Desiderata Vignette: Daedalus
Since Day One of the Desiderata Pen Company, the Daedalus has been the number one seller. If you need a flex pen for calligraphy, general writing, or some drawing (discussed in the "Purpose" section of the User Manual), all of my pens will suit you, but for some reason, this one has always stolen the show.
Pleasant posting of the cap to the back of the pen, a utilitarian roll stop, sleek lines, and a classic black finish are the hallmarks of this stalwart writing instrument.
This is a solid ebonite eyedropper filling fountain pen, purpose-built for the Zebra G nib with an ebonite feed made to handle high flex writing, and able to take any standard JoWo #6 screw-in nib unit. You have to pick which you want, though.
Sporting a minimalist, "industrial" feel, the Daedalus™ is your prime choice when you need a flex pen that can take a [modest] beating, fits the budget and works well.
Eyedropper filling; Silicone grease is necessary to ensure a proper airtight and ink-tight seal between grip section threads and barrel. If you’re unfamiliar with the idiosyncrasies of eyedropper-filling fountain pens, I don’t recommend this for use with the Zebra G. You’ll be happier with a pen with a built-in filling system.
If you want to be able to swap out the Zebra G nib and feed with a JoWo Fine screw-in nib unit or a Pilot extra fine screw in nib unit, you can purchase one of them from the parts page.
To remove the Zebra G nib unit I designed, you'll pull out the friction fit nib and feed, and then, using a 3/16" allen (hex) wrench, you'll reach into the black nib collar and unscrew the nib collar from the inside. Then, once that's removed, you can manually screw in your JoWo #6 nib unit of choice.
Convertors or cartridges will not fit.
n.b. Though cosmetically identical to earlier versions, parts from this pen may not be interchangeable with parts from earlier iterations.
To keep this pen as affordable as possible, machining oil/grease, machining marks and cosmetic blemishes may be visible. The photographed example is representative.