DrChumley
February 15th, 2014, 11:48 PM
So, I have mentioned (ad nauseaum) that I recently won the Fahrney's Pens giveaway for National Handwriting Day, and last week, the prize pen, a Stipula Etruria Rainbow Limited Edition in Green, with a lovely 14K nib, arrived at my house. (I have to say, with as much pen stuff that gets shipped to me, I'm becoming an expert in parcel opening.)
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The pictures I've seen online of this pen just didn't do it for me, and I would have passed it over, because I thought they all looked a little "Skittle-colored" and cheap. However, in person, (and away from the other colors), this green acrylic is just lovely. It's a beautiful, glossy finish.
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It's also a massive pen. It's almost identical in size to the MB 149. However, the big difference for me is that where the MB149 has a section that is nearly 13mm in diameter and is perfectly cylindrical, the section of the Etruria is beautifully tapered, and is only about 10.5mm, allowing for a much more comfortable grip. I like bigger pens, but my complaint with the MB149 has always been that the section has always felt just a little too wide for me, and not at all ergonomic.
10009
The nib of the pen, however, was problematic. My pen came with the 14K nib in medium, rather than the more common "T-Flex" nib. It was as smooth as could be...too much so. It had the dreaded baby's bottom problem. I can honestly say that I have never had more issues with hard starts and skipping than I did with this nib. It was maddening. So, out came the sandpaper, micromesh, and lapping sheets, and I got to work on the nib. Once I sanded off that baby's bottom, the nib was a fantastic writer, and I haven't had problem #1 with it since. And despite my sanding, it's still quite smooth. I think this is just another case of the manufacturer getting a little over-zealous in smoothing their nibs and creating problems for the writer.
I also, interestingly, found that the sweet spot on this nib was pretty small, but that too was fixed with a bit of adjustment. Now I love the way it writes.
It is, I should note, just a bit on the dry side of a medium ink flow, but a bit of pressure on the nib really has a great impact on the flow, making it a very fun pen to use with a highly-shading ink (like MB da Vinci Red Chalk, which is what I have it inked up with now.)
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All in all, I'm really digging this pen so far. I'm not usually a huge fan of demonstrators, but this one is pretty darn nice. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it surplants my MB149 in my top 5 or top 10 in the next few weeks as I continue getting to know the pen.
A video review and more pictures can be found here (http://penhabit.com/2014/02/16/pen-review-stipula-etruria-rainbow-le/).
10012
The pictures I've seen online of this pen just didn't do it for me, and I would have passed it over, because I thought they all looked a little "Skittle-colored" and cheap. However, in person, (and away from the other colors), this green acrylic is just lovely. It's a beautiful, glossy finish.
10008
It's also a massive pen. It's almost identical in size to the MB 149. However, the big difference for me is that where the MB149 has a section that is nearly 13mm in diameter and is perfectly cylindrical, the section of the Etruria is beautifully tapered, and is only about 10.5mm, allowing for a much more comfortable grip. I like bigger pens, but my complaint with the MB149 has always been that the section has always felt just a little too wide for me, and not at all ergonomic.
10009
The nib of the pen, however, was problematic. My pen came with the 14K nib in medium, rather than the more common "T-Flex" nib. It was as smooth as could be...too much so. It had the dreaded baby's bottom problem. I can honestly say that I have never had more issues with hard starts and skipping than I did with this nib. It was maddening. So, out came the sandpaper, micromesh, and lapping sheets, and I got to work on the nib. Once I sanded off that baby's bottom, the nib was a fantastic writer, and I haven't had problem #1 with it since. And despite my sanding, it's still quite smooth. I think this is just another case of the manufacturer getting a little over-zealous in smoothing their nibs and creating problems for the writer.
I also, interestingly, found that the sweet spot on this nib was pretty small, but that too was fixed with a bit of adjustment. Now I love the way it writes.
It is, I should note, just a bit on the dry side of a medium ink flow, but a bit of pressure on the nib really has a great impact on the flow, making it a very fun pen to use with a highly-shading ink (like MB da Vinci Red Chalk, which is what I have it inked up with now.)
10010
10011
All in all, I'm really digging this pen so far. I'm not usually a huge fan of demonstrators, but this one is pretty darn nice. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it surplants my MB149 in my top 5 or top 10 in the next few weeks as I continue getting to know the pen.
A video review and more pictures can be found here (http://penhabit.com/2014/02/16/pen-review-stipula-etruria-rainbow-le/).