To Montblanc Or Not To Montblanc

[TheRealMikeDr]

I used to sneer and scoff at MB because they have gone from a pen brand with a strong emphasis on passing only the highest quality product on to the consumer, to a lifestyle brand that seeks customers who will flaunt the snowcap to demonstrate how wealthy and sophisticated they are.

 

Then a MB fan pointed out that those who sneer at the brand do so because of the marketing, while those who are fans of the pens always wax raphsodic about how well they write. And I realized he was right.

 

I still find them overpriced, particularly when new, but I'm no longer going to denigrate them as pens, unless I get some that are worse than my Plaisirs, which I regard as extraordinarily serviceable pens.

 

That's a very well thought out position.

 

I can't deny that the marketing mystique doesn't influence me (I'm surrounded by Apple products) but I can also say that if it doesn't speak to me at all after trying some demonstrators I'm willing to walk away.

[PAKMAN]

Ah man you know she is going to the Coach store for that big bag, use that to its fullest advantage and get the pen! My wife never passed up a chance for the Coach purse in a different city and then never fussed if I bought a pen!

[TheRealMikeDr]

Ah man you know she is going to the Coach store for that big bag, use that to its fullest advantage and get the pen! My wife never passed up a chance for the Coach purse in a different city and then never fussed if I bought a pen!

 

The problem is actually compounded by the fact that she signed off on a trip to Columbus in November for the Ohio Pen Show. She will certainly get a bag or some jewelry for that one as it will be an all-day all-pen venture which she, natively, wouldn't find enjoyable.

 

So Ideally I'd like to be able to just "pay her off" one time or else it becomes very cost "un-effective" for me.

 

Plus I still have my eye on a Nakaya - not sure how to pull that one off without selling off some stuff on eBay to launder the funds through paypal...

[dadbar]

I have a Montblanc 147 and while it writes beautifully, I have many other pens that write just as well that I prefer using. The 147 was a gift....

 

Ask yourself why you have a need to overpay for a piece of black plastic just because it is sold in a nice fancy store. I derive much more writing pleasure out of my Montblanc Noblesse which is an all metal pen which can be had for $100 and writes just as smoothly.

 

Good luck in Vegas.

[s_t_e_v_e]

Personally, if I had to pay full price in a montblanc boutique it would be on a bottle of ink. And if I had to pay full price for a MontBlanc pen it would be from a dealer who's active in the pen community like the Anderson's.

 

Enjoy your trip to Vegas!

[Raif79]

I used to sneer and scoff at MB because they have gone from a pen brand with a strong emphasis on passing only the highest quality product on to the consumer, to a lifestyle brand that seeks customers who will flaunt the snowcap to demonstrate how wealthy and sophisticated they are.

 

Then a MB fan pointed out that those who sneer at the brand do so because of the marketing, while those who are fans of the pens always wax raphsodic about how well they write. And I realized he was right.

 

I still find them overpriced, particularly when new, but I'm no longer going to denigrate them as pens, unless I get some that are worse than my Plaisirs, which I regard as extraordinarily serviceable pens.

You and I think alike. I still firmly believe that the 146 and 149 are awesome pens. Let's just hope they don't tinker with them and try to radically change them. When the Heritage 1912 came out I looked at it and thought "What a piece of junk" but it grew on me and now I own one and find it to be fantastic and well engineered.

 

I do not have a high opinion of the Boheme series, Starwalker series or the M series. I think they are fashion trends that will not stand the test of time. I'm optimistic about the new Rouge Et Noir. If the nib is anything like the 1912 I'm in for a great writing experience. There are a few design features about it that I would change but overall it's an attractive pen. I think the Heritage series is a step in the right direction for Montblanc.

 

I don't have an issue with their leather goods. I think they are accessories...for their pens! The watches and other jewelry is another story. Montblanc should remain a fine writing/stationary company. I wouldn't be interested in a pen made by Rolex. S.T. DuPont is probably the exception to the rule. Although I only own lighters from them.

[PS104]

You are going to pay top dollar at a boutique. And what if there's something wrong with the pen. A return trip ? Personally I feel your local B&M could use your patronage. Vegas is an interesting city with many attractions. It's much more than casinos. At night along The Strip it's a neon wonderland. The various neighborhoods are interesting to see where people actually live. Thoroughly enjoyed my visit (as you can probably tell). Try to tack on a few more days for yourself. Amberlea Davis on FPN lives there and can give you even more insight.

[DrDebG]

Forget the Montblanc pen.

 

You should go visit with amberleadavis and the other folks from the Las Vegas Pen Posse. They will know exactly where to go!

[Algester]

my best course is go to the boutique try it out if it isnt for you or you feel it isnt for you don't commit to a purchase pretty much that, find what you really want and aim for that it maybe risky but I think it's still worth the experience

[TheRealMikeDr]

Personally, if I had to pay full price in a montblanc boutique it would be on a bottle of ink. And if I had to pay full price for a MontBlanc pen it would be from a dealer who's active in the pen community like the Anderson's.

 

Enjoy your trip to Vegas!

 

 

In all seriousness I will likely come home with some ink at the very least.

 

 

I have a Montblanc 147 and while it writes beautifully, I have many other pens that write just as well that I prefer using. The 147 was a gift....

 

Ask yourself why you have a need to overpay for a piece of black plastic just because it is sold in a nice fancy store. I derive much more writing pleasure out of my Montblanc Noblesse which is an all metal pen which can be had for $100 and writes just as smoothly.

 

Good luck in Vegas.

 

 

Indeed. I've got a MB ballpoint that I converted to a gel pen that I quite like - although it's primarily because of the way it looks - there's nothing special about it as a functional pen.

 

You are going to pay top dollar at a boutique. And what if there's something wrong with the pen. A return trip ? Personally I feel your local B&M could use your patronage. Vegas is an interesting city with many attractions. It's much more than casinos. At night along The Strip it's a neon wonderland. The various neighborhoods are interesting to see where people actually live. Thoroughly enjoyed my visit (as you can probably tell). Try to tack on a few more days for yourself. Amberlea Davis on FPN lives there and can give you even more insight.

 

Thanks! Truth be told I've been to Vegas more times than I like to think about (travel there for work 2 to 3 times a year) and my time is pretty booked up with meetings and the like - not much time to venture out to explore which is generally fine by me as I'm not a Vegas kinda guy. It's interesting the first couple times but mostly it makes me sad.

 

Forget the Montblanc pen.

 

You should go visit with amberleadavis and the other folks from the Las Vegas Pen Posse. They will know exactly where to go!

 

Thanks!

 

my best course is go to the boutique try it out if it isnt for you or you feel it isnt for you don't commit to a purchase pretty much that, find what you really want and aim for that it maybe risky but I think it's still worth the experience

 

Right! That's my current strategy - I'm not married to the idea and if I don't fall in love with a pen it's not coming home with me!

[Raif79]

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/Raif79/IMG_8136_zpsjsxdnar5.jpg?t=1460665329

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/Raif79/IMG_8137_zpswjhuuqlq.jpg?t=1460665329

 

One of these beauties must be calling your name. Go to the boutique. Play with the pens. Demo out all of the 146's in the ink display. Enjoy yourself!

 

DROP THE MIC!

[Shannon]

Ah man you know she is going to the Coach store for that big bag, use that to its fullest advantage and get the pen! My wife never passed up a chance for the Coach purse in a different city and then never fussed if I bought a pen!

 

Shoooot! What about the person who wants the pen *IN* the Coach bag???

[Ceelo]

I say go for the pen, but in your local boutique, that way at least you can build a relationship with the staff there. Be warned through, that can be very dangerous.

[Piper 987]

Unless price is no object (anathema to us Scots) the last place I'd buy a Montblanc pen is at an MB boutique in Vegas. The place exists solely to extract money from the tourists. They're good at it.

 

High end boutiques in prime Las Vegas real estate have very high overhead. They pay the overhead using your money. If you want new, I'd say support your local dealer. If you're okay with used, I'm sure there are dozens of them at any Vegas pawn shop.

[pajaro]

What do you want a pen for? Something that writes perfectly all the time, or something else to put in your collection and ignore because it dries up all the time. Montblanc comes in for a lot of criticism because of the perception of snobiness in marketing. A lot of haters demean the Montblancs.

 

I have three kinds of pens that can always be relied on for reliable writing. Parker 51s, Pelikans, and Montblancs, 146 and 144.

 

The rest are pens that always need a little help to get them started in the morning, by wetting or refilling.

 

Agonize if you must. Make a big deal about the purchase or avoidance of Montblanc. I bought my first 146 in 1983, and was entirely satisfied.

[Toll]

I am not sure how many MB Boutiques there are in Vegas, but I always go to the one at the Palazzo/Venetian when I am there (about once annually). It is large and the staff are friendly.

 

I have been enamored with fountain pens for over two decades and I have enjoyed many different brands. MB's always left me cold and I never really owned many -- flirted with a 144 or a 146 a time or two. In recent years MB's have been my pens of choice and I have yet to be disappointed.

 

I am currently enjoying my latest acquisition -- a Rouge et Noir Coral. You might want to take a look at the Blue Hour line (sized as both a 145 and a 146) or a Heritage 1912 (if a retractable nib wouldn't bother you) in addition to classic black pens.

[Studio97]

I have two MB fountain pens, 3 MB Ballpoints and a MB rollerball. All are genuine. I was patient and bought them from pawn shops and one small stationary store that closed years ago. My total investment is less than one new MB from a boutique. One of my ballpoints is silver. So I enjoy them even more since I did not break the bank at a boutique.

[TheRealMikeDr]

Just got back from Vegas a few hours ago and thought I would bring some closure to my "dilemma"

 

 

I ended up getting it (146 Platinum) from the shop at the Palazzo - which is at least twice as big as the one in Caesars. The gentleman who helped me was very professional (I was very tired and dressed like a bum but he didn't seem to notice or care) and patient with me. He let me try all the demos and brought a loupe over for me to closely check out the pen I was going to take home with me prior to paying for it.

 

I have to say the demos were fairly bad - he warned me ahead of time that that was the case as they take a fair amount of abuse. Shame as they don't give a fair representation of how the nib will write when you get it home.

 

That said - I got en EF nib and the line it puts out is just perfect - pretty much identical to my Pilot/Platinum/Sailor fine nibs. It's got a touch of feedback as expected - I'm really looking forward to using it extensively over the coming days/weeks to break it in as it were.

 

And yes - I was proactive and bought my lovely wife something too

 

 

Thanks for all your feedback - it would seem irrational exuberance won the day here! I would like to say that I think I'm done buying pens for a while though

 

[Ghost Plane]

Famous last words!

 

Glad you found something perfectly suited and a gift for your wife. Joy all 'round.

[pajaro]

A good choice of pens.

 

After buying and using most of the kinds of pens put forth as paragons here, I have found that three kinds of pens are the best and only ones worth considering if writing is what you want. Parker 51, Montblanc and Pelikan. Of these, Pelikan is just not a comfortable pen for me except in ballpoint. If fancy stuff is what you want and an ever changing spectrum of the nouveau is what you are really after, buy the other stuff too. I think this really suits many of the posters here, because I think they want a continuing involvement in pen issues, and the other makes offer a fertile field.