A Visit To Montblanc Boutique In Moscow

[fromthecrowd]

Greetings to all of the Montblanc admirers!

 

It was the second time I visited Montblanc boutique. First visit was a mere reconnaissance. And it was limited to acquiring a bottle of ink. This time I had the intentions of actually choosing a pen for my writing needs (journal writing, drafting and occasional calculations). The atmosphere of Montblanc boutiques is well documented on this forum. The attendants are very helpful and friendly.

 

I asked if I could try Meisterstuck nibs. Without any hesitation the manager appointed an attendant to help me. She invited me to sit at the table and took out a box of #146 test pens. A testing notepad was also provided. The paper in the pad had a tendency to feather. I had some Tomoe River and Leuchtturm1917 paper with me and asked if I could use those. Permission was granted. (The ink in the pens was Montblanc Mystery Black.)

 

I started with the medium nib. It turned out to be rather fine. Like the fine on average European pens. Just a hair broader then Pelikan Souveran extra-fine. I decided not to examine finer sizes, for this one was on the verge for me. The tipping on this nib was round. Wetness was 5 out of 10. An ideally balanced flow. Not dry, not wet. A perfect average nib. An archetype of a nib. Very submissive. Almost no personality of its own.

 

From pure curiosity I wanted to try the oblique nibs. The OM pen was almost dry. Attempts to properly position the OB nib led to an awkward hand posture. So I decided to leave obliques alone for the time being.

 

Next came the broad nib. This one was much, much broader then medium. The tipping was grinded in a stubby fashion. The size felt very comfortable. But the main feature was the ink flow. Something like 8 out of 10 probably. An extremely wet nib! Now that I think of it, my writing could have been too slow. That's how those tests differ from everyday experience. You may write in a different manner. I am not against wet nibs, but this was over the head wet!

 

The attendant told me that the nibs on #149 produce a broader line then a similar grade on #146.

 

So now I have to decide between #146 and #149 and between medium and broad nib.

 

I have a suspicion that the excessive wetness of the broad test pen is not typical. The oblique broad I tested was far less wet.

 

While slowly inclining towards choosing the Meisterstuck 149 pen with a broad nib, I would be very grateful for any comments and suggestion regarding the choice.

 

Finally a couple of images. The Moscow Montblanc boutique. And an engraving on the test pen in Russian meaning 'Flagship Boutique'.

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

[jpierson]

The 149 Broad is hands down my favorite!

[fromthecrowd]

Tom Kellie:

I much appreciate your response! And the writing example speaks for itself. I suspected that the test pen with broad nib was not a typical one.

[fromthecrowd]

jpierson:

 

Thank you! I like what I see!

[FredRydr]

 

...I would be very grateful for any comments and suggestion regarding the choice....

 

 

My suggestion is that you choose the nib you prefer IF you determine the size of the pen will not interfere with the pleasure of using that nib. Individual nibs will vary. Be sure you use the pen you buy before you leave the boutique to be sure the nib writes as represented by the tester pen.

 

Fred

Edited May 18, 2016 by FredRydr

[fromthecrowd]

FredRydr:

Thank you for your advice!

 

I have spoken with the attendant at the boutique about the possibilities of testing the pen. She told me that I can only test it at home. That is their policy. Prior to purchase you are only allowed to handle their special kit of test pens. But I see no trouble in that. Montblanc offers free nib exchange during first 6 weeks of pen use. Also they have a local service center in Moscow. The pen doesn't need to be sent to Hamburg.

[zaddick]

FredRydr:

Thank you for your advice!

 

I have spoken with the attendant at the boutique about the possibilities of testing the pen. She told me that I can only test it at home. That is their policy. Prior to purchase you are only allowed to handle their special kit of test pens. But I see no trouble in that. Montblanc offers free nib exchange during first 6 weeks of pen use. Also they have a local service center in Moscow. The pen doesn't need to be sent to Hamburg.

What they mean is you have to buy the pen first before it gets inked. I would ask to see any pens in stock with your preferred size and nib width. Take the test pens and draw several vertical lines in the width you want, like M or B. Then place the nibs of the pens you are considering buying over the dried lines you created from the test pens and see which comes the closest when you do a vertical stroke with the dry nib. Even a dry nib will leave an impression on the test paper so you can get some idea of the nib width. Of course this is not perfect, but it can help and you can rule out any nibs that do not feel smooth before you buy.

 

I like B and above so that is my recommendation, either for 146 or 149. The last 149 I bought new had a nib swap to an O3B, but I don't recommend going that broad out of thr starting gate.

[Tom Kellie]

[fromthecrowd]

zaddic:

I much appreciate your advice!

 

Tom Kellie:

Your comments are not only useful, but joy to the eyes

That is exactly the nib size I want for everyday writing! What ink are you using?

[fromthecrowd]

Tom Kellie:

You mention oblique nibs in your posts. Can you please explain how to properly use them. I searched the forum a bit, but still no clear understanding. Do you rotate the pen axially or slant the pen body? Is this whole oblique thing for attractively distributing accents along the letters, or an ergonomic matter?

[penparadise]

 

Individual nibs will vary. Be sure you use the pen you buy before you leave the boutique to be sure the nib writes as represented by the tester pen.

 

Fred

 

 

+1

 

But be sure that the pen will write differently.

[fromthecrowd]

Tom Kellie:

You mention oblique nibs in your posts. Can you please explain how to properly use them. I searched the forum a bit, but still no clear understanding. Do you rotate the pen axially or slant the pen body? Is this whole oblique thing for attractively distributing accents along the letters, or an ergonomic matter?

Silly of me to have asked this question. A slightly more persistent search was needed. Now I understand.

[Tom Kellie]

[fromthecrowd]

Tom Kellie:

 

Your manner of posting is superb!

Thank you for the information and for visual impressions!

Most probably I will also use Royal Blue with the broad nib. Looks very nice in your notes!

[fromthecrowd]

The story continues.

 

Two weeks later armed with great advice from the FPN colleagues I returned to the boutique and bought the Meisterstuck 149 with a broad nib and Montblanc Royal Blue ink.

 

The service at the boutique was once again great, personnel being very friendly.

 

I was telling my companion about the WE pens in the showcase and a Montblanc lady came up and said they had more elsewhere. She brought a large tray with many of the older editions and demonstrated them. They were mostly the sets.

 

In the evening I filled the 149 and started writing. The nib was smooth and free from baby's bottom. But the flow was not perfect. From reading the forum I knew that such things happen and after a few days of writing the flow may improve.

 

On the next day the flow indeed improved slightly.

 

I decided to wait for a week writing with the pen and see what happens. In case the poor flow will not be remedied, I can always ask the boutique to tune it.

 

Also I want to note that the broad nib on my 149 is not excessively broad at all.

 

In all I am very happy to have this pen. At the moment it is the only Montblanc in my possession and I have high hopes for it. Definitely the minor imperfections will be overcome in little time.

 

I very much appreciate all the help and advice which was offered by FPN members! Thank you!

[Padawan]

I would suggest to consider trying various papers (Rhodia, Oxford, Leuchtturm, etc).

[fromthecrowd]

Padawan:

 

Thank you!

 

Sorry I skipped this part. The papers used were Tomoe River, Leuchtturm1917, Rhodia and some German student notebook. Tomoe provided best results, rhodia - worst.

[Padawan]

If the line is (looks) wet immediately after writing on such papers as Tomoe and Rhodia w/o any pressure then the flow is sufficient otherwise the nib wants fine-tuning.

Too wet is also not so good as drying time will be enormous.

 

My "149" M writes like "F" on Rhodia, like "B" on Leuchtturm1917, close to "M" on Oxford Optic White.

Ink MB Leo Tolstoy.

[zaddick]

After you run through the first fill, flush the pen out with room temperature water with a drop of liquid dish soap like Dawn or something mild. A few fills of the soapy water and then many flushes with clean water to remove the soap. That should help clean out any oils from the manufacturer. Ink will do this too, it will just take a lot longer.

 

If there is no improvement after that, the pen needs adjusting as MB ink should flow well, even on cheaper paper.