Reasons Not To Get A Mb 149

[de_pen_dent]

Okay, admittedly I don't have a MB and have no desire to get one. But twice in a week I've had someone ooh ah over a pen I was using while signing a credit card slip (as in "Wow, that's a nice pen!").

In both cases it was... (drumroll)... my $40 Noodler's ebonite Konrad.... I think mostly the only other times I've ever had people even *notice* I had something other than a BP was when I was using regular resin Konrads, other than people who know me, or if my husband points out to them "She wants to use one of her *fancy* pens...."

So for the average Joe/John and Jane Q. Public type of person, having a pen with a "splat" on it isn't going to mean a whole lot. Maybe if you're trying to impress some politician or Wall Street tycoon, but in my experience most people aren't even going to notice you HAVE a fountain pen, let alone what brand it is.

 

^^ IAWTP. People notice pens that are visually different; for most of them, pens dont really register as a luxury item (and most of the people for whom it does probably have their own area of indulgence). The few times someone does notice my pen, it is b/c there is something different about it (in terms of looks or whatever).

Back in my consulting days, everybody and their dog had a MB. It aroused no more comment than someone wearing a nice suit, or a nice tie, or a nice watch.

 

Bit of a shame my reality doesnt match that of FriendAmos. It would be nice if I could pick up women in bars merely by flaunting my pen (helluva lot cheaper than a Ferrari!).

 

So why do you still have it ?

 

Speaking for myself - mainly b/c it is a classic pen and IMO, belongs in a collection of nice pens. The Paragon and M1000 are two similar beasts. I prefer the 146, Milord and M800 for writing.

[FriendAmos]

de_pen_dent et al,

 

The status/jewelry point about MB is very well known and has been frequently discussed even on FPN. What MB owners should do is stop the denial and start on the road to freedom from shallowness.

[WaskiSquirrel]

Okay, admittedly I don't have a MB and have no desire to get one. But twice in a week I've had someone ooh ah over a pen I was using while signing a credit card slip (as in "Wow, that's a nice pen!").

In both cases it was... (drumroll)... my $40 Noodler's ebonite Konrad.... I think mostly the only other times I've ever had people even *notice* I had something other than a BP was when I was using regular resin Konrads, other than people who know me, or if my husband points out to them "She wants to use one of her *fancy* pens...."

 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

There is a lot of truth in this. I love my Pilot Custom 823, but the pens that get the comments are my Noodler's Acrylic pens. They're just so colorful and cheerful! (And I do like my ebonite ones a lot as well.)

[00Photo]

[de_pen_dent]

^^^ Now I have an incredible hankering for a stubbed MB!

[logantrky]

de_pen_dent et al,

 

The status/jewelry point about MB is very well known and has been frequently discussed even on FPN. What MB owners should do is stop the denial and start on the road to freedom from shallowness.

 

 

 

FriendAmos, I wish you were a bit more reflective of your username (i.e. friendly). If you can't let other people enjoy something that you don't, then please:

 

http://www.gifcrap.com/g2data/albums/TV/Stephen%20Colbert%20telling%20you%20to%20go%20away.gif

 

 

Awesome. My shallow brain really likes the stubbuishness of this picture.

Edited July 1, 2014 by logantrky

[DRWWE]

Meisterstuck pens are kind of generic looking. A lot of people own them and almost everyone recognizes them. Nothing wrong with the design since they are beautiful to look at and a joy to use, but the look is common all the way from cheaper models to the one you're considering. If you want a Montblanc, why not look at one of their limited editions like the writer's series pens. They are pricy but much more distinctive IMHO. Mine is truly a joy to write with.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w161/drwwe/Pens/DSC_0027-Copy.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w161/drwwe/Pens/DSC_0029-Copy.jpg

Of course there is always Pelikan Souveran (I prefer the M800 to the 1000), Delta Dolcevita, among many others. So many great pens and a lot of them will be cheaper than the MB.

[purplepen]

A MB was my first "expensive" pen - bought about 30 years ago. Never use it - but each to his own.

[FriendAmos]

Amos- we got it, you dont like the MB 149. What the heck are you trying to prove by argueing over it on this forum?

Once again, I refer people to the title of the thread and what the OP is after: "Reasons Not To Get A Mb 149".

 

Then read it again.

 

If you want to argue that MB is one heck of pen, then this neither the place nor the time for it.

[Lyander0012]

 

Posts like these are what make people new to the FP world automatically assume that using one will magically improve their penmanship! Great calligraphy there

 

In all seriousness, the fact that MB is over priced aside (no getting around that for me), there isn't really any denying that there is a certain element of brand-recognition to the White Star logo, and a level of respect (if not awe) that would come with it. Their aftersales is excellent, and for a pen, they perform reliably. The

only reason I feel so many people rag on them is because, yes, they're overpriced.

 

 

Cheers!

 

Levin Kevin (stop hacking my account, Levin!)

 

P.S.

I'm considering a (vintage, perhaps) 146 myself someday, but that's a bit off into the future. I got to try one out for maybe ten minutes at a local MB boutique because I got along well with the clerks and because I had a LOT of time to kill then; it was surprisingly well balanced posted, which is an instant +10 in my book.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Lyander0012

[FriendAmos]

http://www.gifcrap.com/g2data/albums/TV/Stephen%20Colbert%20telling%20you%20to%20go%20away.gif

Very nice writing. But you don't need a MB 149 (or any other MB) to be able to do that.

[00Photo]

Very nice writing. But you don't need a MB 149 (or any other MB) to be able to do that.

You don't don't need a Ferrari to go around the Nordschleife either, but it's way more fun isn't it?

[FriendAmos]

So for the average Joe/John and Jane Q. Public type of person, having a pen with a "splat" on it isn't going to mean a whole lot. Maybe if you're trying to impress some politician or Wall Street tycoon, but in my experience most people aren't even going to notice you HAVE a fountain pen, let alone what brand it is.

Can we be a bit more objective and serious about this? Thanks to MB's marketing department, Joe/John and Jane Q is very much aware of the MB brand. Note that the "fountain pen" has actually become just another element in that "brand", which increasingly consists of just about everything under the sun and which is why it is a major a target of Chinese and other producers of fakes.

 

What people pay for when they buy such is not the fountain pen, the roller ball, or the belt, or the watch, or the socks, or the condom, or .... They pay for the BRAND. Why? That's where we come in and try to lift those of us who are allowing themselves to be used, abused and taken advantage of by purveyors of "luxury" and "status".

Edited July 2, 2014 by FriendAmos

[Centurion]

"Give me reasons to not buy a MB" seems a little different from "tell me how much I would enjoy a MB". The OP had a very specific request, which I am trying to help with, and for those who want to (bleep) over MS, there is an entire forum on FPN where they can "enjoy".

 

Of course, I am happy to help MB owners free themselves from the slavery and addiction of "status", but that is not my main purpose on this thread. In any case, I don't expect to be loved for such help, but I'm sure that heaven will smile on my noble efforts.

 

Thanks FriendAmos for trying to keep the thread on track. This thread was very helpful to me. I was initially against the idea of going vintage, but the cost savings couldn't be ignored, plus if I got a 149 in bad shape body-wise I can pay Montblanc about $100 and they would replaced it. I just have to find one with a good nib. I was thinking of getting the 149 on nibs.com for $300 but it's been sold. The cap on that 149 had cracks. I could have spent $400 and had a 149 in pretty good condition. So the hunt continues, which is ok because very old 149s have more interesting nibs.

[Blade Runner]

Warning. After the first 149, it may well not be your last. :-)

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/247362-how-many-149s-do-you-own/

Edited July 2, 2014 by Blade Runner

[de_pen_dent]

The desire to own a "MB Something/Anything" says a great deal, and we must recognize and deal with it.

 

We "must", must we?

[laserlight]

 

That is extremely judgemental of you, I think. Some people derive pleasures from beautiful things without it being a social status, and I don't think there's any harm in that. Whether one buys something for utility, social status, or for beauty is completely up to the buyer, and to say "this isn't good for you" and attempting to take it away from them seems extremely condescending and judgemental. We aren't third graders with vegetable issues, after all.

 

It is a reason not to get a MB 149: to avoid being judged by people who would try to 'help MB owners free themselves from the slavery and addiction of "status"' should they observe that you own a MB 149

[kazoolaw]

Can we be a bit more objective and serious about this?

Apparently you cannot, which is fine but tiresome.

 

Thanks to MB's marketing department, Joe/John and Jane Q is very much aware of the MB brand.

We've noticed that you haven't come up with a single specific instance of someone swooning over the mere presence of a MB 149.

 

Why?

Because you've never witnessed one.

 

That's where we come in and try to lift those of us who are allowing themselves to be used, abused and taken advantage of by purveyors of "luxury" and "status".

This is typical of someone who can't have something and therefore it becomes bad/evil. It is a sign that your envy is worsening: do you think it was something from your childhood?

 

Condom?

You DO know that sometimes a pen is just a pen, don't you?

[BrandonA]

Hi, I am looking got get a big FP with a very big springy nib for every day use from general writing to signature use. I prefer brand new, even though there are great deals to be had in the used pen market because I feel the used market is risky. Also, I like the idea I was the only person who used the pen. I've reconciled with the idea of carrying a $1000 pen outside of my house. Thus, I am considering getting either a regular 149 or the 90th anniversary 149. I know most of the positive reasons to get a 149.

 

What are reasons NOT to get the MB 149?

 

I'll start the list:

 

* The 149 resin is not durable to be carried outside of the house and would easily shatter when dropped

 

Why would anyone else's opinion matter?

 

The fact is that the 149 is Montblanc's flagship pen. They sell lots of them and owners use them daily. f there were inherently wrong with them they would either not sell or MB would withdraw them.

[Vlad Soare]

I don't know about status, but I do know that my Montblancs are the nicest fountain pens and the nicest pieces of craftmanship I've ever laid my hands on. So I wouldn't let the opinion of some egalitarian bigot hinder me from enjoying them.