Montblanc Heritage 1912

[humsin]

I admit. I am a Montblanc fanboy, but I'll be very honest with this review. This pen did not live up to my expectations. I would not say this was an impulse buy. This pen is good, just not as great as I expected. Take the packaging as an example. The Heritage 1912 special packaging is just a cheap cardboard box with plastic accents. This is inferior to the standard Meiesterstück packaging...but here's the review. Judge for yourselves!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance & Design (7/10)

Materials (4/5): The body is lacquer on metal, while the cap is "precious resin". Accents are platinized. I'm not going to hold a precious resin debate. It is not the most premium of materials, but it doesn't feel bad. Not really special or anything. I think 4/5 is fair.

Design (3/5): This pen draws on many design cues of the Montblanc/Simplo safety pens which I appreciate. The design touches are subtle and fittingly modern. The entire pen is black, and the only bling is the clip. The clip is one of the most beautiful I've come across. Its design is sleek and elegant, with a lovely engraved Montblanc star at the back. A huge white star sits at the top of the cap in a hemispherical dome of clear resin. The star looks ridiculous. It's painted in what Montblanc calls "Mother of Pearl" but in reality, the star looks like a child's toy. While the pen draws on many design cues from the past, the overall shape is stubby and off balance.

Construction & Quality (7/10)

This pen is well made. The twist in the cap is solid, and when closed there is no give or shaking. The clip is fitted well. Overall the quality is pretty good, but 2 things are unacceptable. The first is a gaping gap in the blind cap. This unsightly channel is offensive in a pen at this price range. The second is the nib extension/piston mechanism (-2). It is very complex indeed, but it is just not smooth enough. I'll be lenient and take off 0.5 here. Another -0.5 for the seal ring scratching the barrel. What a design flaw! 7/10 is the most I can give in this category.

Weight & Dimensions (9/10)

Dimensions (4/5): This pen is quite small, almost like a pocket pen. However it caps deeply, and so the uncapped pen is rather large, especially with an extended nib. Girth is good; between a 146 and 149. Note that the cap does not post, but the size and weight of this pen should discount the need to post.

Weight (5/5): This pen is weighted perfectly. It sits right in your hand and I don't think balance can be any better. Perfect!

Nib & Performance (9/10)

Nib Construction (4/5): The nib design is quite unique. It features a flat upper portion which drops to a vertical at the shoulder. Also interesting is the triangular breather hole, inspired by the heart-shaped holes found in the old safety pens. The nib is largely unadorned, and is rhodinized like the rest of the pen. Interestingly modern, but slightly bland design.

Performance (5/5): This is where the nib shines. This nib is designed to flex from the very beginning, and while it's not vintage flex, it does flex quite a bit for a modern pen. Ink flow is excellent, and my OBB nib lays a nice thick line with lots of line variation. Beautiful!! Perfect score here!

Filling System & Maintenance (8/10)

Filling System (5/5): The filling system is absolutely unique. They might have patented it. Twist the knob to extend the nib. Pull out, then twist to operate the piston. The innovation of the filling system deserves a 5/5!

Maintenance (3/5): What maintenance? I cannot perform any work on the pen whatsoever. The complex filling system makes this pen absolutely impossible to service at home. The twist knobs are complicated and prone to mechanical issues. 3/5 is the most I can give in this category.

Cost & Value (6/10)

This pen is expensive. Too expensive really, since there is no discounted rate available. Paying MSRP for this pen gives it a 6/10. This is an I-paid-too-much-for-this-pen-and-I-almost-regret-doing-so score. There are also plenty of pens available in this price range. All in all, this pen is really bad value. Unless you have spare cash and no other way of spending it, I cannot recommend this pen.

Conclusion (Final Score: 46/60)

This is the last Montblanc pen released that I thought was decent. I can't even lay my eyes on the Balzac and the JFK. A score of 77% shows that this is a good pen, but not even close to greatness in any way. The pen pays tribute to the great safety pens of the past, and has an excellent nib. However, maintenance is a pain, and the price is shocking. My advice: go spend this money on a real safety pen!

Edited December 12, 2014 by humsin

[Ambien]

Thanks for the review. I'm mildly disappointed about the gap too in the blind cap as it feels silly for a high-end FP design.

[serpent]

I bought mine for 25% off MSRP no tax. At that price how would you rate its cost/value and your conclusion?

[humsin]

I bought mine for 25% off MSRP no tax. At that price how would you rate its cost/value and your conclusion?

 

 

Congrats on your find! I'd probably bump it to an 8/10. Still its not cheap and other options are available, but keep in mind that this combination of a retractable nib and piston is unique. I enjoy vintage pens so I might be biased and still recommend an old safety, but with 25% off, it becomes a matter of taste as opposed to value.

[beboy]

Thanks for this great review! I also bought that pen few months ago after craving for it for quite a few months.

 

I have to admit that I agree with most of your points apart from a few things:

• I think you are generous for the scratching issue. I would have personally removed -1 or even -2, even if it was an already well known and documented issue when I bought it in March.
• I would have not remove any point for the complexity of the mechanism as this is the main reason why I bought that pen and I love it (OK, I like mechanical gadgets)
• But I would have remove at least -1 because this pen doesn't post. It is not that I like to post my pen; I would have remove that point because they make false publicity on their site, showing the cap sitting on the rear section.
• On the other hand, this nib, I just love it! This is by far my favorite and most performing nib. I think it deserve more than 5 points. Too bad I don't like plastic pens, otherwise I would use that pen everyday. The nib is one of the three reasons why I don't regret my purchase.
• The last main reason why I like this pen is its practicality. I know it sound strange for a pen with such a complicated mechanism, but I personally find it very useful for an underrated reason: you can leave this pen uncapped for a long period without experiencing drying of the ink on the nib. This is very useful in a meeting when you don't want to cap and uncap your pen all the time. On this one, you just turn the knob and retract the nib, and you can leave it on the side for many minutes. When you pop out the nib again, it will start to write with no issue. Probably with a denser line, but it will write. So far, I haven't fount any fountain pen with that capability.

 

Well is this sufficient to pay more than 1K for that pen? I haven't made my mind yet.

[humsin]

Thanks for this great review! I also bought that pen few months ago after craving for it for quite a few months.

 

I have to admit that I agree with most of your points apart from a few things:

• I think you are generous for the scratching issue. I would have personally removed -1 or even -2, even if it was an already well known and documented issue when I bought it in March.
• I would have not remove any point for the complexity of the mechanism as this is the main reason why I bought that pen and I love it (OK, I like mechanical gadgets)
• But I would have remove at least -1 because this pen doesn't post. It is not that I like to post my pen; I would have remove that point because they make false publicity on their site, showing the cap sitting on the rear section.
• On the other hand, this nib, I just love it! This is by far my favorite and most performing nib. I think it deserve more than 5 points. Too bad I don't like plastic pens, otherwise I would use that pen everyday. The nib is one of the three reasons why I don't regret my purchase.
• The last main reason why I like this pen is its practicality. I know it sound strange for a pen with such a complicated mechanism, but I personally find it very useful for an underrated reason: you can leave this pen uncapped for a long period without experiencing drying of the ink on the nib. This is very useful in a meeting when you don't want to cap and uncap your pen all the time. On this one, you just turn the knob and retract the nib, and you can leave it on the side for many minutes. When you pop out the nib again, it will start to write with no issue. Probably with a denser line, but it will write. So far, I haven't fount any fountain pen with that capability.

 

Well is this sufficient to pay more than 1K for that pen? I haven't made my mind yet.

 

1. The scratching issue isn't "too bad" considering how caps often produce scratch lines. This is a little bit more noticeable due the the unibody construction, so I wasn't too heavy handed.

2. The mechanism earns its merits in the Filling System category. However maintenance on this pen is a challenge, especially since Montblanc "locks" their pens on purpose.

3. I thought it's not a major issue since the pen is pretty big to begin with. But thanks for the reminder, I have made some changes.

4. Only the cap is plastic. When using the pen, you are really using a lacquer on metal piece.

5. Get yourself a Vanishing Point or a Lamy Dialog 3. Both those pens are capless, and perhaps offer easier access to the nib, for a fraction of the cost too! That being said, the nib is not quite the same...

[J_C_S]

What an honest and great review! I enjoyed that you where honest about being a MB fanboy, it made your critisism all the more convincing. Thank you.

[beboy]

 

1. The scratching issue isn't "too bad" considering how caps often produce scratch lines. This is a little bit more noticeable due the the unibody construction, so I wasn't too heavy handed.

2. The mechanism earns its merits in the Filling System category. However maintenance on this pen is a challenge, especially since Montblanc "locks" their pens on purpose.

3. I thought it's not a major issue since the pen is pretty big to begin with. But thanks for the reminder, I have made some changes.

4. Only the cap is plastic. When using the pen, you are really using a lacquer on metal piece.

5. Get yourself a Vanishing Point or a Lamy Dialog 3. Both those pens are capless, and perhaps offer easier access to the nib, for a fraction of the cost too! That being said, the nib is not quite the same...

4. Thanks for the info. I was not aware of that. I should have said "shiny polymeric materials" instead, but that's my problem, not a default of this pen in any way.

5. I know these pens, but I don't find them appealing. Question of taste. I had a Vanishing Point and I gave it to a friend of mine. But you are right: they offer the "capless" feature at a much lower cost.

[KAC]

Excellent, organized and objective review. If I had contemplated buying the pen (I hadn't), this would have certainly dissuaded me. Disclaimer: I favor vintage in almost every instance.

[ukbbc]

I recently bought this pen, had been looking at it for quite some time since I was first introduced to it in the boutique. Amazingly, I got 37% discount from MSRP (in Singapore).

 

I was wondering what would be the best nib to have on it? I have M nib at the moment, when I tested it previously at a shop it was exceptional. I was contemplating swapping for an F nib, but do not know if it loses it's unique flexible properties with that size. Any suggestions?

 

The boutique also mentioned that as soon as I ink the pen, the well not be able to swap the nib free of charge, is that true or unique to Singapore?

[zaddick]

The boutique also mentioned that as soon as I ink the pen, the well not be able to swap the nib free of charge, is that true or unique to Singapore?

That is true in my experience in the US. Once the nib was used I would have to pay to swap. I think there is a longer exchange period with the 1912. Look in the manual.

[beboy]

 

I was wondering what would be the best nib to have on it? I have M nib at the moment, when I tested it previously at a shop it was exceptional. I was contemplating swapping for an F nib, but do not know if it loses it's unique flexible properties with that size. Any suggestions?

 

Fine nib is great and you won't loose the flexible properties. The slit is fairly large on it, so even if the tipping is smaller, the line is a bit on the large side for a fine, but on the dry side. At least on mine.

[parnesh]

This was one montblanc that really drew me in, online anyway. In person it was a bit too small and the nib, to me anyway, did not match the size of the pen. Granted this will be the case given the mechanism. I could not part with that much cash and I have no regrets. Still waiting for MB to make the 139 reissue!

[orfew]

My Heritage is currently my EDC. It has been for a few months now. I love the way it writes. I am a big fan of the retraction/piston mechanism, and I really appreciate the way it writes. Since I use it everyday I am not worried about the scratches on the barrel. The nib on mine is a fine and it is just fantastic. Overall, I am very happy I purchased it and would do so again. Of all of my MBs it is currently my favourite.

Edited January 27, 2015 by orfew

[alee13]

Does anyone here have this pen with an EF Nib? Would love to hear about the writing experience (flex issues? Dry? Wet? Scratchy?)

[a student]

@ Humsin

 

1. Thank you for the review.

2. I was attracted to this pen by the mechanism and bought it for that reason, though the star on the cap was a little disconcerting and the packaging too fell short. I do not in general seek latter day MB pens.

3. I bought mine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February this year at a discount paying the equivalent on USD 725.

4. I am not unhappy (the nib is medium being the only option available), but after the experience I may have chosen another model or make.

[Tom Kellie]

Does anyone here have this pen with an EF Nib? Would love to hear about the writing experience (flex issues? Dry? Wet? Scratchy?)

 

 

~ I've also wondered about what an EF nib would be like on a Heritage 1912.

The OBB nib in the images is interesting, yet I wonder how a much narrower nib might write, where line variation wasn't a priority.

Tom K.

[truphae_inc]

Super sleek looking pen - thanks for the honest review though!!

[Uncial]

I'm not sure if the design was changed but the 'scratching is from the caps rubber insert and residue from over tightening. The piston nib on mine can be pushed in when filled and leaves no unsightly gap.

[Tom Kellie]

I'm not sure if the design was changed but the 'scratching is from the caps rubber insert and residue from over tightening. The piston nib on mine can be pushed in when filled and leaves no unsightly gap.

 

~ Uncial:

 

Does your comment mean that the nib goes within the barrel by a regular mechanism, as opposed to being physically pushed in with a fingertip?

The possibility of an unsightly gap is a consequence of exceeding the necessary tightening to withdraw the nib?

I ask because I've tested writing a Heritage 1912, but have never operated the nib movement mechanism.

Tom K.