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A friend of mine asked me an advise as he is going to get one of these pens from massdrop : Grifos Pen and the City Fountain Pen https://www.massdrop.com/buy/grifos-pen-and-the-city-fountain-pen Montegrappa Ducale Fountain Pen https://www.massdrop.com/buy/motegrappa-ducale-founatin-pen Montegrappa Game of Thrones Fountain Pen https://www.massdrop.com/buy/montegrappa-game-of-thrones-fountain-pen-bundle unfortunately I haven't use any of them ....I hope to get some thoughts from you and so far I don't think there is budget issue

I'm not sure if this has been reviewed before so I decided to jump in and provide an opinion just in case anyone is considering a purchase. This is a review of the Montegrappa Ducale in rose gold with a fine nib. I've never had a Montegrappa before so this purchase was a bit of a risk for me, but it was on fleabay for very little money and I thought it might be worth the risk. I tend to associate the brand with a bit of 'hit and miss' design; some of their pens look very beautiful, while others are the epitome of bad taste. Thankfully I find this one rather beautiful and understated. I think the Ducale comes in a selection of two or three colours and you can also buy a different trim, this one is rose gold in a tortoise shell effect with nice deep colour and sheen. It is quite a big pen - at 5.5 inches capped and 7 inches posted (can be posted securely). The rose gold trim is plated and is very nice. At the top of the large cap is a large band (giving a curious crown appearance) with Montegrappa's brand name engraved into it and a wide banded wave clip that terminates in a roller ball. The other end of the cap has a thin gold band. The pen body itself has a thin gold band towards the top, giving the appearance of a blind cap for a piston filler, but this pen is converter. Towards the grip the gold band also houses the threads to screw the cap on. The converter is a screw in converter with silver trim - again emblazoned with the Montegrappa name - and it holds a decent amount of ink. The feel of the pen is very nice; it is warm to the touch and the grip is especially good and very comfortable. I really dislike pens that have a large 'step' towards the grip as I find it irritates my fingers and distracts me when I'm writing, but this is very comfortable and very pleasant to write with. It feels like it is a quality pen, although I do have a couple of niggles with it which may be deal-breakers for some. The nib is beautiful. It's quite a large nib engraved again with the Montegrappa name and a honeycomb effect. It is not a solid gold nib, which for some might be off-putting considering the normal retail price of this pen. I have to admit that the nib surprised me. It is very smooth, but it also has a strange sweet spot. It suits me, but for some they may find writing with it a little distracting - it feels like the pen is training you to use it, but when you do hit that sweet spot and get used to it, it is a lovely thing (it didn't take long to train my hand!). It lacks any of the pleasing spring of a solid gold nib, but doesn't forgo any of the smoothness. Part of the feeling of getting a sweet spot may be that this is a fine nib, but to me it feels a little more like a medium as it writes rather wet (the ink I used was Kobe's Wadimasaki Blue). To try and give you some idea of what the nib is like, I would compare it in smoothness to the Conklin Mark Twain, although it doesn't feel nearly as stiff as that. Apologies for the nasty paper! Now for the niggles - and they are just that for me anyway. They both concern the cap. The cap is large - which I don't mind at all - but it is heavy. For some people I could see this being an annoyance, especially if like me you like to post your pen when writing. Unposted the pen feels a little on the light side, but posting it makes it feel a little unbalanced too, with quite a bit of weight to the top. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but with continued use I have found that I have become quite used to it. The other niggle is the interior of the cap. This one is a little more serious. The cap is lined on the inside with a metal insert, which is obviously what is providing such weight, but I have no idea why they didn't make it thinner. When capping the pen it screws in with a nicely cushioned feeling, but every now and again it is possible to snag the nib on the inner insert. I would be really annoyed if it were to damage the nib at some point, but I will have to remind myself to be cautious. Overall I like the pen. It is beautiful and understated and writes very nicely. To me the niggles are just that - niggles. I would recommend it to anyone with the added caveats about the cap. Even if I had bought this pen at full retail price I would not have been disappointed, it's a very stylish and good pen but for some the niggles I have might be of greater concern. 9/10

Meet the new Montegrappa Ducale Murano. This magnificent pen is inspired in the famous crystal craftsmanship. The whole collection is a tribute to Venice. Created entirely in vibrant resin, trims are manufactured in palladium. Its colour represents the famous art works of the Venetian artisans. This Italian jewel will surprise you because of its chromatic effects and deep blue highlights in its body.The piece is already available at Iguana Sell, with shipping within 24 h, and in different writing instruments: fountain pen (F, M, B ), rollerball and ballpoint. Fountain pen: https://www.iguanasell.com/products/montegrappa-ducale-murano-mare-fountain-pen-blue-resin-palladium-trim Rollerball: https://www.iguanasell.com/products/montegrappa-ducale-murano-mare-rollerball-pen-palladium-trim-isdurrif Ballpoint: https://www.iguanasell.com/products/montegrappa-ducale-murano-mare-ballpoint-pen-blue-resin-palladium-trim Enjoy some pictures of these pieces below!