Wality 69L

[xena]

I have just recently acquired a Wality 69L. The folks over at retrodesk sent it promptly and were quite easy to work with. Their shipping and handling is a reasonable $5.00, and the pen is listed at an affordable $21.00

 

First Impressions

 

The pen comes in a nice presentation sack in velvet. It is quite large; the folks at retrodesk are not kidding when they say that it is an oversized pen.

 

Fit and Finish

 

As I wrote earlier, this is a very inexpensive pen. It doesn't really look it until you fill it with ink, and then you can see that the ink window is not smooth. It also seems to stain easily, or at least holds on to ink. I had a rough time flushing the Piston-Filler friendly Diamine Imperial Blue out of the barrel. It currently is filled with Noodler's Ottoman Rose. At this price point, I'm not terribly concerned about staining the ink view window in the barrel.

 

For that fault, the pen is overall finished pretty well; I chose to purchase black. It also comes in blue and burgundy. I just happen to be going through a black phase. In black, it looks crisp. The clip could be on a little better, but since I don't use it, it is a moot point.

 

The Nib

 

Ok, here's where the rubber hits the road. The Wality 69L has a nice two tone nib that is large, which matches the whole size of the pen. It much stiffer than say, a pelikan m400 or maybe even a Phileas, but it is not exactly a nail. Mine is very smooth- though some people have complained that their 52s and 77s have some tooth. Not something I have experienced with this model, but I just wanted to include this as a caution.

 

The Filling System

 

This is a pen that holds a lake of ink. The piston is smooth, and works flawlessly. I have used mine for 3 fills, and have had no problems.

 

Overall Performance/ Value

 

This is an awesome pen to have in one's toolkit, for informal knocking around. Some folks have had blobbing issues with other walities, i have only had one small leak, that was about a droplet size and was easily contained. It is well-balanced. In short, it is a great value for the money.

[ericthered2004]

Thanks for the review. I'm a fan of this model too, with no blobbing to speak of.

 

cheers

eric

 

[Ondina]

I've always been curious at this model... the stiffness of the nib and the reports of being prone to leaking have drawn me back but looks a really cool pen.

Thanks for the review.

[Aysedasi]

Is there a photo somewhere, sounds interesting.....

[WillSW]

Is there a photo somewhere, sounds interesting.....

 

http://retrodesk.com/index.html

 

Scroll away.

[J English Smith]

I like my black Wality 52 but yes, the nib is pretty stiff and does have some tooth. The overall finishing of the pen is very very good for the money. I wish the nib was more like a Pelikan steel nib, then it would really be a winner.

[kethiemann]

Thanks so much for the review... and for the tip on retrodesk!