Montblanc Writers Edition Pens 1992-2009 - Review

[goodguy]

This is a review of the family of my favorite pens made by my favorite pen maker so you could call this a labor of love.

 

The way I see the WE pens is pens that were design to attract both kind of pen fans both the users and collectors.

 

They are beautifully crafted but yet never forgetting to keep these pens easy and fun to use.

 

Each pen has its own identity and uniqueness some are heavier then others, some are wider, some made of metal some flashier then others.....etc

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture005-6.jpg

 

As I said I love all the pens but obviously I have my favorites and find some are better writers then other to my hand.

I do like the domed style better for writing. It feels more natural and comfortable in the hand.

 

Its funny how wide the price range of these pens in the second hand market and how it can fluctuate and change.

2 good examples are the Hemingway and Jules Vern.

They had problem selling this pen and you could get it for a significant lower price. Now as we all know the pen is in high demand and is priced accordingly in the second hand market.

The opposite is the Vern. Its prices used to be much higher and it lost about 20%-30% of its value (wouldn't be surprised if it will go up again as its a great pen).

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture003-15.jpg

 

The biggest problem to me is to decided which of these amazing pens has the best design.

So after a long personal debate and I mean L O N G it came down to these 6 pens:

1.Hemingway

2.Agatha

3.Schiller

4.Dumas

5.Poe

6.Oscar Wilde

 

You are probably asking yourself. Hey didn't you forgot the Proust or maybe Kafka or Shaw ?

No I didn't forget them, these are all wonderful and very close to the ones on the 6 list but I like these 6 best.

 

So the Hemingway doesn't need any explanation why its in the list.

Its classic 139 design and red/black colour theme is timeless and the clip is simply oozing with class.

 

The black Agatha is the most classic modern domes shaped MB and the clip is the heart of the pen.

 

The Schiller is yet another pen I have been admiring. The clean look of the body with the vibrant read cap and vintage look of the clip leaves me always drooling.

 

For the longest time the Dumas was my favorite WE. What a beautiful complex design based on the 139. Nothing short of a drool pen.

 

The Poe is a pen I fell in love only after I saw it in real life. The blue colour and overall design of this pen simply work on me. Its a colplex design that you enjoy more and more as time goes through.

 

And the Wilde, what a special pen this is.

So different then all other WE's.

Barrel looks like tiger skin, so not a classic MB design.

 

Ok, in the end I was left with 2 pens the Wilde and Hemingway and yes the Hemingway won.

The Hemingway is the one with the best design. Its the WE king.

 

The best writer is of course my Vern. Its the one I'd take over any other WE for everyday use.

 

I need to have one rather negative about the WE collection.

I think MB could have went the extra mile with the book like boxes, they are basically made of paper and its not uncommon to see the falling apart.

The POA boxes on the other hand are much better made.

For the price we all pay for these WE's I would expect MB to make them feel more solid.

 

I tend to divide the WE's into 4 categories.

1.Pens that are based on the 139 which is the:

Hemingway

Dumas

 

2.pens based on the domed MB's which include's

Agatha

Schiller

Wilde

Voltaire

Dostoevsky

Poe

Proust

Dickens

Verne

Cervantes

Woolfe

Faulkner

Thomas Man

 

3.Pens based on the 146

Shaw

Fitzgerald

 

4.Pen that doesn't fit any of these categories

Kafka

 

So I am going to divide my review to these 4 categories.

 

So from pure performance perspective there really is no difference between the Hemingway and Dumas as I found out on the review I wrote comparing these 2 pens a while back.

As I wrote there if you like the shape and want to get one of these two then and don't care which one of them then go for the Dumas as it will cost about 1/3 of the price of the Hemingway.

 

From the domed shape pens the variety is big and they all are good writers.

I really like them all and choosing one for this review is hard.

Yes my favorite writer is the Verne but its mostly because of the amazing nib.

It is a heavy pen and not everybody would enjoy it as I do.

So after a long time of pondering I was left with these pens.

Poe, Agatha, Woolfe and Dostoevsky.

If a weight is an issue for you and you like light weight pens the Dostoevsky is the pen for you.

So at the end I chose the Agatha.

There is something about it that simply sits so nice in my hand. The second was the Poe and these pens really feels almost identical in the hand but still the Agatha wins by a very small margin.

 

Between the Shaw and Fitzgerald again it was a very hard choice.

These pens are so different it is nearly impossible to compare them.

The Fitzgerald is smaller, lighter and simply feels nimbler.

The Shaw on the other hand is heavier and I enjoy holding something that is bigger heavier and with a presents.

Forced to choose one I will go with the Fitzgerald but its a very tough choice for me.

 

Comparing the Kafka to any other pen is impossible. Its a long, slender and light.

Its a darn good writer but at the end of the day I would go with other WE.

 

So I have the Dumas vs Agatha vs Fitzgerald.

For me its an easy choice, the Agatha wins hands down between these 3 pens as I always loved the feel of the domed pens best in my hand so there you have it the Agatha is the best WE when it comes to writing.

 

I want to mention few features on few pens which I love.

They make these WE unique and stand out compared to other pens.

 

1.Hemingway-I love the clip, its my favorite clip on any pen its simple and classic.

Basic design with simple red/black colouring and timeless design makes this pen an all time classic.

 

2.Agatha-obviously is the clip.

This snake with rubby eyes is quite a statement. The basic black domed body/cap is also a timeless design.

 

3.Wilde-the sheer size of the pen and tiger patern resin is simply stunning!!!

 

4.Dumas-again the basic 139 shape is a classic but more then that the MOP like resin with gold stripes in between is causing me to drool everytime I see the pen.

 

5.Poe-the beautiful blue resin of this pen is something you you gotta see in real life as pictures don't do it justice.

 

6.Proust-thats an easy one. The silver body is unique in the WE world and the vintage feel it gives the pen is great.

 

7.Schiller-the bright red cap and black body simply look mesmerizing and the vintage looking clip seals the deal for me.

 

8.Verne-the blue body is gorgeous. Looks like the pen has waves going up and down the barrel, oh and don't forget the unique groove at the top of the cap where you can rest the pen.

 

9.Kafka-the most different of the WE pens.

The dark red body is very unique and beautiful.

 

10.Shaw-I love the green and silver stripes along the pens and cap.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture003-16.jpg

 

Pen statistics

 

1.Hemingway

Made 1992

FP 20000

BP 30000

Size capped 134mm

Size uncapped 124mm

Posted 160mm

Total weight 33.1gr

Weight uncapped 23.1gr

 

2.Agatha

Made 1993

FP 23000

BP 18000

Sets 7000

Size capped 142mm

Size uncapped 127mm

Posted 170mm

Total weight 34.4gr

Weight uncapped 20.4gr

 

3.Wilde

Made 1994

FP 15000

BP 8000

MP 7000

Sets 5000

Size capped 145mm

Size uncapped 134mm

Posted 169mm

Total weight 33.6gr

Weight uncapped 23.9gr

 

4.Voltaire

Made 1995

FP 15000

BP 8000

MP 7000

Sets 5000

Size capped 149mm

Size uncapped 129mm

Posted 167mm

Total weight 36.6gr

Weight uncapped 19.6gr

 

5.Dumas

Made 1996

FP 15000

BP 11000

MP 4000

Sets 5000

Size capped 135mm

Size uncapped 125mm

Posted 159mm

Total weight 36.3gr

Weight uncapped 26.3gr

 

6.Dostoevsky

Made 1997

FP 16300

BP 7300

MP 2300

RB 6300

Sets 700

Size capped 145mm

Size uncapped 130mm

Posted 163mm

Total weight 26.8gr

Weight uncapped 15.7gr

 

7.Poe

Made 1998

FP 14000

BP 12000

Sets 3000

Size capped 146mm

Size uncapped 125mm

Posted 167mm

Total weight 30.2gr

Weight uncapped 16.5gr

 

8.Proust

Made 1999

FP 17000

BP 16000

Sets 4000

Size capped 135mm

Size uncapped 121mm

Posted 148mm

Total weight 35.4gr

Weight uncapped 20.7gr

 

9.Schiller

Made 2000

FP 14000

BP 12000

Sets 4000

Size capped 135mm

Size uncapped 124mm

Posted 160mm

Total weight 26.8gr

Weight unposted 16.7gr

 

10.Dickens

Made 2001

FP 14000

BP 12000

Sets 4000

Size capped 149mm

Size uncapped 130mm

Posted 163mm

Total weight 43.2gr

Weight uncapped 18.2gr

 

11.Fitzgerald

Made 2002

FP 14000

BP 12000

Sets 4500

Size capped 139mm

Size uncapped 121mm

Posted 150mm

Total weight 28.5gr

Weight uncapped 17.7gr

 

12.Verne

Made 2003

FP 14000

BP 12000

Sets 4500

Size capped 141mm

Size uncapped 126mm

Total weight 62.5gr

Weight uncapped 33.7gr

 

 

13.Kafka

Made 2004

FP 14000

BP 12000

Sets 4500

Size capped 150mm

Size uncapped 132mm

Posted (you can't cap this pen)

Total weight 39.9gr

Weight uncapped 21.2gr

 

14.Cervantes

Made 2005

FP 13000

BP 13000

Sets 4000

Size capped 137mm

Size uncapped 127mm

Posted 163mm

Total weight 51.3gr

Weight uncapped 27.6

 

15.Woolf

Made 2006

FP 16000

BP 18000

Sets 4000

Size capped 137mm

Size uncapped 126mm

Posted 160mm

Total weight 30.7gr

Weight uncapped 21.5gr

 

16.Faulkner

Made 2007

FP 16000

BP 18000

Sets 4000

Size capped 138mm

Size uncapped 126mm

Posted 162mm

Total weight 43.2gr

Weight uncapped 24.3gr

 

17.Shaw

Made 2008

FP 16000

BP 18000

Sets 4000

Size capped 142mm

Size uncapped 133mm

Posted 165mm

Total weight 61.4gr

Weight uncapped 31.4gr

 

18.Mann

Made 2009

FP 12000

BP 15000

RB 6000

Sets 3000

Size capped 140mm

Size uncapped 126mm

Posted 161mm

Total weight 57.5gr

Weight uncapped 33.2gr

[Yuki Onitsura]

So many amazing pens in one review! *dies happy*

 

Yuki

[PaulK]

What an astounding collection of beautiful pens. I don't know how you pick-out the pen to use each time.

 

Paul

[Ghost Plane]

Pin this! This review is a fantastic reference tool. Thanks, Goodguy!

[Shinchan]

Wow fantastic review. We could all use your review as a benchmark!

[Diamondback]

Great review Goodguy. Obviously it has been a labor of love for you to complete this.

 

Mark

[goodguy]

Pin this! This review is a fantastic reference tool. Thanks, Goodguy!

Its my pleasure GP.

May I ask what's up with this 4 pictures a post rule ?

I had so many more pictures I wanted to add but couldn't

[Diamondback]

[quote name='goodguy' date='16 September 2009 - 01:20 PM' timestamp='1253121656'

May I ask what's up with this 4 pictures a post rule ?

I had so many more pictures I wanted to add but couldn't

 

Goodguy,

 

Many FPN members get around this limit by posting additional photos in more than one post. Not elegant, but it works.

 

Mark

[bphollin]

Strike up the band and set out some drinks, the full WE review is come at last! Congratulations Goodguy! Thank you for posting all the measurements, that's very helpful. I wouldn't mind seeing more pics. And where's your cat and which has he deemed the prize pick?!

[sunnerd]

Very informative review goodguy!

[MidnightBlue]

Statistic: Poe 17,000, not 14,000. It's written on the pen itself. (or maybe I bought a fake off a member of FPN)

Thanks

[goodguy]

Statistic: Poe 17,000, not 14,000. It's written on the pen itself. (or maybe I bought a fake off a member of FPN)

Thanks

I am quoting the offical MB site.

[emes441]

Mazel Tov AMir- this is one milestone and a great review to show for it. I agree with GP that this review should be pinned- in the MB forum.

[White Star]

Thanks very much for this post, Good Guy! Excellent.

[Blade Runner]

WOOHOO, A complete collection (the Dragon doesn't count) and in record time! Congrats and enjoy them all.

Edited September 17, 2009 by jeen

[NLP]

Awesome Goodguy!

[SamCapote]

Can I be in your will?

 

For us MB-WE noobs, would you mind making a list in your first post of which is which? I know I could go and look them up somewhere, but it would be a handy reference if you have time.

Edited September 17, 2009 by SamCapote

[Trom]

Congratulations on a good and helpful review of the WE's!

[Ed Ronax]

Excellent review, timed just right as I am considering getting a WE but was torn between the different editions, your review will help me greatly. Thank you.

[BrandonA]

Statistic: Poe 17,000, not 14,000. It's written on the pen itself. (or maybe I bought a fake off a member of FPN)

Thanks

 

14,000 fountain pens were sold individually, a further 3,000 were sold as part of a set. Therefore there are 17,000 fountain pens in total which is why the pen has 17,000 on it.