Short version: If you like flex and customizability from a fairly inexpensive pen, and you don't mind tinkering, you might joy this pen. If you don't like ink on you fingers, nib swapping, or anything beyond minimal cleaning maintenance, you might prefer something else.
My review of the Desiderata "Daedalus" Pen. link
Ordering:
I ordered this pen on the day after Christmas. I went through Pierre's Etsy store. It was $50 plus shipping, and the process was easy. Delivery was expected in early February. I later got an email from Pierre. He explained that there were delays with tooling. This added a few weeks. It wasn't a big deal. As a small batch item, it's to be expected. But this didn't stop me from refreshing that page from time to time.
First impression:
The pen arrived in a USPS priority mail box. It was wrapped in clean packing paper, fully assembled and apparently ready to go. No manuals or paperwork. No special box. Just the pen, and a small piece of rubber presumably to serve as a grip aid for disassembly.
I gave it an inspection. The material is nice. It's a warm matte black, with a nice balance. It's not dainty. It's a light pen, but it doesn't feel cheap. I prefer light pens, so this is good. The cap screws on very securely, with perhaps a few more turns than you'd expect. The cap will post without throwing off the balance too much. I don't typically post caps, so that's no big deal. It's a clipless pen, likely simplifying the manufacture. However, it does have a unique roll-stopper on the cap. It's nice. The traditionalist in me might prefer a clip on a future version, but it's not a deal breaker. The feed is obviously hand cut. It's a tad asymmetric. I like it. It's a signature of being man made.
I heard about previous versions shipping in kit form. It was nice to see this arrive apparently ink-ready. Still, without any note, paperwork, anything.... I was a tad unsure.
I ordered mine with the Zebra G nib. If you're unfamiliar with this nib, it's somewhat of a workhorse in the dip pen crowd. While not the most popular, it has a strong following. After a bit of googling, I had a fairly good dossier on this nib, citing many characteristics that make it near perfect for this application. It's chrome plated (won't rust too fast), cheap (spring it or break it and you're out $2), newbie friendly (smooth for a dip pen, but don't expect Pilot smooth), not so soft it's hard to control, a broad flex range, and it delivers nice fines. The length of the nib might be intimidating to those from the FP space, but you'll adapt quickly. It also looks pretty cool.
It's also an eyedrop filler of sorts. There is a sack, but no lever. You'll need a pretty deep inkwell, or a syringe. I'm sure you could ditch the sack and load the barrel for an massive ink volume.
Write test:
It refused to flow. I could see ink in the breather hole, and the slit, but nothing hit the page. It seemed to have that ink-proof look of a brand new dip nib. (Dip nibs come waxed, to help shelf life). My gut reaction was to pull the nib and feed. I attempted, but realizing that it's seated *really* tight, I gave up. Instead, I took a dab of toothpaste and did the best prep I could manage, very lightly. Wax or finger oils, I don't know what was the culprit, but that fixed it.
Wow. This thing is fun. A tad scratchy, but it's not tipped, so that's not a surprise. On something this flexible, a little feedback is appreciated. A light touch produces faint fines, as crisp as a Japanese nib. Wide-open, it's a gusher. This feed has no problems keeping up. I can't make it railroad. It actually puddles a bit. You'd better lay in some good paper, because this will destroy the office supply closet, lowest bidder, junk paper. And, don't expect that big ink capacity to last. With this feed, you're going to lie down some volume. Expect long dry times.
I have only passing experience with dip pens, but I've had Noodlers and a few vintage flexy FPs in my desk. This is far closer to the latter. As a real dip nib, it's very responsive, with a range beyond anything a Creeper can provide. I've not used any of the big Watermans, but I have played with some soft #2s, and a Conklin Toledo. The Desiderta & Zebra G combination has a more responsive 'paint brush' feel, with finer fines. My all time favorite vintage flex is a Aikin Lambert #3. It has more snap, but the G has more range.
This wouldn't replace a dip pen. There are still more ink choices for that crowd (white, metallic, etc), but you don't need to clean the nib every third line, as you would with a dip pen.
It's not a vintage flex either. Once tuned a vintage flexy is generally maintenance free. (Aside from occasional cleaning) That's not the case here, as plainly stated in the manual and website.
There is a small range of other nibs that will fit this section. This includes a titanium version that claims longer life with the same/similar performance. Web lore suggests I can get a few weeks, perhaps more, before the stock G craps out. (More on that later.) Pierre suggests pulling the nib from the pen and storing it dry to prolong nib life, but I hear many people don't do that. I don't know if rust in the feed/section/rear nib might eventually ruin the pen of it is stored wet for an extended period.
I'm about 10 days into this experiment. Ive tried a range of inks, including Diamine Chocolate, Aurora Black, Shin-Ryoku, Diamine Oxblood, and Pelikin Brown. They all did fine. Initially, the feed-section seam leaked just a tad. I had very green fingers for a day. This threat was noted as a possibility in the online manual. I reseated the feed/nib as suggested, noting the depth in mm. I didn't press it quite as deep this time. That cured the leak. It appears 26mm is the magic setting for this pen.
On a smooth paper, with a light hand, I can still write out some quick notes when necessary. A drag nib is smooth enough, and it's not prohibitively noodley.
It seems to dump so much ink when flexed, that you'll have to write fairly quickly. Go slowly, and a richly shading ink doesn't quite do its magic. Again, I've not done too many nib adjustments yet. This might be a characteristic of the nib placement setup I'm running. I have not played with that aspect yet. I'll surely explore more inks.
It takes a moment to start writing, especially if stored upright. Often I find a spot of dried ink on the underside of the nib, impeding flow. It's not always a grab-n-go pen.
The nib lifetime is a minor disappointment. After 4 days of playing around with an admittedly heavy hand, it became very scratchy, catching on virtually any upstroke that wasn't exceedingly delicate. I'm not dip nib practiced. A pro could do better, no doubt. But still... Four days seems quick. Perhaps practice, smoother paper, and lubricated inks would help. I'll be ordering more nibs, and maybe the titanium version too.
Twice I emailed Pierre with questions. Each time is repainted within hours, and was very helpful. You can tell he's passionate about his product. Customer service was superb.
Conclusions:
My daily driver is a Waterman Commando, with a moderately flexy fine #2 nib. That'll probably remain the case. The Waterman is a workhorse of a pen. However, this will likely become my favorite 'fun' pen. It fits nicely in the middle ground between dip and vintage flex. It sorta competes with Noodlers, but with very different features. Without the bankroll for a custom ground 912, the price point works for me. If the Ti nibs last longer, I'd be even happier. (I'll be ordering the titanium Zebra G's soon).
My knowledge is limited, and I surely omitted a few things. All errors are mine. I paid retail, and I've not offered this review to Pierre for his concurrence prior to posting here. I hope you found these ramblings useful. Comments and questions are welcome. Perhaps I'll do an update once I've put more miles on the pen.
My review of the Desiderata "Daedalus" Pen. link
Ordering:
I ordered this pen on the day after Christmas. I went through Pierre's Etsy store. It was $50 plus shipping, and the process was easy. Delivery was expected in early February. I later got an email from Pierre. He explained that there were delays with tooling. This added a few weeks. It wasn't a big deal. As a small batch item, it's to be expected. But this didn't stop me from refreshing that page from time to time.
First impression:
The pen arrived in a USPS priority mail box. It was wrapped in clean packing paper, fully assembled and apparently ready to go. No manuals or paperwork. No special box. Just the pen, and a small piece of rubber presumably to serve as a grip aid for disassembly.
I gave it an inspection. The material is nice. It's a warm matte black, with a nice balance. It's not dainty. It's a light pen, but it doesn't feel cheap. I prefer light pens, so this is good. The cap screws on very securely, with perhaps a few more turns than you'd expect. The cap will post without throwing off the balance too much. I don't typically post caps, so that's no big deal. It's a clipless pen, likely simplifying the manufacture. However, it does have a unique roll-stopper on the cap. It's nice. The traditionalist in me might prefer a clip on a future version, but it's not a deal breaker. The feed is obviously hand cut. It's a tad asymmetric. I like it. It's a signature of being man made.
I heard about previous versions shipping in kit form. It was nice to see this arrive apparently ink-ready. Still, without any note, paperwork, anything.... I was a tad unsure.
I ordered mine with the Zebra G nib. If you're unfamiliar with this nib, it's somewhat of a workhorse in the dip pen crowd. While not the most popular, it has a strong following. After a bit of googling, I had a fairly good dossier on this nib, citing many characteristics that make it near perfect for this application. It's chrome plated (won't rust too fast), cheap (spring it or break it and you're out $2), newbie friendly (smooth for a dip pen, but don't expect Pilot smooth), not so soft it's hard to control, a broad flex range, and it delivers nice fines. The length of the nib might be intimidating to those from the FP space, but you'll adapt quickly. It also looks pretty cool.
It's also an eyedrop filler of sorts. There is a sack, but no lever. You'll need a pretty deep inkwell, or a syringe. I'm sure you could ditch the sack and load the barrel for an massive ink volume.
Write test:
It refused to flow. I could see ink in the breather hole, and the slit, but nothing hit the page. It seemed to have that ink-proof look of a brand new dip nib. (Dip nibs come waxed, to help shelf life). My gut reaction was to pull the nib and feed. I attempted, but realizing that it's seated *really* tight, I gave up. Instead, I took a dab of toothpaste and did the best prep I could manage, very lightly. Wax or finger oils, I don't know what was the culprit, but that fixed it.
Wow. This thing is fun. A tad scratchy, but it's not tipped, so that's not a surprise. On something this flexible, a little feedback is appreciated. A light touch produces faint fines, as crisp as a Japanese nib. Wide-open, it's a gusher. This feed has no problems keeping up. I can't make it railroad. It actually puddles a bit. You'd better lay in some good paper, because this will destroy the office supply closet, lowest bidder, junk paper. And, don't expect that big ink capacity to last. With this feed, you're going to lie down some volume. Expect long dry times.
I have only passing experience with dip pens, but I've had Noodlers and a few vintage flexy FPs in my desk. This is far closer to the latter. As a real dip nib, it's very responsive, with a range beyond anything a Creeper can provide. I've not used any of the big Watermans, but I have played with some soft #2s, and a Conklin Toledo. The Desiderta & Zebra G combination has a more responsive 'paint brush' feel, with finer fines. My all time favorite vintage flex is a Aikin Lambert #3. It has more snap, but the G has more range.
This wouldn't replace a dip pen. There are still more ink choices for that crowd (white, metallic, etc), but you don't need to clean the nib every third line, as you would with a dip pen.
It's not a vintage flex either. Once tuned a vintage flexy is generally maintenance free. (Aside from occasional cleaning) That's not the case here, as plainly stated in the manual and website.
There is a small range of other nibs that will fit this section. This includes a titanium version that claims longer life with the same/similar performance. Web lore suggests I can get a few weeks, perhaps more, before the stock G craps out. (More on that later.) Pierre suggests pulling the nib from the pen and storing it dry to prolong nib life, but I hear many people don't do that. I don't know if rust in the feed/section/rear nib might eventually ruin the pen of it is stored wet for an extended period.
I'm about 10 days into this experiment. Ive tried a range of inks, including Diamine Chocolate, Aurora Black, Shin-Ryoku, Diamine Oxblood, and Pelikin Brown. They all did fine. Initially, the feed-section seam leaked just a tad. I had very green fingers for a day. This threat was noted as a possibility in the online manual. I reseated the feed/nib as suggested, noting the depth in mm. I didn't press it quite as deep this time. That cured the leak. It appears 26mm is the magic setting for this pen.
On a smooth paper, with a light hand, I can still write out some quick notes when necessary. A drag nib is smooth enough, and it's not prohibitively noodley.
It seems to dump so much ink when flexed, that you'll have to write fairly quickly. Go slowly, and a richly shading ink doesn't quite do its magic. Again, I've not done too many nib adjustments yet. This might be a characteristic of the nib placement setup I'm running. I have not played with that aspect yet. I'll surely explore more inks.
It takes a moment to start writing, especially if stored upright. Often I find a spot of dried ink on the underside of the nib, impeding flow. It's not always a grab-n-go pen.
The nib lifetime is a minor disappointment. After 4 days of playing around with an admittedly heavy hand, it became very scratchy, catching on virtually any upstroke that wasn't exceedingly delicate. I'm not dip nib practiced. A pro could do better, no doubt. But still... Four days seems quick. Perhaps practice, smoother paper, and lubricated inks would help. I'll be ordering more nibs, and maybe the titanium version too.
Twice I emailed Pierre with questions. Each time is repainted within hours, and was very helpful. You can tell he's passionate about his product. Customer service was superb.
Conclusions:
My daily driver is a Waterman Commando, with a moderately flexy fine #2 nib. That'll probably remain the case. The Waterman is a workhorse of a pen. However, this will likely become my favorite 'fun' pen. It fits nicely in the middle ground between dip and vintage flex. It sorta competes with Noodlers, but with very different features. Without the bankroll for a custom ground 912, the price point works for me. If the Ti nibs last longer, I'd be even happier. (I'll be ordering the titanium Zebra G's soon).
My knowledge is limited, and I surely omitted a few things. All errors are mine. I paid retail, and I've not offered this review to Pierre for his concurrence prior to posting here. I hope you found these ramblings useful. Comments and questions are welcome. Perhaps I'll do an update once I've put more miles on the pen.
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