This pen is very special to me. A gift from my father for my 18th birthday this pen has seen me through A level exams and an entire university degree, writing lecture notes as well as doing exams. Who says a workhorse can’t be a cartridge converter? Stylish, elegant and a great example of understated Italian aesthetics, this is a pen that should be spoken about more often. So here I am. Talking about it.

Design

A common thing with Italian pens is to add facets on to the barrel/cap, and this Montegrappa is no exception. The octagonal dimensions are further ornamented with cut outs/ridges to give it a bit more personality, and this is one of the aspects I really adore about this pen. This feature is limited to the “Linea” models (regular NeroUno pens won’t have this, but will have the eight facets). One downside to this is that dust often loves accumulating here, though it’s easy to remove and doesn’t cause much hassle. The facets work well as a pseudo roll stop.

The end cap has “1912” in a motif, to signify the establishment of the company. The cap has a dome finial and a rather unique top to it, adding to the elegance of the pen. As typical for Italian pens, there is of course a wheel on the clip making it easy to slide it in and out of a pocket. The furniture of the pen is rose gold, so it is more ‘pink’ than the yellow of traditional gold; something I adore.

The nib comes in two flavours: one is the new design and the other is the old design. I have had both, and this is something that I will come on to shortly. Personally I prefer the old design for its understated design and it’s also a bit shorter size wise. This is the ‘new’ nib design from the first pen:

Nib

When I first got this pen, I had a lot of trouble with the writing experience, which was very frustrating. I tried cleaning with a bit of washing up soap to get rid of any oils left over from production, I tried heat setting the feed, I tried more lubricated inks. Anything, but nothing really seemed to work. Upon closer inspection, I realised that the connector between the converter/cartridge wasn’t cut properly during production. This meant that there would be less ink flowing through and once the capillary action was broken, there was no hope. Is my guess, anyway. So I emailed Montegrappa and they fixed it and had the pen back to me very quickly. The service was friendly and they kept me updated at all times. This is how I got the new nib (well, old nib I suppose). I would say that this is a rare occurrence as other people with Montegrappa pens that I know of haven’t experienced this issue. But it has to be said.

When the nib does write, it is wonderful. Personally I think I will grind this down a bit because my tastes have changed since I bought this pen (I got a medium as a safe middle ground, but I prefer fine nibs). It is consistent, well tuned/flows well and because it’s gold has a bit of give to it for line variation. Reverse writing isn’t possible; it is very scratchy and cuts the paper.

Feel

The pen sits wonderfully in the hand, and the facets make this even better and are comfortable. The section is large so it accommodates anyone for their writing position. While not an oversize pen, it is a bit bigger than other pens uncapped, though can still be posted (it will be a little back heavy, but I wouldn’t say substantial).

Filling

Cartridge converter. These pens can use the Schmidt K5 converter which is threaded so you get a secure fit when using a converter. Is this necessary? No. I’ve never actually had a converter come out and I do think this more serves the “businessman” as a selling point rather than actual functionality. Does it hurt to have? Definitely not. You can use standard international converters and cartridges. Montegrappa will supply a black cartridge with the pen.

Would I Buy It?

Absolutely. It’s a bit pricey, but this makes a wonderful pen and would be great for commemorative occasions and the such.

If Not This, Then What?

You’re spoiled for choice really. As I said, this is a pricey pen (£480 RRP) so in this bracket you’re considering custom pens, Visconti, other Montegrappa pens, Aurora, non-arco Omas or twenty-five Lamy Safaris. I’d say it depends on whether you want aesthetic or writing experience more – if you want aesthetic then the obvious go to is Visconti because they have some interesting designs. If you want a better writing experience, definitely look at an Aurora (you can read my review of the 88 here) and I suppose Omas would be a bit of a middle ground here – along with other Montegrappa pens (though perhaps leaning more towards aesthetic than functionality than Omas would).