Excellent review, Blake, of a very handsome and well-made pen. I have it in the black ruthenium trim and it looks great and writes well too. Very pleased with this pen.
Just had mine delivered during lunch so I inked it up and went back to the office. It was a lot heavier than I thought it would be, ordered an ultra fine nib, but it is closer to my other Monteverde medium nibs. Always a bit of a hit and miss with their nibs but so far, I'm pretty happy with it. Carbon fiber weave is typical of other carbon fiber products I own.
I would correct you on the name, but the thumbnail suggests you figured out that it’s actually the SUPER Mega. It’s a much more recent design based on the original Mega, which I have in black with gunmetal trim. The Mega has almost a comical look to it, with an even smaller cap, and an itty bitty clip to match. The broad nib on mine is stunning to write with as it’s super smooth. I pretty much hate Omniflex nibs, but flex isn’t really suited to my writing anyway. I adore Monteverde pens, have dozens of them, and don’t care where they’re made. But it was worthwhile for you to point out that they’re not made in the USA, as their branding suggests.
Thanks for the comment! I am not well versed in Monteverde pens. Based on the info on Monteverde's website it seems like they use Mega and Super Mega interchangeably noting that the "Mega" collection is one of their oldest collections on the Super Mega product page. On the pen itself it only says "Mega" on the cap ring. Thank you for correcting me. I did not know they were two separate pens.
Hi Blake, that bulbous design reminds me of the Opus 88’s. I don’t have that model but I do have about 10 Monteverdes , nice designs but hit and miss with the nibs.
Hi Gino, thanks for you comment. I suppose it is similar to the Opus 88 Omar. It does seem that people have problems with their nibs. I got a good one on this pen.
Thanks Blake, Great review! I've been enjoying your content. As for the pen, I am definitly not a fan of Yafa Brands. The pen looks great but I can see Monteverde again put the same cheap feed on the pen as a Jinhao even though they claim it's a Jovo Nib; and for an MSRP of $185? I don't get it... I purchased a MV Ritma with a fine nib off Amazon. The nib sings and the feed hard starts and can't keep up when I finally got it to write. It's heavy and slippery... I opted to try and fix it with out success, so there's no returing the thing. I also struggle with thier inks. I went through my collection of inks swatching different bottles and when I opened inks from Private Reserve and Monteverde, you would hear air gush out as you broke the seal, and what a nasty smell! I ended up tossing 6 bottles, and still have gotten the smell out of my head... Fortunately, there are a lot of options out there!!!. Thanks for the opportunity to vent a bit 🤣 Maybe I've just been unluky... Anyway, Keep up the good work!
Hi Carlos, thank you for the comment! I can't say I have a huge sample size to draw from but I will say that I have had some issues. I had to return a Pineider pen because the finish was so bad (Pineider pens used to be a lot nicer when they were made by another company). I also bought a Stipula retractable nib pen which is currently in for repair as I couldn't get it to write at all. I'll be reviewing pens from Tibaldi, Diplomat, and Maiora in the coming months...these pens have been good so far.
Everything that I can find, shows that the pen is made in California, Their distributor / parent company yafa inc, is also based in California. While it's possible that they are made in china, the box and warranty card for Super mega specifically says USA.
Where do you see made in USA or made in California? I get that the brand is called "Monteverde USA" and their HQ is in the US but this doesn't mean they are made in the USA. Usually if something is made in the US, they state it clearly because it is a selling point.
Blake, I couldn’t forgive you for the unforgivable sin of calling something like any Monteverde a Montegrappa, of all things. 😀…Like calling a pig a prince. Truth is, I’ve long sworn off both Monteverde and Conklin for their ceaselessly dodgy nibs/feeds. Many of the pens are also very meh, aesthetically. The old Omniflex was just garbage. The new Jowo Omniflex, is still pretty mediocre really. This pen looks quite nice, uncapped. Carbon fiber is always rather cool and sporty. The pen being heavy is not. The shiny chrome section is just annoying. The price is just presumptuous. But did you say that you got it for $70? That is acceptable. Darn, the first pen you’ve reviewed in a long time that I cannot be enthusiastic about.
Hahaha. I know they are completely different but I'm more used to saying Montegrappa at this point. Weirdly I found it to be comfortable despite the weight and chrome grip section. I did get it for $74 and for that price I thought it was worth the risk. The Omniflex nib writes smoothly and I like that you do have the option to flex it, that said it's not anything like a real flex nib, but I wasn't expecting it to be.
Thanks for the review. Lots to think about.
You are welcome David.
Excellent review, Blake, of a very handsome and well-made pen. I have it in the black ruthenium trim and it looks great and writes well too. Very pleased with this pen.
Thanks for the comment! Glad to hear you like yours. I really like the black ruthenium trim. Has much more sporty look.
Hey Blake. Gorgeous pen. I've never owned a Monteverde.
They don't typically appeal to me but this one did (at the right price) and I have to say I am very pleased with it.
Thanks for showing us this attractive pen.
You are welcome!
EXCUSE ME, WHAT'S THE OMNIFLEX NIB SIZE WITHOUT FLEXING?
I would say it is a fine.
@@BlakesBroadcast THANK U GOOD SIR !
Just had mine delivered during lunch so I inked it up and went back to the office. It was a lot heavier than I thought it would be, ordered an ultra fine nib, but it is closer to my other Monteverde medium nibs. Always a bit of a hit and miss with their nibs but so far, I'm pretty happy with it. Carbon fiber weave is typical of other carbon fiber products I own.
Good to know. Glad to hear you are enjoying yours!
I would correct you on the name, but the thumbnail suggests you figured out that it’s actually the SUPER Mega. It’s a much more recent design based on the original Mega, which I have in black with gunmetal trim. The Mega has almost a comical look to it, with an even smaller cap, and an itty bitty clip to match. The broad nib on mine is stunning to write with as it’s super smooth. I pretty much hate Omniflex nibs, but flex isn’t really suited to my writing anyway. I adore Monteverde pens, have dozens of them, and don’t care where they’re made. But it was worthwhile for you to point out that they’re not made in the USA, as their branding suggests.
Thanks for the comment! I am not well versed in Monteverde pens.
Based on the info on Monteverde's website it seems like they use Mega and Super Mega interchangeably noting that the "Mega" collection is one of their oldest collections on the Super Mega product page. On the pen itself it only says "Mega" on the cap ring. Thank you for correcting me. I did not know they were two separate pens.
Hi Blake, that bulbous design reminds me of the Opus 88’s. I don’t have that model but I do have about 10 Monteverdes , nice designs but hit and miss with the nibs.
Hi Gino, thanks for you comment. I suppose it is similar to the Opus 88 Omar. It does seem that people have problems with their nibs. I got a good one on this pen.
Do you still use it?
Nope. I had to make room so I moved it on. It's a nice pen though if you like the style and weight.
@@BlakesBroadcastthanks for the feedback.
Thanks Blake, Great review! I've been enjoying your content.
As for the pen, I am definitly not a fan of Yafa Brands. The pen looks great but I can see Monteverde again put the same cheap feed on the pen as a Jinhao even though they claim it's a Jovo Nib; and for an MSRP of $185? I don't get it... I purchased a MV Ritma with a fine nib off Amazon. The nib sings and the feed hard starts and can't keep up when I finally got it to write. It's heavy and slippery... I opted to try and fix it with out success, so there's no returing the thing. I also struggle with thier inks. I went through my collection of inks swatching different bottles and when I opened inks from Private Reserve and Monteverde, you would hear air gush out as you broke the seal, and what a nasty smell! I ended up tossing 6 bottles, and still have gotten the smell out of my head... Fortunately, there are a lot of options out there!!!.
Thanks for the opportunity to vent a bit 🤣 Maybe I've just been unluky...
Anyway, Keep up the good work!
Hi Carlos, thank you for the comment! I can't say I have a huge sample size to draw from but I will say that I have had some issues. I had to return a Pineider pen because the finish was so bad (Pineider pens used to be a lot nicer when they were made by another company). I also bought a Stipula retractable nib pen which is currently in for repair as I couldn't get it to write at all. I'll be reviewing pens from Tibaldi, Diplomat, and Maiora in the coming months...these pens have been good so far.
@@BlakesBroadcast …That would be very interesting content to watch and enjoy. Bring it on! Specially Tibaldi and Maiora.
Ill be teaching a Free class on basic calligraphy on my patreon which will be hosted on UA-cam Id love to see you in the class :)
I will take a look. I would love to learn calligraphy.
@@BlakesBroadcast it's gonna be great it's super easy once you get the hang of it
Everything that I can find, shows that the pen is made in California, Their distributor / parent company yafa inc, is also based in California. While it's possible that they are made in china, the box and warranty card for Super mega specifically says USA.
Where do you see made in USA or made in California? I get that the brand is called "Monteverde USA" and their HQ is in the US but this doesn't mean they are made in the USA. Usually if something is made in the US, they state it clearly because it is a selling point.
Blake, I couldn’t forgive you for the unforgivable sin of calling something like any Monteverde a Montegrappa, of all things. 😀…Like calling a pig a prince.
Truth is, I’ve long sworn off both Monteverde and Conklin for their ceaselessly dodgy nibs/feeds. Many of the pens are also very meh, aesthetically.
The old Omniflex was just garbage. The new Jowo Omniflex, is still pretty mediocre really.
This pen looks quite nice, uncapped. Carbon fiber is always rather cool and sporty. The pen being heavy is not. The shiny chrome section is just annoying. The price is just presumptuous. But did you say that you got it for $70? That is acceptable.
Darn, the first pen you’ve reviewed in a long time that I cannot be enthusiastic about.
Hahaha. I know they are completely different but I'm more used to saying Montegrappa at this point.
Weirdly I found it to be comfortable despite the weight and chrome grip section. I did get it for $74 and for that price I thought it was worth the risk.
The Omniflex nib writes smoothly and I like that you do have the option to flex it, that said it's not anything like a real flex nib, but I wasn't expecting it to be.