Following is my review of the Monteverde Artista Crystal demonstrator pen. This is a pen that I haven’t seen a lot on out on the ‘Net. That being said, I’ve included links to some other good reviews on this pen at the end of my own.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS 8/10
Well, pretty simple, it’s just a cool. Really cool in my opinion. The only reason for not giving it a 10 out of 10 would be it’s size. I prefer a larger pen, although I wouldn’t say that it’s too small. I would just prefer it a bit larger. Obviously, this is a completely subjective category.
APPEARANCE 9/10
The entire Artista line are demonstrators. This one is clear; I also have one in green. They also come in light blue, pink and yellow. The section, nib and accents are all stainless steel. The barrel and cap are highly polished both inside and out. One really cool thing is that the feed for the nib is also clear. So it actually changes color with the ink you choose to fill it with.
DESIGN / SIZE / WEIGHT 7/10
The pen is what I call a classic “Pelikan style”. Cigar shaped overall, with a screw off cap that posts well. The pen measures 5 inches capped and 6 1/16 inches posted. The weight was 25 grams.The only reason for the reduction in points is personal (and that’s the way reviews are supposed to be…). I wish it were a little bigger.
NIB 9/10
The nib is small-ish, stainless steel and an absolute pleasure to write with! Very smooth and reasonably wet, I believe these pens come only in a medium nib. There is no flex to speak of, but again, VERY smooth. It features some scroll work and says simply “Iridium Point <M>”.
FILLING SYSTEM 10/10
The pen comes with a clear, twist style international size converter. It will also accept international size long and short cartridges. Though the barrel is clear and solid (no holes or seams), I would not recommend this pen for eyedropper conversion. Reason being that the entire section is metal, and likely could incur corrosion from the ink. It would look beautiful though!
COST & VALUE 9/10
I got my clear one from an eBay seller for $29.50.My green one come from the Goulet Pen Company for $36. I think Anderson Pens has them at the same price. Both have been great companies to deal with in my experience. Using a full retail cost of $36, I would call this pen an exceptional value. For me, the looks of a given pen are what will initially peak my interest.. And with demonstrators, I think you either really like them or you don’t. I’m one of those that really does like the look. However, if a pen isn’t pleasurable to write with, I’m out. This is a pen that excels in both the performance and looks departments.
CONCLUSION 8.7 Overall
So to end this. I’m a pen guy. I have cheap Chinese stuff all the way to expensive German stuff.My collection isn’t huge, but it’s not small either; something over 100 pens in working order and some (???) number for parts. I have new modern pens and vintage ones. For the past year and a half,one of these two Artista’a has stayed in my rotation, non-stop. If you knew me and my pens, you’d know that that was kind of a big deal. In short:
FANTASTIC PEN!
Monteverde Artista Notes – Written with subject pen using Noodler’s Black SwanAustrailian Roses
Other Reviews –
SBRE Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwvjwPeePnU
The Pen Addict.com: http://www.penaddict.com/blog/2013/12/13/monteverde-artista-crystal-fountain-pen-review
Fountain of Pens 