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I'm Buying My First Fp. Should I Get A Ms 149 Or An Agatha Christie?


APP Adrian

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I want to use the best black ink ever also.

So? =D

 

Which pen should I get?

 

I plan on spending around 300 bucks in total.

 

 

I want my first time to be the best.

 

 

 

Thanks.

Edited by APP Adrian
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You won't get an Agatha Christie for anywhere near that price.

 

I assume you mean a 149 not a 169, in which case you would do well to get one of those for $300 but you probably can on ebay.

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Sorry, I mean't the 149 =D

 

 

(omg I'm so dumb I have a 149 as my avatar)

 

 

And I never knew an Agatha Christie would cost 3k.

It must be a really good pen =D.

 

In a few weeks from now I guess I'll get a mb149 for around 300 bucks.

 

 

 

Do you guys know any other pens which costs around 300$ and is simmilar to a MB 149?

 

Or

 

An Agatha Christie?

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(omg I'm so dumb I have a 149 as my avatar)

Actually you don't have a 149 as your Avatar. You have a Le Grand BP. There is no such thing as a 149 BP

 

The fact that an Agatha Christie is very sought after by Collectors makes it demand a high price. It isn't especially better or worse than any of the WE's

 

 

P.S. You can Edit your original title if you select Edit and then choose Full Editor

Edited by Chrissy
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Well, an agatha christie wont cost you 3k, it is constantly being sold on eBay for ~1.6k. There is NO chance for you to get it at 300 I'm VERY sure.

Fountain pens are like weapons. They just make your pocket bleed so much.

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Yeah, a Christie is pretty expensive. When I started my FP quest, I really wanted a 149. Along the way I've picked up several other pens, including a 146, and have found that, for me, in my opinion, the 149 is more showpiece than user. My 146 on the other hand, is my favourite pen ever, and is most definitely a user.

 

Just a different perspective. Have a look at the 146 too :)

<img src='http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/606/letterji9.png' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' /><span style='font-family: Arial Blue'></span>Colourless green ideas sleep furiously- Noam Chomsky

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Have you got a pen shop in your area where they will allow you to try the pens out before you buy them? If you find a pen that is somewhat out of your price range you can always try to get it used on e-bay anyway. I doubt that you can get the pens that you suggested for $ 300 if you want them to look somewhat new; but don't worry - there are lots and lots and lots of great pens out there.

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Spend $20 and get a pilot metropolitan or Safari. Work your way up ...

 

Why?

 

If you know you like something, why start at a lower tier?

 

You do need to research your purchases though when you are wanting to buy more expensive items, not knowing that a Christie is worth more than a 149 is a school boy error.

My Collection: Montblanc Writers Edition: Hemingway, Christie, Wilde, Voltaire, Dumas, Dostoevsky, Poe, Proust, Schiller, Dickens, Fitzgerald (set), Verne, Kafka, Cervantes, Woolf, Faulkner, Shaw, Mann, Twain, Collodi, Swift, Balzac, Defoe, Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Saint-Exupery, Homer & Kipling. Montblanc Einstein (3,000) FP. Montblanc Heritage 1912 Resin FP. Montblanc Starwalker Resin: FP/BP/MP. Montblanc Traveller FP.

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Well, an agatha christie wont cost you 3k, it is constantly being sold on eBay for ~1.6k. There is NO chance for you to get it at 300 I'm VERY sure.

 

I agree with your price estimation.

My Collection: Montblanc Writers Edition: Hemingway, Christie, Wilde, Voltaire, Dumas, Dostoevsky, Poe, Proust, Schiller, Dickens, Fitzgerald (set), Verne, Kafka, Cervantes, Woolf, Faulkner, Shaw, Mann, Twain, Collodi, Swift, Balzac, Defoe, Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Saint-Exupery, Homer & Kipling. Montblanc Einstein (3,000) FP. Montblanc Heritage 1912 Resin FP. Montblanc Starwalker Resin: FP/BP/MP. Montblanc Traveller FP.

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Well, an agatha christie wont cost you 3k, it is constantly being sold on eBay for ~1.6k. There is NO chance for you to get it at 300 I'm VERY sure.

 

 

 

I agree with your price estimation.

 

Good to know! :happy:

 

fpn_1383915027__double_christie.jpg

 

But for the budget you mentioned you easily can get a good working 149 together with a bottle of mystery black ink.

My preferred supplier (no affiliation just a very happy customer):

Appelboom

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parnesh, on 13 Feb 2014 - 11:05, said:snapback.png

Spend $20 and get a pilot metropolitan or Safari. Work your way up ...

 

Why?

 

If you know you like something, why start at a lower tier?

 

 

I partly agree; but price is not everything. What pen will give you the most enjoyment depends on a lot of things apart from the price and the mere looks of it. Personally I don't use Lamy pens, but I do admire the Safaries for their modern design and the way they signalize that you are dealing with a working tool (especially the yellow version - and I don't mean the neon yellow).

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But for the budget you mentioned you easily can get a good working 149 together with a bottle of mystery black ink.

 

I wish that was the case in Europe too. If I buy pens in the US I have to pay a 50% tax. I'm not really into Montblanc but if you could get them for $ 300 I would probably have a lot more of them.

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Playing devil's advocate here... Why do you want Montblanc above other brands that make equally great writing instruments that sing on paper?

 

If it's the writing experience you're after with a conventional nib width like F, M or B, a modern Modern 14k / 585 AU nib is no different from any other brand with 14k nibs.

 

Pelikan, Sailor, Namiki all have equally lovely gold nibs that offer a nice springiness. The difference would really be in the nib feedback -- then again, even Montblanc nibs of the same widths offer different experiences. Some glide on paper like glass, some gives a nice feedback, some are toothier. It's all up to the individual.

 

What I do appreciate about Montblanc nibs (vintage and old), are the non-conventional nibs. They do better OBBs, OB and BB nibs compared to the other brands I've tried.

 

But you may not like how they write because they're so different from ball points. They are an acquired taste, after all.

 

If you're after the brand prestige, Montblanc is highly recognisable -- but to experienced or informed fountain pen users, it's sometimes regarded as a pen used by the nouveau riche, compared to a pen of the same price point but lesser known, such as Nakayas, Aurora, Krone.

 

And of course, if it's prestige and aesthetics, you'd be better off investing in the Montblanc Limited Edition pens -- which offer the same writing experience as a regular Montblanc since they use the same nib, but offer more pleasure through the unique designs, materials and one-off furniture.

 

The size of the pen also plays a factor. In this case, bigger isn't always better. Most people would find the writing experience most ideal with a 146 in terms of weight, girth and balance.

 

I personally would recommend you spend a little time and a lot less money trying out various types of fountain pen nibs and brands before throwing all your money on a pen that may not live up to your expectations.

 

As for the ink.. that's a whole other discussion altogether! (as attested by a dedicated forum here at FPN).

 

Best black ink?

 

Again, it depends on the ink characteristic, the color, the shade, the flow, and how it performs in the pen of your choice.

 

Best you do some research before committing to something new :)

Edited by provis
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post-40639-0-25723100-1392294213_thumb.jpg

 

A smattering of pens lying around at work.

 

To OP's question, an Agatha Christie isn't better than a regular Montblanc -- they just the same nib construction albeit stamped differently. It just pays homage to a 1920s Montblanc Simplo safety pen design with a snake clip (5th from the top, next to the 1930s red Danish MB).

 

Back then, safety pen caps are clipless, so accomodation clips are made that slip onto them -- the snake design is a common German motif.

 

So you're really paying for the design.

 

But when you're really into MB pens, you'll start collecting the vintage ones with better, more flexible nibs.

 

5th from the bottom is a 1940s MB 136 short cap top, with a red acryclic sleeve machined in tribute to the modern MB Hemingway.

 

Now that's one of a kind :) A vintage pen in the guise of a modern pen, like an inside joke! :D

 

In terms of writing pleasure, I get the same pleasure from the non-MB pens featured in the photo (last 3 in the photo). The Pelikan 100N is light and great for tired hands, the Mabie Todd writes like a dream, and the Conklin doesn't roll around the table.

 

Have fun.

Edited by provis
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When it comes to black inks I still like Quink best because it makes such a wet line and prevents skipping - and I also like the price. On another thread we (well, I) made jokes about sniffing old Quink bottles because they smell great.

It's funny, but with all the Herbin inks I have, I have never actually tried their black inks... Not all of them are fit for fountain pens, though.

If we could get Noodler's ink in Denmark I would probably have lots of them because of their sensible prices and all the great political statements on the bottles - but that is a matter of political taste and convictions of cause.

 

Viscosity should be taken into account when choosing an ink. Some pens need (and some people like) "wet" inks; others prefer the thicker and slower flowing inks.

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I want to use the best black ink ever also.

So? =D

 

Which pen should I get?

 

I plan on spending around 300 bucks in total.

 

 

I want my first time to be the best.

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

+1 for the advice you're received up to now. (and that's a great collection, provis!)

 

If you're living in (or close to) Toronto, you might want to drop in on the T.O. monthly meet-ups (see this thread for more info). I know people bring their inks to the meetups for others to try, and I'm pretty sure that if you asked nicely someone would bring their 149 (and maybe a 146 and/or an Agatha Christie, although that's asking a lot) for you to test drive. This would give you a good idea as to whether you want to spend your money on a 149 or save up for the Christie.

 

There's also supposed to be a pen show in Toronto this November (see this thread), so it's possible you might want to save up for this show in case some of the better known dealers in the NE (PenGuin, Ron Zorn, etc.) decide to come.

 

HTH and good luck with your decision!

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