Pen Review: Delta Dolcevita Medium

[Jut]

This is the Delta Dolcevita Mid Size fountain pen. I have to admit that the only reason I bought this pen was as a result of a fellow member’s post on this Forum. I was immediately taken by how cool the orange colored body of the pen looked. I knew nothing of the Delta brand at the time, but I just had a feeling one was in my future.
I was able to find the pen offered for sale used by another member on the B/S/T about 3 months ago, and I jumped at the opportunity. Knowing nothing about Delta’s (other than I really liked the orange) I was a bit nervous about what I would receive. Here are my thoughts:
1. Appearance & Design (9) – I like the look of this pen. It just seems really classy to me. I like the orange and black color combination on this pen. The silver colored furniture of the pen is also a plus in my opinion. You can get pens in the Dolcevita line that have gold colored furniture, but I prefer the silver. Also, the large band on the cap is made out of sterling silver, which is a nice touch.



Cap from the top.


The back side of the cap has the Delta name, a serial number, and the Sterling Silver mark can be seen on the cap band.

2. Construction & Quality (8) – This pen is pretty well made. I bought this pen used, so I don’t know how old it really is, but I would guess that it has received a fair amount of use based on the sterling silver band on the cap. The Silver inlay on the band has been worn down a bit, which could only happen by being used a lot.
That being said, the pen is in great condition. It shows a bit of ware but nothing awful. I took a couple of points off because the clip on the cap had become loose, but it was easy to fix.

 

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1. Weight & Dimensions (10) – I like to use pens posted and unposted, depending on the situation. Either way, it is well balanced.
The pen weighs about 30 grams capped. It is about 5 ¼ inches capped and over 6 posted as you can see in the pictures. The pen has a nice girth too it as well, which I prefer.





2. Nib & Performance (10) – The medium nib on this pen is a 18k and rhodium plated. It looks great, and writes great as well. It writes smoothly and flawlessly every time without skipping or hard starts. It is not flexible by any means, but it is not a nail either. It has a little spring to it…maybe a bit more than my Lamy 2000, but a bit less than my Pilot Vanishing Point.

 

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1. Filling System & Maintenance (9) – I take away probably 3 points on this pen because it is a cartridge converter (boring). However, I gave it back 2 points because of the ease of maintenance. As you can see in the pictures, I can remove the nib and feed myself. This is easily done by grabbing the nib and feed with a cloth and pulling them both out at once. Getting the nib and feed back into the body of the pen is also a breeze because of the notch in the feed and the body of the pen. These notches match up to allow you to get the pen back together the right way every time.



Note above and below how the feed and body of the pen are notched so that they will go back together the right way every time. This makes cleaning the feed and nib a breeze.





2. Cost & Value (7) – I did not pay anywhere near retail. This pen lists on Delta’s website with a $600 MSRP. I think the street price is more around $350. I paid $150 shipped. I would buy the pen again for the price I paid. I would not pay retail or street for this pen, as I feel there are better values out there.




3. Conclusion (Final score, 53/60) – I think this is a nice pen. I would buy it again at the price I paid.

 

[syngent]

great review, and what a Nice pen. There really is nothing so familiar and easily identified as a delta Dolce vita, well except for the cheap chinese knock offs

 

[Bob L.]

Great pen, fine pictures, and a really nice write up.

 

[andrew98]

Great review! Thanks.

-Andy

 

[TAYLORPUPPY]

I love me some orange marmalade

 

[nemo]

Classy pen, very nice looking. Thanks for the review!