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Montblanc Meisterstuck 149


tanalasta

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To quote Barry Gabay, the MontBlanc 149 is an icon, a prototypical writing instrument of the age. It is a pen that eventually at some time crosses the mind of any avid fountain pen user or collector.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Tanalasta/Fountain%20Pens/MB_1495.jpg

 

ABSOLUTELY TRUE! Even if I personally don't appreciate MB very much, I MUST admit that I would really like to have one of them! Especially a vintage model! ;)

When I see my father's 149 form the 1970s (or 1980s, don't know ) I do really envy him! :puddle:

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For me it's the pen. If I were to lose my entire collection, the 149 would be the first to buy again.

 

100% agree.

 

I have only one MB, and it is a 149.

 

It has been my daily writer for long years, before I shattered the barrel.

Then I sent it for repair and while waiting I stumbled on FPN...

 

Sometimes ago I saw a TV ad with THE PEN (the 149), THE SUNGLASSES (the most classical RayBan glasses), and THE "advertised product" (can't remember what it was).

I remember it hit me as right on spot.

 

Frankly speaking, I think MB prices are crazy and I'm not going to buy other MB pens, but for the 149 I was ready to pay full retail price (and I would consider spending again to get a B nib...).

Ciao - Enrico

Diplomat #1961

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo288/enricofacchin/poker-3.jpg

Daddy, please no more pens - we need food, clothes, books, DENTISTRY...

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Since you have photographed it next to the S.T. Dupont, I have to ask how you would compare the two pens. If you had to choose between them, which would you prefer and why?

 

Thank you everyone for their kind words.

 

I too am thinking about purchasing a MB 149 with a 'B' nib but am on the lookout for a 14C nib to see what all the fuss is all about. The modern MB 149 is still a pleasure to right with and the nib stiff in a pleasant way. If I want a softer nib, I pick up my Visconti Homo Sapiens.

 

As for the comparison with the ST Dupont, they are two totally different pens. The Dupont is heavier, with a balanced Brass construction and hand applied lacquer. The nib, also quite rigid is butter smooth and doesn't quite have the subtle feedback that the MontBlanc does as it whispers across the page. However, the Dupont flow and smooothness is otherwise perfect. I use the Dupont when I want a sturdier pen on days where I know I will be clicking on/off the cap regularly. The gold trimmed Dupont is a dressy, formal pen.

 

I'm going to sit on the fence and say that as a daily writer, I prefer the MontBlanc 149 but the Dupont certainly has moments where it's the better pen.

In Rotation: MB 146 (EF), Noodler's Ahab bumblebee, Edison Pearl (F), Sailor ProGear (N-MF)

In storage: MB 149 (18k EF), TWSBI 540 (B), ST Dupont Olympio XL (EF), MB Dumas (B stub), Waterman Preface (ST), Edison Pearl (0.5mm CI), Noodler's Ahab clear, Pilot VP (M), Danitrio Densho (F), Aurora Optima (F), Lamy 2000 (F), Visconti Homo Sapiens (stub)

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Since you have photographed it next to the S.T. Dupont, I have to ask how you would compare the two pens. If you had to choose between them, which would you prefer and why?

 

As for the comparison with the ST Dupont, they are two totally different pens. The Dupont is heavier, with a balanced Brass construction and hand applied lacquer. The nib, also quite rigid is butter smooth and doesn't quite have the subtle feedback that the MontBlanc does as it whispers across the page. However, the Dupont flow and smooothness is otherwise perfect. I use the Dupont when I want a sturdier pen on days where I know I will be clicking on/off the cap regularly. The gold trimmed Dupont is a dressy, formal pen.

 

I'm going to sit on the fence and say that as a daily writer, I prefer the MontBlanc 149 but the Dupont certainly has moments where it's the better pen.

 

Good response, thank you. Both pens have their appeal and I hope to have both of them at some point along the way.

Edited by geoduc
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I now have two 149s.. the first one I bought was a M nib.. wider than my Pelikan M800's M nib but the way it writes.. it just feels like the perfect nib. Its really a beautiful pen.

 

Recently I was travelling overseas and went to the famous Harrod's Writing Room, I had planned to buy a pen but after spending about an hour and a half there trying out so many different pens and nib sizes.. I just couldn't go past another 149, this time with a BB nib.

 

The BB nib is amazing, I currently have it filled with MB Blue-Black, the shading with this ink is amazing.

 

Its funny, since I bought these pens I have rarely written with anything else, except with one pen which I keep filled with red ink for annotations and the like.

 

The pens are amazing, and it's funny, the next pen I have my eyes on, I am tossing up between that and another 149.

 

The Montblanc 149 is a true icon of design and writing instruments, you do truly feel special when you hold the pen in your hands and lay down a beautiful smooth, wet stroke. Thats why they are my favourite pens and thats why I could be content with only these pens for the rest of my life.

 

They are more addictive than a cigarette. :thumbup:

 

Find attached a writing sample with both the M and BB nibbed 149s: (in that order)

post-38978-067422100 1280805518.jpeg

Patience is a virtue when waiting for the right pen... although I do just always seem to miss them

Twitter - aget19

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OK, don't get me wrong, I love the 149, and myself have a 146 but...

 

... what makes resin precious? Or at least different enough for you to describe it as such in your review...

 

I only ask as my Sailor 1911s seem to be made from equally good quality resin, but it's not "precious".

 

Please don't shoot me - I'm just asking your opinion! :embarrassed_smile:

Too many pens; too little writing.

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The price people pay for it?

 

No idea, may be some tech person can explain us the special physical details, if any.

Plastics can be REALLY very expensive, if with precious (gollum, gollum...) you mean expensive.

 

By the way, I noticed the barrel of my black M1000 has the same dark purple translucency of the 149 when exposed to strong lights...

Ciao - Enrico

Diplomat #1961

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo288/enricofacchin/poker-3.jpg

Daddy, please no more pens - we need food, clothes, books, DENTISTRY...

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It is 'precious resin' only because MontBlanc markets and names it as such... :rolleyes:

 

There are countless threads debating the pros and cons of 'precious' resin, it's properties or price difference. I won't open my review to such controversy other than a short note:

 

MontBlanc resin is still resin. It is only 'precious resin' as it has been arbitarily named by MontBlanc as such.

 

There are notes to suggest the MontBlanc resin is a resin/fibreglass composite to enhance sheen and it is perhaps more brittle. That said, most resin pens do not take kindly to drops and can shatter with abuse. No one really knows what it is really made out of exactly. I very much doubt that it's manufacturing cost is much more than the Sailor PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) resin, which if you look at my comparison below ... I can't tell much of a difference ... can you?

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Tanalasta/Fountain%20Pens/PenGroup.jpg

In Rotation: MB 146 (EF), Noodler's Ahab bumblebee, Edison Pearl (F), Sailor ProGear (N-MF)

In storage: MB 149 (18k EF), TWSBI 540 (B), ST Dupont Olympio XL (EF), MB Dumas (B stub), Waterman Preface (ST), Edison Pearl (0.5mm CI), Noodler's Ahab clear, Pilot VP (M), Danitrio Densho (F), Aurora Optima (F), Lamy 2000 (F), Visconti Homo Sapiens (stub)

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MontBlanc resin is still resin. It is only 'precious resin' as it has been arbitarily named by MontBlanc as such.

 

 

Exactly my point. I have no problem with Montblanc using - ahem - creative marketing; I do find it a bit disingenuous that the marketing name be used unquestioningly in a review.

 

 

There are notes to suggest the MontBlanc resin is a resin/fibreglass composite to enhance sheen and it is perhaps more brittle. That said, most resin pens do not take kindly to drops and can shatter with abuse. No one really knows what it is really made out of exactly. I very much doubt that it's manufacturing cost is much more than the Sailor PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) resin, which if you look at my comparison below ... I can't tell much of a difference ... can you?

 

After writing my question, I went and studied my 146 with one of my Sailors (a Professional Gear 1911). The resins are undoubtedly different in weight and gloss (the Sailor seems to be a bit heavier and more lustrous), but on the surface at least (no pun intended) there doesn't seem to be any difference in quality - especially not to justify a literal interpretation of the (as already acknowledgedly invented) marketing name.

 

Sorry if I appear to be flogging a dead horse (and other than that it was an excellent review) - it's just that I find myself daily exposed to fictitious marketing masquerading as truth.

Edited by mongrelnomad

Too many pens; too little writing.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Excellent review of an excellent pen.

Peace,

J. Kenneth Byrd, Jr.

(Kenny)

The Tar Heel State--GO HEELS!

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Beautiful photos! MSRP on fountain pens in Australia is a bit on the absurd side, sometimes 3 or 4 times higher than the MSRP in Europe or the States.

 

Yuki

 

 

Sweet photography, tanalasta, and a very enthusiastic review :thumbup:

 

I'm afraid I have to agree with Yuki Onitsura on the absurdity of Aussie pen prices - for example, a Duofold purchased for sub $200 costs over $800 in Brisbane, and my recently acquired MB 149 cost US$605 including shipping. That's $1,000 saved on just two purchases...

 

Where did you buy you pens? :) I agree that the price of fountain pens in Australia is high, but I cannot imagine that it is 3 or 4 times higher than that in other continents. I am doing a bit of research before purchasing a MB149 so it would be nice to obtain your recommendations. Many thanks :D

Think Pink and Think Pen!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for the late reply - I don't check FPN as often as I used to.

 

In Australia, I bought my MB 149 either from the local reseller or the MontBlanc boutiques. However, before the exchange rate took a dive, I have had good experiences from The FountainPenHospital. You will need to email them for a quote to see if postage + exchange rate brings you over the GST threshold or Australian pricing.

 

Second hand MB's can be found at much more reasonable pricing on these forums and marketplace. Depending on the quality, at half the price of the a new MB 149 ($300-400US) if I recall correctly although I haven't checked the recent pricing.

In Rotation: MB 146 (EF), Noodler's Ahab bumblebee, Edison Pearl (F), Sailor ProGear (N-MF)

In storage: MB 149 (18k EF), TWSBI 540 (B), ST Dupont Olympio XL (EF), MB Dumas (B stub), Waterman Preface (ST), Edison Pearl (0.5mm CI), Noodler's Ahab clear, Pilot VP (M), Danitrio Densho (F), Aurora Optima (F), Lamy 2000 (F), Visconti Homo Sapiens (stub)

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Nicely done.

 

While I am not a fan of this iconic Fountain Pen, just way too plain for my taste, I am a fan of Montblanc. They make a very good product and I own a few of their pens, matter of fact my favorite mechanical pencil is a Montblanc. I know that it will bring you years of enjoyment.

 

The only thing I wish Montblanc would improve on is the packing that the pens come in, just way to plain and do not match the quality of the pen.

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Nice review. A pen that's been on my list forever but has always alluded me. Lewis.

Fountain pens aren't a collection, it's an insatiable obsession!

 

Shotokan Karate: Respect, Etiquette, Discipline, Perseverance

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