Stipula Passaporto (2018) Review And Comparison With Moonman Wancai

[Honeybadgers]

I'm just going to spoil this comparison immediately. The Stipula passaporto is an insulting dumpster fire of a pen, and my problems with quality of the threads seems to be absolutely universal with every review I've come across thusfar, including both the black and clear models. If you want a spectacular, premium quality pocket pen, the $18 Wancai mini is every bit as good as a franklin cristoph's build quality, and you can even have it in solid ebonite for about what the passaporto costs.

 

 

So, as I mentioned in my quick PSA post, I was so, so excited for the passaporto. Stipula kept putting it off again and again, Goulet had it "coming next month" for about a year. I love the shape, and reviews of the original were that it was a good pen with a few flaws that was hysterically overpriced. So when the new one was announced for a reasonable $40, I was ecstatic. Surely, they could fix the problems and put out a simple, small steel nib eyedropper pen for that price.

 

I was even more excited when I saw the packaging. It came with an eyedropper and two samples of stipula ink. I genuinely regret putting all of the green into the passaporto, I like this ink a lot.

 

 

 

But as soon as I started pulling my prize from its package, every single aspect of this pen fell flat on its face. I can promise, hand on heart, more money went into this pen's packaging than went into the pen.

 

 

Cap band looked like it was metal. It was not advertised as plastic, yet here we have cheap, nasty chrome painted plastic, complete with the awful, gross flashing from injection molding. That cheap chrome paint that scratches and shows awful fingerprints and feels just nightmarishly cheap, is also prone to peeling and cutting you. Mine already has scuffs and micro scratches and I've had it less than 24 hours and it's sat on my DESK.

 

 

At least they polished the flashing line from the rest of the cap, which is a dirty, nasty, not even properly clear ABS plastic that feels like a $0.25 BIC pen.

 

 

But they didn't touch the flashing on the barrel, which has two horrible flash lines and the injection molded threads (not even turned) are sharp and gross, and the cap being posted a few times has already started to scuff this plastic that has the rockwell hardness of cheddar cheese. And look at those stripped threads.

 

 

 

 

 

Uncapping the pen was confusing. It was TIGHT. and then it finally freed itself and was uncapping off-center. I'm certain it was cross threaded at the factory. The threads are TINY and really, really poor quality, I do not see this pen's cap or barrel threads lasting at all. They are not clean or substantial in any way, nor is the molding even a good match, as once I did line the threads up, it still had that awful plastic-grinding-plastic sensation. The threads are already stripped, and I have to be very gentle.

 

 

The section looked like it was going to be metal, too. I guess I should've known better with an eyedropper, but what I get to hold in my hands is more awful chrome painted plastic. And this chrome is like trying to hold hot buttered glass. It's SO slippery and every fingerprint and micron of grime from your hands just sticks to it, so the instant you touch it, it's game over. The pen is ugly up close.

 

 

Posting it was no better. The cap's threads inside aren't stripped like the barrel's, so I get to feel how the cap is SUPPOSED to thread onto the back, and holy god is it bad. It tries to cross thread EVERY time, I have to actually counter rotate it to set the threads before tightening it down. And it doesn't "screw down" it just goes a half turn and then gets really tight. But it feels wrong. It doesn't feel like the threads bottomed out, it feels like you're cross threading the initial two or three threads of a bolt and it seizes up.

 

 

And since there are so few threads, it doesn't even post straight. The cap is kilted off at an angle.

 

In the hand, it slips around in my fingers like nobody's business. Whomever thought to put slick chrome on a section with no knurl to stop your fingers doesn't deserve to have a job anymore. Size wise it's fine, exactly what I expected from a pocket pen.

 

Time to fill it up. The inner threads of the section and barrel are much more tolerable, but there's a horrid looking flashing line and more awful cheap plastic chrome on the section that is visible through the clear barrel, so they apparently didn't care enough to clean up the grip after injection either. The eyedropper is glass, looks like the same piece as the visconti travelling inkwell eyedropper. In theory, this dropper can hold a lot of ink, but they put a little bulb on it that holds SEVEN DROPS. And that's a big, big draw. Most draws were 1-3 drops. For a pen made to hold 3mL of ink, this is stupid. I just gave up and dumped the ink in from the sample, and stipula does earn a single point for giving you two usable quantities of ink in two lovely colors.

 

The nib is okay. I went for an extra fine since I planned on using this to sign receipts and other menial, bad-paper tasks that a typical pocket pen would see. It has a bit too much tooth, and is BORDERLINE scratchy. I'd lean far enough to say it's scratchy. But the flow is good, reasonably wet. Reverse writing is needlepoint and about the same, slightly scratchy but usable. No softness or bounce to it (there's a reason I mention this, even though it's steel) but it's tolerable.

 

Overall, this pen is an insult to fountain pen users, every bit as much as the monteverde monza, that awful rebranded $2 jinhao 992. This pen is worse than that. The monza was still prone to cracking, but it at least wrote and worked properly. This does not even work as a fountain pen. I wouldn't trust this thing to not just break in my pocket and dump a ludicrous amount of ink everywhere. Don't buy it. Don't even THINK about it. This is not my subjective opinion. This pen is abhorrently made. And because of this, I don't think I'll ever be buying another stipula product. That's how badly this thing has soured me on the brand.

 

BUT. There's another pen in this market that has been around a little while, but is it worth your time?

 

Yes. It is. It so very, very is.

 

The moonman Wancai mini is solid acrylic for $18. Not just solid acrylic, but it comes in four colors, clear, turquoise transparent, a mint that looks like antique glass, and mint swirled with wisps of white that is genuinely stunning. It's mesmerizing to just spin around in your hands. When I get around to making pens from solid acrylic, this is the material I'm going to try to get my hands on. it's unbelievably good looking and contrasts the ink flowing around in the barrel wonderfully. It's also turned to beautiful tolerances, with great threads that feel tight, secure, glassy smooth, and the body and cap are polished to a silky smoothness that just makes the stipula look amateurish.

 

Not only is it prettier and made from better materials, it's smaller. almost a full centimeter shorter capped. And uncapping this baby is everything that is good about resin. Silky smooth with that nice hollow clicking of premium plastics, and with only 1.25 turns (I can't count the turns on the stipula because they're so chowdered that it just grinds until it decides to pop free of the stripped threads) and a single turn to post, it's secure and just feels GOOD.

 

 

 

I can confirm that the moonman does not dry out. Period. I had it inked with pelikan smoky quartz for two months straight without use and it fired up first time nib touched page.

 

The section is the same glorious acrylic. it is broadly the same size as the stipula's, but it doesn't taper as hard, and it has a proper knurling that really helps these tiny pens. It's a long section that keeps your hands away from the large (but not sharp) step to the barrel, so my size XL glove hands don't get cramped. If you're okay with relatively thin sections, this pen is easily capable of writing pages and pages comfortably.

 

section unscrews nicely with a simple O ring and lots of threads to keep ink inside. Easy to replace, easy to clean, simple and reliable. The Stipula has some weird proprietary rubber gasket that looks like a pain to clean.

 

 

The nib is gold plated and quite handsome. Moonman uses a different nib than the typical "IPG" we're all used to, they have longer tines that give the pen a more vintage, delicate appearance. They also don't use a cheap, super basic looking feed, they use a bespoke, smooth, nicely molded feed that actually looks like a human being took the time to think about how the feed should look, not just how it should work. And work it does. Flow is perfect and it's never burped on me once. The well insulated acrylic insulates the air bubble in the barrel, which is something the stipula does not have, and I suspect it will be more prone to burping. But back to the nib.

 

The nib on the moonman is perfect. it's smooth, somewhere between pilot and sailor's blend of smoothness and pencil-like feedback, leaning towards the smoothness. It's an extra fine (I think it's still on them, just called a fine) and it not only writes, but it reverse writes a hair-thin line that's as smooth as you could hope for a 2XF needlepoint. And those long slender tines do their job, too. The nib bounces nicely, I'd say it's on par with a standard sailor or platinum gold nib, firm but a little give. And it will even widen up with a little coaxing. You can bear down on the nib pretty firmly without it railroading or springing (I've pushed VERY hard and it does not spring, just bounces right back) You can coax a M or B from it without too much effort.

 

 

The look of the nib on the stipula is just meh. it looks like a cheap chinese nib with stipula inlay. No polishing, it's set VERY far into the pen so it looks like a guy with no neck, it's not very handsome.

 

 

Nib options for the stipula are EF, F, M, and 1.1 stub. Options for the wancai are F and M (I believe the F is an EF, but the M is a solid M) and the wancai accepts a wide variety of nibs as demonstrated by this forum. If you want stipula nib options, Nemosine will sell you an EF, F, M or 1.1 stub for $15 that will write perfectly. Or go for Knox and get an oblique double broad. Or an old 14k eversharp manifold nib (confirmed this does work)

 

Don't worry about the skips in the video from the moonman, those are my fault since I'm writing around a camera, I rotated the pen too far. It has never skipped once for me.

 

Just listen to the sound of the threads on the moonman vs the stipula. The stipula sounds cheesy and nasty. The moonman sounds crisp and clean.

 

 

 

[goodpens]

Thank you for the detailed review and comparison. I had been tempted by the Moonman Mini andmay finally get one ...

[truthpil]

I always love your reviews because you tell it like it is in a colorful fashion.

Thanks for saving me some money, as I had also been looking forward to the re-release of the Passaporto.

You did a great job of showing us why it is an overpriced polished turd.

 

I had been avoiding the Wancai because of that big step and the funny cylindrical, but if it's comfortable for your XL hand then it will probably be perfect for my small-to-medium hand. Being a chunky, non-tapered cylinder like that, how does it feel in your pocket?

[KellyMcJ]

I love the Moonman Wencai. I only wish it didn't have that step down at the section.

 

The stipulata never appealed to me. Now I see I'm not missing out.

[Mech-for-i]

OK you've sold me, I was borderline on the Moonman, but now I got to get one ... and Stipula, what can I say .. I've got a few of their older models and they are nice, but I had heard so many horror story about them in recent years it lead me to believe that they are having really some issues. And I had seen some of their more recent production and I must say I am also, not impressed at all.

Edited June 18, 2018 by Mech-for-i

[Honeybadgers]

I always love your reviews because you tell it like it is in a colorful fashion.

Thanks for saving me some money, as I had also been looking forward to the re-release of the Passaporto.

You did a great job of showing us why it is an overpriced polished turd.

 

I had been avoiding the Wancai because of that big step and the funny cylindrical, but if it's comfortable for your XL hand then it will probably be perfect for my small-to-medium hand. Being a chunky, non-tapered cylinder like that, how does it feel in your pocket?

 

It's genuinely about the same size as a stick of chapstick. Overall it's completely unintrusive in the pocket.

 

The section step down isn't really an issue if you don't NEED to hold the pen really far back (some people do) the only issue it can cause is if you like a really chunky section. This is a lot like the pilot metro in terms of step down. The only difference (and why I don't hate this like I do the metro's grip) is that the knurl to keep your fingers in place is much more deliberate, and the pen isn't metal, so it isn't trying to drive that step into your fingers.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Honeybadgers

[TSherbs]

The Wancai is to me a cute little pen. But I don't like to carry pens in pockets except for my shirt pocket, with a clip. I don't ever carry pens of any kind in my pants pockets. Both these pens are no-go for me.

[TSherbs]

also: silver-painted plastic is b--s--

[Honeybadgers]

The Wancai is to me a cute little pen. But I don't like to carry pens in pockets except for my shirt pocket, with a clip. I don't ever carry pens of any kind in my pants pockets. Both these pens are no-go for me.

 

I generally agree , but in my jeans, this pen does a fine job. I would have liked a roll stop or clip option though.

[truthpil]

Two more questions about the Wancai:

 

- Does keeping it next to your body in your pocket all day cause it to write too wet or burp?

 

- Can it take short cartridges? (I ask this because I saw a photo of one that had a short international cartridge inside, so I wonder if the owner hacked the pen or it already worked that way.)

[sciumbasci]

 

I generally agree , but in my jeans, this pen does a fine job. I would have liked a roll stop or clip option though.

IIRC Kaweco's clips fit it

[KellyMcJ]

Two more questions about the Wancai:

 

- Does keeping it next to your body in your pocket all day cause it to write too wet or burp?

 

- Can it take short cartridges? (I ask this because I saw a photo of one that had a short international cartridge inside, so I wonder if the owner hacked the pen or it already worked that way.)

Mine came with cartridges so I guess so!

 

No idea about the burping. It's a wet writer anyway...but I love that and use Iroshizuku ink which is very wet on its own.

[Honeybadgers]

Two more questions about the Wancai:

 

- Does keeping it next to your body in your pocket all day cause it to write too wet or burp?

 

- Can it take short cartridges? (I ask this because I saw a photo of one that had a short international cartridge inside, so I wonder if the owner hacked the pen or it already worked that way.)

 

I've never had it burp, ever.

 

And it supposedly takes some kind of cartridge but it does not take a standard international, the opening of the SI cartridge is too narrow. It does have a neck, but whatever cartridge that some of them come with is proprietary. I will just always use it eyedropper, since it holds an enormous amount of ink and it looks so good with the ink sloshing around in it.

[Honeybadgers]

IIRC Kaweco's clips fit it

 

I'll be damned, a kaweco sport "special" clip fits it really well. Obviously the facets don't match the round body, but it stays REALLY tightly in place. Problem solved everybody, we now have a clip!

[TSherbs]

 

I'll be damned, a kaweco sport "special" clip fits it really well. Obviously the facets don't match the round body, but it stays REALLY tightly in place. Problem solved everybody, we now have a clip!

Well now....

[truthpil]

 

I've never had it burp, ever.

 

And it supposedly takes some kind of cartridge but it does not take a standard international, the opening of the SI cartridge is too narrow. It does have a neck, but whatever cartridge that some of them come with is proprietary. I will just always use it eyedropper, since it holds an enormous amount of ink and it looks so good with the ink sloshing around in it.

Sounds great!

 

I did some digging and found out that Moonman makes their own cartridges for this pen. The acrylic version only fits those cartridges and they have a 3.4mm opening (which is actually the most common size in China, however the Moonman ones seem to be especially short so they can fit in the Wancai). On the other hand, the ebonite version has a Schmidt nib assembly and thus takes standard international short cartridges (2.4mm).

[catbert]

Disappointing to hear about the problems with the latest version of this pen.

I like that the matte black version is unashamedly plastic (no fake chrome) – chrisrap52 gave it 9/10, raved about the texture, barely mentioned the threads. I only held off getting one myself because I have two other Passaportos already. One from Massdrop is always inked, one from Giardino Italiano not so much because it lacks rear posting threads, but its stub nib lives in the Massdrop pen.

Really hope Stipula improve their quality control. It's a shame to see another Italian maker struggle.

Edited June 19, 2018 by catbert

[Jamerelbe]

There are presently 3 (or is it 4?) reviews of the Passaporto that I've found on YouTube over the past couple of days - in addition to this written review. Chrisrap's is the only one that doesn't mention threading problems - so it sounds like this is not an isolated incident! Other than that, the folks who ordered the stealth model seem to like the 'grippiness' of the material - as opposed to the slipperiness of the faux-chrome fittings on the demonstrator version.

 

I'd been trying to resist the temptation to buy a Moonman Wancai demonstrator - but sadly (or not) my resolve crumbled after reading this review! I now have a Wancai *and* a Wing Sung 618 winging their way to me from Bobby at office-supplies_pen... Thanks for nuthin, @honeybadgers !

[catbert]

There are presently 3 (or is it 4?) reviews of the Passaporto that I've found on YouTube over the past couple of days - in addition to this written review. Chrisrap's is the only one that doesn't mention threading problems - so it sounds like this is not an isolated incident! Other than that, the folks who ordered the stealth model seem to like the 'grippiness' of the material - as opposed to the slipperiness of the faux-chrome fittings on the demonstrator version.

 

I'd been trying to resist the temptation to buy a Moonman Wancai demonstrator - but sadly (or not) my resolve crumbled after reading this review! I now have a Wancai *and* a Wing Sung 618 winging their way to me from Bobby at office-supplies_pen... Thanks for nuthin, @honeybadgers !

 

Yup, chrisrap52 is the outlier so far.

[jekostas]

How many times has Stipula released the Passaporto at this point, three? Four, if you count the Paparazzi, which was supposed to be an improvement?

 

It's astonishing they couldn't get it right at this point