D-Initial Impressions
As a brand, S. T. Dupont is known for elaborate and beautiful high-end pens. Pens that look like urushi-coated dragon eggs, or like a Star Wars X-Wing. These pens are more than just a pretty facade, of course, with exceptional writing quality and a high level of detail paid to their fit and finish. This is why I was very curious to try the relatively less expensive D-Initial in all three of its writing modes when North American distributor Coles of London offered me the opportunity a couple of months ago. I had a lot of fun with these pens, took some pretty pictures, and then bid them a fond farewell before getting sidetracked by the birth of my daughter and class work. Every week that a post doesn’t go upon this blog, rest assured that I’m staring at some beautiful pen photos and sighing, wishing I had the time to tell you all about them.
The D-Initial comes in fountain, rollerball, and ballpoint options, and all three look beautiful. The trio I tested were coated in scarlet red lacquer, but there are a variety of other colors out there, such as a matte shark blue, noir black and chrome, are a variety of other options. The fountain and rollerball pens both feature identical silhouettes with a very satisfying snap cap, while the ballpoint uses a smooth twist retraction mechanism as a capless option.
The D-Initial fountain pen is a steel-nibbed cartridge/converter model, but that’s not unexpected from a company’s lower priced offering, especially when even S. T. Dupont’s higher priced pens still generally feature converter filling. The steel nib itself looks very sharp with the “D shield” imprint on its center. This same decorative scheme extends to the cap of both the fountain and rollerball pens, with the same script D on the finial of the cap and a lacquered shield towards the top of the clip. Worth noting about the cap is that it fits deeply over the back of the pen barrel, but there is nothing holding it there - clip or friction or otherwise - so it runs the risk of jostling off while you write if you try to post it.
Immediately inside the barrel of the fountain and rollerball models are plastic threads for the metal grip section to screw in to. I know that some people have very strong feelings about mixing metal and plastic threads, and any time that you do you should be careful not to over tighten, but in this case the plastic feels almost like a shock absorber, especially owing to the fact that there is still a metal pen barrel surrounding those threads. If plastic-on-metal threads bother you, though, then this is something to be aware of. Inside the barrel of the ballpoint pen version is a second cylinder that houses the pen refill. The ballpoint pen has an integrated spring that does not come out, so unlike many other ballpoint pens it cannot be lost. In contrast the rollerball pen does not use a spring at all.
When it comes to writing performance, these pens do not compromise. The ballpoint and rollerball pen (which, I apologize, have transposed sides in the image below) both use the same refills as S.T. Dupont’s more expensive offerings, and so have the same writing performance. The fountain pen as well, though, serves as an example of the fact that one can have a steel nib that is just as good as a gold nib, if not better than some. I found the medium steel nib to be smooth and pleasant, and honestly I enjoyed writing with it just as much as I enjoyed the S. T. Dupont gold nibs I tried a few months ago.
So, now is the point where I reveal what exactly “less expensive” means for a brand like S. T. Dupont. The D-Initial fountain pen retails for an MSRP of $269 and a street price around $215, the rollerball pen retails for an MSRP of $229 and a street price around $183, and the ballpoint pen retails for an MSRP of $189 and a street price of around $151. For another brand these prices might be flagship territory, but for S. T. Dupont this is a price where you can try out the fit, finish, and high level of polish that they put into a product, without having to pay an additional few hundred dollars extra for premium nib and barrel materials.
It is almost funny that at this lower price these pens feel perhaps more worthy of caveat than other pens priced two or three times as high, but with those more expensive pens it is almost always clear that you are paying for exotic materials or specialty nibs or some other physical aspect, and the writing experience is not as much in focus. These D-Initial pens give you a great way to experience S. T. Dupont’s fine writing at a different price bracket, and also make for a great option, on the rollerball and ballpoint, for gift giving to a friend or loved one who isn’t interested in fountain pens, but still would like a very nice pen to carry.
Thank you to Coles of London, S. T. Dupont’s US distributor, for lending me these pens for review.
