Hello all,

I'm sorely tempted by a Turquoise Montegrappa Miya FP, but I've learned something to make me a bit wary. AFAIK, they are now part of Richemont, a very large luxury goods conglomerate, which also makes Mont Blanc. I'm wary because all too often when that happens, focus turns to the bottom line and prices go north and quality south. The wikipedia entry for them even says that they don't make the pens themselves any more, though the article does seem to contradict itself on that one. Also, my only experience with MB has not been a fantastic one, in terms of either product or service.

So, I guess what I'm asking is am I getting ripped off if I buy one? Or is there a similar pen that is either better quality or better value?

Thanks for any answers in advance,

David.

I own a number of Montegrappa pens (Extra/Miya/Symphony/Historia/Classica) and the Miya in turquoise is one that I get a lot compliments about, as the color is gorgeous. I have many pens from Montegrappa that are pre and post Richemont era and I can tell you that I have not noticed a change in quality in any way - they are well made pens. I have had a couple serviced by Richemont Canada with the exception of one issue with a loose cap ring not being put on correctly (centered) - an issue they resolved - the service and quality of repairs has been excellent. Olivia in their Canadian office truly appreciates fine pens and is a joy to do business with. Often the pens were sent back to Italy and returned within 4 - 5 weeks with excellent nib adjustments been done by the master craftsmen at Montegrappa's factory in Italy.

I believe someone on the forum got to see the factory recently and commented on their celluloid vault...my mouth waters like Homer Simpson looking at donuts thinking of all that celluloid :-)

I too was a little concerned when a nice family business was taken over by Richemont, as I have heard some negative comments about the corporate practices by some dealers, but don't let that stop you from buying this pen. It was the first Italian fountain pen that I ever bought and it is still one of my favorite pens today.

Last I heard, the celluloid pens were still being made in the Bassano factory in Italy whereas the new resin models (Nero Uno, Piccola, Espressione and even the Stradivari) are made in Germany.

The Miya Turquoise is a gorgeous pen, I have the Miya Argento version and it is a beauty. It is a stunningly smooth writer too. The celluloid on the pen is so rich, it is well worth the price.

I really love my Miyas. They're good sized pens, very nice weight in the hand, and the celluloids are beautiful. I have a yellow one and a dark blue one. And the Miya addressed a big problem with other Montegrappas- the caps take forever to unscrew. It's nearly eight full rotations to uncap an Extra, while it's just two on the Miya. The nibs are really nice, though the newer ones are a bit stiffer than others.

I've noticed that the new Stradivari has the same nib/feed unit used by MB in its 146/LE pens, so I'm guessing they're being made by MB now.

If you don't want to buy the newer Montegrappa, the Symphony came in the same turquoise - at least it looks the same to me. These do come up for sale now and then. They do, however, have the problem of the many revolutions required to take off the cap.

mehitabel

Ouch - that puts a spoke in the works. You see, I really enjoyed my trip to Vicenza, over six years ago, and so would be far more willing to pull the trigger if it was made nearby. Does anyone have some advice as to how to tell?

David.

However, that's not to say that the pens made/assembled in Germany are bad. I've found that QC has actually improved with their newer models, in particular I was very impressed with the Nero Uno. The Stradivari was also a very good writer and since I learnt from Vicary that it has the same feed & nib section as the MB Writers' Edition, I am tempted to try a Montblanc. Also, Montegrappa have been outsourcing their nibs from the German company Bock for a very long time now, that has not changed (to my knowledge at least).

Again, you should be safe with a celluloid Miya if you want one from the Italian factory.

Hi David,

I have not held a Miya before but from what I see, they are beautiful pens. The intensity and depth of Montegrappa celluloids are unparalleled in my opinion.

Even so, I don't feel they represent good value, and yes, not even luxury value. I own an Extra1930 for some time now and the pen is picky on what sort of ink goes in, a problem my two Omases do not have. So now I have a designated bottle of Waterman for this pen.

From my limited experience with Montegrappa, their service has been outstanding as far as correspondence is concerned, though they take a while to respond. I would say if you like distinguished service, Montegrappa has a smaller client base and you just may get the treatment of a customer owning a pen priced at this level.

Ripped off is certain, though some would argue that it is subjective, and should not even influenced the purchase of a beautiful object. But I can see Montegrappas being much more popular if they come down from the stratosphere, but then Richemont would lose their brand-price segregation strategy!

Thank you all for your help, I'm afraid that I have decided not to buy.

Unfortunately, it seems like I may never be able to buy a new Miya, as they are apparently being discontinued, along with that lovely turquoise celluloid.

However, it is a huge amount of money, and all but one had pretty uninspiring nibs. The one that did have a smooth, springy nib had an imperfection in the celluloid. In fact, about half the examples I saw had damage or imperfections - one even had a deep groove where the cap had been posted tightly. That doesn't bode well for something that would have to see daily use in a busy hospital to justify it's high price. Oh, and they've just put the price up as well - now £380 in some shops.

Instead, to satisfy my cravings, I have taken almost £100 less (including shipping), and ordered all this:

2 restored vintage Conway Stewarts with flexible nibs
3 new Libelle FPs with fantastic finishes: Winter Storm, Sea Breeze, Autumn Leaves
A Hero 100 Stainless steel
Another Chinese pen - a mini orange one.
A big bottle of Noodler's Polar Blue (w/ free eyedropper pen)
A bottle of Private Reserve Avocado
Some fine gel refills for my Parker Frontier (needed for carbonless copies and to let others use at work)
A leather 24 pen case
A writefill set (which frankly I could have 'borrowed' from work, but at least I won't feel any guilt...)

All in all, eight pens (at least two of which will write fantastically), which seems like much better value and a good 'kick-start' to my fledgling collection.

David.