Delta Planet

[jandrese]

This is a review of the Delta Planet, the arctic version that has the ivory cap. My other big Delta is the Inuit edition of the Indigenous Peoples collection so I am continuing a northern theme. Simply put, this is a big, fat pen with a big, fat, and smooth bold nib. I first filled the pen with Noodler’s El Lawrence ink and putting pen to paper was like writing with a super smooth marker that just glides across the surface. Since the pen is on the short side of normal the balance is best when the cap is posted. A nice feature of the pen is that posting the cap does not increase the already substantial girth of the pen. The body narrows at the end to match the inside diameter of the cap, which results in a nice smooth transition between cap and pen body. The large size, and the good balance combine to make the pen very comfortable to write with.

 

 

 

The large 18 k nib has a little bit of flex. Don’t get too excited about the flex, it is just enough to give the nib a softer feel than the nails that are jammed into the end of most pens. Given that the broad, somewhat flexible nib writes with a satisfyingly juicy line the feed must be quite good and well suited to the pen. The relatively large size of the nib contributes nicely to the overall aesthetic of the pen, but the terrible nib creep exhibited by the El Lawrence ink is somewhat unsightly. The nib dries some when the pen is carried upright but ink flow is easily restored with a quick, gentle shake. With another ink this may not be necessary.

 

 

 

The converter screws into the section, which is a laudable feature that is found on some Delta pens and on few, if any, pens from other manufacturers. This would make an outstanding eyedropper pen. I wonder if Teflon plumbers tape would work in place of silicon grease on the threads to prevent leaks. The large, black plastic body would hold a huge amount of ink without worries of staining. Has anyone tried making an eyedropper of this pen?

 

 

 

It is too bad that the Planet series has been discontinued because this pen is fun to write with and is very comfortable to use. I purchased mine new at the Pen Place in Kansas City. There still seem to be some new ones available, and all the colors (only the caps are colored) are attractive. If you find one I suggest buying it. IMHO nobody makes better big pens than Delta and I wonder why there are not more big-barreled pens on the market. This is one of the few pens in my collection that could be my only pen.

 

[Opus104]

Thanks for the review and super pics!

 

And how did you teach your cat to write with that Pelikan?

[Ghost Plane]

Ah, another B nib lover. I have the Inuit too and they're juicy writers.

[inkyfingr]

Thanks for the review and super pics!

 

And how did you teach your cat to write with that Pelikan?

 

I had the same question about your cat's fountain pen. Has your cat tried writing without the pen posted?

[jandrese]

Thanks for the review and super pics!

 

And how did you teach your cat to write with that Pelikan?

 

I had the same question about your cat's fountain pen. Has your cat tried writing without the pen posted?

 

 

Cats are both omniscient and omnipotent. Thus, they have no need to write and instead are simply interested in playing with pens.

 

 

[richardandtracy]

Cats are both omniscient and omnipotent. Thus, they have no need to write and instead are simply interested in playing with pens.

I'm not so sure that it's always the case.

My old Albert (see avatar) was omni-incompetent instead. There were countless occasions when he tried to squeeze through a doorway, and due to the shape of his stomach (spherical) he jammed himself in the doorway, unable to go forwards and psychlogically unable to retreat. We had to rescue him when this happened. An omniscient and omnipotent being would have solved the problem, by arranging for the door to be open slightly wider.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

[goodguy]

Ahh what a nice review and wonderful pictures.

Indeed Delta makes good big pens.

I took my Delta DVOS and compared the Planet to it and it looks like there are a lot of similarties,the nibs look almost identicle.

I share the same problem with my flow,it needs a small share if pen was standing up right for a while.

 

Thanks

[Brian]

An interesting and large pen. Although not similar, it is reminescent of the Laban Mento from the crazy big post. I am sure that in person these things would be huge and fun. Thanks for posting.

[jmkeuning]

I like it!

[diplomat]

That's huge!! I like it. It is same size of the Dolce vita OS or smaller. Pity it has been discontinued...

 

Thanks for the review

[dzdncnfsd]

Indeed Delta makes good big pens.

I took my Delta DVOS and compared the Planet to it and it looks like there are a lot of similarties,the nibs look almost identicle.

Could anyone please tell me the measurement/width of the grip area (is this also called the "section diameter")? I'd love to try this pen, but they're all gone! I'm dying to know how the grip size compares to the Dolce Vita OS (since that's one of the few fat pens Delta currently has in regular production).

 

The Dolce Vita OS is too $pendy for me - I'm waiting and hoping that Delta will soon have some new, more affordable offerings for big fat pens. It seems like they've made several over the years, including Planet, Animals, 365 (not sure if this is quite as big as Planet/Animals), and Dolce Vita OS.

Edited July 16, 2009 by dzdncnfsd

[Ghost Plane]

I don't have one. You might keep an eye on PenAvenue on fleaBay as Ashraf periodically gets some very nice NOS pens, including stub nibs. I've bought from him before.

 

Don't bother looking at the Papillions. They've got such slender sections that I can hardly write with the one I got.

[jandrese]

Indeed Delta makes good big pens.

I took my Delta DVOS and compared the Planet to it and it looks like there are a lot of similarties,the nibs look almost identicle.

Could anyone please tell me the measurement/width of the grip area (is this also called the "section diameter")? I'd love to try this pen, but they're all gone! I'm dying to know how the grip size compares to the Dolce Vita OS (since that's one of the few fat pens Delta currently has in regular production).

 

The Dolce Vita OS is too $pendy for me - I'm waiting and hoping that Delta will soon have some new, more affordable offerings for big fat pens. It seems like they've made several over the years, including Planet, Animals, 365 (not sure if this is quite as big as Planet/Animals), and Dolce Vita OS.

 

 

At the narrowist point the grip section is 0.483". At the widest it is 0.529".

 

The length of the pen capped is 5.144". Cap off is 4.812". Posted is 6.037".

 

Midsection of barrel is 0.631".

 

Inner diameter of barrel is ~0.423". Barrel lenght is 3.320".

 

Calculate the volume of the barrel. When used as an eyedropper it holds a LOT of ink!

 

 

 

 

[dzdncnfsd]

Thanks a lot for the measurements, jandrese. They help to alleviate my longings.

 

Can your cat ever get his/her paw around the fat grip?

[jandrese]

Thanks a lot for the measurements, jandrese. They help to alleviate my longings.

 

Can your cat ever get his/her paw around the fat grip?

 

 

The only thing stopping my cat from ruling the Universe is her lack of opposable thumbs!

[dzdncnfsd]

You might keep an eye on PenAvenue on fleaBay...

Don't bother looking at the Papillions. They've got such slender sections that I can hardly write with the one I got.

Thanks too, Ghost Plane.

 

Yeah - I think I noticed pretty quickly that those Papillions were too narrow - i.e. too "pinchy" for me! They look nice, though.

 

Heavily favoring fat pens (and EF/F nibs) has been a blessing though - it puts a lot of pens I might otherwise lust for in the "No Point in Having" category. That sure cuts down on the aching I must suffer for pens ! It seems that I've already suffered plenty of aching for pens I can't try, that are discontinued, too expensive, etc. etc. - in only a few months of pursuing fp's!

 

One newer Delta that does pique my interest, though, is the piston-filler medium size Dolcevita. It sounds like the medium Dolcevita has a grip similarly sized to the Planet's grip. But I doubt I'll find it worth spending the $ for the fancy looks, gold nib, etc. So far, I find that I'm sticking with Japanese fp's for gold nibbed pens, for the sake of value, practicality, no-fuss, etc.

[Ghost Plane]

If you're tempted by Visconti, you might have a look at PrahaBLEU on the 'Bay if Bryant can't fix you up. Both periodically have the F and B nibs available at stunningly low prices [as my wallet can attest by the regular attacks upon it] Scott is still selling Maxis with gold nibs and Bryant seems able to find just about ANYTHING.