Delike Brass Pen Long Term Review

[dompred]

A new model has been released with an anodized blue aluminum body

 

I ordered one and will report back.

Is it made of aluminium or brass like the rest of them?

[Honeybadgers]

looks like aluminum, and anodized isntead of lacquer. We'll find out.

[truthpil]

I've got the plain brushed aluminum looking one and it's definitely brass with some kind of aluminum-colored coating on it.

 

Just swapped the nib to the bent nib and popped in a Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black cartridge....writes awesomely even with this dry-ish ink. What a sweet pen!!

[Honeybadgers]

This one is not that pen. I'm fairly certain this one will be real aluminum.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELIKE-aluminium-alloy-Blue-Alpha-Fountain-Pen-EF-nib-/263383576767

 

The finish looks like anodization, not lacquer. Can't anodize brass.

[dompred]

This one is not that pen. I'm fairly certain this one will be real aluminum.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELIKE-aluminium-alloy-Blue-Alpha-Fountain-Pen-EF-nib-/263383576767

 

The finish looks like anodization, not lacquer. Can't anodize brass.

 

Also, I found this listing https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-DELIKE-Updated-Blue-alpha-fountain-pen-Extra-Fine-0-38mm-Nib-23g-Weight/232610579086?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D44040%26meid%3D08887253051d4c3dbc2fac170b54d9a9%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D263383576767&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851 where the seller mentions a weight of 23g and also mentions that it's lighter than the brass model.

[truthpil]

This one is not that pen. I'm fairly certain this one will be real aluminum.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELIKE-aluminium-alloy-Blue-Alpha-Fountain-Pen-EF-nib-/263383576767

 

The finish looks like anodization, not lacquer. Can't anodize brass.

 

Yep, it's definitely different material.

On the Chinese websites it also says "aluminum alloy" and several buyers who bought both types commented that the blue one was lighter than the brass one.

 

Looking forward to your impressions of this newer version. The weight was my only complaint about the pen, so if the blue one is considerably lighter I'm going to give my silver one away and get a blue one.

[Nosferatualso]

I have just put a kaweco italic nib on my delike alpha

[Recoil Rob]

I've had a brass Kaweco in my Amazon Wishlist for over a year now, I guess that's why this popped up on a page bottom about 4 weeks ago. I ordered the brass fude version in the blue tin box. I filled it with some Waterman's black and have been using it for 3 weeks. I am so pleased I was going to do a write up but figured there might already be one. A quick search of FPN brought me here.

 

I love the little guy, doesn't dry out, smooth writer, a bit of line variation, what could be better for $20?

 

I squeezed the clip tighter but, since I keep my other pens in the chest pocket, this pen is too heavy, it would fall out so it spends it's days in the left hip pocket of my Carhart bibs mixed in with spare change and extra screws.

 

Here's a writing sample, the very fine lines at extreme upper right are done by turning the pen over in the hand, nib down, feed up, handy for quick sketching of parts.

 

 

Edited January 24, 2018 by Recoil Rob

[Honeybadgers]

You could also just epoxy the clip in place, too, just slide it down and then clean up the residue left behind. I am considering doing that.

 

I can report that the aluminum one is every bit as good, and the textured, anodized finish is really nice, a side benefit is that the clip actually stays put on that model!

[truthpil]

You could also just epoxy the clip in place, too, just slide it down and then clean up the residue left behind. I am considering doing that.

 

I can report that the aluminum one is every bit as good, and the textured, anodized finish is really nice, a side benefit is that the clip actually stays put on that model!

 

I noticed that the clip on my matte chrome colored one got pretty badly scratched up from the clip just with normal use. I don't usually move the clip around, but when I took it off to check, the finish had been worn down to the brass at the contact points. So epoxying the clip in place (if you want to keep the clip) is a good idea.

 

Is the aluminum one notably lighter than the original???

[Honeybadgers]

 

I noticed that the clip on my matte chrome colored one got pretty badly scratched up from the clip just with normal use. I don't usually move the clip around, but when I took it off to check, the finish had been worn down to the brass at the contact points. So epoxying the clip in place (if you want to keep the clip) is a good idea.

 

Is the aluminum one notably lighter than the original???

 

 

Aluminum version weighs nothing. It feels really nice. I personally still prefer the brass, but I would recommend the aluminum in a heartbeat to someone who REALLY needed the clip to stay put in a pocket, or hates heavy pens.

[truthpil]

 

 

Aluminum version weighs nothing. It feels really nice. I personally still prefer the brass, but I would recommend the aluminum in a heartbeat to someone who REALLY needed the clip to stay put in a pocket, or hates heavy pens.

 

(bleep)...now I've gotta buy another one haha. Thanks for the update!

[Lchu613]

Got my aluminum version a few days ago. Can confirm it's really quite light and the clip stays in place nicely so far. I find the converter that came with the pen is quite nice, no leaking and it fits very snugly. The cap does post quite far back, unusually so, and makes the pen a little back-heavy; I find it's nice enough to write with unposted, however.

 

I'm interested in what makes you prefer the brass version, Honeybadgers; I was considering getting one of those before the aluminum version came out, and now somehow I"m even more curious to try one.

[Honeybadgers]

I just prefer the weight of the brass one. But they're both great.

[truthpil]

I just ordered an anodized aluminum version in bright "China" red that just went on sale here today and only 1,000 were produced.

 

Edited January 27, 2018 by TruthPil

[truthpil]

Some might find this useful. The grey pen is the brass version and the red is the new aluminum version. Weight is with empty converter inside.

 

[sdbruder]

Still waiting for my black version of this new model anodized (I think).

Edited February 2, 2018 by sdbruder

[truthpil]

Still waiting for my black version of this new model anodised (I think).

 

Yes, the black is anodized aluminum, as are the blue and red models. The texture is notably more tactile (less slippery) than the other models. I really like it!

[Honeybadgers]

Random update - this pen is still indestructible. I was bored one day and decided to see if it could survive being run over by our 10 ton ambulance (Hey I have two spares sitting in their boxes just in case, I love this pen that much)

 

Pen didn't care. not even a ding in the barrel (though a few scratches in the finish, but I am loving the patina this pen is forming in the lacquer)

 

I also just learned yesterday that the manifold nib from an eversharp skyline fits this pen PERFECTLY. Not kidding, it fits like it was made for this pen. so now I have an extra fine 14k nib. And it looks REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY cool. Honestly isn't as good a writer as the bent nib, but I love the brass on aged gold look and eversharp always had gorgeous looking nibs.

 

My next project will be taking a needle file and shaving down a slot for the clip to fit into more securely.

 

 

 

 

[rosmarinaus]

Based on Honeybadgers' review, I got this pen with the bent nib. Oh man it is amazing. I'm a woman with an average size hand so posting the pen might make it a little too heavy, but I don't need to post it in order to write with it.

 

I'd hesitated about getting the Kaweco Sport because of what I'd heard about the converter, and didn't want to deal with cartridges or refilling them. So this pen is a great and economical alternative.