DELTA Parthenope- Review

First Impressions

I ordered this pen off of the Pentrace Green Board about 1 month ago. To be quite honest, I really didn’t know what to expect. The seller is a very reputable person and a very informative one to say the least. The only description was the 18kt gold nib in a medium size, tortoise shell color and in excellent shape. I had to go to some of the big sites to see what the pen looked like before I decided to spend my loot!! From what I saw, I was very excited and I jumped at the chance to buy my very first Delta Fountain Pen, hell the price was right too!!


Appearance/ Finish 5 out of 5

The Parthenope arrived at my house within 3 days of ordering it from a seller off of the Green Board. It was in tip top shape with the box in perfect condition along with the papers and extra cartridges. To put my mind at ease, the seller wrote me a note using the pen, to ensure that he was selling a pen with no problems. That I do appreciate!! When I took the pen out of the box to look at it under the light, I have to admit that it seemed to have not been used very much at all. The same day that I received my Delta Parthenope is the same day that I received my Bexley Prometheus. Both of the barrel colors are somewhat similar. One thing that really separated the pens was that the Delta worked flawlessly, while the Bexley needed to be sent to the factory for repair the very next day. I was really looking forward to the Bexley Prometheus more than the Delta but since the Bexley was inoperative, the Parthenope eased the pain!! That made my blood pressure drop down to a semi normal level and now I have a new pen to take to the office and show off. The Parthenope has a barrel that is more of a darker brown, golden and silver pearl color to it. This is really a tortoise shell color that reminiscent of an older Pelikan tortoise shell minus the striation pattern. Considering that this pen is used, the pen was in excellent shape, with a high gloss shine to it and some of the small white lettering on the top of the cap has turned a bit off white. That was the only flaw that I saw on the pen itself. “Hey Mom, I scored a winner”!!! My Mom said “Not so fast my Son, you need to read the rest of the review, you big dummy”!!!



Design/Size/Weight 5 out of 5

At first, I thought that the pens length is a bit too short for me but I compared it to my Blue and Black Striped Pelikan M600 and the length was identical. The width is a very comfortable size, close to the width of a Pelikan M1000 but a tad bit wider. This is a perfect pen to put in your shirt pocket; it collapses down well for travel and expands to a comfortable length for writing. One thing that I thought was really cool; it is that the end of the barrel is threaded so that the cap screws on to the end of the barrel. It really reminds me of the Dani Trio “Tempo and the Brillante” fountain pens. I really wish more pen companies would thread the ends of their barrels do that the caps can be completely secured without fear of it falling off. The first time I posted the cap, the size of the pen is identical to the posted size of a Pelikan M600. Another cool option was the wheel at the end of the clip, this makes for smooth clipping of a pen to a shirt pocket. At the very top of the cap there is the Delta emblem in a gold color. Writing with the pen posted feels very natural in my hand, I even tried writing without the cap posted, to me it feels way too light. Someone with smaller hands or someone who likes smaller and lighter pens would probably enjoy it not posted. On the back of the cap, there is the imprint in white that reads “DELTA Parthenope”, I guess it is there incase you forgot the make and model of the pen or you forget to spell Parthenope!!! This is a nice looking pen and I am glad I bought this pen in this particular color. The Black cap and brown tortoise shell color really makes it a very classy looking pen.






Nib Design and Performance 5 out of 5

This pen sports a single solid gold tone “DELTA Millennium 18 KT Gold Nib”. I am really not sure why Delta calls this a “Millennium Nib” but regardless, it is a classy looking nib that is fully functional. I bought this one with a medium width due to the fact that I like a nib line that gives me a line with plenty of width to work with without going overboard with a broad. This is a really good sized nib that is close in size to the Filcao Atlantica Oro 18 KT gold nib made by the Schmidt Nib Factory of Germany. The Delta is slightly larger but not by much, the size of this nib on the lack of size of this pen really makes the nib look giant!! Ok, here is what you all have been waiting for, you ask, “How does this darn pen write”? I have one word for you and it is “Fantastic”!!! This nib is not flexible but it feels like a springboard and it writes like a hot knife in butter. This is one smooth writing pen and it also lays down one heck of a juicy line. I was very shocked because I was expecting a light medium line, to my surprise this pen lays down one heck of a line the borders on the heavy side of medium. I cannot ask for more than that from a fountain pen, this has exceeded all of my expectations. The ink I used to test this pen is Aurora Black and the reason why I like to use this ink for testing is because of its superior flow and lubrication properties. Private Reserve DC Super Show Blue, Private Reserve Plum and Sherwood Green are other inks I use to test new pens.





The Filling System 4.5 out of 5

Well, this pen would be so much better with a piston or button filler. Well regardless of my very slight disappointment, this pen flows like a champ and I believe this take the standard short cartridges, for those of you who do not like bottle filling. I am not going to harp on this pen using a cartridge/converter filing system but there is one interesting point that was made clear, not once but twice. There is a sticker inside the box that says not to pull the converter out. It is threaded, so twist the converter out to remove it. The gentleman who sold me the pen, he also wrote a note to let me know the same.

Cost 4.5 out of 5

Depending on where you buy this pen, you can get a really good deal on a top notch pen for a lot less than you would think. http://www.pens.it/ has some pretty good prices on the Parthenope. Hell, if you can get one used that would be your best bet!! I have seen them for around $140.00 brand new and I have seen them used for under $130.00. Regardless, it is a good deal for a pen who’s nib is worth that much.

Conclusion

I have to say that this pen is one hell of a smooth writing instrument and I was glad that I spent the money on it. This is a wonderful medium sized pen that has a nib that writes better than most other pens in its price range. There are 4 different colors to choose from such as “Coral Red, Tortoise Brown (this one), Golden Blue and Quartz White. There is a color for everyone’s taste and each one is just as nice as the other. There is a lifetime warranty on Delta pens to include this one. If you can get this pen new for under $150.00 then I would say that is a darn good deal. If you can buy it used, then GET IT!! This is a solid pen with so many good points that the issue with a cartridge/converter filling system seems so trivial. I highly recommend this pen if you are in the market for a medium sized pen. This one is on my weekly rotation since I bought it, I LOVE IT!!.