! You sound like a pro already.

Welcome to the asylum!

January 20, 2013

First: . Enjoy this nuthouse; lots of fun here ... Liked your review and pics : the handwriting with the stub: very informative ! I'm thinking to buy a Delta with a stub as well.