Next Pen; Montegrappa Ducale or Diplomat Excellence A2. Also are there pen 'seasons'?

Good morning!

I think I've settled on my next pen and am looking at the Montegrappa Ducale and the Diplomat Excellence A2. They're both >40g, the right size, I like the way they look, and in my price range of <$250. Anyone have experiences with these or have other recommendations? I'm leaning towards the Ducale. I don't have a resin bodied pen yet and I like the Murano Mare (blue/black).

The other question is related to availability. I can't find the Ducale or the Excellence A2 available in many places in the US. Plenty of distributors have them in the UK though. The new model year cars come out around October, motorcycles in November/December, etc. Do pens have a similar cycle? Am I just looking at the end of a distribution year when stock is low?

Thanks!

I haven't had any experience with the Ducale. Although, I've never been disappointed with a Montegrappa pen. So I'm sure it would live up to expectations.

With regard the Diplomat, I've had one of these in the Marrakesh Brown with a 14k nib. It is a very nice writer. It's got some weight to it, as you mentioned, which feels really nice in my hand. The nib is soft and wet. In hindsight, I wish I'd gotten the Fine nib as opposed to the Medium. But I did pick it up from a brick-n-mortar shop in Nashville, TN while on a business trip, so my choices were limited by their inventory.

I'm not sure when pens are released. It seems as if it's very random between manufacturers. I've never noticed a pattern or system.

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/attachment...5&d=1600197243

Thanks! I think I'll hold off on the Ducale until they become more available in a color I would like. I found that there was a violet one back in 2017 that really caught my eye.