# S.T. Dupont [pens]



## WX1 (Dec 20, 2006)

I don't work for S.T. Dupont, but, having alternated between two S.T. Dupont fountain pens (both wrote, and continue to do so, smooth as silk right out of the box) since the beginning of the year, I find myself wont to sing the praises of these fine writing instruments:

n one is an S.T. Dupont Orpheo, which comes in "medium" and "large" sizes with regard to their fountain pens. The Orpheo DOES come in rollerball and ball point, but, if I'm not mistaken. I have a large Orpheo, in a medium nib. Lemme tell you, STUPENDOUS writing with this pen. Thick barrel with a length of about 6" and a few more ticks with the cap on. I have this one in a black Chinese lacquer (I'll let you go visit their website to see how PAINSTAKINGLY S.T. Dupont goes from tapping from the source to resin to finish) and platinum metal accents.

n The other is what I like to call the "mini-me" of the Orpheo, the S.T. Dupont Fidelio. This one's an ALL-palladium model. About five inches and one or two ticks with the cap snapped on top of the barrel. 

[10 points, by the way, for the first one who can 'splain why I opted to use square-shaped bullets, for the above, on this particular post. ]

For the uninitiated, S.T. Dupont makes luxury items such as high-end pens, cufflinks, and cigarette lighters. What I like on the surface about S.T. Dupont products is what I like to call the infamous "sound" of them when you're about to or when you're done using them - for the former, you know that whole "ping" of a nice, rectangular-sized cigarette lighter, a sound that you seem to only hear in the movies when some nice-suited male is about to light a female's cigarette or something (a gesture mostly made famous in movies of the, say, 1950s?). That's the "ping" that a S.T. Dupont lighter is known for. 

For the latter, if you're using one of S.T. Dupont's pens that have a cap for the barrel, that cap snaps on like no other pen, methinks. A nice, comforting, solid, secure "snap" that won't detach until you use the pen again.

At about $500 for the Orpheo and $300 for the Fidelio (I got 'em at discount) these pens have become much more than their monetary cost, to me, and you might end up agreeing as well . . . heck, if you ask me? These are mid-priced with regard to the nice metal materials that S.T. Dupont offers and, again, I can't stress how smoothly these fountain pens have operated for me. So "fountain pen-friendly" I've used both of the above to write everything from grocery lists to taking notes on the job to writing out formal reports that need to be handwritten.

The Fidelio line seems to have undertake medieval themes when it comes to cap and barrel aesthetics. This line has, with a grey (knight), blue (France), and more recently purple (royalty) CHAINMAIL themes in addition to the "plate armor" that my own Fidelio can brag. With such titles as "midnight blue," "brown leather," and their own all-platinum models, the Orpheo family seems to have a more contemporary flair.

S.T. Dupont is based in France and their lines, as both of the aforementioned pens pronounce (etched-in fashion) on the side of their respective clips, "MADE IN FRANCE" -- the very birthplace of the fountain pen.

Again, the Chinese lacquers and metal accents that they favor for their pens are just too good.

For you Omega Seamaster/007 fans, S.T. Dupont has done-up about two or three James Bond-theme pens. Yep, you TOO can now have a pen whose laser can cut through . . . Ha ha ha, just kidding, sort, because one of their 007 homage's Orpheus comes in your choice of grey gun-metal with mini-laser *pointer* or time zone or in a palladium finish with mini-laser pointer or time zone. Their more recent _Casino Royale_-themed Orpheo, if I'm not mistaken, has no such frills, but, is itself a nice ode to Commander Bond's tuxedo's evening wear.

If none of the above were enough S.T. Dupont may very well have the answer for anti-counterfeiting schemes regarding luxury items such as pens, watches, etc.; the S.T. Dupont pen, cigar/cigarette lighter, what have you, in that individual who handcrafted the item has his/her initials etched somewhere designated inside of the item. What that tells me is, when it comes to authenticating one of 'em, I suppose the initials better be where the company says it is. In any case, good way to discern whether something's fake or not. While we're on the subject, Dupont, sadly, seems to have had their own share of fakes of their great works . . . funny how, as I understand it, the serial numbers would all be the exact same serial number on the many fakes that were done-up by ne'er-do-wells [!].


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## tlprice (Feb 23, 2006)

For 10 points...

Because almost all S.T. DuPont Orpheo pens use a square shaped black onyx on the clip of the pen as a means of readily identifying the brand. (Exceptions exist among some of the Limited Editions)


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## WX1 (Dec 20, 2006)

tlprice said:


> For 10 points...
> 
> Because almost all S.T. DuPont Orpheo pens use a square shaped black onyx on the clip of the pen as a means of readily identifying the brand. (Exceptions exist among some of the Limited Editions)


Whoo HOOO, tlprice gets the 10 points. That's exactly right -- a square-shaped black colored filled-in shape (I'm told that that's actual lacquer) is at the top of the clip of S.T. Dupont pens. Simple symbol, but, identifiable to Dupont fans and pen aficonadoes.


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