Fontoplumo's customer service was very responsive and helpful, when I wished to switch from another fountain pen that was delayed for a very long time. And I do not regret the switch! The La Dotta writes like a dream.
It came packaged very securely, and shipping was so fast I honestly thought I'd ordered Express Shipping by mistake. Opening the bubble plastic, a grey-blue box within a paper sleeve of the same colour. Very stylish! The box itself feels exclusive but at the same time not as wasteful as others. It performs its job admirably without being wasteful. It is held shut with a magnet, and there is a tiny leather strap to help you open it.
Then there's a thin paper in many layers covering a sturdy, very well made canvas-and-leather pen case (space for two pens, also holds a polishing cloth!), within which, after you loosen the long leather strap around it, you find the Scribo La Dotta.
For me, the design of the pen is very pleasing to the eye. The light plays with the material of the body, although there is a slight skew between the body's and the cap's patterns of light reflection, which can probably be a little annoying to some. But I can look at it, cap on or off, for minutes at a time, just to see the shifts in colour and light.
The feather on the cap looks SO good, and the band around the cap is very stylish. The drop between the body and the grip isn't at all a bother when you hold the pen, even if it might look sharp in some photos. Somehow it rather feels soft and rounded? As all of the pen is, really.
This pen does not lend itself to posting the cap (which, when on and closed, sits very securely indeed). Which for me is just a bonus, as I never do that anyway. It has a lovely length, and the weight is very well balanced. Not too top- or bottom-heavy. For the nib-fanciers out there... you HAVE to try this one. It is sleek, it is stylish, it is original. And the writing experience!!! Oh, good heavens.
That's what it feels like, honestly. Writing heaven. I want at least a tiny bit of give in my nibs, not super stiff, but I bought this in full expectation that this be rather close to the legendary "wet noodle" type of nibs from some pre-1940's pens. I write cursive/longhand since about twenty years, but with this pen it's actually pure pleasure to write whatever style you use. Even my block writing becomes consistent... The nib is very sproingy, tines returning without delay. And the feed keeps up with my fast writing, even with a somewhat dry ink (TAG Kyo-no-oto Hisoku), no railroading at all.
The piston filler is very effective, even when ink levels are low.
Be aware that the pen isn't a feather-light, like so many other models. For me, this is a great plus.
All in all, this pen is worth saving up for (or buying right off the bat if you have that kind of money, of course). Comparing it to other soft or flexy nibs, this is by far the softest and flexiest one.
Lastly, the pen has a warranty certificate, which in this case Fontoplumo has stamped, and also an exhaustive and clear, but not too long to read, user instruction manual (in Italian and English). Even this was in a stylish sleeve.
Get the pen for the experience of opening and using it, for the nib, for the joy of writing with it. Indeed, you do "feel the writing"!
