Levenger Verona by Stipula

[Bryan]

I also want to stand by Wim in his love for Stipula. I've had the Etruria Amber going on three years, problem free, minus the coverter problem. It is truely a stunning pen and the italic nib, wonderful!

 

Bryan

[KCkc]

Hi All,

 

Maja mentioned something about Wim to the rescue, and here I am, the Edson and Stipula nerd, finally .

.....

Their higher end normal models are IMO just fantastic pens, which provide a writng experience that not many other modern pens will give you, so I will live with the occasional breakdown, or faulty model. If I need the use of an indestructible pen, I'll use the Waterman Edson in that case, I won't go Stipula, or any other Italian pen for that matter.

 

You have to have written with a Stipula Italic nib, and to have held a variety of Etrurias and Novecentos to understand why I am in love with Stipula. Balance, the magnificent materials used, the nibs, it just adds up to Italian perfection. But never so perfect it can't break down. Consider it a Ferrari amongst pens. A pen with attitude and character, oh so great when it works, because it really performs. But oh so disappointing when it doesn't. But it can be fixed, and it will be fixed, you just need some patience.

I also enthusiastically agree that my Stipula Saturno with 0.9mm italic is one of the smoothest I have tried. It is a crescent filler and NEVER had a problem with the wet ink flow.

 

The Olive woodgrain ebonite is one of the prettiest. How so ? I am not a green pen person and this is the only one so far that caught my eye and get it = )

[Keith with a capital K]

I did not mean to be banging Stipula too hard as many of their pens are incredible as Wim has attested...

 

It's just the ones that have slipped past the radar that really get on people's nerves.

[TheNobleSavage]

I appreciate your explanation Wim but I strongly disagree!! If I had 1 out of 3 pens not perform, well then something might have slipped through the cracks, That happens!! 2 out of 3 do not perform then there might be a problem here but then again it might just be bad luck. 3 out of 3 pens do not perform well there is more than just bad luck. Pens are not being checked out like they should and the company did NOTHING to recall the pens or warn customers. I will stand by my statement that QC there Sucks!! Cheaper pens or not, it shouldnt matter, there needs to be a way to check the pens before they leave the factory. Out of 14 of my pelikans 1 had an issue with the nib and it was resolved within a week. 3 out of 3 stipula pens are bad? We really have a MAJOR problem!!!

 

Not only did I buy these pens that turned out to be lemons now I have to pay for shipping back to the factory and wait up to 3 months to get the pen back and there is no guarantee that the pen will work due to the fact that it isnt even being tested because they will just give you a new pen. Or instead of waiting 3 months, I send it to someone who know what they are doing but I still have to pay for the service. This is a pen that should have been working right out of the box. Especially if the company is small and they make limited number of pens, that should be even more of an incentive to get it right the first time. I have lost faith in Stipula after the 3rd of 3 pens didnt work. I cannot and will not recommend these pens to ANYONE , it really is a shame because they are very nice looking pens. If I bought 3 pens that didnt work, why would I want to waste my money on a 200.00 or 300.00 pen from the same company and risk it being a lemon too? I would be more foolish than I already am.

 

After the 2nd pen I should have cut my losses but I tried to give the company another chance on the fact that I could of had just a bad luck of the draw. I have turned my back on this company and I will never buy another product from them, EVER. I am sure if you were all in my shoes, you would feel the same way. I make no apologies here and I have every right to bash this company. I am sure when I get my pens fixed and they are working like they should I will be happy but it does not change the fact that I had to pay more money out of my pocket and time I had to waste to send and pay for these pens to be fixed when it should of been working in the first place. I work hard for my money and I dont liked to be screwed, I am sure most everyone here feels the same way. If I knew these pens were as problamatic, I would have bought something else and been much happier. With the bad luck I have had with these pens, I consider them the Pinto or the Yugo of Fountain Pens. Thank goodness these pens dont have a gas tank

Edited April 3, 2005 by The Noble Savage

[wimg]

Hi NS,

 

Well, Levenger is Levenger is Levenger. I've never dealt with them, and I have heard good things about the Verona too. Regarding Stipula: the 22 I have heard good things about too.

 

Obviously, you tend to hear more about the bad things than the good ones anyway, as people just expect things to work.

 

If I look at my own Stips, I work them quite hard, and I have 6 right now. I knew when I bought the Etruria d'Inverno, that that was a problem pen due to its retraction mechanism in combination with the piston filler. Now, the top gasket of the piston filler blew at the fourth or fifth fill or so. That is something that can happen, and Stipula doesn't manufacture their piston filler mechanisms themselves. So, it was sent back to Italy, and came back, in about 3 1/2 weeks, fixed, at no cost to me, not even shipping cost. But then, I bought it at full retail price at a B&M store, and I hand delivered it there too, and picked it up again.

And I just broke the barrel of my Amber Etruria. Again, I brought it back to the B&M store where I got it, and don't expect to pay anything.

Does this put me off? No, these things happen, especially with my kinda luck . Fortunately, I have enough pens to choose from, and I don't think these problems have anything to do with Stipula's QC in the first place. Funnily enough, I do miss the Etruria Amber, like I did the d'Inverno...

 

Regarding the Verona: that is bought via internet or phone, and shipping costs are extra. So you have to pay the cost of shipping yourself, also when it has to go back. Factor in some bad luck, and you may get angry, I guess.

 

Regarding QC: if they wanted to test every pen individually, for such a small shop the price of a pen would become so high by the time it reaches the store or internet outlet, nobody would buy the pens anymore.

And I do agree that pens should write straight out of the box, no problem there. But in order to guarantee that, someone should try it out or test it, which IMO is the seller, considering the mark-up on pens. The dealer gets the pen from the distributor at approximately 40% of retail, btw, and manufacturers probably make about 10% on and above their costs, so I think the responsibility should lie with the seller. Which is why I always ask for a pen to be tested by the seller.

 

Anyway, I have never had the problems with Stipulas you describe, certainly not when it comes to writing with them, so I will continue to support them, no problem.

 

And I am sorry to hear you had so many problems, but I can assure you, when you have one that writes well, it is just fantastic...

 

Kind regards, Wim

[TheNobleSavage]

And thats the problem, WHEN THEY WRITE!!! This has nothing to do what I hear about Stipula. If I would have listen and took heed of what people were saying, I would have never bought one in the first place. Like I said 3 out of the 3 pens I bought were lemons. If you were in my shoes then I am sure you would feel the same way. Because I bought 3 lemons why would I consider buying a 400.00 or 500.00 pen? If they cannot get a 60.00 to a 150.00 pen to be made correctly why would I gamble and think they can get it right on a 500.00 or 600.00 pen? If thats the case then they just dont give a (Potty Mouth) when it comes to the quality of affordable pens. If you had a car and it ran into nothing but problems and you bought it brand new and was never able to drive it like it was intended, wouldnt you be quite upset too??? I am sure you would probobly never buy that brand again. I stand by my Statement that these pens are lemons and I will never buy another one again, period. This has nothing to do with what people say, this is coming from my own personal experience. you said

Obviously, you tend to hear more about the bad things than the good ones anyway, as people just expect things to work.

Youre darn right!!! They are supposed to work and if I spend the money, I expect them to work. I dont buy a pen and expect to have it repaired right away for it to write like it is supposed to right out of the box. That is foolish!! I gave the company 3 chances and they failed to deliver a pen that writes. My expectations are not high, they are what you would call reasonable. I am sure any person who has experienced what I have would feel the same way. I want to make sure that there is no impression that I am flaming you, just a heated debate!!!

[wimg]

Hi NS,

 

I do understand you are not flaming me, and I do understand you're angry about your experience. Just that I think it is a pity.

 

If I had to stop buying pens because of a bad experience with a single model, I wouldn't have any Lamys, Parkers, Rotrings, Omases or Pelikans, and a couple of other brands neither... I tend to just try and get the pen to work myself, which, most of the time is not difficult. However, if I can't, and have a similar experience with a variety of models, more than one pen too, I normally give up. I am also lucky in that there are several good B&M stores in my area, with knowledgeable people behind the counter, who can even do some simple repairs. So, lemons get sorted out before they normally reach the customers anyway.

 

Oh, and generally, in my experience, the only modern pens that work and write straight out of the box without having anything to do to them, not even a rinse and flush, are Watermans. But then, they are tested as part of the manufacturing process. And the manufacturing process is very automated, their expensive pens included. The latter are made in large quantities too, which is probably why...

 

Most of the time, the cheaper pens (well, up to a point) also tend to work well. But then, these are made in large quantities, so tolerances are a lot lower than with handmade pens.

 

I just factor adjustments into the price of expensive pens, but just call me crazy, or mad .

 

Also, I do think the people at Stipula do care, I just wonder how much of this reaches them.

 

I know this is not going to help you, or feel better about it, but unfortunately it is all I can say.

 

Kind regards, Wim

[Bryan]

...the only modern pens that work and write straight out of the box without having anything to do to them, not even a rinse and flush, are Watermans.

Hey Wim, don't forget ST Dupont. Yet another French Pen! Though I've only tried the Orpheo line, I've never read or heard of any problems out of the box with their pens. Very nice writers!

 

Bryan

[Keith with a capital K]

"And I just broke the barrel of my Amber Etruria. Again, I brought it back to the B&M store where I got it, and don't expect to pay anything.

Does this put me off? No, these things happen, especially with my kinda luck."

 

Note to self: Do not lend Wim any of my pens...

 

But seriously...how did you break the barrel on your pen?

 

These are the kind of issues that really need to reach the ears of the manufacturer as all the ranting here won't lead to any solutions unless the folks at Stipula hear about.

 

My feeling is that those who express an issue on anything are only a small percentage of the people who feel the same way so if one person speaks about a product positively or negatively, there are probably ten more who say nothing.

 

I have heard an inordinate number of complaints regarding certain Stipua models so I am hoping that most of these concerns are reaching Stipula.

 

I like how people regard what is expensive or not... to me any pen that costs over $30.00 is a fair bit of change but then again, I have that Scottish blood coursing through my veins which has some effect on how I view things like this.

[TheNobleSavage]

Hi NS,

 

I do understand you are not flaming me, and I do understand you're angry about your experience. Just that I think it is a pity.

 

If I had to stop buying pens because of a bad experience with a single model, I wouldn't have any Lamys, Parkers, Rotrings, Omases or Pelikans, and a couple of other brands neither... I tend to just try and get the pen to work myself, which, most of the time is not difficult. However, if I can't, and have a similar experience with a variety of models, more than one pen too, I normally give up. I am also lucky in that there are several good B&M stores in my area, with knowledgeable people behind the counter, who can even do some simple repairs. So, lemons get sorted out before they normally reach the customers anyway.

 

Oh, and generally, in my experience, the only modern pens that work and write straight out of the box without having anything to do to them, not even a rinse and flush, are Watermans. But then, they are tested as part of the manufacturing process. And the manufacturing process is very automated, their expensive pens included. The latter are made in large quantities too, which is probably why...

 

Most of the time, the cheaper pens (well, up to a point) also tend to work well. But then, these are made in large quantities, so tolerances are a lot lower than with handmade pens.

 

I just factor adjustments into the price of expensive pens, but just call me crazy, or mad .

 

Also, I do think the people at Stipula do care, I just wonder how much of this reaches them.

 

I know this is not going to help you, or feel better about it, but unfortunately it is all I can say.

 

Kind regards, Wim

Wim, Also remember, this isnt just on one single model, its two models. And I keep saying that this isnt only one defective pen in one model. It is 3 defective pens on two different models. Thats why I am noy very happy with stipula. I can deal with one bad pen, that happens, but three is not tolerable, it is in fact it is quite ridiculous. I agree with Keith when he said about the vast opinions on what is considered cheap. IF Stipula doesnt put forth the effort in ensuring 100.00 pens are writing correctly then I feel that they have thier priorities all screwed up. A majority of the market isnt buying 400.00 or 500.00 pens, they are buying the 50.00 and 150.00 pens. If they cannot ensure the bulk of thier customers a pen that works, then I consider it very sad. Only a few can afford the high priced pens, and they are only a smaller portion of their customer base. I really can careless about what stipula does in the future because I wont be buying thier products, EVER!! Now I have to get what Stipula pens I have working and pay the extra money.

 

Wim, you are lucky that you have pen shops close by, I do not. The closest pen shop is about 300 miles away from me. Infact, there is only one place that even sells fountain pen ink and it is 120 miles away. So most of my pens come via the internet.

[wimg]

Hi Bryan,

 

Hey Wim, don't forget ST Dupont. Yet another French Pen! Though I've only tried the Orpheo line, I've never read or heard of any problems out of the box with their pens. Very nice writers!

Yes, they are nice indeed. I do have one too, the one with the goldplated cap and section.

 

I have to disappoint you a little, though. They do write straight out of the box, but the non-Orpheos give hassles at times, and the Orpheos with plastic sections have problems with their caps after a while, or rather their sections. The latter shrink a little, which is why they don't close properly anymore, the cap just doesn't have enough grip after shrinking. So, no problems straight out of the box, but occasionally a little later, depending on the model...

 

According to my main B&M store, the number one quality pen is the Waterman Edson. Everything else they'll sell you gladly too, but the Edson is THE workhorse. And the warranty is a proper lifelong warranty.

 

Kind regards, Wim

[Bryan]

Hi Bryan,

 

Hey Wim, don't forget ST Dupont. Yet another French Pen! Though I've only tried the Orpheo line, I've never read or heard of any problems out of the box with their pens. Very nice writers!

Yes, they are nice indeed. I do have one too, the one with the goldplated cap and section.

 

I have to disappoint you a little, though. They do write straight out of the box, but the non-Orpheos give hassles at times, and the Orpheos with plastic sections have problems with their caps after a while, or rather their sections. The latter shrink a little, which is why they don't close properly anymore, the cap just doesn't have enough grip after shrinking. So, no problems straight out of the box, but occasionally a little later, depending on the model...

 

According to my main B&M store, the number one quality pen is the Waterman Edson. Everything else they'll sell you gladly too, but the Edson is THE workhorse. And the warranty is a proper lifelong warranty.

 

Kind regards, Wim

That is really too bad. I hadn't heard that before. I've got my eye on the new Red Placed Metal, that doesn't have the plastic section, so I should be OK.

 

http://www.joon.com/db_image/DU_orpheo_red_LG_fp.jpg

 

Bryan

[wimg]

Hi Keith,

 

Note to self: Do not lend Wim any of my pens... 

No, that could be dangerous indeed .

 

But seriously...how did you break the barrel on your pen?

Well, it must have been because I put it in my back pocket (no pocket in my T-shirt), or someone who tried to pull the cap of the barrel rather than unscrew it (that happened to me with this very pen), or a combination of both. It did crack at the thinnest spot...

 

These are the kind of issues that really need to reach the ears of the manufacturer as all the ranting here won't lead to any solutions unless the folks at Stipula hear about.

I do try to talk to them. What I thought was really weird was that when I got my d'Inverno back, it wrote even better than before. I had indicated I used fairly dense ink with it, and it looks to me like they adjusted the flow somewhat. Wasn't really necessary, but a nice touch.

 

I'll see if I can get them to give some feedback. But can't promise anything. I only know 1 shop over here that ever sold the 22, and the Levenger Verona obviously was never available over here.

 

My feeling is that those who express an issue on anything are only a small percentage of the people who feel the same way so if one person speaks about a product positively or negatively, there are probably ten more who say nothing.

Yes, but generally speaking, more people chime in with bad experiences, then the other way around, which may give a disproportionate idea of the problem. And I don't want to diminish anybody's feelings here, because I would have had it too, with 3 non-working pens.

 

I like how people regard what is expensive or not... to me any pen that costs over $30.00 is a fair bit of change but then again, I have that Scottish blood coursing through my veins which has some effect on how I view things like this.

Hey, I am Dutch! $30 is b****y expensive. Even so, I have urges at times . You know that it was the Dutch people who invented copper wire?

 

Yes, 2 Dutchman were fighting over a cent...

 

 

Kind regards, Wim

[wimg]

Hi NS,

 

Yes, I guess I am lucky with 2 good B&M shops nearby, and a few more whenever I have to go to head office...

 

I sincerely hope you'll fare better with any of your future pen purchases!

 

Kind regards, Wim

[wimg]

Hi Bryan,

 

Yes, that red Orpheo should be fine! Actually, I think they stopped making the Orpheos with plastic sections now, once they discovered what the problem was...

 

Ooh, that red pen certainly looks attractive . Please dont forget to write a review, once you get it in your hands .

 

Kind regards, Wim

[Maja]

You know that it was the Dutch people who invented copper wire?

 

Yes, 2 Dutchman were fighting over a cent...

 

:lol:

 

 

And Bryan, that red Orpheo pen is

Edited April 4, 2005 by Maja

[Bryan]

Hi Bryan,

 

Yes, that red Orpheo should be fine! Actually, I think they stopped making the Orpheos with plastic sections now, once they discovered what the problem was...

 

Ooh, that red pen certainly looks attractive . Please dont forget to write a review, once you get it in your hands .

 

Kind regards, Wim

Yes a beauty indeed, I should clarify I only have it in my sights right now. With a retail tag of $610.00, it's out of my reach for the moment, still saving up my pen money for this one.

 

Bryan