Delta 366

[bdngrd]

Delta 366 Tortoise

 

I bought this pen on the Green Board a few months back and have been putting it through the paces. I was not aware of this model pen, but at a low price and after seeing some very attractive photos, I gave it a go. I did not know anything about Delta pens when I bought this one, and have no others to compare it to.

 

First Impressions:

After opening the box, I was first surprised at the relatively small size of the pen. It is similar in size and weight to a Pelikan M600. It is a good size, however, I have been more and more into big pens, so I guess I just assumed it would be bigger. I should qualify that I think the M400 size Pelikan is just too small. I am not a poster, and this pen almost is too small to use unposted. The quality and beauty of the materials, lived up to the photos, as it is very nice looking.

 

Appearance/Finish

The overall look of the 366 is of clear, caramel wavy brown, and black pieces blended together to make a nice tortoise. There is enough of the clear acrylic that there is a demonstrator effect. The clearest part of the pen should have been polished better, as a result the demonstrator effect shows the rough inner surface where the section screws into the pen body. A slight distraction, but it could have been easily fixed. I may try to smooth it out with some Simichrome. The cap is all black, with a silver clip and two slim bands. The clip is very plain, and there is a finial with a cursive D in raised relief. The cap unscrews with a little more than one turn. Its cap is imprinted with Delta “366” Italy. Overall, it is a very nice looking combination. The body of the pen is curvy, and the body has a pleasing and unique shape.

 

Design, Size Weight

This is a small pen, measuring 5 1/4 inches capped, and 6 1/4 posted. It is a rare pen that I like to use posted. Like I said, it seems just a tad small to be used unposted. I feel the same way about the 200 - m400 size. I would like the Delta to post more securely, as the cap would fly off pretty easily as there is little friction to keep it on the end.

It is a light pen, comfortable for long writing sessions, and the feel of the section is nice. It has a rounded hourglass shape, which forms a natural gripping section.

 

Nib design and performance

The rhodium nib is pretty, with the Delta signature logo. Yet, i think it is just a bit small on this pen. The pen is small already, and the smaller nib seems slightly wrong for the pen. The nib is stiff but smooth, and mine is a Broad.

When I first got the pen, I inked it up with a few different inks and wrote for a bit, but after many tries, with several inks, it would always get starved for ink after a few sentences. I tried the dish soap, ammonia, nib spreading, you name it, and it simply would not keep writing. I have had quite a few pens needed tweaking to get going, but this one would not come around. I finally had to send it back to the vendor, who shipped it back to the distributor. This was the first and only pen I have ever had to send back. When it came back after a few months, it worked like a charm, however, the plastic feed has been clearly worked on and is a bit bent out of shape. I can live with that, because now it writes well, and is a favorite in my rotation.

 

Filling system

Typical C/C, nothing special, I may not buy another pen without a cool filling system in the future, but the looks of this one made me give in on that regard. Same with the Visconti Van Gogh Tortoise. Some pens are such lookers that the filling system does not matter. Still, if it were a integrated system, I might give this one more attention than it gets.

 

Cost/Value

The Delta 366 was had for around $135 IIRC, plus the shipping fees for the return and the almost 2 month wait after sending it back. I was pretty frustrated at first, but it is a great little pen.

 

I don't think it was a well known or popular pen, but I like it. I have to admit the sending it back part soured it a little, but the beauty of the colors won me over.

[FrankB]

This is a good review. Thank you.

 

The 365 and 366 are older Delta models, but I really do not recall the dates. I tried both of them out in a store, and I chose the 365, which is nearly Pelikan M-1000 sized. Yet I do recall I liked the 366 a lot, and I think the one I saw was the same color as your pen.

 

I have never had a single problem with a Delta pen. But I know that others have, and it is unfortunate that your nib had flow issues. I am glad it is working for you now. I do hope you at least commented to Delta customer service about the physical appearance of the ink feed.

[shahrincamille]

I received my own Delta 366 a couple of days back from GBA Pens' sale, and find the semi-translucent pink-gray marble colored barrel breathtakingly beautiful . Mine did not come with a converter, so I inserted in the cartridge provided and find the pen wrote just nice. Whether it will develop flow problems as in the OP's pen I know not - yet; time will tell :hmm1:

 

After scrutinizing the barrel and section, I could not find any metal parts so I'm seriously considering converting this one into an eyedropper. Has anyone tried doing this to their 366, and does it work that way?

 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

 

 

Shahrin

[snowism]

A companion of mine just gave me his Delta 366 tortoise as a goodbye gift and it is absolutely stunning. I would like to refurbish/fix the cap as the cap screw part is slightly cracked/broken. Am living in Malaysia and I'm wondering if there is someone here who could do that? And instead of ordering the INK online, is there a place here in Malaysia that I can buy Delta ink bottles?