The Well-Appointed Desk

The Delta Virtuosa is my first experience with a Delta pen and with the Delta Fusion nib.

First, let me mention the packaging, which is not something I normally do because, honestly, I prefer the packaging to be protective and recyclable. In the case of the Delta packaging, it is protective but not particularly recyclable. However, it does speak to the designer in me. Its kind of cool looking. It has a screen printed, clear plexiglass top that has an elastic closure on one end and is hinged to pivot at the other end. Inside is a cut out in foam to hold the pen. Since the Virtuosa is such a vibrant blue, its visible through the lucite which is pretty cool. There was a paperboard slipcase as well to hold the box and paperwork but it was not as interesting. So, the packaging is pleasing and noteworthy.

Inside the box is the beautiful blue swirl resin of the pen. The color is phenomenal. All the hardware is silver. When I showed it to my husband, his one comment was that he thought the clip was kind of boring and that was the one thing I was particularly pleased about. The clip is notably understated which is rare with Delta that tends to embellish their clips. I like the clean simplicity, especially with the vibrant color. So, clearly, to each his own.

Now to get to the nitty gritty of the Fusion nib. I will try to explain it as best as I can from the documentation included. The idea is that Delta attempted fuse gold to steel (and other precious metals) to somehow get the best properties of the metals. As best as I can tell, putting gold on TOP of a steel nib just gives you essentially a glorified gold-plated steel nib. That said, the nib is super smooth and writes well, even for an upside-down, left-handed writer.

The cap posts easily and since the pen is resin, it is a relatively light pen overall. I preferred using it unposted but posted and filled, it only weighed 22gms making it similar to a Lamy AL-Star in regards to weight.

I don’t normally use a medium nib because of my teeny, tiny handwriting and the Delta Fusion nib is quite a wet writer overall but it writes very smoothly and I could write from any angle with no issues which is a huge plus. It also needed very little pressure to write and showed off the shading of the Robert Oster ink beautifully.

I also tested the pen on some standard office copy paper (20# bond and Moleskine Cahier) just to  see how much a big juicy medium nib would feather and bleed. Obviously, my ink choice may play a role in how much feathering and bleed I get, YMMV. As you can see, the Moleskine had some feathering and the office paper softened the lines a bit but it wasn’t horrible. There was a bit of showthrough on the back of the Moleskine but the copy paper was fine. I’d recommend a drier ink if you wee to use this as your daily pen though.

Overall, the Delta Virtuosa is a beautiful pen and was a great introduction into the Delta product line. They  definitely make a quality pen and work hard to create unique and interesting designs.

Pen Chalet still has some of the Delta Virtuosa in stock in the Light and Dark Ivory with steel nibs and the Light Ivory with the Fusion nib at a substantial discount. Or check out the full range of Delta fountain pens that Pen Chalet offers, some are available with the Fusion nib.

For an in-depth review and more details about the Fusion nib, check out The Pen Habit’s video review of the Delta Fusion 82.

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DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Pen Chalet for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The Namisu Nova Titanium Deluxe is my first experience with a titanium fountain pen and a titanium nib. The overall shape and feel of the pen is a smooth machined cigar shape. It’s very space-aged. There is no clip so it will roll off the table at a moment’s notice. This is definitely a pen that might need a pen sleeve to keep it protected from potential tumbles.

The nib is also titanium, as I mentioned, in medium. Its a Bock nib. The titanuim give the nib a very matte look. The pen is a standard converter and/or cartridge filler so it allows for easy filling.

The pen does not seem particularly large or heavy until I started measuring it and weighing it. Lengthwise, its comparable to a Lamy Safari at 5.5″ capped. Uncapped and unposted, it was a hair shorted than a Safari at 5.125″. The Nova does post but it becomes extremely heavy at 52 gms but is a 6.25″, about a 0.25″ shorter than a posted Safari.

See what I mean? 52gms is a seriously heavy pen! Unposted at 36gms, the pen was well-weighted and pretty comfortable overall though I suspect an aluminum model might be lighter.

In writing, I discovered that the Nova with a titanium nib has a little bit of softness but also a little bit of feedback and squeak. It was like there was a little hamster in a cage living inside the pen for me, running on its wheel while I was writing. I don’t know if this was just me or if others have had this experience but by the time I’d written a few pages, I was ready to switch to a pen that had less back talk. I suspect I’d get less “small pet” noises with a standard, steel nib as I’ve had experience with Bock nibs in other pens. The flexibility had some appeal but I couldn’t get past the squeak.

Overall, I really like the look of the pen. The sleek, modern look is very appealing and I loved having a chance to try a titanuim nib though I wish my experience had been better overall. Squeaky but flexy.

You can pre-order a sandblasted version of the titanium design now or purchase the Orion (the same shape with bands engraved out around the center of the pen) in aluminum or titanium with prices starting at £70 with a steel nib. There is also a stonewashed titanium Orion for £60. All versions are available directly from Namisu.

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Special thanks to Kasey for loaning me the pen, my own personal enabler. Safe travels and thanks for keeping us safe.