Montblanc 2341/2 Ruthless Review!

[TassoBarbasso]

Hi All!

 

Here comes the third "Ruthless review". For those of you who haven't read my review of the Platinum 3776 and the OMAS Arte Italiana Celluloid, this is the philosophy behind the "ruthless reviews":

 

• 
   
  
• Must be concise,
  
• Must be strict, very strict. If a pen costs hundred of euros, faults cannot be overlooked.
  - A good pen gets a 60/100,
  - A great pen an 80/100,
  - An almost perfect one a 90/100.
  - Only a divine pen can have above 90
  
• Do not take into account the box, only the pen,
  
• Add a few peculiar criteria:

1. 
    
   
2. Nib appearance,
   
3. Usability in shirt pockets (very useful for people like me who use pens in the office)
   
4. "Out-of-the-boxness", meaning to what extent the nib was perfect right after leaving the seller.
   

 

This said, we can start with the third of our reviews...

 

MontBlanc 234 1/2 with Flexible nib

(vintage pen manufactured during the 1940ies and 1950ies)

 

1. Appearance and design: 7/10

The pen is classical, typical 1940ies look. The lines are very elegant. The only problem is that the clip is disproportionately large, which means I have to take away one point. Moreover, the aspect of the pen lacks originality. -2 for that.

 

2. Construction: 6/10

There are a few problems with this pen. The celluloid looks a bit fragile, and one of the gold plated rings is a little bit larger than the other one. Moreover, the clip could have been finished more precisely. But since this was a low-end model, it's still sufficient.

 

3. Quality of materials: 5/10

The main problem with this pen is that the black coating discoloured very heavily, giving the pen an unappealing and "dirty" aspect. Doesn't look nice, no. Of course, the pen is old, but a MB should be able to withstand time in a better way.

 

4. Weight and dimensions: 9/10

Nothing to say in this regard, except that the section is maybe a bit too narrow.

 

5. Nib performance: 20/10 exaggerated, I know, but well deserved!

WOHA... just ... WOHA! I bought this pen because I wanted a nice vintage flex nib (and a MB ). And I have to say, this nib is outstanding. It allows wonderful line variation, as you can see from the writing sample below. And the feed is perfect in keeping up with the nib.

 

6. Nib appearance: 7/10

A simple MB nib with the famous star. Nothing amazing here, but nice!

 

7. "Out-of-the-boxness": 10/10

The pen came used and restored, so it was abundantly tried, fixed and possibly tuned. So it was absolutely perfect when I received it from the seller.

 

8. Filling system and maintenance: 6/10

Piston filler, but the turning know is so thin that I always fear it might break!

 

9. Clip and usability with shirts: 8/10

Good! The clip is tight enough to secure the pen safely to the shirt pocket. The pen is also short, meaning that it will fit in 99% of the pockets. Only issue, the cap doesn't lock very tightly. Better not to use it in deep pockets like jackets'.

 

10. Cost and value: 7/10

A bit expensive at 250 euros, due to the discolouring on the barrel, but the nib greatly compensates this!

 

Final mark: 85/100

Despite the ruthlessness of the review, this pen gets a very high mark! Kudos to the dream nib, one of the best in my collection and a pure pleasure to use If you have the chance to get one of these pens with flex nib, GO FOR IT.

 

A few pictures:

 

Cap

 

 

Clip

 

 

Discolouring on the barrel

 

 

The pen itself

 

 

Nib

 

[TassoBarbasso]

Other pics:

 

The star on the cap

 

[TassoBarbasso]

AND the writing sample doesn't upload :( :(

[tandaina]

I just adore old MB nibs. Yeah the pen bodies can be a bit blah but oh those NIBS. Just make you melt don't they?

[jar]

They are nice, aren't they. They do clean up good too if you desire.

[specialk0449]

The 234 1/2 is one of my very favorite pens. I have at least one of the three that I own inked all the time. The nibs on mine are buttery smooth. The 234 1/2 comes in a luxury model too. It has one solid gold ring with the 130 series type clip. Enjoy your pen for many years to come.

[orfew]

Great review of a great pen. Thanks for the review and the pictures.

[tenurepro]

had a chance to try a fellow FPN'er 234 1/2 a month or so ago - i was wowed by the nib too, i would've given it 20/10 too!

thanks

[TassoBarbasso]

glad that you liked the review guys! And yes, the nibs on these pens are breathtaking. I'm really looking forward to have more, More, MORE of them.

[tenney]

And the 234 1/2 with a steel nib is sweet too.

[TassoBarbasso]

And here comes the writing sample:

 

http://s1309.photobucket.com/user/Tasso-Barbasso/media/MBwritingsample_zps31c96d90.jpg.html

Edited March 19, 2013 by TassoBarbasso

[GardenWeasel]

Curious - how thin is the nib section? Personally, anything smaller than .4 inch is just too tiny for comfort in long writing sessions (for me...)