MonteVerde Mega Ink Ball

[DJJM9598]

It fills like a fountain pen and writes very smooth, but is it as good as a fountain pen?

[vermillionpart4]

It's just gonna be different.

 

You seem to be focused on the wrong things. There is no "best" of everything, stop trying to figure that out.

 

What do you want? Do you want the simplicity of a rollerball but the variety of fountain pen ink? yeah, then go for the ink-ball.

[Tsujigiri]

No, any ballpoint-ish pen isn't going to have the same response as a fountain pen. There will be no flex and no opportunity for modifications or repair. I really don't see the point of the Mega Ink Ball. There are cheaper options available that do the same thing, like all the stylographic pens. Part of the point of a fountain pen is longevity, which this pen does not have. You have to keep buying replacement tips for this pen when it wears out. Can you be sure that Monteverde will be around long into the future, and that they'll still be manufacturing these tips? Also, if the pen costs $200 and a spare tip is $10, then that means that Monteverede thinks that a plastic shell is worth $190. When you can get a piston-filled gold-nibbed pen for the same price that lasts longer and writes better, I don't see the point of this pen.

[Pippin60]

No, any ballpoint-ish pen isn't going to have the same response as a fountain pen. There will be no flex and no opportunity for modifications or repair. I really don't see the point of the Mega Ink Ball. There are cheaper options available that do the same thing, like all the stylographic pens. Part of the point of a fountain pen is longevity, which this pen does not have. You have to keep buying replacement tips for this pen when it wears out. Can you be sure that Monteverde will be around long into the future, and that they'll still be manufacturing these tips? Also, if the pen costs $200 and a spare tip is $10, then that means that Monteverede thinks that a plastic shell is worth $190. When you can get a piston-filled gold-nibbed pen for the same price that lasts longer and writes better, I don't see the point of this pen.

 

I'd have to agree, the concept intrigues me because I love any "gadgetry" but it does seem a bit of a waste. You should check out the Rosewood mega ball Ltd ed. It comes with a fountain pen nib as well as the roller ball section but its even more expensive, if I could get one for about 200$ I would give it a try.

[Anne-Sophie]

There are cheaper alternative available in Europe from Pelikan and Borghini (an Italian manufacturer), and probably other brands because there children use the ink rollers right before using fountain pens and after using pencils.

 

 

I have 3 Daniel Hechter Rollink inkrollers, I believe they have been discontinued but, you never know, somebody might still have them in stock. Just google the name which is a French brand.

 

I really love inkrollers, I have been trying to get my hands on the Pelikan and Borghini for a while. Borghini makes the plastic Ink-O-Sphere shown below and a nicer version which is called Alu-Look.

 

This is a picture of the Ink-O-Sphere from Borghini

Ink-O-Sphere picture

 

 

Yafa also makes an inkroller, they say it is available at Office Depot

Yafa ink roller picture

 

 

 

Here is a thread that was written when the Mega Ink Ball first came out.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=10405

 

 

There is also another thread about ink rollers made in 2006.

www.fountainpennetwork.com/.../t14914.html

Edited May 26, 2009 by Anne-Sophie

[krandallkraus]

$200???!! I'd give it a try if I could gt one for free.

 

I love hanging out with you jetsetters.

[Anne-Sophie]

$200???!! I'd give it a try if I could gt one for free.

 

I love hanging out with you jetsetters.

 

I tried one at a pen show, that pen is very heavy.

 

It is indeed intended for the luxury brand crowd.

 

 

That is why I gave examples of budget inkrollers in the previous post.

[glamourdoll]

I would guess that nothing writes like a fountain pen except a fountain pen.

 

I would also put in this caveat: I own one Monteverde (an Invincia), and while it is very pretty to look at, I don't really enjoy writing with it. It feels scratchy & skippy to me and it's a hard-starter. My 2 Parkers and my R0t all are all silky smooth and start reliably.

 

Perhaps it would be a good idea to do a test-write of the pen in question before purchasing it if at all possible.

 

xoxoxoxo

Lily

[ZeissIkon]

Yafa also makes an inkroller, they say it is available at Office Depot

Yafa ink roller picture

 

I'll confirm that I've seen these pens at Office Depot. Don't recall the price, but it's nowhere near $200; seems to me it wasn't out of line from the Yafa Cartridge Fountain Pens also sold at Office Depot, officially for $15.

[J English Smith]

I've seen one in our local pen store. These are very odd. They are large and weighty, yet somehow just don't look all that impressive in person, apart from the presentation box. Definitely an odd price point for what is, in essence, a novelty kind of item...

[mitchjg]

I have a Mega Ink Ball pen. It is the black gold one which is their "regular size" (it is big). They have another, black/silver which is really mega.

 

What I like about it:

 

I have large hands and usually prefer a pen with a large section. It is comfortable.

 

We all have somewhat different taste, I like the way it looks.

 

It is a very, very smooth, wet writer (when it is working well!)

 

You can use fountain pen ink

 

What I do not like about it:

 

I think it does not like cheap paper. I had a heck of a time getting it to work properly when I first got it. I was using recycled paper and that seemed to have been the problem.

 

There is an odd issue with it that I have experienced with cartridges. See here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...=104943&hl=. When I use the converter, it seems completely fine. It is finicky with cartridges, at least with mine. I gave up on the Private Reserve ink cartridges. The pen would loose its smoothness and start to dry up. Shaking seemed to help. It is loaded with a Waterman cartridge now and that eliminated 90% of the issue. It still "ebbs and flows" just a bit but I do not mind at all. One can always use the converter.

 

A little hit and miss when traveling by air. I think I have brought it with me on 6 flights. On 2, the inside of the cap was inky and I had to wipe it with a tissue before using. Not a big deal, but be careful.

 

- Mitch