Stipula Etruria Rainbow Stiflex Nib Fountain Pen Review

[@Ali4451_]

That view from your window is incredible.

[@BlakesBroadcast]

Thank you!

[@sajjadhusain4146]

Delighted to see you come back with a Stipula review, Blake. I ❤ Stipula, as you already know. And the Etruria pens remain some of my absolute favorites ever. If I were forced to pare down my collection to only the indispensable favorites, I’d only keep all my many Stipulas and Auroras. The Etruria’s all round design aesthetic, feel in hand, fit & finish,and everything else about it just suit me to the tee. Stipulas have a certain charm and romance to them that is hard to describe but I just get it. The 14k Stiflex gold nibs are, in my opinion, their best in the made-in-house nib inventory. The older, standard 14k and the 18k are definitely a little stiffer, but still great writers. The Stiflex are not really ‘flex’ nibs, per se. But they have a distinctly soft, slight bouncy, springy feel that makes them very pleasurable, very smooth writers. And you could even coax a little flex out of them if you want. Even their steel and titanium nibs are, in my experience, very good, reliable writers. The piston mechanism is somewhat stiff, certainly not sublimely smooth as Aurora’s (or Pelikan’s) but they are alright and have the SCS (self-cleaning system) that is supposed to efficiently clean the barrel as you operate the piston up and down. I’ve seen it work very well (as advertised) in my Rainbow Prism pen (V-flex) . I also have the Emerald (green) Rainbow (14k M). The reverse operation of the piston took me a while getting used to. But I actually learned to love it as another unique quirk of the Stipula pens that makes them different from the rest. One major drawback of the pens, though, is that Stipulas are really not designed to be disassembled by the user. They are just not built that way. So, if something goes wrong, as some disgruntled users have sometimes complained, you’re basically stuck and have no other option but to send it back to where you bought it from and then back to Stipula’s factory. Stipula’s customer service is notoriously slow, unpredictable and frustrating. Luckily, I have yet to experience any of that myself. It’s what I’ve heard some others often complain about it on public pen forums. None of my 12 Stipulas have caused me problems so far. But Italian pens are finicky, and all the brands have an image problem relating to customer service. Lastly, about pricing. I’m shocked to hear the price you quoted here, Blake. I have yet to hear such a figure anywhere. At any rate, I’ve bought most of my Stipulas from (or in) Italy. From novelli.it, in particular. The steel nib Etrurias(including the clear demo you have) are typically priced at 200'€. The 14k gold nib upgrade models are priced at around 450€. I have no complaints about the price. I wrote to Luca Viti of Stipula to please consider making some new pens of my other loved Stipula models like the Florentia and Novecento. I have a few of those, but would happily get more in the future. Some of the older, classic Stipulas are very desirable, but so hard to find anymore, except on the Bay, where I don’t really go to buy. And many of their celluloid and ebonite models are top drawer pens. Thanks for the review! Enjoy the Etruria. Don’t let it go. 🙂

[@sajjadhusain4146]

Forgot to add that the only Stipulas I have seen with ebonite feeds are the Florentia pens. I own four of them. And Stipula has also used sterling silver trim on many of their pens over the years. I much prefer that to the matte finish on the gold and rhodium plated metal on the others. Their irresistible celluloid pens are becoming scarcer and have become overly and unfairly pricey recently. I own three. Your Wild Honey and this clear Etruria are both the ‘Magnifica’ sized pens, which are slightly larger and thicker overall than the ‘Classic’ Etruria. There are currently some resin, c-c filling Etrurias with the gorgeous ‘Lucens’ color finish, which mimic the look of the celluloids of old at Novelli, priced under 200€. I would have bought one already. But I just bought another Stipula and a Tibaldi this month. The faceted Etrurias are essential beauties. Which one do you have? And oh, I notice you got the Optima Monviso. How did you manage that? I couldn’t find it anywhere I looked. You have my undying envy!

[@BlakesBroadcast]

I will look out for the Florentia pens. I did get the chance to try some Stipula Gallicana fountain pens, one ebonite and one celluloid but they didn't speak to me. I would love to have an Etruria in celluloid. I have the 88 Red Currant. The price on Amazon dropped to $280 and I could not say no. The threading on the caps of these pens seem to be poorly done as I returned the first to find the second no better. I got the Monviso from Japan. It's one I've wanted for quite a while. It will replace my burgundy Optima which I've had for a long time.

[@BlakesBroadcast]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment Sajjad! I agree that the Stiflex nibs are not really flex nibs. I am definitely enjoying the Stipulas I have. I'd like to add a celluloid model in the future.

[@sajjadhusain4146]

@@BlakesBroadcast I really love the Florentia. Flat-ended, oversized pens, piston & gold nib-only model that needs to be revived and released in greater numbers. Seems to be always very infrequently released, and invariably in limited runs. Sometimes, it is almost like the most limited editions you can think of. One of mine only had 7 pieces made. Another had just 3 on sale. I fortuitously loved and managed to buy both pens. I have four of the celluloid Etrurias. Very expensive (normally in the $700-$1200 range) but totally worth it (to me). I’d have bought the celluloid Gallicana if I found one cheaper than the $1000+ they are listed at nowadays. I quite like the different aesthetic, the absence of cap band etc.. You got your resin-bodied faceted Etruria at a fantastic price. Usually, they sell for about $700, which is too expensive really. But the faceted Etrurias are a certain must-have, if only just the one in the collection. I could go on, I’m just much a Stipula fanboy as I am of Aurora. I really want the Optima Monviso myself. From where exactly in Japan did you buy it from? Should I even try?

[@sajjadhusain4146]

@@BlakesBroadcast Oh, so are you going to sell the Burgundy (italic? stub nib?) pen soon? It’s one of their best standard edition auroloide Optimas. I was mightily tempted to buy the gorgeous sterling (Optima) Goldoni pen recently. Was torn for about a month before giving up because of the 1200+ euro price tag. I think I once heard you say that the Optima is probably your desert island pen, if it came to having only one or maybe two pens and nothing more than that.

[@michaelbeer1522]

Great review. I appreciate your candor. It is seen less frequently as most reviewers are not using their own hard earned cash but the retailers freebies. This pen looks interesting, but there are many other alternatives that are superior for the money, for example, Santini.

[@BlakesBroadcast]

Thank you! I agree. Around $300 I can recommend this pen but at anywhere close to retail there are better alternatives out there.

[@alexandrapirvu7945]

Thank you for this presentation! It seems a nice pen, and an inhouse made nib is always more special!

[@BlakesBroadcast]

You are welcome!

[@xerxiusmaximus]

love Stipula... my grail maker, in the early days of eBay of old (mid to late nineties)... now I own several. Great review... you definitely redeemed yourself herein since your last Stipula review...

[@sajjadhusain4146]

I wish I had discovered Stipula a lot earlier than I did. I could have bought some of the celluloid pens at 1/2 to even 1/3 the price they are at today. I also could have got a few of the older, very appealing releases from many years ago.

[@BlakesBroadcast]

Thank you!

[@DrDavidMLevy]

Or you can get THREE Pilot 823 in clear for three different inks! Thanks for the review!

[@BlakesBroadcast]

Yep, this is not a value pen, that is for sure.

[@fossilimprint2954]

The reverse threads is a deal breaker for me.

[@BlakesBroadcast]

I've come to just accept it. It's a great pen otherwise.