S. T. Dupont D Line Black Laquer And Gold. An Elegant And Austere Pen

[columela]

First Impressions (9/10)
I came to own this pen as a result of an unintended visit to a jeweller´s shop during a short holiday visiting my in-laws. We went to this shop to buy a silver picture frame as a present for my mother in law, but as they also sell some pens and watches I was wondering around while my dear Mrs. went around her business. They largely sell Montblancs , a few Montegrappas and half hidden behind some golden lighters was this beautiful gem.
As I showed some interest the shopkeeper was very kind to take it out of the display cabinet and put it in my hand. I initially thought " why should I want another black bird ? " But they were so kind to let me try it and the nib experience was soo god that I was thrilled . Fortunately my wife came back to us, having finished her purchases and looking at me playing with the pen she decided to buy it for me as a present for our still distant wedding anniversary. And that is how I came to own this beauty of a pen.

Appearance(10/10)
The box which contained the pen was well made, but without any ostentatious or peculiar features.

This just a stunningly elegant, understated and classy pen. The black lacquer is just perfect, and the gold trims are very becoming.

The shape of the pen is a variation of the cigar and flat top classic pen shapes, with a very stylized twist.

The clip is also good, with the classic S T Dupont rhomboid logo on top of the clip. The gold ring at the body before the section just says ST Dupont PARIS.

The finial has a capital D as a major feature

Design/Size/Weight (9/10)
On the hand the pen is very comfortable if unposted, as when it is posted it tends to go out of the centre of gravity so it becomes more difficult to control. Otherwise it is quite a light and pleasant pen on the hand.
Length capped: 146 mm
Length uncapped:134 mm
Length posted:166 mm
Weight: 48 g

Nib (10/10)
The best part of this pen is the nib experience. This is an EF 18 k gold nib. It is a true EF but it is juicy and slides gracefully on the pen without the slightest feedback or scratchiness. It was the nib that sold this pen to me, and it is one of my best nibs without a doubt.

Filling System (8/10)
This pen comes with a standard cartidge-converter system. It works well, but it is a bit of a disappointment in such an expensive pen to have this limited ink capacity. On the other hand , it takes large international cartidges.

Cost and Value (9/10)
For the price my wife paid, I am very satisfied with what I have got. However, this pen was bought in a sale in a tax-free area, so the normal price would have been double. I doubt that I would have let her bought the pen

Conclusion (9.3/10)
I am very happy with this pen particularly thanks to the excellent nib performance. Otherwise it is a beautiful and classy pen, perhaps lacking a bit of emotion or a “je ne sais quoi” factor to make it really unique.

[fjoly79]

I agree with your general statetement that the ST Dupont may be lacking a bit of emotion or a "je ne sais quoi". I own a beautiful ST Dupont Palladium and yes it is a bit "austère" asthetically speaking. But the performance, finesse, and that it's not yet again another Montblanc to be seen with (I have nothing against Montblancs) I would without hesitation purchase another ST DuPont for all the reasons you listed above.

[Iittala]

Congrats with your new pen!

St Dupont pens may not be talked about a lot, nor are they the most flashy (some of the LE's excluded) pens. But I feel that they generally are great writers and constructed extremely well. I have several myself and would recommend them any time, especially if you can find one at a great price.

[praxim]

Excellent pens in my view.

 

I am curious about one point though; my Line D Atelier lacquer pens each came with a card advising that the pen not be posted. Did not the black one?

[jar]

Excellent pens in my view.

 

I am curious about one point though; my Line D Atelier lacquer pens each came with a card advising that the pen not be posted. Did not the black one?

I don't have a Line D or D-Link pen but none of my ST Duponts have advised not posting.

[praxim]

I don't have a Line D or D-Link pen but none of my ST Duponts have advised not posting.

 

Perhaps also it is a thing with black lacquer vs other lacquers, rather than Line D vs other models? The brown and purple lacquer Line Ds both have the advice, as does the blue lacquer neo-classique Orient Express. I doubt the cap would post on the last of those anyway given its cylindrical design.

Edited August 7, 2017 by praxim

[jar]

 

Perhaps also it is a thing with black lacquer vs other lacquers, rather than Line D vs other models? The brown and purple lacquer Line Ds both have the advice, as does the blue lacquer neo-classique Orient Express. I doubt the cap would post on the last of those anyway given its cylindrical design.

Possibly, yet none of my ST Duponts have come with such a warning including a Neo-Classique.

[praxim]

This is what the instruction card (or bit of paper) looks like.

 

 

The example is from the Orient Express box, although the universal image shows a pen more of Line D proportions. The Line D pen boxes are buried more deeply in the packing chest but they are the same.

 

The French text puts the position more strongly, "fortement deconseillé de placer le capuchon" rather than "not recommended that you plug the cap". Sounds to me like a dash of machine translation in there.

[manhha]

This is what the instruction card (or bit of paper) looks like.

 

S T Dupont instruction 214 (1 of 1).jpg

 

The example is from the Orient Express box, although the universal image shows a pen more of Line D proportions. The Line D pen boxes are buried more deeply in the packing chest but they are the same.

 

The French text puts the position more strongly, "fortement deconseillé de placer le capuchon" rather than "not recommended that you plug the cap". Sounds to me like a dash of machine translation in there.

My Atelier and Neo-classique Cheval came with this notice, but the D-line did not. However with the cap posted I found the D-line pens unbalanced. Unlike the Olympio line, the D-line cap cannot post deeply into the barrel so it makes the pen top heavy when posted. Also it could damage the lacquer so these might be the reasons S.T. Dupont do not recommend posting cap with their current lines.

It is also noticed that the weight of ST Dupont pens has increased a bit over time. For example:

- Extra large Olympio: 49g

- D-line: 49g

- D-line Atelier (large size): 57g

- D-line with Palladium details and Chinese lacquer: 66g - even heavier than those solid sterling silver pens.

...

Edited August 8, 2017 by manhha

[praxim]

 

My Atelier and Neo-classique Cheval came with this notice, but the D-line did not.

...

 

Sorry, shorthand. In my earlier post I said they were Atelier pens, which is a version of the Line D, and omitted Atelier in the latter post.

 

I have a strong preference not to post unless necessary on a very short pen, so I am happy.

 

Afterthought: While the pens are hefty when capped, the king of writing weight among mine remains the Lamy Dialog 3 at nearly 48g. The biggest change is in the S.T.Dupont Orient Express which starts at over 54g capped and drops to a trifling 30g for writing.

[Dorf]

Which one has the best nib? S.T Dupont or Montblanc. I think some Montblanc nibs can be a bit scratchy..

[jar]

Which one has the best nib? S.T Dupont or Montblanc. I think some Montblanc nibs can be a bit scratchy..

Both are very good. The ST Dupont are generally smoother but the MB nibs have more character.

[mulrich]

Which one has the best nib? S.T Dupont or Montblanc. I think some Montblanc nibs can be a bit scratchy..

 

 

I have a handful of pens from both brands and think both are great. There are subtle nib differences but I'm not sure if those are just random pen variation or true differences between brands (my Dupont nibs might be a touch glassier but not much). My preferences between the brands varies over time. Right now I really like Dupont but that might change in favor of MB next time I ink one of their pens.

[mulrich]

Both are very good. The ST Dupont are generally smoother but the MB nibs have more character.

I would probably agree with this. I had my first Dupont ground to an OM so I got the best of both worlds.

[praxim]

Basically, I concur with the comments above. I have a few Duponts, only one MB so the comparison is not broadly based for the latter. I love both. The Dupont is smoother which is to say the MB is different; neither better nor worse, just a little different.

[Fishkabob]

Most of the st dupont pens seem quite thin. Is this typical of them?

[jar]

Most of the st dupont pens seem quite thin. Is this typical of them?

ST Dupont has had a wide range of widths.

 

http://www.fototime.com/FB19E08F336F692/large.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/26230BEDAEEC18B/large.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/51BEF61F7943D3A/large.jpg

[mulrich]

Most of the st dupont pens seem quite thin. Is this typical of them?

 

 

They probably offer more thin pens than large but they still have some thicker options (but they may not have super-sized pens).

 

The attached image includes…

MB149

Conid Kingsize

Dupont Olympio (my largest Dupont)

Dupont Atelier Line D (I think the largest sized regular edition Dupont)

Dupont Vertigo

Pelikan M800

Lamy Safari

Pilot Vanishing Point

 

The Olympio is comparable to the M800 and the Line D is just a touch thinner. I don't think they offer a regular edition comparable to a 149 but you might find a LE.

[Fishkabob]

I see! Thanks for the info, Ill have to try one someday

[A1979]

Thank you for this review! I have (almost) the same pen (silver / black lacquer, EF nib) and I completely agree with you. I have, however, a problem with my S.T. Dupont converter: after a couple of pages, the pens starts to run dry, even if the converter is almost completely filled. Did you have a similar issue?