Review: Wahl Eversharp Doric 2nd Gen. Fountain Pen + Adjustable #7 Nib

This beautiful and unusual fountain pen was a gift from my very thoughtful, very sweet husband. I had been drooling over the new Lamy Safari in bright lime green, but trying to justify that as a purchase (something pen addicts are pretty good at), but at the same time, I'm trying to be careful about what I purchase as I have limited financial resources. I want to get pens that are different to what I already own, to change my collection so to speak. So Kevin tells me, "give me two days to figure out our budget", which made sense to me, so I accepted. The rat!!! He wanted two days because he had already picked this pen and ordered it from Mauricio at Vintage Pen and was waiting for it to arrive! What a sneaky devil! He does this to me all the time and I never catch on. Anyway. On to the pen!

Unusual coloring - I think it's beautiful!

The truth is, I don't know a whole lot about vintage pens, so I will share the specs of the pen, but then just tell you and show you what I love about it. Sounds good?

Brand: Wahl Eversharp
Body Material: "Brown shell" celluloid - marbled brown
Trim: Gold
Origins: Made in USA, 1930s
Length (capped):  5 1/8"
Nib type: Wet noodle F - BB
Nib material: 14K gold
Weight: 19 grams
Barrel design: 12 side faceted
Fill type: Plunger
Ink used in this review: Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses

Top to bottom: Jinhao X450, Straffen SG2400, Parker Sonnet, Wahl Eversharp Doric 2nd Gen. 

The second generation Doric has a few changes that the first generation doesn't: different colors, a decorative band extending to the cap line to protect from cap-lip cracks, a different clip, and the "One-Shot" vacuum filler.

My first plunge filler!

The body of this second generation Doric is 12 side faceted, tapers at both ends, and has tops that come to a small, rounded point. The barrel near the nib is translucent and is quite clear, so I am able to see the ink supply. I'm not certain how much ink this pen is capable of holding, but I do know that I filled it once, and I have been using it frequently, with full flex, and I can still see ink in the chamber.

Another angle, and more beautiful pattern!

Aside from its color and pattern, two things make this pen really unique: the adjustable nib, and the shut off device for the ink.

The adjustable nib has a little slider on nine notches that can move up or down. The closer to the tip of the nib, the firmer the nib is, so the less flex you will have. At this level, I can write at any speed and ink flow is always constant. If I slide the adjuster back, it opens up the nib and tines, and allows for flexing with little pressure, although this slows down writing speed a little. This beautiful nib has never railroaded on me. That is a quality that I am willing to pay for!

Top: slider adjusted to a stiff nib and results in fine lines. Bottom: slider adjusted to a flexible nib and results in double broad lines/wet noodle flexing. 

I am ashamed to share my HORRIBLE cursive, so please don't laugh at it. 

Juicy ink... yummy. Note the position of the slider! 

The line variation is very pretty. It has not railroaded once on me. I love vintage flex nibs for this reason!

Well. My writing is not the greatest, but ignore that. Actually, I guess you can't. My apologies.  This all came from the SAME NIB on the SAME PEN. Isn't that neat??

Disregard the feathering. And my horrible writing. But you can clearly see line variation!

As for the shut off device, or "Safety Ink Shut-Off", well, it is supposed to do what it says: shut off ink flow. It works by being pressed when the pen is capped. I obviously cannot see inside this pen so I don't understand the mechanics of it, but its functionality is apparently questionable. Either way, I wouldn't fly with an inked fountain pen anyway, although this is a neat concept.

See the shut off device? I have no idea if it really works. I don't fancy testing it out on an airplane. 

The celluloid body is very attractive and warm, as well as being comfortable to hold because it's not very heavy. The downsides to celluloid as a material is that it is relatively unstable and can crystallize, which results in discoloration. Unfortunately, the top of the cap of this pen had begun to crystallize but the area was treated to halt the process. To be honest, if no one had mentioned it to me, I'd have assumed that was the color it was supposed to be. Hopefully, the pen will be okay! In the meantime, I will thoroughly enjoy it.

Honestly, I think the color is quite pretty.

While I can't list places for you to acquire a Doric of your own, I'm sure they're out there. Mauricio was very helpful and I know he has two more about to be put up on his site, in case you were really interested!

All three of these vintage pens come from Mauricio at Vintage Pen. I am not affiliated with Mauricio but I am SO thrilled with these three pens that I have to share my great experience with you all! The two on the right are Watermans, both with flex nibs.  

The price of this model of pen can vary depending on the condition the pen and the nib is in, the type of nib in question, and where it's coming from. Given that I know zilch about vintage pens and restoring them, I am perfectly happy to pay someone else to do it who knows what they're doing. Therefore, the price is higher than an entry level fountain pen, but in my humble opinion, it is fair. None of my modern pens write like these bad boys here.  

Much of this information was sourced from Richard Binder's site so my gratitude goes out to Richard for providing such a valuable resource to the clueless vintage pen owners like me!

** I am not affiliated with Mauricio at Vintage Pen, I'm just a really happy customer!