Delta Serena Review
As always, the full set of pictures can be seen on my blog.
Delta Serena by IvanRomero, on Flickr
Delta Serena – Medium Nib
Diamine Blue Black
I first heard of the Delta Serena when it was announced by Brian of the Goulet Pen Company. I did not think I would get the pen when I first saw it. After a closer look at the titanium brushed finished hardware and nib, I decided to put it on my “maybe someday” list. Some time later, Goulet Pens had some listed in the outlet section so, I decided to buy.
Besides the titanium brushed look, the blue acrylic has a deep blue/indigo color that my camera does not capture properly. It is very pleasing in person. The cap has a nice brushed titanium coated band, clip and a small Delta logo finial embossed on it. This was something I was not expecting on this lower end pen. The cap band has “Delta” and “Italy” engraved on it. The clip has a tight feel to it. The bead on the end of the clip is supposed to help the pen clip on to a shirt pocket easier but I found I still had to pull the clip open slightly to get it to fit in my pocket. Getting it in and out of my 12 pen case was a chore. It gripped the elastic loops very tight.
The nib has a very interesting and intricate engraving all across it that looks like a clover or a stylized fleur-de-lis pattern. You also have a Delta logo engraved on the nib. The section presents us with a bit more of that great looking brushed titanium coating. with a slight flare on the base of the section so your fingers don’t slip while writing. The barrel threads sit just above the section and there is a slight step up to the barrel. Neither bother my fingers while writing.
The pen is not overly big but not small either. I can use the pen without posting the cap, as is my preference. The cap does post securely and does not affect the overall balance of the pen. Using my caliper, the dimensions of the Serena are:
Capped: 132 mm
Un-capped: 119 mm
Posted: 155 mm
Barrel section at thinnest point: 11 mm
Barrel at widest point: 13 mm
This is the first pen I own with a titanium coated nib. I had zero expectations on nib performance other than it should write without skipping. This is where things went a bit south. On first ink, the pen would not write. :/ I did not understand why not. I could see the ink on the end of the nib slit but for some reason it would not travel to the tip. I “squeezed” a few drops of ink out of the converter. It started to write a few words then stop. I looked at the nib under magnification and noticed the nib slit is off-center in relation to the nib tipping. Something I have only run into one other time and it was a cheap Chinese pen. :/ Yes, my pen suffers from the dreaded baby’s bottom. I did some minor tine adjustments and it alleviated the issue a bit but it does suffer somewhat of start-up issues if left more than a couple of days. The nib also has a scratch on the left-to-right horizontal motion indicating an issue with the left inner tine. All are issues U can solve myself but a beginner would probably not be happy. As for flex, this is a steel nib, okay, okay, a titanium coated steel nib. It is not meant to flex but it is quite springy. A lot more springy than a large majority of the steel nibs I have used. Not the most springy I have used, mind you.
The Pen uses a cartridge converter that has had a little bit trimmed off the end. A regular Delta converter does not fit unless it has been trimmed. The end looks like it was cut by hand with an Exact-o knife. Not quite sure how much money Delta saved by making the barrel just a few millimeters shorter. It does not make sense to me but okay.
The flow is on the wet side and I do notice a slight stub quality to my writing that is pleasing. I like the pen but it is going to need some nib work. If you want one, I would suggest making sure you get it from a dealer with a good return policy or be prepared to possibly have the nib worked on. Then again, it may just be my pen, I have another Delta and it has none of the issues this one does.
Thank you for reading!
Ivan
The Fountain Pen Sith Lord
The handwritten portion is on my blog.
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Originally Posted by Bogon07
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