Reasons Not To Get A Mb 149

[Centurion]

 

These would be great options!

 

I always assumed the Hemingway and Dumas had the same body/nib size as a 149.

 

 

What was I thinking. The Hemingway and Dumas are in the thousands, over $2,500.

[logantrky]

 

 

What was I thinking. The Hemingway and Dumas are in the thousands, over $2,500.

 

[paulmcmanus]

Without having read the entire thread, I'd say the reason not to buy a 149 is that for the price you'd be buying something mass-market and very un-exclusive. My father had an expression that always amused me: they're like arseholes, everyone's got one.

I know there are many people on FPN who love their MBs. I bought one myself twenty years ago and wasn't overly impressed.

Nakaya pens are made by hand. Order one from nibs.com and John Mottishaw will custom grind a nib to your exact specification.

Danitrio make big pens with 'soft' nibs. I have several of them - beautiful pens - nibs.com also carries them. Have a look at the Sho-Hakkuku in Midori-dame green. Fatter than a 149 and utterly unique.

I also have a pen made just for me by a man named John Twiss in the UK - I don't see where you are based from your posts. It's a huge yellow number with the best nib I have on any pen. Fantastic writer and it cost me less than $300.

I know there are people who will strongly disagree with me on this but my personal feeling about Montblanc pens is they're for people who want to make a statement but don't know any better. Like Breitling watches or gold Submariners. A little bit gauche.

Happy to show you my pens if you're in the UK and you'd like to see a 'better' alternative to a 149.

Good luck with your quest.

[aawhite]

know what we should rename the thread REASONS NOT TO GET A MODERN 149 AT SRP in a MB BOTIQUE will this thread make any sense?

 

+1. It will make a lot more sense.

[The Good Captain]

Can't help myself from adding that the main reason I've not got one is because because I just don't like them.

[Morbus Curiositas]

Without having read the entire thread, I'd say the reason not to buy a 149 is that for the price you'd be buying something mass-market and very un-exclusive. My father had an expression that always amused me: they're like arseholes, everyone's got one.

I know there are many people on FPN who love their MBs. I bought one myself twenty years ago and wasn't overly impressed.

Nakaya pens are made by hand. Order one from nibs.com and John Mottishaw will custom grind a nib to your exact specification.

Danitrio make big pens with 'soft' nibs. I have several of them - beautiful pens - nibs.com also carries them. Have a look at the Sho-Hakkuku in Midori-dame green. Fatter than a 149 and utterly unique.

I also have a pen made just for me by a man named John Twiss in the UK - I don't see where you are based from your posts. It's a huge yellow number with the best nib I have on any pen. Fantastic writer and it cost me less than $300.

I know there are people who will strongly disagree with me on this but my personal feeling about Montblanc pens is they're for people who want to make a statement but don't know any better. Like Breitling watches or gold Submariners. A little bit gauche.

Happy to show you my pens if you're in the UK and you'd like to see a 'better' alternative to a 149.

Good luck with your quest.

Nice joke by your father... Clint Eastwood stated something like that after comments on on of his Dirty Harry Films...

 

Opinions are like assholes everybody has one.

[Centurion]

Without having read the entire thread, I'd say the reason not to buy a 149 is that for the price you'd be buying something mass-market and very un-exclusive. My father had an expression that always amused me: they're like arseholes, everyone's got one.

I know there are many people on FPN who love their MBs. I bought one myself twenty years ago and wasn't overly impressed.

Nakaya pens are made by hand. Order one from nibs.com and John Mottishaw will custom grind a nib to your exact specification.

Danitrio make big pens with 'soft' nibs. I have several of them - beautiful pens - nibs.com also carries them. Have a look at the Sho-Hakkuku in Midori-dame green. Fatter than a 149 and utterly unique.

I also have a pen made just for me by a man named John Twiss in the UK - I don't see where you are based from your posts. It's a huge yellow number with the best nib I have on any pen. Fantastic writer and it cost me less than $300.

I know there are people who will strongly disagree with me on this but my personal feeling about Montblanc pens is they're for people who want to make a statement but don't know any better. Like Breitling watches or gold Submariners. A little bit gauche.

Happy to show you my pens if you're in the UK and you'd like to see a 'better' alternative to a 149.

Good luck with your quest.

 

 

Thanks the offer, but I am in Boston. I don't want to pay for their marketing, and along the same lines I don't like products that are celebrity endorsed as I feel I am paying for it. BUT I do want a big nib, and feel the #9 nib is the biggest I can go without it being non-standard nib. I may have to let go of my goal of a big #9 nib as the FP choices increase dramatically for #6 nibs.

 

Why are there so few #9 nib pens? Perhaps the #6 nib is ideal for FP usage? The #9 is big, but actually detrimental to FP usage? Similar to 14k gold is the ideal gold content for a nib (all other factors held constant), better than 18k or 21k. A while ago, I glance over a paper that discussed the technical reasons why. I couldn't follow the technical discussion, but the conclusion was that a 14k nib is better than a 18k nib. I would think if a #9 nib is better than a #6 we would see the #9 in high end pens.

[da vinci]

Have you thought about a Delta Dolce Vita Oversize? Not sure it has a springy nib, but the nib and the pen are both large.

 

Personally I would not prefer it over a 149 but perhaps you will.....?

[Namo]

Reading the last posts, I am not sure what you are looking for anymore. Big nibs (#9) will not make your pen write any better for sure. It's a luxury mostly and a design choice sometimes (proportions). A big pen will very likely be on the heavy side, even if it's a c/c filler.

If the 149 did hit something and you have the money for it, I cannot see any pen related reason not to buy one. Maybe have a look for the 90th anniversary.

But.

You should know that gold nibs are not better than steel nibs.

At this point, with the kind of money you have, if really big nibs and heavier pens are not to your likings, I would suggest to have a look at custom pen makers. Edison jumps to mind and he offers interesting filling mechanisms. Newton pens, although I never did deal with him, seems to be able to produce any pen you could think of, and does offer pretty big ones. Ken Cavers is also a custom pen makers, maybe more on the hbbyist side of the spectrum, but his work is just amazing and he has a very good feeling about the details of the pen you could ask him to make. I already suggested Romillo and Gimena pens in Spain. Oldwin, in France (à la boutique Mora, in Paris), or Fred Faggionato also in France are options too. Astoria and Tom Westerlich are likely to offer you nice choices...

If I may: if really you don't care about nib size, but are looking for a big, not too heavy pen, you should have a look at Danitrio. The Mikado model is hudge, the Densho (or Takimi for a c/c filler) is smaller, but still in the league of the 149, maybe slightly thinner at the grip. They are Japanese eyedropper filler (not the Takimi), comes with German Bock nibs that have a certain flex, and are urushi finished.

 

Have fun!

Edited July 6, 2014 by Namo

[Tasmith]

Have you tried a 149? See if you even like writing with one.

 

ETA. I tried one and found it too big for me to write comfortable with. I wear XL gloves. Went with a 146 instead that is very comfortable for me.

 

Every pen is different, even if they appear to be the same size. The shape, dimensions and balance, etc. are all diiferent and will feel different in your hand. What someone else finds comfortable, you may not and vice versa. For that kind of money, you really need to try it out and compare it to other pens to find the one that's right for you.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Tasmith

[Namo]

Size comparison here (note that the MB is a 146 and not a 149)

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/62031-danitrio-mikado-review/

 

Another one here:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/59823-how-do-you-keep-your-mikado/

 

Edit to add: the Densho and Yakumi have Bock #6 nibs, but I think the Mikado have a bigger, Japanese nib.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Namo

[kaisede]

Hum... interesting topic... I personally like the larger size pens. I hope the following would help the OP.

 

But one question for the OP, what do you consider "large pen"? Is it the girth of the pen or the length of the pen?

 

I have all these pens right now:

 

I will use the rating between 1 - 10 for the weight. It is relative to the 149 weight.

 

1. MB 149 - good size and not heavy ( 5)

2. Dumas - same girth with the 149 but a little shorter I usually end up posting it when i use it for a long writing session the weight is also a 5.

3. Visconti Lava pen (steel) version, the nib is kind of springing and good flow but the steel version has a build in convertor so the ink capacity is very low. Weight is about 6 or 7. The nib size is not a number 9 nib but number 6 nib and the girth is not as large as the 149.

5. Nakaya long size - convertor (small ink capacity ) very light ( maybe a 3) but also has less girth than 149. It's an over size pen because its long.

6. Omas Paragon (new version with metal gripping) - Smaller nib (number 6) good ink capacity but i think the weight is off. Least comfortable for long writing compare to my other over size pens. The weight is about 6 isn because of the metal section.

7. Pelikan M1050 - Nice springing nib and similar size as number 9 nib. Good ink capacity. Weight a little more than 149 but the weight is pretty evenly spread out so i can use it for long writing session.

8. Sailor King of Pen Ebonite version - this pen have a very nice springing nib but lack of ink capacity. Weight about the same as 149, maybe just a little bit more because of the metal section that sailor uses to screw the body and the nib unit.

 

 

Based on your original post I would recommend Pelikan M 1000. Please feel free to ask me the nib smoothness and which one i use more if that is important to you. Hopefully above will help.

[kaisede]

I also want to add that "springing" is relative to each person's taste. Some people would say 149 is springing but compare to all those pens listed above, it is not.

 

The most springing nib is the Pelikan M 1000, follow by Sailor King of Pens. Rest are pretty stiff.

[kaisede]

To people think that owning a MB is a status symbol. NO it's not, i have been using my fountain pen at work for over 6 years now and only once someone said "hey nice pen", and it is not about my MB thats sitting next to my Visconti Opera Demo. It is the Visconti that drew the attention.

 

As far as being weak and easily break, NO i dropped my MB from my desk to my wooden floor a few times and no crack. It is just like any other pen plastic fountain pens. It is not weaker than my Platinum 3776 or my Visconti. Keywords are "Don't drop your pen!!".

 

As far is being expensive, YES they are but if you got the money I think it is one of the large pen people should look at when choosing a everyday writer.

 

There are nice used ones that sales for a lot less as other people pointed out.

Edited July 6, 2014 by kaisede

[aawhite]

. . .

 

As far as being weak and easily break, NO i dropped my MB from my desk to my wooden floor a few times and no crack. It is just like any other pen plastic fountain pens. It is not weaker than my Platinum 3776 or my Visconti. Keywords are "Don't drop your pen!!".

 

. . .

 

I assume that the MB you mentioned is a MB 149, and if so, then I am glad that someone who has experienced dropping a MB 149 can say that it did not break. This is one anecdote of the MB 149 that I find hard believe, that it is so weak that dropping it on a carpeted floor would break it.

 

 

Thanks for the information.

[maksim]

Price.

 

I would just get a Jinhao 159 to see if you like the size and all... heck, it is an amazing go to pen for the price. $10 or less.

[max dog]

Wow 175 responses to this question about one pen! That must say something about this pen (ICONIC) as I doubt any other pen could command that kind of response. With greatness comes much controversy and discussion.

Edited July 7, 2014 by max dog

[dneal]

Wow 175 responses to this question about one pen! That must say something about this pen (ICONIC) as I doubt any other pen could command that kind of response. With greatness comes much controversy and discussion.

 

Were controversy and discussion the real criteria for "greatness", Noodler's would be the greatest. Ever.

[kaisede]

 

I assume that the MB you mentioned is a MB 149, and if so, then I am glad that someone who has experienced dropping a MB 149 can say that it did not break. This is one anecdote of the MB 149 that I find hard believe, that it is so weak that dropping it on a carpeted floor would break it.

 

 

Thanks for the information.

Sure aawhite, I am happy to share my own personal experience. I just find it silly that people point out again and again that MB resin is weaker than other pen manufacturer's resin. It is just not true.

[BoBoJones]

It's too good for you.