Montegrappa Desiderio Review

[flipper_gv]

INTRO:

 

http://i.imgur.com/pJaC3Uw.jpg

The Montegrappa Desiderio released just as I was getting into fountain pens. I had watched a ton of video reviews, read a ton of written reviews, heard all kind of opinions. The general consensus on expensive seems to be: the bigger the pen, the bigger the nib and the more exotic the filling system the better. And, at that moment, I see Montegrappa, a brand I knew only for the Chaos memes, release the Desiderio. It’s a medium sized pen, C/C filled, with a tiny #4 nib and it’s made out of resin. And it retailed for 850 USD (750 euros). The balls Montegrappa had for going against the grain this much.

I was confused, so confused. It didn’t make sense at all. I like to think of myself particularly good at putting myself in the shoes of others and understand their motivations. And I didn’t see why such a pen like the Desiderio existed. I became slightly obsessed with the pen. I was coming back to it, still mighty confused. The biggest mystery about that pen was that there doesn’t seem to be ANY consumer review of the pen. Not a single one. And then, Chatterley had quite the sale on the model (if you’re interested, look it up) and decided “what the (bleep), let’s finally find out what’s the deal about this pen”.

 

So, since there is no reviews on the pen, I felt I had some kind of responsibility to do a complete long form review of the pen.

 

NIB:

 

http://i.imgur.com/8W60Rwh.jpg

Now, I don’t think a review of this pen could start by anything else than talking about the tiny nib. Let’s clarify one thing, the nib isn’t small because it cost less. In fact, the Ducale Grande retails at 695 USD (150 USD less than the Desiderio) and has a #8 size nib with an ebonite feed. The nib is that small and is a conscious design decision. Now that (medium) nib might be small, but it’s superb. It’s bouncy, juicy, extremely consistent and glassy smooth. It’s just as smooth as my m1000 Broad nib unit that had baby’s bottom but this one doesn’t have such issues. It writes just like you’d expect a western nib to write. Best of all, it’s quite stubby too.

 

Aesthetics:

 

http://i.imgur.com/E2btniI.jpg

Aesthetics is really a hit or miss with Montegrappa. Sometimes, they do god awful things like the Chaos pen that I don’t see anyone other than a trucker with too much money would buy. Other times, they produce timeless classics like the Extra 1930 with its clean lines and beautiful celluloids (a model I’ll get at some point). Now, this pen, I think it was designed to be an everyday writer. A pen to use for any occasions without trying to grab the attention too much. The blue and grey pearlised resin has quite a bit of depth but in a way you have to be real close to see. The accents are sterling silver. The overall tolerances are extremely tight. The transitions (on the cap) from the blue resin, to the grey resin, to the silver cap band are seamless. The pearlescence lines up on the cap and the barrel. I really like the small grey band accent on the cap actually, small detail but wonderful. The nib has the nice Montegrappa’s octagonal logo on it, very pretty.

 

In the hand:

 

http://i.imgur.com/9dMe5ZZ.jpg

Now, it’s a medium sized pen and I’m above average in height. When I bought the pen, I fully expected to use the pen posted. I use my Lamy 2000 posted, my girlfriend’s CH 92 I use posted too, both my vintage Sheaffer’s posted. Only large and oversize pens I don’t use posted. Well, that’s borderline impossible because the sterling silver finial is pretty thick and very heavy. Posting the pen makes it too back heavy. But, the pen is extremely well balanced in the hand unposted. It’s surprisingly heavier than it looks unposted and the center of gravity just at the right spot. Honestly, it might be the best balanced pen I’ve ever used. The only other pen that has such a good balance that I tried was the Sailor King of Pen ebonite. I can write for long sessions with it and it never tires or cramp my hand. The section is pretty long and you can hold over the blocky threads very easily since they aren’t sharp at all. I really don’t feel the step down when I write either.

 

Filling system:

It’s a screw in international cartridge converter system. It’s a system I like a lot since it’s very quick to clean and if the system breaks, it costs only 10 ish USD to replace the faulty part.

 

Value:

 

http://i.imgur.com/iMrclXl.jpg

Now, here comes the hard part. I personally see fountain pens as functional jewelry and by definition all pens are overpriced beyond their function. I fully believe the value of a pen is in the eye of the customer.

 

Still, the pen retails at 850 USD and I’m fully aware you don’t get “a lot” for your money. Small nib, resin body, C/C filler, small body. The pricing for Montegrappa doesn't make much sense anyway. Like I said, the Ducale Grande with the #8 nib retails for 150$ less. The Passione with the celluloid body, sterling silver trims and #6 nib with an ebonite feed retails for 50 ish dollars less. The only rule I can see is the complexity of the sterling silver trim. The trims on the desiderio being slightly more complex, the pen is slightly more complex.

 

Beyond Montegrappa other products, you can get a m1000, an Homo Sapiens oversize, etc… for less money than this pen. But, what’s the value of consistent build quality, wonderful nib out of the box and great balance in hand (not too heavy or back heavy) and never being afraid to have to send the pen for repair because of the filling system? I know this pen isn’t for everyone, but it’s become very quickly my favorite pen. I’m liking it slightly more than my m1000. It’s just that good. It might be a smaller pen, but I can’t find a single fault to it.

Edited September 10, 2017 by flipper_gv

[Needhelp]

Wow! Nice review but 850 usd! That...that....that.... i dont know what to say.

But no writing sample? Anyway i dont need it but which nib size is it?

[flipper_gv]

Wow! Nice review but 850 usd! That...that....that.... i dont know what to say.

But no writing sample? Anyway i dont need it but which nib size is it?

 

It's a medium (fat western medium). Like I said, it's on a pretty good sale at the moment on Chatterley's Luxuries, so I didn't pay anywhere close to 850.

 

No writing sample because my handwriting isn't good enough to show it off.

[Bluey]

Well it's certainly an off the beaten track looking pen. The nib size, the barrel threads, the clip.

It’s just as smooth as my m1000 Broad nib unit that had baby’s bottom but this one doesn’t have such issues. It writes just like you’d expect a western nib to write. Best of all, it’s quite stubby too.

This Montegrappe has babys bottom too; that's what produces that stub quality. You can test this out by doing the drag test at the top and the bottom lower half of the page after you've written a full sheet. Notice that the line thickness is much less compared to when you write normally, especially on the lower half of the page.

Edited September 10, 2017 by Bluey

[flipper_gv]

This Montegrappe has babys bottom too; that's what produces that stub quality. You can test this out by doing the drag test at the top and the bottom lower half of the page after you've written a full sheet. Notice that the line thickness is much less compared to when you write normally, especially on the lower half of the page.

 

I'm confused at how you came up to that statement.

 

I thoroughly tested the pen before posting that review. I went through two converters so far and it skipped twice. The line thickness is the same at the top and the bottom of the page. It's stubby because of the shape of the iridium, not because it has baby's bottom. It reminds me a lot how Montblanc grinds their nibs in the recent years. If the iridium had been more like a ball than the oval shape it has, it would not have been stubby.

Edited September 10, 2017 by flipper_gv

[Bluey]

That was quick!(I meant the line thickness when you're doing the drag test, not the line thickness when you're writing with it normally, as I've said there). Well, so long as you're happy with it.

Edited September 10, 2017 by Bluey

[Needhelp]

It's a medium (fat western medium). Like I said, it's on a pretty good sale at the moment on Chatterley's Luxuries, so I didn't pay anywhere close to 850.

No writing sample because my handwriting isn't good enough to show it off.

Oh. Well its ok not everyone has a great handwriting but that is not what we need. The looks are not everything. We just want to know the wetness on paper, line width etc.

[kdv]

Ls,

 

Got mine today.

 

Maybe i'll inform you later more on my experiences. But in brief:

 

- just the right weight for me: more than a Omas Paragon old style, less than a Mont Blanc 146

- feels very solid

- very nice grip/section (threads etc.).

- cap posts perfectly like no other pen i have (soft touch + solid attached)

- not overdesigned (as Montegrappa usualy does)

- the right dimensions (somewhat like a Aurora optima)

- and the nib: +++++

 

this small nib surprised me very much. It delivers lots off ink

and

has a awfull lot of flex.

Even more than my old style paragon and i think even more than my pelikan 400nn (not compared yet.).

 

(references: pelikan 400, 400nn, sailor 1911, omas os paragon, omas new style milord, aurora optima, mb 146)

 

greetings

 

kdv

 

[Ink_Chick]

Doing this a bit bass ackward... I purchased a red and black Desiderio yesterday, and am curious what experiences either of you have had with inks. I have a Montegrappa Fortuna in medium nib, and I purchased the Desiderio (on deep sale, of course) in fine nib. Would love to keep the glassy smooth feeling! I’ve only used Pilot Iroshizuku (love the Ama-iro) and Diamine sapphire blue.

 

Thanks!

[ParkerBeta]

I wrote a comparison of the Desiderio versus the original Espressione here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/329605-montegrappa-desiderio-vs-espressione-original/?p=3950441

[TassoBarbasso]

Interesting review but way too expensive for me maybe the high price is caused by the presence of a gold nib?

[flipper_gv]

Interesting review but way too expensive for me maybe the high price is caused by the presence of a gold nib?

 

The only correlation I could find in Montegrappa pricing of their pens is how intricate the silver parts are. The more intricate, the more expensive the pen is. I paid way WAY under the msrp.