S.t. Dupont Defi

[Russ]

I was absolutely struck by the craftsmanship and perfection in detail of the S.T. Dupont Defi. Many thanks to jar for speaking highly of them! I researched, bought one, and am very happy. I hope you enjoy the review. There are no end of pictures online; I am providing the review first.

14 Dupont Review.pdf

Edited June 28, 2014 by Russ

[kazoolaw]

Enjoyed your handwritten review very, very much. Did I miss the nib size? What converter did you end up using?

 

To rank above YoL is high praise indeed: I'll take a close look.

 

gary

[Russ]

Thanks, Gary! I wrote it up as soon as the pen arrived, knowing I would lose the freshness of the moment if I didn't.

 

Nibs only come in F and M. I wanted a B, but I am getting on quite well with the M.

 

Converter . . . grr. If you spend a few hundred on a pen, is a converter that much to ask? I borrowed one from another pen, my Bexley Americana. I think it's an international, standard size.

 

Please try a Dupont. I been living with mine for two or three weeks and I'm very pleased.

 

Russ

[Ipsum_Dolor]

$ 600 400+ for a steel nib seems a bit wrong, in my opinion. Other than that, it's a lovely pen. Thanks for the review!

P.S. Did you know this is the pen that Dr. Hannibal Lecter uses in the television series? Proof: http://imgur.com/a/q7Cg0#0

Edit: My bad. Was looking at this - http://www.st-dupont.com/en/collections/pens/defi-stylo-plume-fibre-de-carbone.html

Still pricey, but I will have to try Novelli pens.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Ipsum_Dolor

[gerigo]

Russ, thanks for the lovely review. I also have a Defi which I love a lot. It's just such a unique design. I personally love it, but I can see it's modern design, stainless steel nib and cartridge converter filling system will turn quite a few off. In fact, I love the Defi so much, I am looking to expand my Dupont collection, and recently acquired a Mon Dupont at a very good price.f

 

There's something about the way Dupont makes their pens that is quite unique. I think it comes from the fact their fountain pens don't have much plastic, if at all, in them. Most of them are all metal, which makes them feel like jewelry or lighters. This feel that just does not translate in pictures, until you handle one of their pens. Perhaps that's the reason why they spend so long in their nib development, and that their nibs are also unique in feel. I can image such a dense and heavy pen might not work as well with regular nibs made for light plastic pens.

[Russ]

$600 + for a steel nib seems a bit wrong, in my opinion. Other than that, it's a lovely pen. Thanks for the review!

 

P.S. Did you know this is the pen that Dr. Hannibal Lecter uses in the television series? Proof: http://imgur.com/a/q7Cg0#0

The price, noted in the review, was well under $600.00.

[Russ]

Russ, thanks for the lovely review. I also have a Defi which I love a lot. It's just such a unique design. I personally love it, but I can see it's modern design, stainless steel nib and cartridge converter filling system will turn quite a few off. In fact, I love the Defi so much, I am looking to expand my Dupont collection, and recently acquired a Mon Dupont at a very good price.

 

Thank you! I suspect this won't be my first Dupont.

 

There's something about the way Dupont makes their pens that is quite unique. I think it comes from the fact their fountain pens don't have much plastic, if at all, in them. Most of them are all metal, which makes them feel like jewelry or lighters. This feel that just does not translate in pictures, until you handle one of their pens. Perhaps that's the reason why they spend so long in their nib development, and that their nibs are also unique in feel. I can image such a dense and heavy pen might not work as well with regular nibs made for light plastic pens.

 

You are quite right, although I hadn't thought of it: aside from the plastic liner in the barrel, everything else is metal. The Defi has what seems to me to be a curious 1970's character: the lines, the pairing of two metals, and the absence of cheap plastic. The quality of materials seems to be from an older time.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2014 by Russ

[gerigo]

$ 600 400+ for a steel nib seems a bit wrong, in my opinion. Other than that, it's a lovely pen. Thanks for the review!

 

P.S. Did you know this is the pen that Dr. Hannibal Lecter uses in the television series? Proof: http://imgur.com/a/q7Cg0#0

 

Edit: My bad. Was looking at this - http://www.st-dupont.com/en/collections/pens/defi-stylo-plume-fibre-de-carbone.html

 

Still pricey, but I will have to try Novelli pens.

 

Ipsum Dolor

 

Dupont pens are not cheap, but sometimes you can get them at good prices. Both my Duponts were purchased when pen stores were having closeouts. They are not the most popular pens so there are deals around.

 

Also thanks for that clip on Hannible Lechter. That's definitely calligraphy porn

[Iittala]

It may not be cheap, but quality never is. My Dupont pens are most definitely quality pens.

The steel nib on the Defy really doesn't bother me. It's a nail, but writes extremely smoothly.

[nojanv]

This thing screams class and quality. Hope to add one to my collection some day. Reminds me of the scene in Hannibal where they wrote with an St Dupont fountain pen.

[EclecticCollector]

To my fellow Defi owners: does yours make a tiny tinkling sound if you gently shake or rotate the nib section? Specifically, there's a small cross-bar that goes through and holds the nib in place which is ever so slightly loose in mine. I was told by the dealer that this is normal and common, but I'm wondering if it's an issue with all or only some pens.

[arran]

An underrated brand in my opinion

Of course their nibs of the defi line at least are just nails but no problem with that

Out of the box never had problems with them

Quality control is highest standard to my opinion

[Russ]

To my fellow Defi owners: does yours make a tiny tinkling sound if you gently shake or rotate the nib section? Specifically, there's a small cross-bar that goes through and holds the nib in place which is ever so slightly loose in mine. I was told by the dealer that this is normal and common, but I'm wondering if it's an issue with all or only some pens.

Mine doesn't tinkle. May it never happen!

[tres]

Thank you for the review. I find St Dupont fountain pens to be some of the best around. One always ends up in my rotation. There is something satisfying about the way the cap goes on, the nibs never dry out and are a pleasure to write with, and the quality of execution is always second to none. I agree with arran that this is a very underrated brand.

[mvtm]

Hi, thank you for the review! I specially like the titanium trim you selected instead of the carbon fiber. I find it to look really elegant on the Defi.

 

I'm here and new to the forums because i've been thinking of buying a Defi. I wanted to anyone who had or could take high quality pics of your Defi to show me what it looks like. The reason is because i'm eyening a ballpoint.

 

I've been thinking of getting a brand new St Dupont Defi Ballpoint in Red for about $160. I don't have any MB but have been familiar with the brand, as my mom have had a Fidelio and some large Orpheos. Can someone please comment on the quality of these? Does the Defi have chinese laquer? or is it another laquer? How does the ergonomic feels?

 

I'm female and have very petite hands. Would like to see some higher quality pics, close ups, or anything before pulling the trigger. To see the design and ergonomics of the ballpoint/ or Defi series. Does anyone have a Ballpoint?

 

I do not use Fountain Pens at all, this would be my luxury BP- so is there anyone who produces a higher quality BP than S.T Dupont? I don't think so, but what would you think about $160 for a Defi. Please if anyone does have pictures here in the forums.... i'm not too much sold on the design, so would need to see more in deph pictures to see if i get it or not.

[EclecticCollector]

If you search Google images you will find many more photos of this pen. Since you say you have small hands it may not be the best fit for you, it's quite a long pen even without posting the cap. You may want to look into Burberry, they make a very nice, small rollerball.

[Thier.]

Today, exceptionnaly, only I'm using only one pen : my Dupont Defi filled with Iroshizuku Yama Iro. I'm in love with that ink !!!!!!! I also like the Defi now ..... Yes, I say "now" because when I tried it for the first time, I didn't like that nib without any flex ( such as Waterman Carene or Edson ...) but the way it writes, so "juicy" and the handle of it are so great .... (I even don't talk about the eye catching look) ..... I'm really happy with my Defi (as I am with my Néo Classique) !!!!!!!!!!!!

[glassjaw003]

I had the pleasure of using a friends St. Dupont Orpheo, with an 18K M nib. It was one of the smoothest writers I have ever used. I do not know what it was, maybe the weight from the pen that ultimately fell onto the nib, but something felt right about writing with it. It was quite a stiff nib, and I am not sure I'd shell out that kind of money for a stand black metal bodied cartridge converter pen. Yes, like those of you above, I kind of expect a better filling system unless the pen stands out in some other significant way (Nakaya anyone?) Although there something to a converter, in that they are easy to clean and replace, and you can swap out inks much more in a given time period.

 

Great review. Always nice to see a written one.

[jar]

I had the pleasure of using a friends St. Dupont Orpheo, with an 18K M nib. It was one of the smoothest writers I have ever used. I do not know what it was, maybe the weight from the pen that ultimately fell onto the nib, but something felt right about writing with it. It was quite a stiff nib, and I am not sure I'd shell out that kind of money for a stand black metal bodied cartridge converter pen. Yes, like those of you above, I kind of expect a better filling system unless the pen stands out in some other significant way (Nakaya anyone?) Although there something to a converter, in that they are easy to clean and replace, and you can swap out inks much more in a given time period.

 

Great review. Always nice to see a written one.

 

Did you get to cap and uncap the pen? Did you have a chance to test the clip? Did you get to look at the interior and see that it was as finished and refined as the exterior?

 

The really nice thing about ST Dupont pens is the attention to details no matter how small or mundane.

[glassjaw003]

 

Did you get to cap and uncap the pen? Did you have a chance to test the clip? Did you get to look at the interior and see that it was as finished and refined as the exterior?

 

The really nice thing about ST Dupont pens is the attention to details no matter how small or mundane.

 

I actually got to use it for a week or two.

 

Caping and uncaping was great. One of my favorite parts of the pen was clip, I find that spring clips tend to scream quality to me over standard bent metal ones. The entire pen was spic n' span. The weight of it was just fine. Some will say metal construction is cheap, St. Dupont seems to think plastic is cheap, but as with everything, you have varying quality. High quality resin or celluloid is much more durable and feels better than bic plastic. St. Dupont uses, I think, bronze which I feel is better than brass. They also use a nice lacquer over it.

 

My comment was not to say I would not buy a St. Dupont, I most certainly would. I liked the design of the Orpheo, I would just prefer another color than just a standard polished black lacquer over a metal body.