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Shortly after I read a review of the Montegrappa Desiderio here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/327241-montegrappa-desiderio-review/?p=3916037 I acquired one myself, in the brown/red color: I thought it would be interesting to compare it to an original-generation Montegrappa Espressione, to which I feel it bears some resemblance. Note that there was a later edition of the Espressione that looks somewhat different from the original, and substitutes the 18kt gold nib of the original for a steel nib (at a reduced price), but here I'm only comparing the Desiderio to the original Espressione. Montegrappa has always had pens with resin and celluloid barrels, and for each material, pens with faceted versus circular cross-sections. To me, the (original) Espressione was meant to be the resin-bodied counterpart of the celluloid-bodied Miya. Both pens have cylindrical non-faceted caps and barrels, but otherwise both have 18kt nibs (though the Miya's is two-tone) with ebonite feeds and sterling-silver sections and trims. The Espressione's section bears the sterling silver hallmark but appears to have been further plated with rhodium in order to keep it from tarnishing, whereas the Miya's section has the characteristic matte sterling silver appearance and requires regular use of the polishing cloth that Montegrappa helpfully included in the box. But enough about the Miya. Let's get back to the Espressione (and the Desiderio, of course). With the Espressione no longer made, I guess Montegrappa figured on filling the present opening for a resin-barreled, circular cross-section pen with 18kt nib with the new Desiderio, but built it to a price point (not the original absurd list price but the later much more reasonable one). This entailed the following compromises: 18kt nib on the Desiderio all right, but the tiny #4 size (top) instead of the #6 size 18kt nib on the Espressione (bottom) Plastic feed on the Desiderio, ebonite feed on the EspressioneResin section on the Desiderio, sterling silver section on the EspressioneLittle rolling ball on the sterling silver Desiderio clip is made of the resin barrel material (looks cute, though), whereas it is also sterling silver (like the rest of the clip) on the EspressioneEspressione barrel has sterling-silver threads on bottom to post cap securely, Desiderio barrel has no threads at all. This makes the Desiderio shorter than the Espressione when posted (top), though when capped both are almost exactly the same length (bottom) Unkindest cut of all, in my opinion: the lovely raised "1912" (the year the company was founded) on the top of the Espressione cap (bottom), and a feature on lots of Montegrappa pens including steel-nibbed ones like the Parola, has been dropped in favor of a new abstract design on the top of the Desiderio cap (top) that means nothing and looks cheap. On the other hand, the Desiderio nib, incongruously small though it is compared to the general dimensions of the pen, wrote smoothly and wet right out of the box. This is (unfortunately) a big deal, because both my Espressione and Miya nibs refused to write when they first came to me, and they both needed work by a nibmeister before they would write (they both write splendidly now). If you can find an original Espressione in good condition today, you should expect to pay no more for it than for the Desiderio on clearance, but the Espressione is definitely the better-made pen. On the other hand, the Miya (which is the celluloid-bodied counterpart to the original Espressione) seems to have a true heir: the celluloid-bodied Passione, which was also initially priced just as absurdly as the Desiderio (but even more expensive), then re-priced at a slightly less ludicrous level.

http://www.iguanasell-pics.com/photos/logos/fpn_logo_45_45.png See all our items @ FPN Montegrappa Espressione Brown Nacre Resin Fountain PenBrand New in Box - Warranty by authorised Dealer - Free Shipping CHARACTERISTICS: Brand Montegrappa Description Montegrappa fountain pen Nib 18K solid gold nib Finish Mother of pearl Resin body and cap & sterling silver trims Closure System Screw-on Filling System Converter/cartridge filling system Dimensions (capped/uncapped) 13,4cm (5.27in) / 12,3cm (4.85in) Warranty (years) 2 Line Espressione Reference ISNPS-AW Special features: Extra touch of class to express your personalityCombines a pure design with precious materials: mother-of-pearl resin and sterling silver with a special treatment to enhance its natural brilliant effect.1912 silver disk on the top of the cap.Heart-shaped nib hole. CONDITIONS:The item is brand new in original box and comes with all papers and warranty stamped at the moment of the purchase by authorised dealerList price: $350 - Contact us for a personalized offer Payment Methods: PayPalCredit cardGoogle CheckoutMoney Order (We have Bank accounts in the US as well as in Europe)Cash on Delivery (Euro Countries) Free Expedited Shipping (UPS or Fedex) to the US, Canada and European Union. Other countries, $18 (shared shipping costs) ABOUT US: We are an international company with more than three (3) years of experience in e-commerce, duly registered in the US and Europe. We are present on the most important Marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon, ecommerce sites: shopping.com, yahoo shopping... and our own website You can take a look at our eBay feedback here or read the opinions of other forum members: 1 , 2, or 3 CONTACT:To contact us, just write us a pm, orsend us an email to info@iguanasell.com http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-1.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-2.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-3.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-4.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-5.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-6.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-7.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-8.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-9.jpg http://iguanasell-pics.com/photos/C609/Montegrappa-Espressione-Brown-Nacre-Resin-Fountain-Pen-ISNPS-AW-10.jpg Don't miss the video!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M82nBwy29Fg CONDITIONS:The item is brand new in original box and comes with all papers and warranty stamped at the moment of the purchase by authorised dealerList price: $350 - Contact us for a personalized offer Payment Methods: PayPalCredit cardGoogle CheckoutMoney Order (We have Bank accounts in the US as well as in Europe)Cash on Delivery (Euro Countries) Free Expedited Shipping (UPS or Fedex) to the US, Canada and European Union. Other countries, $18 (shared shipping costs) ABOUT US: We are an international company with more than three (3) years of experience in e-commerce, duly registered in the US and Europe. We are present on the most important Marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon, ecommerce sites: shopping.com, yahoo shopping... and our own website You can take a look at our eBay feedback here or read the opinions of other forum members: 1 , 2, or 3 CONTACT:To contact us, just write us a pm, orsend us an email to info@iguanasell.comMore Montegrappa pens on our website Thanks for looking!----------------------------- Website: www.iguanasell.comJoin our newsletter for special promotions and news http://static.anuncios.ebay.es/images/dailydeals/dm/icon_facebook_24.png Follow us on Facebookhttp://static.anuncios.ebay.es/images/dailydeals/dm/icon_twitter_24.png Follow us on Twitter: @Iguana_sell