Montegrappa continues to introduce new variants of their "Fortuna" model, which has become the Montegrappa pen that offers a relatively accessible introduction to the brand. I've reviewed the Fortuna before - if you missed it, check out my review of three earlier Fortuna releases: the Fortuna in white/ruthenium trim; the Fortuna Silver, and the Fortuna Mule. Next, I'll turn to Montegrappa's latest: the Fortuna "Heartwood" collection.
Introducing the "Heartwood" Series
“Heartwood pays homage to that most Italian of values: a love of organic materials and the gifts of Mother Nature. The new pens explore the relationship between man and nature, a precious link that must never be underestimated.”
I'm a fan of the Montegrappa Fortuna in general - it's an excellent example of classic pen design modernized to take advantage of the diverse materials available to pen makers today. That said, if I had to recommend one version of the Fortuna over all others, it would be the Heartwood. I absolutely love the look and feel of this pen.
The brushed bronze-colored trim complements the wood nicely. This picture shows the fountain pen in pear wood.
As it has done with its other Fortuna editions, Montegrappa kept the overall design of the pen the same, but changed up the materials. Here, you can choose from walnut, pear, or (my personal favorite) teak wood, which is so dark it appears nearly black. All three pens feature the same brushed bronze-colored trim, with the fountain pen sporting a plated stainless steel nib in the same tone. Kenro Inc., Montegrappa's U.S. distributor, sent me three pens to check out: the fountain pen in pear, the ballpoint in walnut, and the rollerball in teak. Of these three, I preferred the teak and the pear over the walnut, which turned out lighter than I expected.
The Fortuna Heartwood shares all of the design elements of the Fortuna line: the "roller" clip, the "Montegrappa"-engraved cap band, and the metal threads. Like the other pens in the Fortuna series, the fountain pen is cartridge-converter filler.
Because these pens were loaners with a relatively quick turnaround, I didn't have a chance to spend an extended amount of time with them. But I liked what I saw, and especially enjoyed my time with the Fortuna rollerball in teak. Before now, I had not had the opportunity to use either the ballpoint or rollerball versions of the Fortuna, and I expect that if I end up adding a second Fortuna to my collection, it will be a rollerball. The Montegrappa-branded refill writes smoothly and keeps a fairly narrow line for a liquid ink pen, causing me no trouble with excessive feathering. The ballpoint refill was nothing exciting, but it was serviceable. All three pens felt extremely comfortable in the hand. Montegrappa did a nice job with the weight and balance of the Heartwood collection, coming in lighter than the Fortuna Silver and the Mule, but heavier than the standard resin version. I could definitely see myself using these pens for extended writing sessions.
Pricing and Where to Buy
The Heartwood collection sits at the upper end of the Fortuna price range, though most retailers are offering these pens at a lower price point than the Fortuna Mule and the Fortuna Silver. The fountain pen version will run you around $340, the rollerball $320, and the ballpoint $280 (with prices listed here taking into account available discounts off MSRP). Pen Chalet currently offers the entire selection of Heartwood pens in all three woods (walnut, teak, and pear) and all three styles (fountain, rollerball, and ballpoint).
Additionally, for every Heartwood pen purchased by retailers, Kenro has pledged to donate money to plant a tree. You can read more about Kenro's charitable initiative here.
Disclaimer: These pens were loaned to me by Kenro Industries, Montegrappa's U.S. Distributor, for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.