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Delta Dolce Vita Oversize


AndyHayes

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First Impressions

Cheapest price in the UK was £360 (US$720). The most expensive was £455 (US$910). If this is not proof that this is Rip-Off Britain then nothing is. Of course I had no intention of paying that sort of money when it was selling for US$400 delivered, but after reading the reviews on FPN I was determined to have one. As you can read in the other reviews it comes in a huge box. The box contains pen, eyedropper and pen stand. There should have been a bottle of ink, but sensibly the manufacturer removes the bottle before shipping it to the supplier. After a recent disaster with a bottle of ink with a faulty seal that had been sent to me I was pleased that no bottle was included with this one.

 

Appearance

Once you have peeled of the shrink wrap plastic you can then lift the lid from the box. Inside is a large square-ish black box like a smart necklace for the better half would come in, the desk stand, instructions and the eye-dropper. Open the square-ish box to find the OS Dolce Vita. Ooh what a whopper!! Another thick pen in the collection! The pen is black and orange with silver trim. The orange celluloid is absolutely beautiful. The black parts are beautifully glossy. I was worried that the sliver trim would not look as nice as the gold, but I was quickly proven wrong. It makes a beautiful match. The pen is serial numbered. At over 4,000 this is hardly a limited edition.

 

Design/Size/Weight

This is my first Italian pen and I must admit to being concerned about how the Italians have a habit of over-dressing things, just look at their Generals if you need any proof, but it is a beautifully designed pen, slightly ostentatious for my usual tastes, but I am fairly conservative in pen tastes. I am willing to make an exception for this pen. The pen is 140mm capped, 130mm uncapped and 175mm posted. I don’t have my super accurate scales to hand, but the lesser ones say 44 grammes empty, a fair heft to it then.

 

Nib

I chose the broad and it writes like a broad with Mont Blanc black in it for my little test. I didn’t find out until after I ordered the pen that it is available with an OM nib, which might have suited me more. The nib clicks when I write with it, but doesn’t when my partner uses it. I have read up on the reasons for this and I think that I will keep using it until it disappears. The nib itself is a nice big two-tone one. There is a little flex, but not a great deal.

 

Filling System

The pen comes with a screw-in converter, but once you have twisted the feed unit nine turns you will be able to see the converter. You might also notice the rubber o-ring. This allows you to be able to use the pen as an eye-dropper, something that I don’t intend to do.

 

Cost and Value

As I have already discussed this is an extremely costly pen in the UK, but at the US price it is an absolute bargain. Bear in mind that this pen comes in at the same price as a discounted Pelikan 805 from Niche pens in the UK. As much as I love my Pelikan, the Dolce Vita blows it out of the water on looks.

 

Conclusion

This is a stunning pen to add to one’s collection. If you don’t like too much girth there are slimmer alternatives in the Dolce Vita range. I am a user, not a collector, but I think that this pen will be for best! What am I yearning after now after such a stunning pen? Probably a new Pilot Custom with a stub nib or a used Tibaldi Iride. Meanwhile this one is going to hibernate until Xmas as it is my present.

 

I usually like to post pictures, but there are so many pictures of the Dolce Vita OS in the review section of the FPN that mine are not going to do justice to the pen so I would point you in their direction.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=1844

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=31343

http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/te...t/dolcevita.htm

Skype: andyhayes

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Nice review, I quite like the look of these but they have always been too expensive. $400 sound reasonable if you say it quickly certainly compared with UK prices, hope you didn't get stung for VAT/Taxes as that can make a sizeable dent in potential savings.

 

Hope you enjoy your pen (after Christmas of course).

 

Andy

Edited by andyk
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The orange celluloid is absolutely beautiful.

 

The Dolce Vita is not made from celluloid but from an acrylic. The material, however, is beautiful nonetheless.

 

I had the medium size and found the section too wide to hold it comfy for longer stretches. So I sold off my pen. But the pen's design will become a classic, I am sure. It is very well made and lovely to behold. I only wished they had incorporated a tapered section.

Anyway, nice review, Andy!!!

Edited by dupontfan
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The orange celluloid is absolutely beautiful.

 

The Dolce Vita is not made from celluloid but from an acrylic. The material, however, is beautiful nonetheless.

 

Thanks a lot for putting me straight on that. I must buy a celluloid pen so that I know what it looks like!!

 

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Nice review of a nice pen-9 days until xmas!

Lamy 2000-Lamy Vista-Visconti Van Gogh Maxi Tortoise Demonstrator-Pilot Vanishing Point Black Carbonesque-1947 Parker 51 Vacumatic Cedar Blue Double Jewel-Aurora Optima Black Chrome Cursive Italic-Waterman Hemisphere Metallic Blue-Sheaffer Targa-Conway Stewart CS475

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Yey another DVOS adict-welcome to the Vita club where everybody is happy.

My silver trim OS Dolce Vita is simply a fantastic pen.

 

Enjoy

Respect to all

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This is a good review, Andy. Thanks.

 

I must chime in, too. I have an O/S Dolce Vita and I love it. It is indeed a stunning pen that is a great writer and just plain fun to use. But, as Dupontfan indicated, it jes' ain't fer ever'one. The pen is huge! Despite the size, or perhaps because of it, I can write with mine for hours. I got mine just a few months after they first came out, so I have no memory of what I paid for mine. But it is worth every penny in sheer enjoyment.

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The Dolce Vita OS actually looks better in vermeil - as this matches the orange barrel better - but I accept that everyone has different tastes.

 

I have the MB 149 and the Sailor KoP (in silver trim), so the Dolce Vita OS is definitely one I am targeting to add to my collection.

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The Dolce Vita OS actually looks better in vermeil

 

See, I think that pen looks just so much nicer in the silver finish. It looks forbiddingly ornate in gold. But different strokes for different folks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I finally got to open the present yesterday. At last the DVOS in my hand. I filled it with Mont Blanc black ink and pulled out a Rhodia pad. I am sad to say that the pen writes poorly. Skipping and ink starvation. I flushed the pen with slightly soapy water and gave it a good rinse and it improved for a while but then stopped writing altogether again. A couple of twists of the converter and the ink was flowing again and for a good while, but the occasional skip returned. I finished off the letter in haste and capped the pen with the intention of using it later.

 

Later came and the pen struggled to fill in a page of my Moleskine. I can understand the problems with the Rhodia paper, it is very smooth and I have had problems with it, but Moleskine paper is only one up from cheap legal pads and almost sucks the ink out of a broad nibbed pen.

 

Needless to say I am very disappointed in Delta. How difficult is it to send a working pen out of he factory, but to be honest I seem to be plagued with pens that fail to work properly from new. A guy could feel sorry for himself at this point!!

 

So what is the best bet for me. Send it to Delta or dismantle the pen myself and see if I can find out what the issue is? If it is the latter, how does the nib/feed come out?

 

Thanks a lot

 

Andy

 

[Edit] As this question might get lost in reviews I think that I will ask it in another forum, but if you want to answer it here then please do so.

Edited by AndyHayes

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  • 2 weeks later...

After a quick reply from a fellow FPN'r I waited for the pen to run out of ink. Sure enough the advice was spot on. A sharp tug was all that was needed to pull the nib and feed out. I inspected the channel with a 30x loupe, I couldn't see anything, but the light in my house is poor. I ran a knife blade gently down the channel, blew it out and the reassembled the pen. After a fill of Noodlers eternal black the pen writes a treat on Rhodia paper, legal pads and a Moleskine notebook.

 

So the day has been saved, although what the fault was I don't know. The annoying nib-clicking has returned so once the pen is empty of its permanent ink I will adjust it again, unless it goes first.

Skype: andyhayes

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It's a shame that we buyers of expensive fountain pens have to do so much after-the-fact work on these pens to get and keep them working. I've had similar problems with many pens from different brands (this is by far not limited to Delta). Well, at least you can now enjoy the pen rightfully. :thumbup:

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It's a shame that we buyers of expensive fountain pens have to do so much after-the-fact work on these pens to get and keep them working. I've had similar problems with many pens from different brands (this is by far not limited to Delta). Well, at least you can now enjoy the pen rightfully. :thumbup:

 

Nice review, I might add another Delta to my collection in the future.

Is this the only Delta which can be used as an eyedropper? I have a Nautilus and I wonder whether to give it a try or not. The barrel is one single piece of resin (it smells like celluloid, although Delta says it's vegetal resin) without any inner parts.

So my question is, as long as there's no leaking, could it be used as an eyedropper? any risk of damaging the resin?

 

Juan in Andalucía

 

 

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I've had a Delta Dolcevita Oversize for nearly three years, and I love it, especially in the fall months when it matches the turning leaves on the trees. The pen is beautiful to look at; it has a very large nib; it writes well; and it is priced fairly reasonably compared to other pens of its class. I can't say enough good things about this pen.

CharlieB

 

"The moment he opened the refrigerator, he saw it. Caponata! Fragrant, colorful, abundant, it filled an entire soup dish, enough for at least four people.... The notes of the triumphal march of Aida came spontaneously, naturally, to his lips." -- Andrea Camilleri, Excursion to Tindari, p. 212

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Hi Andy.I think you should add a Medium size and a Stout to the Oversize!

 

I have the medium and the size is perfect for me but when I see the OS I do have a moment's weakness for it.

 

Great review as always,

 

Ronin

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...and I bet you know someone who is selling a Stout!!

 

Get thee behind me Satan ;) :P

Skype: andyhayes

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  • 5 years later...

The Dolce Vita OS actually looks better in vermeil - as this matches the orange barrel better - but I accept that everyone has different tastes.

 

I have the MB 149 and the Sailor KoP (in silver trim), so the Dolce Vita OS is definitely one I am targeting to add to my collection.

 

Folks who have had the vermeil for a while....can you comment on how it patinas over time?

 

Also, are you using yours in eyedropper mode on a regular basis? Thoughts on your experience using it mainly that way?

 

Thanks!

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