Magna Carta Mag 600 Flex Fountain Pen: Is It Worth the Hype?
Established in 2014, Magna Carta, an India-based fountain pen company, has recently gained a lot of attention for their Mag 600 fountain pen. This Mag 600 fountain pen was released in this year’s DC pen show and it is equipped with a 14k gold true flex nib. To summarize different reviews from the internet, Mag 600 is described as “the closest to a vintage flex in a modern nib”, “a wet noodle flex nib”, or “a true flex nib”.
People who got the pen first hand, are all singing praises of this modern flex nib. As a flex nib fountain pen enthusiast, it was difficult to restrain the temptation of getting one myself. After watching all the YouTube videos, Instagram reels, and reading all the Reddit posts, this flex nib seemed very promising in the flex realm, so I jumped on the bandwagon of the Mag 600 in November.
Magna Carta Mag 600 Black Ebonite Packages (Outer box, Inner box, and the Mag 600 fountain pen)
After a long wait of back-order and shipping delay, I finally received my pen on December 28th. With all my expectations built up from the wait and fantastic reviews on social media, I unboxed the package only to discover that the pen I received was defective. The tipping of the nib is deformed. There is a significant V-shaped gap in the tipping, which can cause scratchiness, hard starts, skipping or other ink flow issues.
Significant V-shape Gap in the Tipping of Magna Carta Mag 600
You can also see all the micro-scratches on the nib right out of the box.
Zoom in to see the tipping from top (left) and bottom (right) views
I googled the latest reviews of Mag 600 and talked to other fellows in the community, it seems to me that I am not an isolated case. There are at least 4 people including me have issues with their Mag 600. This raises questions about Magna Carta’s quality control regarding their flex nibs.
Despite the initial setback with a defective nib, I have to admit that this nib still stands out as the softest nib among all the modern mass-produced fountain pens even in its flawed state. When it is compared to nibmeister-modifed flex nibs, it also holds its ground, if not surpasses them. The Mag 600 flex nib is similar to or a tad softer than my Pilot 742 modified full flex nib, which is rated as the 2nd softest in my modern flex nib comparison chart. This is truly impressive.
Apart from the nib, my thoughts about Mag 600’s build quality and packaging highly coincide with what SHAK-MD has described in his review video. In short, the poor packaging and the number of micro-scratches on the ebonite body and the nib didn’t really justify the 350USD price tag.
Magna Carta Mag 600 Uncapped View (Out of Box Condition)
Close-up View of Magna Carta Mag 600
Close-up View of Magna Carta Mag 600
I don’t mean to roast Magna Carta, especially given their ambition to produce a modern flex nib fountain pen that is comparable to vintage flex. This feedback, though critical, aims to contribute to the pen's refinement. I also believe that people who have their eyes on this pen, deserve to know more details before making a purchase decision.
As for myself, I have contacted the retailer for an intact replacement, hopeful that it will allow me to provide a more comprehensive review of its flex performance.
So back to the tittle, is Magna Carta Mag 600 worth all the hype? The answer would be No until they can manage better with consistent quality. No one wants to draw the short straw at this price range.
