Maybe it is partly for my affection for Italian food, coffee or the fact that my mom always spoke so passionately about Italy that I have a fondness for Italian names. I mean, come on! Stipula Etruria Gallicana Fountain Pen Notte di San Lorenzo – Nib Size : V-Flex – That’s an impressive name, even in my own fake Italian accent. I can make out a few things about the name, I can make out a few things considering the other parts as well. Stipula, another brand I have been really intrigued by and wanting to try out. Notte – night – the pen should be dark. V-Flex – a flex pen, seriously? And I who am not a flex guy? Well, the pen is dark, the Stipula pen comes in a very huge box and a bit over the top. Really could have modernized the boxing to come in a smart carry pouch and having a less impact on boxes that most of us throw away or store in another bigger box in the attic? Am I alone in this? Don’t think so. Well, if you like big boxes – this pen won’t let you down. For me – I so far just love the name.

WHAT IT IS
The Stipula Etruria Gallicana is a cigar shaped based fountain pen, with a small hump of going thicker over the barrel, the way to make it rest easier in your hand. It is slightly thicker than your average pen, lightweight, and has that nice resin that makes for a pleasant feel in your hand. The V-Flex is their modern take of flex nib in steel.

LOOKS
The pen is made in a deep blue resin with flecks that sparkle up a bit and looks like a night sky, I suppose. The name and the style isn’t a bad one. It has metal details, on the cap, the clip is in muted silver, the cap also has a muted silver ring around the opening and then the barrel has a muted silver ring before the very end. Stipula Ertruria Gallicana Made in Italy is engraved on the barrel. The cap, barrel and section and grip are all made in the same resin and goes well together since the pattern is flecks, and there is something breaking up the pattern between all the parts. On the capped pen, the cap’s ring and the section meets the barrel’s grooves. Makes an overall pleasing design. The muted colors with the occasional very bright flecks makes this pen more of a traditional laid back pen. Not a screamer for attention. When you have it in your hand, it is very nice to look at. The nib is in stainless steel, has some scroll-works and a slit that parts the nib all the way up in the collar.
The grip is tapering down in half of an hour-glass shape and then flares out into a collar before the nib.
Looks are nice, a bit laid back but gives a nice over all impression.

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WRITING
So, the grip on the pen is hourglass shaped, and the barrel is thicker on the first third of the barrel towards the grip. It rests nicely in my hand. The grooves and step down are hardly noticeable. The pen is rather lightweight and no metal parts makes the weight even distributed. Posted, the ring of the cap digs into the webspace of my hand, and is not that nice. I’m simply too sensitive there to enjoy it. The capping is fairly secure, albeit a bit shallow. I don’t mind since I prefer to actually use a pen without capping it.
The nib sometimes need to be primed a bit, because this pen is a gusher. It goes through ink rather quickly. Not something bad, but it also makes it a bit hungry, which leads to it to be primed sometimes before you start writing. This would be an issue if it weren’t for the feed keeping up very well once you start writing. The flow is very good and you get that lovely shade or extra quality in your ink to stand out, if you have the paper and such an ink.
The V-Flex nib is surprisingly smooth. Doesn’t really feel like a flex pen. If I relax, the pen writes a juicy fine pen, and if I press a bit I get a nice juicy line. For me, I get more or less two thicknesses out of it, the fine and the medium and my writing doesn’t give that much variation to be honest. This is because I am very heavy handed and have to concentrate for pressing alternately with strong or loose hand – so it’s either or for me. The pen can railroad, but you quickly feel a resistance building up, this means you can easily avoid going into the railroading if you pay some attention quickly on…
This means, that for someone like me, who isn’t a flex nib guy, I have a perfect flex nib. I can alternate my line variation, and with practice, I might get more line variation as I write. For now, it writes really well and it surprised me by being by far the most “beginner friendly flex pen I have ever had”.
There are a few things that annoys me, when I write; that sometimes I feel like the pen has a bit of a sweet spot leading to me missing the first half line or so of a letter if I’m too quick. This is mostly common to happen when the pen has rested or is running a bit dry,
I also don’t like how the clip feels cheap and doesn’t sit very well. I don’t use clips – but when you have something there, it better be working.

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VALUE
So, I paid 160€ for this pen. Not cheap by any means, but for an Italian pen in resin with a very well functioning flex nib, it’s not that expansive really. It’s a good looking pen, and the only flaw in design par is the clip on the cap. It doesn’t feel to sit very securely and I would be hesitant to use it for a daily carry by the clip.
The pen comes with a converter and some cartridges, a nice inlay of the Stipula brand and the pen definitely has that Italian feel and design.
A nice pen that is accurately priced IMHO. Is it a pen for everyone then? Nah, I don’t think so, but if you are interested in flex pens light – and have qualms about buying an expansive flex pen to see what you get and then realizing that you can’t use it – this is the pen for you. Simply because this flex nib is very easy to use with a lighter pressure and simply write with. Really comfortable and nice. The nib can have that “springiness” to it, rather then a flex pen persona. Seeing to the brand of Stipula, there are a few cheaper offerings and more pricey ones.

THE GOOD
A very forgiving and easy to write with flex nib
Nice looking pen that meets the demands of its price range

THE BAD
Can have a bit of a sweet spot, especially if the nib is a bit dry or you haven’t primed the pen.
Might not be what you ordinarily mean with a flex nib, some people may find it too hard to write with that line variation in a satisfying way.

IN THE END
A safe bet pen. Looks nice, feels nice, writes almost like an ordinary pen if you don’t like the flex part. It is not for the ones wanting to have serious flexing and wide variation on the line. This is more the ordinary writer’s flex pen in my opinion. A good solid pen for writing and enjoying while having a bouncy character and from a hint of line variation to more characterized downstrokes – for instance.