Concidering to buy the MB WE Friedrich Schiller and I would like to know how you like it ?

Goodguy,

In my opinion it is one of the most underrated pens in the series. Some people do not like the style of the clip, but to me it differentiates the pen in a positive way. The overall style is classic and the crushed amber material of the cap is quite unique. I also like the contrasting color between the cap and barrel. I know you are familiar with MB nibs and the possible variation of line widths so I will not comment on this. My medium nib is a true medium and writes very smoothly.

Hi goodguy,

Personally I like this pen very much. I do not own it, but have handled it several times. I actually like the clip, it is one of my favourite clip designs. Also, I love amber and the cap is, I believe, real amber. I have not bought it, because I do not like gold trim. But for this pen, I came very close to changing my mind. The overall presentation is very striking.

However, to my surprise, many people have told me they do not like this pen. I am not exactly sure of their reasons, because everyone says something different and is vague about it. Can't imagine why; this pen sure gets my attention every time I see it.


QM2

Greetings, Goodguy

Friedrich Schiller was my first MB WE and I still find it to be my favorite. I agree with Diamond
Back that it may be the most underrated WE. For me, the contrast between the black and the
amber is very striking without screaming for attention (i.e., understated elegance). I also like
the lack of adornment that sometimes overwhelms other LE pens. The Schiller fits my hand well,
writes well, and holds a fair amount of ink. I don't use it as my daily writer since it is a WE but
it is the one WE I would consider for a daily writer.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your decision.

Vintner

Black and brown! What's to like?

Seriously, I considered one when I got the Apple job because of the nib (and the association with William Tell, which is arguably related to my job). However, I really can't get past the color issue.

I only held one for a few minutes, but it seemed like the amber was done much the way the lapis and malachite were on other MBs.

What's not to like! It's a great color combination, though perhaps not for everyone! I'd love to own one myself!

You're obviously not one of those people who goes to great lengths to avoid things black and brown. I don't even own any shoes in black or brown.

Indeed.. All the shoes I own right now are black or brown, including my sneakers (always black) and boots.

I love some of the color combinations found in the Sartorialist blog (a fashion photographer who puts up many shots of regular people he sees on the street wearing great clothing and colors):
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com

I should hire color consultant and go fashion shopping on Newbury Street in Boston. I'm quite sure I'd end up with some great shoes...

I like the Sartorialist as well. I wear mostly shades of gray, slate, subdued green, and navy blue, as well as lots of sailor stripes and vintage filigree-type tone-on-tone textures. I wear black and brown to hold things together, but not as a main colour. I also like wearing an outfit that is mostly in neutral tones, but with a small shock of colour, like a coral-red or malachite-green necklace. My pen choices refect all this.

The nice thing about the MB Schiller is that the combination of the clip's styling and the rich amber, give it the look of an antique heirloom type of object. I think that the gold hardware make the overall effect too yellow (my least favourite colour). With sterling silver hardware, patina and all, it would have been a real winner in my book.

QM2

I wear navy as my base color, and navy or grey shoes make up all but my most summery shoes.

Since so many people think the Schiller is so pretty, I'll take a look at one next time I see one. I'm somewhat less rigid about black pens than I used to be (but I still don't see myself buying a 149 any time soon -- a platinum-trim 146, maybe).

FPH has it at a good price I hear : )


By the way, what did you mean by this:


Which other MB pens have parts actually made of real malachite or lapis? And is the design similar to Schiller? I would like to see that very much!

Ramses:


Nikolai:


To be fair, the stone was crushed, then applied in thin coats of lacquer. According to someone I know, the Ramses, Nikolai, and the Cross Townsend Lapis all had the stone work done by the same contractor. The malachite was sorted into colors, then applied in stripes.

While it retains some of the essence of the actual stone, there was just something missing for me. That said, they're still absolutely gorgeous.

Ah okay. I have seen these, but did not realise they were made of real stone. I actually do not mind the crushing and lacquering process. But the torpedo shape of the pens and all that gold metal, is what turns me off. If there was a pen that was shaped like the Schiller but black & malachite, or cream & lapis -- with silver hardware of course -- I would begin pining for it immediately. As it is, I am one step away from breaking down over the amber and then sending it out to replate the hardware. (No. bad thoughts. Money does not grow on trees. Save for a house. Bad. No Schiller for you. No...)

Ha! I don't suppose it'd help to say there was a platinum-plated version of the Nikolai.

I'm not normally a gold pen lover, but I did like both of those (in Mozart size) enough to buy them.

Yes there is! A platinum plated version Nikolai, and that is the one I got two weeks ago. No picture because I had send it back to MB for NIB exchange. I picked up a B but wanted a F.

So now that I've seen more of the Ramses and Nikolai, my question about the Schiller: does it use the same technique for the amber or is it drilled through solid amber?

Inquiring minds and all that.

Deidre,

I understand that the amber is "crushed" rather than solid. Not sure exactly how they get the finish on the cap. However it is done it is quite beautiful and certainly understated style.