Up for review is the Monteverde Black Tie.You might have seen this gem around.One of the offerings from Monteverde,it joins the growing ranks of nicely made fountain pens and rollerball models.I purchased this pen over a year and a half ago but have just now been able to make time to review it!! Too many pens,never enough time.
Monteverde is a part ot the Yafa empire.This particular model caught my eye at a local Office Depot. I never have thought of such a dealer as having "serious" fountain pens but decided the price was too good to pass up.Being on sale at $45,i made the plunge!
Here are my personal findings:

APPEARANCE/FINISH-4 OUT OF 5


The pen is made of carbon fiber surrounded by a clear finish.A chrome bottom ends the smooth flowing shaft.The cap contains one of the toughest cap holders i have ever seen.
It is a snap on cap,not a twist on.Nonetheless,a well made design.
One thing i did not like was the chrome finish on the lower barrel.I have more oil than i would like on my fingers sometimes and find they slip on these metallic lower barrels.Thats why i usually like celluloid or resin pens best.

WEIGHT/SIZE-4 OUT OF 5


This one area i felt Monteverde did well.The pen is nice and solid with a bit of weight behind it.I didn't weigh it but it is most certainly my heaviest pen.This weight does not pose a problem as it is well balanced.Very easy to write with.
Capped,the pen measures 5-3/8"(13.53 cm) in length.Capped it is 5-3/4"(14.60 cm).
The cap adds little extra weight yet is sturdy.

NIB AND WRITING PERFORMANCE-3 OUT OF 5


Here is where the pen falls short a wee bit.The pen was sold with a fine nib instead of the usual medium.I prefer this for my writing and music notation.
At first the nib was a little scratchy,but soon enough it started to flow well.Using Visconti black,i have written down a few lines from some Rückert poetry that Gustav Mahler used in writing songs.

The ink flows very well.Still,the nib seems a trifle hard.It does not flex very well.All things considered though,not bad at all.
It is an iridium steel nib.


FILLING/INK SYSTEM-3 OUT OF 5

The Monteverde line uses either converter or cartridge most of the time.Some are cartridge only.This model is sold with both in the well made box.
Not much to say other than the converter is the usual generic type.

COST/VALUE-5 OUT OF 5

The outlay of hard earned brass was well worth it's weight!!!I have seen the retail on this pen vary greatly from $45 to over $80.I find that quite extraordinary for such a lower grade fountain pen.Online i have no doubts it can be found for rather a good price.

OVERALL-4 OUT OF 5


For the price,a very fine pen.A delightful gift for anyone,especially as a beginner pen.
Also good as a backup fountain pen.I also have the Monteverde Rose Gold Carbon fibre pen.That model had skiping and drying out problems from the beginning.It has been sent back to Monteverde for warranty work or replacement.I will review it when it arrives back in,hopefully,a few weeks.

I hope this review helps those considering this model.They also make a rollerball and ballpoint.I have heard that this model might be destined for the discontinue bin.If so,snatch it up at a bargain price!!!It is worth it!!Even better than some of my pens over $100.

JD(handlebar)

Thanks for the review. I think this is a very sharp looking pen and I've had my eye on one for some time. Rather serendipitous that you would mention Mahler - I just went to a performance by the Dallas Symphony of his 5th on Friday.

I would like to have attended that performance. I am waiting for your Rose Gold reveiw as I have one as well. It was a gift from my wife. I frind it dries if left for a few days without use and it takes a bit of effort to get it going again.

I would like to have attended the M5 as well.It isn't my favourite Mahler symphony but i have no doubt Runnicles did well.It would have been quite a commute from the NW!!

As for the Rose Gold Monteverde,i have sent that in under warranty as it has the exact same problem as your's does Mike.I don't do repairs on my pens per se so i contacted monteverde and they said to ship it to them and it would be taken care of.
Now i just need to await it's return.I will let you know how things go when it arrives back.Never had similar problems with the Black Tie i'm happy to say.

Thanks for reading the review.I was wondering if anyone was going to comment!!!

JD

Great review, and your handwriting is very nice!

R.ticle One

Great review, JD.
I have the rose gold/carbon fibre model and like it quite a bit. It's easily the most pen for the price in dollars per pound, and I am looking forward to your review.
I actually like the metal section on this one. It might be the difference between the metals, but the rose gold feels warm and doesn't slip in my hand.

cheers
Murdoch

I have a Black Tie that I bought five or six years ago. It came with a steel nib. I ruined the nib [long story], called Yafa and they replaced it for the cost of shipping. The replacement they sent is different from the original nib - it's two-tone gold/steel and is a little bit bigger than the original. It's a very smooth nib with a little bit of flex. But it's a difficult starter. It tends to dry out if I don't use it every day. I find the grip a little slippery, too. I think it's a combination of the metal and the fact that it tapers down quite a bit. Even so, I like this pen. It's such a good-looking pen, I can put up with its little quirks --------- you know, like you guys can put up with quirks out of a good-looking woman.

Judybug

I picked up the Black Tie just before Christmas at the Office Depot 1/2 off sale. I have to say, I find the nib unacceptably scratchy. It may be my particular pen, because the Rose Gold I picked up isn't nearly as scratchy.

Excellent review! I have been eyeballing one of these for a while now. I may just have to pick one up

I have the rose gold invincia. It definitely feels warmer because it is lacquered metal not just cold hard chrome. The skipping problem is from the older models having too short a feed going into the convertor. I had the same problem with my original which I returned and the new feed has a longer stem going into the convertor and also the new feed doesn't have the plastic collar around the nib.

Thanks for the review!

I picked up a Black Tie at the Office Depot sale, too! I also have a Tartanian model I got last year.

Unfortunately, both pens have the same flow problem - although the new Black Tie is a bit worse. I fill the converter, start writing, everything is smooth, and... "so long and thanks for all the fish!"

After about half a converter of ink, the ink flow trickles off and dies completely. Now, there's plenty of ink left, but it just won't flow. I've tried twisting the converter to "prime" the nib, but it's to no avail. Flushing and refilling doesn't help either.

Has anyone else had a similar experience or - even better - found a solution? While I don't think either of these pens would be a constant daily companion - IMHO it is a bit on the heavy side to stay in a shirt pocket - the fun patterns make me want to use them as more than just a pretty paper weight.

All the best,
Mike

Mike,

Send an email to Clara at Monteverde(Yafa) and maybe she can help.I have sent mine in and am awaiting the return of my pen.Same issues.

JD

Thanks, JD,

I'll send her an e-mail and see what she says.

All the best,
Mike

Follow-up on Rose Gold:

After three weeks of wondering and sporadic emails,i finally called Yafa/Monteverde direct.Seems the warranty for Monteverde pens is for all but shipping only.So if you ship it to them,remember you will be charged $11.50 to have it returned.I actually was thinking of refusing as the pen only cost me $40.But in an effort to test the customer service of this company,i have given my cc # and am having it shipped back.
The communication was not very good.Two email over 3 weeks?
And $11.50 for s/h?? I spent $4 to ship USPS Priority.Thats the same method they are using.Hmmmm

So i will not be buying any Monteverde pens soon.

JD

Thanks for the update, JD.

Sending the pens for service certainly doesn't seem too promising...

Three weeks of waiting would have driven me bonkers, especially if you're sort of in the dark about what's happening. My Tartania was only $20, and I got the Black Tie for $30. I'm not really sure if $11.50 per pen is really worth it...

Let us know how everything goes. If they do good work, I may bite the bullet and send one in. If not, it looks like I've got a pair of paperweights.

Oh well, maybe if I ever try to do any of my own pen repairs, I'll use these two as guinea pigs.

Best of luck,
Mike

I also have a Monteverde rose gold pen which I love. Having said that, however, I have the same problem most of your have experienced with the ink not flowing through the converter. It flows great for a while, but then I have to unscrew the pen, and turn the top of the converter in order to push the ink into the nib. This was my first fountain pen and initially I thought this problem was inherent to all fountain pens. Since then, however, I've purchased a Cross and a Waterman and have not had this problem with those converters.

I do love the Monteverde and personally like the weight of it. As long as you can keep the ink flowing, it's a great pen.

Seems like most of the problems sound like sticky convertor syndrome I had the same problem changing convertors fixed that. You can also try putting just a tiny amount of dish soap to the convertor by dipping a toothpick into dish soap and then touching it to a convertor full of ink. It will help it flow down the convertor into the feed.

Thanks. I'll give that a try.

I received a black tie as a gift. It skips, dries out etc. Tried cleaning with water, water and ammonia. still skips a great deal. SinceI have not been able to come to a solution, it sits in my pen box just looking pretty

Contact Clara Cornett or Dot Stern at 1-800-YAFA-PEN and they'll service your pen under its warranty. You can also email them if you prefer at claracornett@yafa.com or dotstern@yafa.com.

Thank you so much. I have contacted clara at YAFA and will be sending my black tie in for repair or replacement. Again, thank you

My pleasure

Sent my pen to clara at YAFA, returned in 10 days, writes very well and will find it's way into my regular pen rotation. Thanks again for the advice.

Glad to hear it!

I have the Black Tie model with a Medium nib -thanks to a FPN sale. I like the chrome fittings, it does not slip in my hand. I haven't had any of the flow problems reported here - ink flows smoothly and the nib is smooth and not scratchy at all. I would have loved the rose gold model - just looks prettier. The only thing I am not thrilled with is that it IS a heavy pen - though balance is good and non-posted works well me. All in all I have been very happy with the 3 Monteverde's that I currently have. I am especially fond of the Charisma and will no doubt be looking for another of them in the future.

This pen is very reminiscent of all pens, the MB JP Morgan, due to the woven fiber effect. It makes for an interesting looking pen and I am sure that Yaffa thought twice about mimicking the woven cap on the MB and then getting a nasty letter. Besides, I think the barrel makes for a more interesting canvas.

Thanks for this review.