Nettuno Trident

January 6, 2007

This will be my first review of a pen. I’m finishing up a 2 year contract in Jordan and I’ve been buying pens via the internet (FPN, the Green Board, and the Bay) and making extensive use of this review board. Time for me to give back on a pen not yet reviewed.

Nettuno always struck me as a mystery brand, as I have never saw one in a shop, never used one and didn’t know anyone else that had one. They seemed a little too expensive to just experiment with, but when came up on Ebay for an excellent price, I took a chance.

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Just a note about scoring. I’ve noticed that most of the scores given to pens are 5/5 or 4/5. 3/5 comes when someone genuinely doesn’t like something and 1/5 comes when someone is seriously angry over something. I believe when reviewing, 3/5 should mean that the pen meets with my expectations (which are generally high, particularly if the pen is expensive). I feel a 5/5 should be rare - even startling.

On to the review:

First Impressions:

(3/5) The pen comes in a pretty basic flat box which snaps open smartly. Inside sits the pen and instructions. I’m not 100% sure of the history of the pen, but I don’t think its spanking brand new. Its fine with me, the box goes up in the closet with the other ones.

The pen is a striking Orange / Amber color. The cap is disproportionately large (by design). At first, I didn't quite grasp how BIG this pen is. It dwarfs my Visconti Opera and MB 146:

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It has a unique shape to it, and unique is good for me. The lettering on the side of the pen isn’t terribly crisp (under magnification I can see why) but its largely legible. The little dots around the base of the cap make it interesting – they are actually magnets. More on that later.

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Fit and Finish

(4/5) The pen really has a beautiful color and shine. It feels ultra smooth in the hands. There are no uncomfortable ridges that interfere with my writing and the clip is tight. Its very attractive without being too attention grabbing. Nobody will mistake this for a Mont Blanc - or anything else I can think of.

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I mentioned before that the cap has magnets to hold it on. Its fun to put the cap on – it grabs shut and spins into place with a satisfying “click”. However, the magnets are not terribly strong, and the cap has some wobble to it when closed. Nothing to get worked up over but it doesn’t stay shut nicely like a threaded cap. I haven’t noticed the nib drying.

I had this at 3/5 because the cap felt a little loose - then I went to a meeting. At the meeting, we didn't have a table to sit around, so I had to write on my lap. At one point, I pulled out an index card and grabbed the Nettuno... now I love that opening mechanism. So easy to open with one hand, no ink spray. So easy to put the cap back.

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Filling Mechanism

(2/5) C/C. For a pen with a $550 list, this is unexciting for sure. It didn’t stop me from buying it, but its not up to expectations. In fact, the filler is downright cheap. Its embarrassing in comparison to the Visconti converter.

Writing Experience

(4/5) Ahhh… now we are talking. All my pens come to my office, and the only ink I keep here is a conservative bottle of Mont Blanc Black. New pens just go for a dip in that. With the MB ink, it delivers a nice wet medium line – even though the nib is a fine. By comparison, I received a Platinum medium pen in the same shipment and the fine nib of the Nettuno was broader than the Platinum’s medium. I know that dipped the lines will be heavier than filled – even dipped, it writes very nicely in a Moleskine daily calendar, with a little bleed and no feathering.

A word about this nib. I love this nib. I love long skinny nibs. I’m completely nuts over my sword length Ancora nib and I get the same thing with this Nettuno nib. Its very smooth, a hint of flex and a hint of scratch.

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This is a light pen, but the cap is relatively heavy because of the clip. Closed, the pen seems very unbalanced. The cap doesn’t post well as its too loose, but it feels nicely balanced posted. The pen is also very nicely balanced unposted. This reminds me of my Marlen Cuzo that is a reasonably light pen, but a big heavy clip seems to unbalance the whole thing. I write with that one unposted too.

When I got the pen home and filled it with Lake Placid Blue, it was fantastic. One of my best. This is what its all about, no?

Overall Value

(3.5/5) – that score depends. No way I spend $550 on this pen or even close to it. Make this a piston or button, and you have a real killer pen here. A little nicer packaging, maybe a tighter seal on the cap.

I spent less than half, and I think I got a pretty good deal. I can see this pen being a regular in the rotation.

I’m happy.

January 6, 2007

Great review! This pen not exactly my cup of tea, but I'm sure it is for many others... ^_^

January 7, 2007

Very cool. I've had my eye on the Nettuno Barracuda for a while (also a weird pen), which uses the magnetic cap also. Glad to know it writes well, etc.. if I can find a Barracuda cheap, I might take the plunge (although I think it only comes in M, upsetting..)

-brian

January 7, 2007

Thanks for the review of a Nettuno! A few years ago I saw LE Nettuno Shark -- and still lust after that one, although of course they're not available now. And even if they were I couldn't afford it. But it was one amazing and distinctive pen!

Petra

January 7, 2007

Very nice review on an unusual (rarely seen) pen. Beautiful coloration.

January 7, 2007

Thanks for the review, I was curious about those magnets also.

Do Jordanians use FP's? How do they work for Arabic?

January 7, 2007

Do Jordanians use FP's? How do they work for Arabic?

I have no idea, I'm American. I can't write or read Arabic.

The people here use fountain pens the same way we do - one of my clients is the head of a infrastructure division in the government - apparently he used to use fountain pens when he was learning architecture. He is fond of them, although has never gotten deep into it.

January 7, 2007

Nice review, thanks, Marc! That color of the Trident I had not seen before, it is quite handsome.

Nettuno made a big splash when they arrived in the U.S., but it seems that the excitement died down rather quickly and a number of retailers seem to have dropped the brand, so that it is almost invisible. Seems like they have disappeared since the Dolphin and Barracuda--one reasonably priced and the other priced very high for what it seems to be.

Dan