Pen Review: Danitrio Cum Laude
The Danitrio Cum Laude (often spelled Cumlaude… not sure which is correct) is a discontinued pen that was designed to be an affordable option for those who desire to own a nice pen, including students. The original $200 price tag doesn’t put that in “student pen” territory, as far as I’m concerned, but at $75 new in the box, many folks can justify owning one of these pens.
Danitrio now focuses on producing extremely high end (several thousands of dollars per pen) Japanese made urushi and maki-e ebonite pens and has discontinued all their less expensive lines of production pens. I’m not sure where the Cum Laude was made, and it comes in a standard cardboard presentation box.
Appearance and Design
The Cum Laude is available in brown and grayish blue celluloid with a black grip section, and it was originally offered with Fine, Medium, and Broad nib options. This pen is an oversized cigar shape. The nib, clip, and cap band are gold plated (at least gold colored), and the clip, marked DANITRIO, is quite stiff. The band is solid and unmarked. I never carry pens in a shirt pocket, but this clip will definitely keep the pen in place if you do. I like this pen’s simple, classic design. It is a large, sophisticated looking pen with a vintage, timeless design. A smaller diameter version of this pen exists, but they have long since sold out, as far as I know, and are only available on the used pen market. That model is actually somewhat rare.
Construction and Quality
These pens were made with two design differences. On my brown pen, the barrel screws onto a threaded metal insert that protrudes from the grip section. On the blue pen, the barrel threads onto the threaded one-piece (plastic?) grip section. I knew both designs existed, but I didn’t know which I would end up with. I’m sure both will be fine, as the threads are very nicely machined. Everything screws together securely, including the cap. My only minor complaint is that the barrel screws into the section so securely on the brown pen, that I had a little trouble unscrewing it later. It really locks together if you’re not careful. It will likely loosen up in the future, and for now, I just back the barrel off a touch after I assemble the pen.
The barrel is very thick celluloid, and it’s possible to eyedropper the blue pen. If you intend to eyedropper this pen, ask whoever sells you one to make sure it doesn’t have the metal part in the grip. You need the all plastic(?)/celluloid version if you want to use it as an eyedropper. Also, this is modern cellulose acetate, not vintage cellulose nitrate, so it should be easy to care for. I don’t know if ink will stain the barrel if the pen is eyedroppered, and I don’t intend to find out. I don’t want to risk altering the pen’s gorgeous, somewhat translucent character.
The cap has thinner walls, and this pen is quite lightweight, especially for its size. The celluloid is warm and tactile. If you run your finger down the barrel, you can feel the material grab your skin. It’s difficult to explain, but it’s very different from acrylic. There’s also a depth to the material that just isn’t captured well in photos. I’ve caught myself turning the pen and just staring into the material. The brown pen is composed of somewhat shimmery tortoiseshell colors, and the grayish blue pen is pearlescent shades of blue resembling “cracked ice” acrylic patterns. These pens were turned from solid rod stock, so you won’t find any seams or any other cheap looking manufacturing remnants.
The nib is gold plated steel, and it’s marked “Iridium Point Germany,” which isn’t exciting, but I’ve read online that it’s either a JoWo or Bock nib. Perhaps someone will be able to clarify which nib this is. I’ll explain below why I couldn’t care less who manufactured this nib.
Overall, construction doesn’t get much better than this. The materials and build quality are, to my eyes anyway, outstanding, especially for the money. I would have happily paid $150 or more for one of these pens, and I can think of no other pen in the sub-$100 price range that rivals the Cum Laude.
Nib Performance
This nib reaffirms my belief that some stainless steel nibs are just as nice as a lot of gold nibs that are out there. It’s often not worth the jump in price to get a gold nib, in my opinion. This medium nib lays down a wet line that’s just a little narrower than my Waterman Laureat’s medium nib and a little broader than my Pelikan M215’s medium nib. It’s a very smooth writer with a faint hint of feedback. In fact, it’s as smooth as my Laureat’s nib, which is perhaps the smoothest nib I own. I get some pleasant feedback from my M215, but if you’re looking for a smooth nib, I would say the Danitrio has the Pelikan handily beat. This really is a wonderful nib. It’s every bit as nice as my Franklin-Christoph Model 02’s medium nib. (I seem to have a lot of medium nibs around here.) I will likely have one of these nibs ground to an italic or stub at some point.
Weight and Dimensions
This is a somewhat lightweight pen, especially considering its size. To me, that helps make it a comfortable writer. I have also been looking for a large pen with a wide grip section. This certainly fits the bill. I can see why these wide bodied pens are so comfortable to write with now. The cap is postable, but I don’t post the caps on my pens.
Total weight: 27g (1.0 oz.)
Weight uncapped: 17g (0.60 oz.)
Length capped: 149mm (5.875inches)
Body including section (not nib): 110mm (4.312 inches)
Diameter of body (widest point): 14.3mm (0.563 inch)
Diameter of grip section (mid point): 12.7mm (0.500 inch)
Filling System and Maintenance
The Cum Laude comes with a converter included in the box. The converter is an international standard twist converter. It works fine and is higher quality than some other similar converters I’ve run across.
Cleaning the pen should be straightforward, as the nib and feed are friction fit and can be removed if need be. You can also fit the end of the bulb syringe in the back of the section to flush it well. The converter can also be used to flush the pen by moving clean water in and out of the pen with the converter (tedious).
Cost and Value
The Cumlaude retailed for $200 new, but you can find them now for $75 on your favorite online auction website. I feel this pen represents excellent value at $75, but fine and broad nib options may not be available. Both my pens are medium because that’s all the seller I purchased from had left.
Conclusion
Get at least one before they’re gone. I’m fairly certain you won’t regret the purchase. I’m sure they’ll pop up from time to time used in the future, but now is a good chance to snag a new old stock version. It’s an excellent pen with which I can find no fault. YMMV (but I doubt it)
The Danitrio Cum Laude (often spelled Cumlaude… not sure which is correct) is a discontinued pen that was designed to be an affordable option for those who desire to own a nice pen, including students. The original $200 price tag doesn’t put that in “student pen” territory, as far as I’m concerned, but at $75 new in the box, many folks can justify owning one of these pens.
Danitrio now focuses on producing extremely high end (several thousands of dollars per pen) Japanese made urushi and maki-e ebonite pens and has discontinued all their less expensive lines of production pens. I’m not sure where the Cum Laude was made, and it comes in a standard cardboard presentation box.
Appearance and Design
The Cum Laude is available in brown and grayish blue celluloid with a black grip section, and it was originally offered with Fine, Medium, and Broad nib options. This pen is an oversized cigar shape. The nib, clip, and cap band are gold plated (at least gold colored), and the clip, marked DANITRIO, is quite stiff. The band is solid and unmarked. I never carry pens in a shirt pocket, but this clip will definitely keep the pen in place if you do. I like this pen’s simple, classic design. It is a large, sophisticated looking pen with a vintage, timeless design. A smaller diameter version of this pen exists, but they have long since sold out, as far as I know, and are only available on the used pen market. That model is actually somewhat rare.
Construction and Quality
These pens were made with two design differences. On my brown pen, the barrel screws onto a threaded metal insert that protrudes from the grip section. On the blue pen, the barrel threads onto the threaded one-piece (plastic?) grip section. I knew both designs existed, but I didn’t know which I would end up with. I’m sure both will be fine, as the threads are very nicely machined. Everything screws together securely, including the cap. My only minor complaint is that the barrel screws into the section so securely on the brown pen, that I had a little trouble unscrewing it later. It really locks together if you’re not careful. It will likely loosen up in the future, and for now, I just back the barrel off a touch after I assemble the pen.
The barrel is very thick celluloid, and it’s possible to eyedropper the blue pen. If you intend to eyedropper this pen, ask whoever sells you one to make sure it doesn’t have the metal part in the grip. You need the all plastic(?)/celluloid version if you want to use it as an eyedropper. Also, this is modern cellulose acetate, not vintage cellulose nitrate, so it should be easy to care for. I don’t know if ink will stain the barrel if the pen is eyedroppered, and I don’t intend to find out. I don’t want to risk altering the pen’s gorgeous, somewhat translucent character.
The cap has thinner walls, and this pen is quite lightweight, especially for its size. The celluloid is warm and tactile. If you run your finger down the barrel, you can feel the material grab your skin. It’s difficult to explain, but it’s very different from acrylic. There’s also a depth to the material that just isn’t captured well in photos. I’ve caught myself turning the pen and just staring into the material. The brown pen is composed of somewhat shimmery tortoiseshell colors, and the grayish blue pen is pearlescent shades of blue resembling “cracked ice” acrylic patterns. These pens were turned from solid rod stock, so you won’t find any seams or any other cheap looking manufacturing remnants.
The nib is gold plated steel, and it’s marked “Iridium Point Germany,” which isn’t exciting, but I’ve read online that it’s either a JoWo or Bock nib. Perhaps someone will be able to clarify which nib this is. I’ll explain below why I couldn’t care less who manufactured this nib.
Overall, construction doesn’t get much better than this. The materials and build quality are, to my eyes anyway, outstanding, especially for the money. I would have happily paid $150 or more for one of these pens, and I can think of no other pen in the sub-$100 price range that rivals the Cum Laude.
Nib Performance
This nib reaffirms my belief that some stainless steel nibs are just as nice as a lot of gold nibs that are out there. It’s often not worth the jump in price to get a gold nib, in my opinion. This medium nib lays down a wet line that’s just a little narrower than my Waterman Laureat’s medium nib and a little broader than my Pelikan M215’s medium nib. It’s a very smooth writer with a faint hint of feedback. In fact, it’s as smooth as my Laureat’s nib, which is perhaps the smoothest nib I own. I get some pleasant feedback from my M215, but if you’re looking for a smooth nib, I would say the Danitrio has the Pelikan handily beat. This really is a wonderful nib. It’s every bit as nice as my Franklin-Christoph Model 02’s medium nib. (I seem to have a lot of medium nibs around here.) I will likely have one of these nibs ground to an italic or stub at some point.
Weight and Dimensions
This is a somewhat lightweight pen, especially considering its size. To me, that helps make it a comfortable writer. I have also been looking for a large pen with a wide grip section. This certainly fits the bill. I can see why these wide bodied pens are so comfortable to write with now. The cap is postable, but I don’t post the caps on my pens.
Total weight: 27g (1.0 oz.)
Weight uncapped: 17g (0.60 oz.)
Length capped: 149mm (5.875inches)
Body including section (not nib): 110mm (4.312 inches)
Diameter of body (widest point): 14.3mm (0.563 inch)
Diameter of grip section (mid point): 12.7mm (0.500 inch)
Filling System and Maintenance
The Cum Laude comes with a converter included in the box. The converter is an international standard twist converter. It works fine and is higher quality than some other similar converters I’ve run across.
Cleaning the pen should be straightforward, as the nib and feed are friction fit and can be removed if need be. You can also fit the end of the bulb syringe in the back of the section to flush it well. The converter can also be used to flush the pen by moving clean water in and out of the pen with the converter (tedious).
Cost and Value
The Cumlaude retailed for $200 new, but you can find them now for $75 on your favorite online auction website. I feel this pen represents excellent value at $75, but fine and broad nib options may not be available. Both my pens are medium because that’s all the seller I purchased from had left.
Conclusion
Get at least one before they’re gone. I’m fairly certain you won’t regret the purchase. I’m sure they’ll pop up from time to time used in the future, but now is a good chance to snag a new old stock version. It’s an excellent pen with which I can find no fault. YMMV (but I doubt it)
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I'm going to the Baltimore Pen Show tomorrow and you may have just screwed up my pen purchasing plans for March! 
Good. I think you'll like them. Check out Pelikan, Lamy, and Diamine inks. You can order samples at Goulet Pen Co. That's the best way to try a lot of ink without committing to a bottle before you figure out what you like.
