Review: Stipula Duetto

[terminal]

Stipula Duetto Lemoncello (love that it rhymes) Review, 'B' nib

(why am I reviewing this when there are three other reviews -- because of the nib)

 

Great big Italian made fountain pen. Why'd I get it? I was digging through the sale rack and I found it for 50% off. Unpopular color, unpopular nib... I guess. I was immediately impressed with the color and the size. I never post pens, but this one, I post. Heavy in the hand, lovely glittering detail, lemon sorbet.

 

Now to the brass tacks:

 

 

• Fit and Finish: 10/10 I can't find anything to complain about in regard to how the pen is put together
  
• Style: 9/10 one point off because the dangling clip looks kinda weird and cheap from some angles (see pix). Granted, it's a clever, spring loaded design to keep the clip from bending... but from an aesthetic standpoint I wasn't blown away.
  
• C/C Design / filling: 3/10 Attrocious. Positively one of the worst I've ever used. I mean, the loosey-goosey bad acting screw fill is bad enough, but in this pen, because of the 'unique design' of the barrel, you cannot even SEE how much ink you've got. In some other reviews folks said they really like the design because they don't get their fingers dirty. I don't get it.
  
• Nib: 7/10 I'm a fan of the broad nib, and what I love here is the thickness of the line and how the ink really flows out, it's great. It's pretty springy and can open so much that it railroads, but since it's TITANIUM, it comes back. Three points off because it hops at speed. I supposed this may go away with time, but right now it's a bit skippy and will railroad (see writing sample).
  
• Price: 10/10 I'm happy I paid $132. For me it was a great deal, but I'm not sure how I'd feel if I had payed full price
  

 

Unboxing:

 

It's a big pen.

 

Here compared to a '40 Golden Arrow Parker Vacumatic and a Lamy Safari.

 

Here's how it disassembles:

 

And the writing sample comparing the pens:

 

Dimensions etc. Since this is a piggy-back review, I'm mainly focusing on what's different here. The other three reviews all have dimensions in them:

 

Stipula Duetto I think I am running a fever!!! by The Noble Savage

Stipula Duetto Review Amethyst World-Lux LE by Southpaw

Review of Stipula Duetto, Platinum 3776, and Marlen Silhouette by rexadam77

 

* Edit 1 updated for nib material FAIL

Edited March 30, 2012 by terminal

[terminal]

I need to use a different camera.

 

Anyway, here's the writing sample, but with high contrast

[jandrese]

Nice, thanks for sharing. I love my Duetto, it has an italic nib and writes great. Very comfortable pen.

[terminal]

Nice, thanks for sharing. I love my Duetto, it has an italic nib and writes great. Very comfortable pen.

 

I'm puzzled; you have no skipping at all then?

[Russ]

I don't think the yellow is unattractive at all; kinda cheery!

I didn't know the pen was that large . . . I would have bought one earlier...

[jandrese]

Nice, thanks for sharing. I love my Duetto, it has an italic nib and writes great. Very comfortable pen.

 

I'm puzzled; you have no skipping at all then?

 

 

No skipping. Very good writer.

[Gojira]

I have one with an italic nib as well and it's a great writer. Agree with the OP on the converter...mine rattles in the pen too. By the way, is the broad nib a 18k nib or a titanium nib? Mine came with a 0.8mm titanium italic nib.

[Strang]

I have the World-Lux Ametista version. It has the 18kt nib. It's a very good writer. And no problem with converter rattling, but I purchased it second hand and the converter may be a replacement.

[terminal]

I don't think the yellow is unattractive at all; kinda cheery!

I didn't know the pen was that large . . . I would have bought one earlier...

 

LOL me too! That's EXACTLY how I felt!!! I love the size of the thing!

[terminal]

Nice, thanks for sharing. I love my Duetto, it has an italic nib and writes great. Very comfortable pen.

 

I'm puzzled; you have no skipping at all then?

 

 

No skipping. Very good writer.

 

 

I have one with an italic nib as well and it's a great writer. Agree with the OP on the converter...mine rattles in the pen too. By the way, is the broad nib a 18k nib or a titanium nib? Mine came with a 0.8mm titanium italic nib.

 

Ok I have work to do WRT the nib! Thanks for the feedback it actually gives me a lot of hope. I shall update the review if I find differently.

 

I also updated the nib to say titanium, absolutely correct.

[terminal]

Well, just to be clear, the converter fits firmly on the fang and doesn't move around that way, but the screw mechanism itself is quite imprecise and loose. I have a feeling I maybe have partly just gotten a dud converter.

[dragon2java]

I have been flirting with getting a Duetto, I may have to make the leap and just get one now....

[terminal]

I have been flirting with getting a Duetto, I may have to make the leap and just get one now....

 

 

I definitely feel very positive about the purchase. I really love the pen.... except the CC but whachugunnado

[georges zaslavsky]

good pen and nice as well

[Uncle Red]

Focus on the lack of seams in the section , that is a goofy why to work with a converter. I like the shape and the clip looks great.

[terminal]

I like the shape and the clip looks great.

 

Yeah I mean, it only bothers me one point... and totally a matter of taste. It IS a clever clip and, having a million '40s pens with bent clips, I'd be the first to acknowledge the problem it is attempting to solve

[breaker]

nice pen and nice review!

thanks!

[terminal]

I was thinking this morning as I was using this pen that it has definitely required more setup and tinkering then a lot of my pens. I still can't get the flow where I want it either.

 

 

However, something I forgot to mention in the review (I wish I could add it but I guess there's a limited window for how long you can 'edit'), is that the TI Nib has an unusual look. I need to take a better picture (I'll have to borrow a camera) but the gap between the tines of the nib is greater than in a gold nib. It's very interesting. At first I thought it had been used and split, but that's not the case. It just has a different look. I shall try to borrow a macro lens and add a picture here.

[Gojira]

Look up the recent review of the Stipula Modello-T. There is a post there on how someone rectified the flow problem on the titanium nib.

 

By the way, I'd love to own another Duetto in the seaweed green finish...gorgeous!