stipula da vinci infinity

[davyr]

there seems to be a lot of stipula worship here, so when in rome...

 

http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/9286/dsc008424ba.jpg

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the da vinci infinity is exclusive to bertram's inkwell, limited to 188 examples. what caught my eye initially was the rose gold trim, my favorite color of gold (with white gold a distant second). the body is a marbled amber celluloid, and the color combo with the trim is very attractive. this is not a bling pen lookswise, although it has some wow factor due to its retractable nib. more on that later. the da vinci line includes regular edition pens and a black limited edition with retractable clip. retail for mine was $795, automatically knocked down to 595. if you live near the baltimore/dc area, i highly suggest visiting one of their stores to test drive this pen. i'll take a time out now to give props to bertrams inkwell, an excellent b&m store with friendly staff and helpful customer service. and if you have any problems with their pens, they'll go to bat for you and take care of it. bert's a good guy. no affiliation, just a very satisfied customer.

 

packaging and box are nothing unusual or special, just simple and classy. under the cushion are two international sized stipula blue cartridges, and NO convertor. but i returned the next day and they gave me one for free.

 

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http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/3376/dsc009548fe.jpg

 

what makes the da vinci unusual is it's retractable nib, similar to the olden day safety pens. it's capless, and utilizes a trap door to cover the nib. it opens and closes by twisting the section and holding the body (or vice versa). it takes a little over three complete turns to be in business, which is not terribly efficient, but then again, no one uses fountain pens for their efficiency . the action of the trap door is smooth and feels good. it's definately got wow factor. some form & function purists may think it gimmicky, but so what, i love gimmicks, gadgets and cheese.

 

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/7877/dsc008397sz.jpghttp://img413.imageshack.us/img413/6820/dsc008362er.jpg

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8265/dsc008342ag.jpghttp://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4642/dsc008309yw.jpg

 

the body and section are made of amber cellulose acetate, so it doesn't have that stinky but seductive camphor smell. the feel of the material is nice. the pen is on the heavy side, but not morbidly obese. this is due to an elaborate metal system inside (metal coaxial core which slides out from the front section when it's time to refill). but since posting a cap is obviated, the balance is good and forward leaning. the section is huge, with a diameter of 4.9 cm (about same as the danitrio mikado). i like big pens despite my smallish hands (alright, just my hands are small, nothing, ahem, else) i find small pens, and consequently small sections, to be uncomfortable due to cramping; they make me grip the pen even harder. the pen is 13.5cm long (5 5/16 in). i don't have a scale, but by gestalt it feels a little heavier than my waterman edson or pelikan 1000.

 

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/1796/dsc008278nv.jpghttp://img481.imageshack.us/img481/4247/dsc008440kt.jpg

 

the nib is 14k and also finished in rose gold. it's monochromatic, which i like. there is some flex and yield to the nib, so it can't be classified as a nail. the points are available in f,m,b and .9 and 1.1 italics. mine is a fine, and is pretty smooth. there is some tooth, but that's probably par for the course with fine points. i bought this pen early on in my pen habit (about two months ago), before i learned of the pleasures of broad and italic points. i may replace it for an italic in the future, who knows? as i hinted earlier, i use the unsupplied convertor for my ink needs, and have had no problems with skipping or hiccupping in the short term. as the trap door is not air tight, there can be a problem with the feed drying out, which has happened if not used for about a week. the clip is curvy and otherwise unadorned, which i like. i'm not terribly partial towards the typical stipula vine and leaf trim engravings on their other models, although i acknowledge that it's skilfully done. since the clip rotates along with the section when retracting the nib, it does not have a clamplike grip on shirt pockets, so i'd be careful. the black limited da vinci has a retractable clip which does clamp down hard, supposedly.

 

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1681/dsc009449hm.jpg

 

overall, i'm very pleased. i'll definately purchase another stipula, and have my eye on the brunelleschi magnifica in sterling - reminiscent of the doumo in florence. this is not a cheap pen, and i wouldn't classify it as a reliable bullet proof workhorse. it is what it is - a well made, bellissima italian pen.

 

some size comparisons (lt to rt): danitrio mikado tamenuri, visconti titanic, waterman edson, montblanc kafka, conway stewart churchill, pelikan m1000, classic pens cp7 atlantic, chronoswiss styloscope (based on pel m800), shaeffer legacy heritage victorian, fulliwen dragon, and stipula da vinci infinity.

http://img302.imageshack.us/img302/118/dsc009629yf.jpg i like big pens, and i cannot lie...

 

ok, so now time for ratings. why? well, it seems that everyone loves them, despite the fact that they're so personal/subjective, and ultimately meaningless to many. but who cares, it's fun. remember, ymmv.

 

test results

 

cap and body (17/20): unusual twist style "cap" with trap door, beautiful celluloid color, well made

section (9/10): integrated with the "cap", may be too large for some, comfortable for me

nib performance (15/20): pretty smooth, no skips, may initially hesitate if not used for awhile, methinks due to non-airtightness of trap door.

writing comfort (18/20): a very large pen, maybe too large for some, very good balance tho

design (9/10): beautiful, unusual

value (7/10): street price, for what you get, is a pretty good deal. i have a hankering for pink gold, so i'm willing to pay more...

filling system (5/10): c/c, but a convertor wasn't packaged in the box! i got one for free the next day tho

total: 80/100 (100 would be the perfect pen, which as you & i know, doesn't exist, unless of course you think otherwise, but then let me know if you do)

Edited November 16, 2005 by davyr

[TheNobleSavage]

Very nice pen!!! I was sort of curious how this pen works but you answered my questions!!! I really dig the color of the celluloid that they chose. It is a little bit out of my budget but regardless, I like to read other peoples reviews on pens that I can and cannot afford!!

 

 

TNS

[Flere-Imsaho]

Nice review. For those who have not seen it, there is also a recent Stylophiles article abut this pen.

 

Stylophiles article

 

-Hans.

[davyr]

doh! wow, stylophiles really knows how a produce a review! those pictures by bill r make me shiver. look over there for a much better representation of what the pen looks like

 

i see that they also reviewed the conway stewart doctor's pen, which i was going to write up after i receive it next week!

[Stylo]

doh! wow, stylophiles really knows how a produce a review! those pictures by bill r make me shiver. look over there for a much better representation of what the pen looks like

Your pics look good too. Thanks for the nice review.

 

It seems like this pen might accomodate more gripping styles than the Namiki vanishing points (just a guess). All the colors are simply beautiful. I hope they do (or wil) use them on a more conventional looking FP too.

 

Now a comment about the converter: unsupplied :blink: on a $600 pen? If I were the retailer, I would have just thrown in one or two, on the house.

[Apollo]

Wow! That is one gorgeous pen! Great review, davyr.

[Roger]

Good, indeed, Davy! Boy, if we enthuse as we do over the Namiki VP, imaging the chatter if a number of us bought these babies. :bunny1:

[Maja]

Great first review, davyr! Thanks for the showing the close-ups of the "trapdoor" (I see it has "Stipula" written on it--classy touch, Stipula!) for the nib and the beautiful celluloid. Italy does produce some lovely pens, doesn't it?

 

So....I see you just recently started collecting fountain pens? You have some really nice pens there ....

[Centurion]

Great pic for comparsion. :-)

[southpaw]

Great review, especially for a first! You certainly went first class on your pens given you've just started. I'll second the . Thanks for the look at a beautiful Stip. ENJOY!

[wimg]

Hi Davy,

 

Thanks for the excellent review! I just love that Da Vinci... Pity my pen budget has just been drained for something completely different...

 

I liek the comparison pic too. I didn't realize it was relatively small, this pen, compared to, e.g., and Edson. The impression you get from the Da Vinci when you see it is: Wow! That is a huge pen! Compared to those in your pic, it is only average size, be it very fat. I find it very comfortable to write with (tried it several times at the local B&M store ), and those nibs are just a dream of course.

 

Warm regards, Wim

[davyr]

just added some test results/ratings. as always, ymmv...

[TheNobleSavage]

Oh, I remember what I was going to say, The Stipula Da Vinci Infinity is the rich mans Vanishing Point!! I really love that pen. I showed it to my wife and she said "So, when are you gonna buy me one"? Wow, what am I supposed to say?? :bonk:

 

TNS

[davyr]

I really love that pen. I showed it to my wife and she said "So, when are you gonna buy me one"? Wow, what am I supposed to say??

you say, yes dear, as long as i can use it too...

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Just get her another one. It costs only 595 Euros.

 

Dillon

Edited November 16, 2005 by Dillo

[philm]

Thank you for the great review. I only buy vintage pens,with few exceptions, but this one really intrigues me. I like the fact is is available with a 1.1 and 0.9 mm italic option also.

 

Once again, thanks for the review.

 

philm

[Dave Johannsen]

filling system (5/10): c/c, but a convertor wasn't packaged in the box! i got one for free the next day tho

 

Now that you've been using the pen for a while, I wonder if we huddled masses may pester for a follow-up on a particular aspect. I am guessing that Stipula lists the pen as cartrige filler and doesn't include a convertor because you don't want to repeatedly submerge the trap door in ink (either it may corrode or get gummed up). So, may I ask if you are able to get a reasonably complete fill without submerging the door mechanism in the ink, or (if you do submerge) have you had any problems with the mechanism getting corroded or gunked up? Though I don't see any way that I could possibly afford this pen in the foreseeable future, I am very much intrigued modulo this nagging concern.

 

 

 

Dave

 

[PAKMAN]

Nice pen and nice review. I like your other 'big' pens too! Wow finally a VP pen that has some heft and looks!

[georges zaslavsky]

Highly unusual and nice pen

[Shelley]

I'll echo the rquest for a follow up review, especialy on the aspect of daily use-and if you have a VP then how this compares to that...its a wonderful pen and now that they do a non LE version it becomes more of a possibility.