Stipula Duetto- Review

First Impressions

This is another Pen Trace Green Board purchase from Mr. Mike Baca I saw 2 Stipula Duetto fountain pens for sale, one in the Cognac color and one in the Pacific Blue. The blue was a really gorgeous color but I am not really into specialized nibs with the exception of music nibs. The Duetto in the Cognac color was with an 18kt gold medium nib. That really appealed to me due to the fact that my last Stipula Novecento had the same kind of nib in the same width, a medium.

I received the pen within 3 days and I was beyond excited to try this pen out. This is a pretty unique looking pen that was brand new and never inked at a steal of a price!! All the goodies were there and the converter and one cartridge was still sealed up in a small baggie by Stipula. Ok, lets get this going!!!




Appearance/ Finish 5 out of 5

Appearance? It’s a pen, what else do you want? Just kidding!!! This is a pen in a color that they called Cognac. This pen is striated and the colors range from a light tan, pinkish brown, mother of pearl, silver, walnut and dark brown. The section is semi translucent while other parts of the pen are not. Stipula uses a material called Cellocride and this is what gives this pen a celluloid look while having all of the striations. This pen has a very high gloss appearance and that seems to really bring out some of the silver and pearl highlights.



As far as the metal pieces go, these pieces are made from cast Phosphorous Bronze using a process called PVD. PVD is a process in which silver or gold is bonded to the clips or rings on a molecular level. I’m pretty smart right?? I bet you ask “how in the world does he know all this stuff”? Well, because I read it off the Stipula site, duhhhh!!! Do you think I actually would know this kind of stuff, especially off the top of my head?? I may be a dummy but my Momma didn’t raise no fool!!!! So lets get to the bottom of this pen!!!!




Design/Size/Weight 5 out of 5

Alrighty, dimensions, you want dimensions? I got em!! Capped. This pen is roughly 5 ½ inches in length. With the cap posted this pen comes in at around 6 ½ inches in length. Weight? Hell, I don’t know but it is pretty light, that’s for sure. This pen is a bit of an unusual design, the threads are at the base of the section right below the nib. These are a set of small metal threads that screw deep within the cap for a sure lock tight fit. One good thing about the threads being located there is that your fingers wont become threaded like on other pens with the typical threading location. The metal threads screw into non-metal threads in the cap. But what little I can see, the threads are pretty deep, so you shouldn’t have to worry about stripping them unless you are a Cro-Magnon and you have to rip everything open.

The clip on this pen uses a spring loaded mechanism that is tight but with a nice feature. It seems like it is not only spring loaded but also hinged. There is a place on the top of the clip that allows you to press on the clip, thus raising the opposite end of the clip so you can slip this pen in your shirt pocket. Since this clip is spring loaded and hinged, it can open wider than most other clips. This allows you to clip the pen on to thicker materials and not worry about bending or breaking the clip.



There is a Faux Blind Cap at the end of the barrel. I never handled this pen before, so I had no clue where to fill this pen. Hey, give a brother a brake!!!! Well, instead of the section unscrewing from the barrel to fill or change a cartridge/converter. The barrel unscrews at the mid way point. This makes the section ½ of the barrel or it makes the barrel only ½ as long or it is equal in both the sections of the barrel that makes it 50/50 or, WHO THE HELL CARES!!!!!

So getting back to the subject, this pen shape kind of reminds me of the Stipula 22 (Ventidue). Both ends of this pen are semi rounded off so it is definitely not a flat top. This pen does have some interesting features that really are surprisingly appealing and convenient


Nib Design and Performance 5 out of 5

I am going to use part of my Stipula Novecento review of the nib on this review of the Stipula Duetto. If you already read the review on the Novecento and don’t like to read stuff that you have already read before then either scroll down or suck it up and read on!!! Just kidding, all hugs and kisses!!!

The nib on this particular pen is an 18kt gold two tone with a medium width to it. If you have never seen this nib then look below, It has engravings on both the left and right side of the nib that resembles straw. Here is the story on the word and meaning of Stipula, this might give you a better insight of the definition. I stolen this text from www.madeinfirenze.it

STIPULA - the meaning of the name
The name “Stipula” boasts very ancient origins. In the Latin language it literally meant “straw” or “small piece of straw”. But the actual meaning of the word is connected to the widespread use, among the ancient Romans, of stipulating an agreement by splitting a small piece of straw. For us, this name indicts a deep commitment for quality and accuracy, a special agreement made with those who hunt for excellence and indisputable quality in writing instruments.

Now that you are all enlightened and stuff the rest of the nib has the word “Stipula” in cursive. Below the Stipula text there is what looks like a diamond with “750” in gold. Below that is “18K” and last but not least is “M” for the nib being a medium. Some of the other Duetto pens are either being sold with either 18kt, 14kt or even titanium nibs at a much more of a discounted price.



Like the last Stipula nib that I reviewed, this one had the same scratchy feel to it. Nothing serious, what people call a tad toothy is what I would call too scratchy and needs some fixie fixie!!! I used my Mylar 1.5 micron and .1 micron smoothing discs to remove the tiny burrs and then I used the .1 micron disc to polish in between the tines and tipping material. This really solved the problem and now the nib practically floats across the paper with a heavy medium line. This is so reminiscent of the nib on the Novecento. This nib has a bit of spring to it and there is room for a bit of line variation while writing. This nib performs superbly and without flaw. The ink flow is solid and I filled this pen 4 times before writing this review to make sure the flow was good. It certainly was because it wrote the same from start to finish.




The Filling System 4.5 out of 5

This pen is a cartridge converter but I will not bust Stipula’s chops on a C/C filling system. As I said earlier, the pen unscrews at the center and it reveals the converter ½ in and ½ out of the barrel. This makes filling the pen extremely easy and you will not have to worry about getting your fingers and hands covered in fountain pen ink. This pen works exceptionally well in the tall 3oz Noodlers bottles. I know with some of my other pens in my collections, I never want to drop the whole section in the ink and fill it up. This was you have 100% control in filling the pen while your fingers are further away from the lip of the ink bottle.



They really did an excellent job in this design. Yes, I would love an integrated filling system but this is pretty ingenious and I am glad they did this on the Duetto.

Cost 5 out of 5

I got a kick ass deal on this pen, roughly $115.00 with shipping included. As far as I am concerned, this is a steal and also keep in mind that this pen was never dipped. Filled or used. This pen is, or well, was brand spanking new until I filled it up for the first time. I have seen other online stores sell the Stipula Duetto pens with different nibs and prices. For example Swisher Pens sells the Duetto for $165.00 but with a Titanium nib. www.theinkflow.com sells the Duetto for $199.00 with the 18kt gold nib and so does www.pencity.com but for $198.00
There seems to be an abundance of these pens on the PenTrace Green Board and they usually go for $100.00 all the way up to about $130.00 Regardless, I think this is well worth it for a really neat looking pen that performs like a champ

Conclusion

This pen really is a wonderful writer and also quite a looker too. The price is right and I think you will be very happy with this pen. The pen is well constructed, the nib is really on top and so are the little details that make this pen extremely convenient. As far as I am concerned, this is really the definition of a modern pen style but don’t let that prevent you from taking this pen for a test ride. I am sure you will like what you see and feel. I give this pen a full recommendation with 2 thumbs up!!!