Yellow and Blue Made Green

[BrianTung]

Sea-themed fountain pen makes a reasonable mid-range introduction to fountain pens

 

• List price $90 U.S.
• Street price $70 to $75 U.S.
• Comes with medium steel "iridium-tipped" nib

Likes

• Colorful design makes a distinctive statement
• Screw-on post keeps cap on securely

Dislikes

• Substantial, top-heavy pen may tire out smaller hands
• Small converter relative to pen size

Monteverde calls its Regatta line of pens "a celebration of color, attitude, and hope." It may not be that, but it does represent a reasonable introduction to fountain pens at an affordable price. Ball-point and rollerball pens are also available.

 

The first thing I noticed about the Regatta is its striking external design. Seven resin bands of alternating colors, separated by diamond-cut steel ferules, consitute the barrel and cap. Monteverde, the flaghip of Yafa Pens, makes the Regatta in four different color schemes: Yellow and blue, red and orange, green and pearl, and black and pearl. I chose the yellow-and-blue Azure Blue scheme. In person, the colors are bright without being gaudy, though they're certainly eye-catching. Fit and finish are acceptable, with only a barely visible misalignment on one of the joins.

 

This pen has a substantial heft to it. At 14 cm (5-1/2 in) closed and 16.5 cm (6-1/2 in) posted, it's barely longer than the Montblanc Classique, but it weighs almost three times as much, at 47 g (1.7 oz) with the accompanying small cartridge of black ink. What's more, the Regatta is somewhat top-heavy when uncapped--balancing 8 cm (3-1/4 in) from the tip of the nib--and especially when the substantial cap (17 g just on its own) is posted: then, the balance point sits 10 cm (4 in) from the nib tip--almost at the top of the pen itself. Small hands, or those who write in a small hand (and hold the pen down low), may find this extra weight a bit tiresome to drag around.

 

The cap screws on to close and to post, so at least you'll know it won't fall off or damage the barrel. One issue with screw-on posting is that you can't control where the clip ends up; if your hands are large, and you hold the pen in just the right (or wrong) way, you might find the clip digging into the crook of your hand. This didn't happen to me, but it's something to look for. I like to post the cap so the clip is in line with the front of the nib, and that wasn't possible with the Regatta. Aside from this, the cap secures to the pen with a satisfying tightness.

 

Once the nib hits the paper, writing is a pleasant pastime, if hardly luxurious. Straight lines exhibit a modest amount of tooth, which imparts a matte-like feel to the pen's stroke without impeding its motion. The pen writes easily in a wide variety of orientations and stroke directions without stuttering, and the large (2.3 cm or 9/10 in) steel nib is just large enough to permit a small amount of flex. You won't be using this pen to show off your italic handwriting, but it does yield enough line variation to be interesting. When I filled the smallish (compared to the pen) converter with Montblanc black, the Regatta was a moist writer, drying reasonably quickly on ordinary paper, but with the included cartridge, the ink fairly gushed out of the feed, filling in the loops on even my large letters. I like the look of very wet writing, so this wasn't an issue for me, but you might want to consider your paper choice carefully if you write even moderately small.

 

With its colorful design, plain but functional steel nib, and utilitarian writing feel, the Regatta won't fit too many people's idea of a luxury pen, but then again, it's not being represented as such. It's Monteverde's idea of a comfortable, everyday fountain pen--a role it plays admirably--and if it happens to lead to future, more expensive purchases, it should still make an occasional appearance in the user's repertoire.

Edited June 2, 2007 by BrianTung

[handlebar]

Thanks for the review Brian.Well written.

I have two Monteverdes myself.

 

JD

 

[Meisterstuck1964]

What a good review and what nice colours!

[Ghost Plane]

I've got one in the same color combo. Wish they came with broader nibs, but it's a good knock about pen when you don't want to drag the good ones out of the house, say to the public library. I like the screw on posting feature.

 

It did, indeed, thrust me farther down the slippery slope of collecting.

[BrianTung]

It did, indeed, thrust me farther down the slippery slope of collecting.

 

Well either you read the whole review, or you're the sort of person who skips to the end of the book.

 

Really, it's FPN who is the primary thrust down the slippery slope of collecting. The pen is just lubricant.

[EventHorizon]

Nice pen and I'm liking the colors. The weight does seem like a bit much. I had a no name pen around that weight once and a full day of use was a bit much. The price is not bad though. Thanks.

[gioflowers]

Thank you for this review.

 

I love my Monteverde blue and white version of this pen and I have been using it off and on for several months with no problems at all.

 

Since I am partial to using heavy pens I find the weight of this pen just fine for me, even with my small hand. I use it unposted for heavier work.

 

Thank you again.

 

Giovanna