Stipula Splash

[bfg]

I am a little pressed for time so I can't do a full scale review but i wanted to issue a caution to those who might, as i did, fall victim to the promise of a flex nib on an inexpensive Italian pen. The Splash is inexpensive for a good reason. it feels rather cheaply made and the feed simply cannot keep up with actually flexing. It is a small pen; right around 5 inches. It is extremely light and the resin feels thin. I find that it resembles inexpensive fps of the 30s and 40s - functional but not refined. I could live with that it is functioned well. It is a true piston filler and it does hold a lot of ink, I have to give it that. It's main sales point though, is the promise of flex. I found the nib scratchy, but that isn't unusual in modern flex pens. The main problem is that for a true flex nib to work it needs a really juicy feed. Otherwise you get what I found with the Splash, a lot of railroading and going dry. It writes reasonably acceptably without pressure except for the scratchiness, but you really can't do flex writing with it. It is interesting to me that another modern flex pen, the Marlen Aleph, got an online review that found similar problems with the nib. Perhaps the making of a true flex nib and feed is a lost art or too expensive for modern makers.

 

The Splash can be had at around $70 but there are lots of better pens in that price range and below. So, as I one who fell for the promise of flex and now has a bit of buyer's remorse, I feel I should offer this warning: if you want a true flex pen the Stipula Splash is not the one.

 

[Mr.Rene]

I am waiting mine..It´s in mail... from Goulet pen shop...

[ArchiMark]

Sorry to hear about your issues with the pen, bfg.......

 

However, will be interesting to hear how Mr Rene's pen writes.....

 

Please note that one pen with issues is not a statistical sample to extrapolate from....need a much larger sampling number to start to make conclusions from....

[Inked]

Maybe the nib needs a really good flush or two to get the ink flowing.

I have a Stipula 1.3 that was dry and railroading.

 

I took wimg's advice here... https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/207670-stipula-t-flex-nib/

and now it is writing great even when flexing.

 

Good luck.

 

Inked

[WaskiSquirrel]

Since they're both stainless steel nibs, I'm curious if anyone has compared this one to the Noodler's Konrad?

[shahrincamille]

The only modern nib with flex had to be Omas' Extra-Flessible 14K nibs. Even then it's semiflex at best.

 

All the others are springy rather than flexy.

 

 

Shahrin

[Bemo]

I concur with the OP. I'm very disappointed in mine. My Ahab has considerably more flex. Any of my TWSBI's are a better deal as far as quality of materials. I've spent considerable time trying to smooth the nib. Lesson learned.

[Jamerelbe]

Since they're both stainless steel nibs, I'm curious if anyone has compared this one to the Noodler's Konrad?

 

Check out this YouTube review of the Splash, by "Ink Addiction" - it makes said comparison (with an Ahab, but same difference!), and finds the Splash is a pretty big let-down. Long video, so if you can't be bothered watching it all here's the short summary: don't waste your money.

 

[WaskiSquirrel]

 

Check out this YouTube review of the Splash, by "Ink Addiction" - it makes said comparison (with an Ahab, but same difference!), and finds the Splash is a pretty big let-down. Long video, so if you can't be bothered watching it all here's the short summary: don't waste your money.

 

Thank-you. This is exactly what I was wondering. I may do some fast-forwarding: I don't know if I want to watch a 26 minute review of a pen.

[ele]

It is sad to see these sort of products coming from stipula; they seem to be too hasty in making affordable pens, they should really put more time into developing them.

[Francesco179]

It's basically an exact copy of the dollar 717i. even the nib has the same design of those "flex" nibs that you can find on some indian pens. I'm not sure if this pen is 100% made in italy.

[vicknish]

I also got sucked into the promise of flex from a sub-$100 pen not made by Noodlers. I got a really good deal on the pen direct from a yafa rep at a local pen fair so I was pretty excited, only to be disappointed by how horrible the pen railroaded and how cheap it felt, including oily residue hung up above the piston which began sucking in up into the area as well. Luckily, I was able to return it for store credit which I used to buy a bunch of things, including another Noodler's Ahab. Sorry Ahab... I will never cheat on you again.

[Gloucesterman]

Both pens had very little ink in the body. Would that make any difference as to the railroading?

 

BTW, although I found the review interesting and valuable, I really would have been happier without the trash-talking language. There are better ways to comment on quality than the "stick it up..." comment and others references. In fact, in my opinion his negative comments loose significant impact because of his language.

 

That's just my opinion YMMV as well as your perspective.

[Abner C. Kemp]

The splash definitely seems like a let down. I saw Brian Goulet's video comparing it with other flex nibs and it wasn't able to top the Ahab in terms of line variation. If the pen feels cheap than I can't see anyone justifying the $70 price tag. I suppose the piston filling aspect is nice but the Ahab holds plenty of ink and can be converted to an ED and hold an absolutely ridiculous amount of ink.

[Sridhar]

Shocking really!

[DylanKeefe]

That's sad!! I had been looking forward to getting one. Stipula seems, to me, to be a hit-or-miss brand. Either their pens are amazing, or they suck horribly. Occasionally you get some that are usable, but not bad or good. I got a Passaporto with a .9mm stub and it's amazing, so I'm not bashing Stipula at all, it just seems like they have good ideas but poor execution.

[discopig]

It seems all Stipula pens that have flexy nibs suffer from railroading. It's a shame they can never get it right.

[wastelanded]

As said above, this pen is a Dollar 717i. A different clip and cap finial costs $50 extra.

 

Big brass ones, Stipula.

[glassjaw003]

I almost bought one at first, after the reviews I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

 

Thanks for letting us know.

[Drone]

Comparing the Dollar 717i and the Stipula Splash...

The Stipula Flash is, from appearances at-least, largely comprised of parts from the Dollar 717i fountain pen manufactured by Dollar Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. of Karachi, Pakistan. The Dollar 717i has a street price of around $15 USD, while Stipula Splash goes for $60-$70 USD.

The Dollar 717i is described by the manufacturer as a "Beginner's Pen" (link below). The 717i, like the Stipula Flash comes in black, blue, and red opaque plastic. There is also a clear "Demonstrator" version of the 717i and a Calligraphy nibbed version primarily marketed for arabic writing.

The Dollar 717i colored, demonstrator, and calligraphy versions can be seen on this Manufacturer's Web page:

http://www.dollar-stationery.com/products/writing/fountain-pen/717i-transparent-fountian-pen/

For comparison purposes, here is a picure borrowd from the Anderson Pens Web site which offers the Stipula Splash.

 

Here is a picture borrowed from the Engeika Web site which offers the Dollar 717i for sale. Here we show the clear demonstrator version.



Here is a picture of the Doller 717i from the manufacturer's Web site (link above).



From examining pictures of both pens, it appears the main differences between the Stipula Splash and the Dollar 717i are the blind cap, the nib, and possibly the feed.

Other minor differences between the two pens include a metal or metalized plastic finial on the end of the Splash's cap instead of plastic, and a balled clip on the Flash versus a straight clip on the 717i.

* The blind cap that covers the piston knob at the end of the barrel appears to be metal or metalized plastic on the Flash. The blind cap on the 717i is plastic.

* The stamped steel nibs on the flash and 717i are quite different in design. The angular 717i nib design somewhat resembles the nib on a Lamy Safari or Parker Vector. The more traditional wing-shaped nib on the Flash looks almost identical to the "flex" nibs used on the early (small) Noodler's Nib Creaper piston-filler pens. The Flash's nib, like the nibs on the early Noodler's pens have a slit that runs the full length of the exposed nib. It is widely rumored the $15 Noodler's Nib Creaper pens, like the Dollar 717i pens, are made in Pakistan.

* It is difficult to tell from examining pictures alone, but to accommodate the different shaped nibs, it is quite likely the feeds are different between the Dollar 717i and the Stipula Flash.

From several reviews so-far, it is becoming apparent the Stipula Flash suffers from poor ink flow. This causes railroading when the nib is flexed. The significantly more expensive Stipula pens equipped with Stipula's Titanium T-Flex nibs are also notorious for poor ink flow. The flow issues are likely due in large-part to Stipula using what appears to be plastic instead of slightly more expensive Ebonite (hard rubber) feeds with their nibs advertised to be flex-capable.

If the inexpensive Noodler's flex pens are using Ebonite feeds to enhance flow, one can only question why Stipula would use plastic feeds in their pens advertised as flex-capable.

It should be noted that Yafa Pen Company (estd. 1978) is the exclusive North American distributor for the Italian brands Delta and Stipula. Yafa Inc. is also the Manufacturer and exclusive Distributor of Monteverde and Conklin brands: Conklin is a "Retread" brand.

http://yafa.com/

Stipula's Italian Site - in English:

 

http://www.penemporium.com/stipula/index_eng.php

Dollar Industries (Pvt.) Ltd.:

http://www.dollar-stationery.com/contact-us/