It's amusing to read about their claims. Rotring came out with the Rollkuli in the 50's. The UHU kugeltinter came out a short time later. These are both ink ball pens. They wrote well initially but would become unreliable over time (skipping, leaking, etc). This is why the tips were designed to unscrew for easy replacement. It appears that this basic problem has not been solved--Monteverde merely increased the rollerball tip lifespan a little.

Because of the inherent friction based design of the rollerball, it is destined to wear out and then need to be replaced. So, going the route of the cheap disposable refill makes the most sense. At least until they come up with a frictionless roller!

A few comments on the Monte Verde Mega Ink Ball (MIB):

I received a maroon MIB as a gift, but so far it hasn't been perfect; I think the tip is too fat, and at least so far I can't usually tell how thick the line will be. The ink flow seems clumsy next to actual fountain pens, although I'm not sure if this is in part as a result of me filling it for the first time. To test this, I may jettison the ink already inside, rinse, and try again. Abqnm may also have described the problem:



Although I took a few pictures with a digital camera to demonstrate the differences in lines, none turned out well and I'll have to wait till I have access to a camera.

The size of the pen is nice, although the material feels oddly flimsy compared to the Mont Blanc or the other gift I received, a Parker Sonnet with a fine point. I'm not sure if this pen will grow on me, although my initial experience with it doesn't bode well. Still, I've read that some pens take a little while to calm down, and this may be one example. If Monte Verde released .05 mm points, I'd buy one instantly.

As a site note, the packaging is mammoth compared to most fountain pens; Monte Verde evidently has been subjected to the small packaging movement of environmentalism. See the attached picture with the Parker box on the right and taking only a fraction of the MIB box. This one fortunately did turn out well.

I can't say that I find this pen appealing. For $200, you'd expect a gold nib fountain pen, but here you get a few substandard rollers. It seems kind of like the worst of both worlds: the short-life disposable characteristics of a rollerball with the price and refilling mess of a fountain pen. Maybe the price of the tip can be justified (it does sound interesting), but then you're paying $160 for a plastic shell and some packaging. You could probably just buy the tip and get someone who turns pens to make a body for a lot less. Or, for the same price as the Mega, you could buy a Senator President, with an 18k gold nib, piston filler, and a size that's about the same as a MB 149. I haven't tried the nib on one those, but i'm sure it's much more enjoyable than a rollerball.

I have one of the smaller ones. It works, but that's all I can say about it. Can anyone spell boring?

It appeals to my gadget side, and I have looked at these for quite some time. The reason I haven't bought one is that, not being a FP, you would probably buy for its functionality rather than to display, and I would always worry that someday you would not be able to get the Rollerball refills. Plus my reptilian brain thinks that a utilitarian pen should have a snap on/off cap if it were to be at all useful for quick notes and the like. Still it is an interesting piece of engineering.

I asked for one because I could use the inks I like with a rollerball, and the pen is also supposed to be much better on planes. Despite my earlier commentary, the MIB does seem to have settled down some, and, although I still think the maroon smaller version a tad too big, the size has grown on me. I can also write slightly faster with it than I can with my Mont Blanc or Parker Sonnet.

-Jake