Are New Montblancs Catering Mainly To Collectors?

[zaddick]

 

Just a hint: I challenge you to find just a single quote on the whole Montblanc website about how their pens write, or any single reference to characteristics that may be of interest for somebody wanting to write with their fountain pens.

 

Just-A-Single-Quote, I dare you.

I am not sure how much time you in invested before making your comment, but I though it was worth literally 30 seconds of my life over slow WiFi while waiting for lunch.

 

From the page on the Meisterstuck collection:

 

At Montblanc, each Meisterstück nib is meticulously profiled by hand in a process comprising over 30 steps and crowned by the singular 4810 engraving, representing the height of the Montblanc massif. When finally joined with the elegantly formed body and the ink-supply system, all the elements are finely tuned to yield utmost harmony and unrivalled smoothness.

 

There you go. Unrivalled smoothness. Agree or not, that seems to me to be a "characteristic that may be of interest" in my eyes.

Edited February 2, 2018 by zaddick

[Bluey]

I am not sure how much time you in invested before making your comment, but I though it was worth literally 30 seconds of my life over slow WiFi while waiting for lunch.

 

From the page on the Meisterstuck collection:

 

At Montblanc, each Meisterstück nib is meticulously profiled by hand in a process comprising over 30 steps and crowned by the singular 4810 engraving, representing the height of the Montblanc massif. When finally joined with the elegantly formed body and the ink-supply system, all the elements are finely tuned to yield utmost harmony and unrivalled smoothness.

 

There you go. Unrivalled smoothness. Agree or not, that seems to me to be a "characteristic that may be of interest" in my eyes.

Smoothness is not quality. It's lipstick

[zaddick]

Smoothness is not quality. It's lipstick

Smoothness is an adjective and is a quality one can associate with a writing experience (lipstick is a noun). Given your expressed fondness for Sailor in other threads on FPN, I take it is not a quality you seek.

 

I can take it or leave it. I prefer a smoother nib as the tipping gets wider, but I can appreciate the "pencil like" feedback of other nibs, especially when they are narrower.

 

That said, the dare was not to find a writing characteristic universally beloved by folks who visit this site or one I even personally prefer.

Edited February 2, 2018 by zaddick

[Bluey]

Smoothness would be considered a sign of a good fountain pen from an inexperienced fountain pen user's point of view, yes. This has been one of the criticisms of MB. As we all know, smoothness of the German kind comes with inconvenient caveats.

[jconn]

The other day, I was in the grocery store, and I had a choice -- American cheddar, or Swiss Gruyere. I wanted a tasty grilled cheese sandwich later, so I picked up the gruyere and tossed it in the cart.

 

I could have made a cheese sandwich with the cheddar, but gruyere... oh my. Just something about it.

My point is that people have preferences, and that's ok. Just because I prefer expensive cheese with a funny name from Switzerland over good, old made-in-Wisconsin cheddar doesn't make the cheddar any less delicious to anyone else. Cheddar just ain't my thing.

Relating to pens, I like Montblanc, and to the extent that 9 out of 10 items in my collection bear the snowcap logo. That doesn't diminish someone else's preference for Parker, or TWSBI, or any other maker of greater or lesser priced writing instruments. I'm happy to hear a persuasive argument about the value (not cost) of one maker over another, and engage in a discussion of the relative merits in a compare/contrast format, but this "You're wrong because you don't like XXXX, and I'm right because I do" is getting pretty irksome and frustrating.

Can we all just agree that ballpoints and the cretins that use them are the true enemy of all fine writing instrument aficionados everywhere?

[Ghost Plane]

I can totally get behind the benighted ballpoint users.

[Bluey]

I use ballpoints when it's more convenient to use them

 

Signed

 

Cretin

[jconn]

I use ballpoints when it's more convenient to use them

 

Signed

 

Cretin

If fountain pens are cheddar and Gruyere, then ballpoints must logically be the cheese-like product that comes in an aerosol can--tasty, but unsuited for fondue!

[CS388]

If fountain pens are cheddar and Gruyere, then ballpoints must logically be the cheese-like product that comes in an aerosol can--tasty, but unsuited for fondue!

 

I see your point, but I think that's harsh.

 

If ballpoints were that bad, they would never have caught on to such an extent that they almost wiped out the fountain pen market - and still command the dominant share of the writing instrument market.

[Manalto]

For comparison - vinyl replacement windows are bad but they have caught on to such an extent that they have almost wiped out the original-window-restoration market. It's about convenience over quality.

Edited February 2, 2018 by Manalto

[jconn]

I see your point, but I think that's harsh.

 

If ballpoints were that bad, they would never have caught on to such an extent that they almost wiped out the fountain pen market - and still command the dominant share of the writing instrument market.

Hyperbole aside, I have no issues with ballpoints, as they are a convenient instrument to write with and almost universally available at little to no cost. Their ubiquity doesn't make them better or worse, and their prevalence is largely related to the ease of manufacturing and lack of maintenance.

 

Then again, as Henry Ford allegedly quipped (and I'm sure I'm paraphrasing), "If I'd have asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses". In that regard, the ballpoint is superior to the fountain pen in that it serves its purpose in a way that is easier and more convenient than a fountain pen, and the widespread adoption of the ballpoint was much like the Ford Model T--it wasn't what the people wanted, but it served them fare better than anything they could have asked for.

 

I still prefer Gruyere.

Edited February 2, 2018 by jconn

[Inkling13]

After having cheap ballpoints stolen off my desk when I worked outside my home, and a MB WE mangled by a visitor to the house (no longer invited), Im not about to leave a high end fountain pen where curious idiots can grab at them.

 

Love the nibs and I dont particularly care what others think of my taste so long as Im happy.

What model is this Ghostplane?

[Ghost Plane]

What model is this Ghostplane?

Blue Hour Skeleton with OBBB nib loaded with Kon Peki

[Uncial]

Look, its about time you admited that the Blue Hour Skeleton is just tasteless, over-priced junk that only clutters up your desk and probably doesnt even write. I promise I can take it and safely dispose of it for free.

[Ghost Plane]

Look, its about time you admited that the Blue Hour Skeleton is just tasteless, over-priced junk that only clutters up your desk and probably doesnt even write. I promise I can take it and safely dispose of it for free.

Sure. When you pry it from my cold dead fingers. It somehow managed to produce 3992 usable words today, so I guess I’ll have to keep it around for now if that’s the best it can do. Horrible how little use I get from it.

[jconn]

Sure. When you pry it from my cold dead fingers. It somehow managed to produce 3992 usable words today, so I guess I’ll have to keep it around for now if that’s the best it can do. Horrible how little use I get from it.

 

Probably would have managed 5000 words with a ballpoint.

[888007888]

Don't let this distract you from the fact that in 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help and if you can find them, maybe, you can hire... the A-Team

[jconn]

Don't let this distract you from the fact that in 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help and if you can find them, maybe, you can hire... the A-Team

 

I pity the fool...

 

 

Who writes with a ballpoint.

[Tom Kellie]

~ Were Hanoi to stop by my classrooms over the past several years, there'd be multiple sightings of Montblanc fountain pens in use.

I regularly use various black models, from a couple of vintage to fairly recent pens, with the nibs running the gamut.

In any given class, approximately 15 to 20% of undergraduates and about 25% of graduate students regularly write with fountain pens.

By far the most frequently seen models are Lamy Safaris in a fairly wide range of colors.

In 2015 after a class left, I found a Black Parker Vector F nib on a floor. No one claimed it for several weeks, therefore it found a home with yours truly.

Students write with black ink 95% of the time, with the occasional green or pink ink appearing.

I've never seen a Montblanc ballpoint pen in use, aside from my own two — a black Classique and a Pacific Blue Cruise pen.

As to Montblanc fountain pens in use, I've noticed them in the hands of others in Venice, Italy...Johannesburg, South Africa...and in Singapore.

In each case they appeared to be either 145s or 146s, with M or F nibs.

What Montblanc's marketing strategies might be I have no insight.

All of my pens regularly leave the apartment for for use in classrooms or in the field, including on safari.

They're satisfying to me because of their reliability. I greatly appreciate Montblanc's commitment to offering a range of nibs.

Aside from two 3-42 Gs, all of my Montblanc have been purchased from large boutiques in downtown Beijing.

I hope that Hanoi might someday see a Montblanc in use. They're such outstanding writing tools.

Tom K.

[jmnav]

I am not sure how much time you in invested before making your comment, but I though it was worth literally 30 seconds of my life over slow WiFi while waiting for lunch.

 

From the page on the Meisterstuck collection:

 

At Montblanc, each Meisterstück nib is meticulously profiled by hand in a process comprising over 30 steps and crowned by the singular 4810 engraving, representing the height of the Montblanc massif. When finally joined with the elegantly formed body and the ink-supply system, all the elements are finely tuned to yield utmost harmony and unrivalled smoothness.

 

There you go. Unrivalled smoothness. Agree or not, that seems to me to be a "characteristic that may be of interest" in my eyes.

 

I take that you really want to show me wrong. But please, re-read what you yourself cited: "When [the nib is] finally joined with the elegantly formed body and the ink-supply system, all the elements are finely tuned to yield utmost harmony and unrivalled smoothness."

 

What has harmony and unrivaled smoothness is not the nib, but the pen: that's a design cue, and relates to the ownership experience, not the writing one. Were this paragraph talking about, say, a Faberge egg instead of a pen, it still would retain all its sense. Of course, it's also more clear if you take the time to cite the full paragraph:

 

"Dedication and skill create a Meisterstück

The essence of every fountain pen is its nib. This heart-shaped component made of 18 K gold is what gives a Meisterstück its true soul and transforms a simple tool into a superbly fashioned instrument. At Montblanc, each Meisterstück nib is meticulously profiled by hand in a process comprising over 30 steps and crowned by the singular “4810” engraving, representing the height of the Mont Blanc massif. When finally joined with the elegantly formed body and the ink-supply system, all the elements are finely tuned to yield utmost harmony and unrivalled smoothness."

 

...a superbly fashioned instrument... with a nib that, from all the 30 steps needed to produce, they decide to highlight only one: that it is crowned by the singular "4810" engraving. Oh, and that it's made of 18 K gold (in bold; it must be something very important). Need I have to say anything more? Oh, I could also cite the immediately next paragraph, couldn't I?

 

"Design and inspiration in the Meisterstück Collection

From fountain pens to ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils to ink and other writing accessories, every piece in the Montblanc Meisterstück Collection speaks with a singular voice. Through consummate craftsmanship, they translate tradition into contemporary sophistication. More than just unparalleled design, their unique character and outstanding functionality make these fine writing instruments distinctive tools for self-expression."

 

Now: you can go to any of these pens to buy it on-line. Look at the descriptions: not a single one talks about its ergonomy, the lenght of the pen, or its weight, or its girth. Not a word about how their piston system is that much better than the competition, or how they grind their nibs to the satisfaction of the serious writer... no nothing.

Edited February 3, 2018 by jmnav