Montegrappa MICRA
From the Montegrappa “Contemporary Luxury” Collection.
First Impressions
What interested me initially about the Micra was the small size. At just under roughly 4.5” (11.5cm) long when capped, it is presently the smallest of Montegrappa’s writing instruments. Slightly longer than a Pelikan M300, but with a barrel diameter closer to a M400, the Micra is very comfortable in the hand, as I often find the M300 a little too slim for extended periods of writing. The pen weighs roughly 22g - a little heavier than a filled M400. With the cap posted, the Micra is just over 5.5” (14cm) long.
I purchased my Micra from The Pen Shoppe in Brisbane, Australia. After discussion, they took $45 off the price, and included two free packets of Montegrappa Bordeaux cartridges, which are usually $12 per packet. I have seen Micra’s sold with two different boxes - a large, beige leather box, and a smaller, dark green box. I received the large beige box, with two blue cartridges, silver polishing cloth, booklet, and a registration and 24-month warranty card.
Appearance / Design / Finish (4*)
The Micra is offered in seven colours, with a faceted eight-sided barrel and cap turned from a marbled opalescent resin, and only available with 925 Sterling Silver accents.
I have an Orange micra, and the colour is pure and bright. The cap clip is gently curved and tapered, ending with a tiny pocket-friendly wheel. The cap also features a silver band engraved with the model, hallmark, and ‘Montegrappa’ in flowing script. The inner cap threads are plastic. The cap top is flat, and inset with a silver, circular ‘1912’ logo. The cap unscrews in three full turns - which is more than most pens - and posts onto the threaded silver barrel-end with another three turns. You won’t be grabbing this pen to jot anything down in a hurry!
The barrel section is silver and very smooth. I hold the pen quite close to the nib, my index finger rests just under the cap threads, with the tip of my nail actually resting on the nib. In the hand, the Micra feels like a solid, quality item, and I don’t doubt it could take a few small knocks. It is well balanced and the resin and silver is pleasant to the touch, but I can see larger fingers finding this pen uncomfortable.
The Micra loses a few ‘points’ here due to the plastic cap threads, and number of cap screw/unscrew turns.
Nib / Section / Performance (5*)
Montegrappa nibs are fairly small affairs in two-tone 750 / 18K gold, with the yellow gold appearing in a subtle, Greek key pattern border. The feed is an ebonite comb-feeder.
As far as writing goes, I chose an Extra Fine nib and it writes beautifully. The nib is very firm, and only has the merest hint of line variation. Smoother and finer than any of my Pelikan EF nibs, the Micra nib is excellent. I have used many inks with this pen, and the ink flow is always well controlled – not too dry, not too wet. I haven’t experienced any skipping or hesitation. Upside-down, the nib feels mildly toothy, but produces a very fine and consistent line.
This is a perfect nib in my opinion – firm, attractively designed with longer, finer tines than most of the nibs I own, and very subtle and beautiful two-tone decoration.
Filling System (3*)
Like several of it’s Montblanc brethren, the Montegrappa Micra is a pricey pen which only fills via a cartridge. Fortunately we are talking about standard short international cartridges, and not something proprietary. I tend to take this pen to work a lot, and this makes the cartridge filling system very convenient.
At the price, I would like to have seen the Micra with a converter, but Montegrappa do not make one for this model. I’d like to think that there is a squeeze-type converter out there which would fit this pen - like the one found in a Duke 2007 Mini, a fountain pen barely larger than the Micra.
Cost / Value (3*)
The RRP of the Montegrappa Micra is approximately $375 US. The Micra is certainly not a pen you would buy when you are looking for the best value for money. For the price of the small cartridge-filling Micra, you could no doubt get a large piston-filler, a bottle of ink, and likely some change!
For me though, cartridges are convenient and I loved the size and design of the Micra enough to overlook most of the price. When I bought this pen for myself at the beginning of 2006, it was as a reward. My bold Orange Micra was a symbol of the professional and financial advancements I had made in 2005.
(Montegrappa does not permit sales online, so visit your local pen store or the Montegrappa website to view their regular and limited edition collections.)
Final Thoughts
The Micra is a small and stylish pen, with quality construction and a nib which is a pure pleasure to use. Due to it’s colour, my Micra is quite eye-catching, and has attracted a few “great looking pen” comments.
While this is one of my favourite pens, it may likely be my only Montegrappa. This is in part due to the price, but is mainly due to the fact that there are no other small pens like the Micra in the current collection. However, the Montegrappa Symphony - a Micra-like bigger brother - is a stunning celluloid and silver pen in some gorgeous colours, and it has a cartridge/converter system. The Symphony is a more regular-sized pen, but is quite a bit more expensive than the Micra.
Overall, my beautiful little Micra is something I treasure.
