Mb Ballpoint & Rollerball Users -- Please Help

[niksch]

WRT RB refills. Why cant we just pop the plastic top off, and refill with our favorite ink(s)?

[Kalessin]

People have tried it, with mixed results. There are so many different bottled ink formulas that not all work well in a given refill.

 

There is even a refillable pen with a rollerball tip, the Monteverde Mega Ink Ball.

[adim]

I went to the local boutique yesterday and tested the Le Grand ballpoint, as well as the Classique, both in rollerball and ballpoint.

 

I have to say I was disappointed by the refill in the ballpoint. It was either old or that's the way it works, because it had quite a hard start and overall, the experience was not smooth. It seemed quite dry and I couldn't feel it glide on the paper. I have a Parker IM ballpoint with a Parker refill that I haven't used for around 6 months and it writes much better. Which seems weird.

 

And one more question: do those colourful rollerball refills fit the LE/SE/WE pens? As I said, I was interested in the Le Grand line especially because of its width, but in the boutique, I saw the Beatles, Miles Davis and Exupery rollerballs and I quite liked them, in terms of size.

 

So for example, when they say on the website that some rollerball refills do not fit the Le Grand pens, do they mean the Le Grand only? Say the Beatles or Warhol rollerball can be used with Le Petit Prince refills?

 

Sorry for asking something this trivial, but I forgot to ask in the boutique and unfortunately, I don't find the information on the website as thorough as I wanted.

[niksch]

 

If i can't see the ink flow level I'm sure I'm getting ripped off....

 

Wherever you go, there you are.

[Cyrille81]

I went to the local boutique yesterday and tested the Le Grand ballpoint, as well as the Classique, both in rollerball and ballpoint.

 

I have to say I was disappointed by the refill in the ballpoint. It was either old or that's the way it works, because it had quite a hard start and overall, the experience was not smooth. It seemed quite dry and I couldn't feel it glide on the paper. I have a Parker IM ballpoint with a Parker refill that I haven't used for around 6 months and it writes much better. Which seems weird.

 

And one more question: do those colourful rollerball refills fit the LE/SE/WE pens? As I said, I was interested in the Le Grand line especially because of its width, but in the boutique, I saw the Beatles, Miles Davis and Exupery rollerballs and I quite liked them, in terms of size.

 

So for example, when they say on the website that some rollerball refills do not fit the Le Grand pens, do they mean the Le Grand only? Say the Beatles or Warhol rollerball can be used with Le Petit Prince refills?

 

Sorry for asking something this trivial, but I forgot to ask in the boutique and unfortunately, I don't find the information on the website as thorough as I wanted.

The special edition of RB are using standard refills so you have all the choice of the colors. For the limited edition of The Beatles or Miles Davis I suppose too (I don't have the RB, only the FP) they are using LeGrand RB refills so only choice of blue and black colors. It is the same with JFK LE RB too. That is the reason I bought the Heritage R&N Serpent Solitaire RB to be able to use standard refills with all colors.

[adim]

The special edition of RB are using standard refills so you have all the choice of the colors. For the limited edition of The Beatles or Miles Davis I suppose too (I don't have the RB, only the FP) they are using LeGrand RB refills so only choice of blue and black colors. It is the same with JFK LE RB too. That is the reason I bought the Heritage R&N Serpent Solitaire RB to be able to use standard refills with all colors.

 

Thank you for the reply and sorry for my delay! I understand, I will research more the rollerball market as well.

 

Have any of you had problems with hard starts on MB ballpoints? As I said, the two Le Grand ballpoints that I tested in the boutique wrote very hard and that's the only experience I could have with them. I suppose I could buy a refill or two and just test them, since they are the core of the writing experience. But if any of you could share some experiences with ballpoints, how long before they don't write on the first touch and the overall smoothness, that would be helpful.

 

I have some very cheap ballpoint pens that write almost under their own weight and no hard starts and I'm expecting excellence from Montblanc, that's why I was so surprised when trying the two Le Grands in the store.

[meiers]

Try the Broad-tipped ballpoint refill. My MB ballpoints dont write under their own weight. You need a rollerball or a fountain pen to achieve that.

[wpj_ole]

I’m considering between Heritage 1912 rollerball (black or stainless steel anyone???) and montblanc ultra black classique ballpoint. Leaning towards Heritage 1912, anyone has experience on them? How is the surface of stainless steel? Is it just super smooth because I’m afriad it would be slippery?

[meiers]

Try before you buy.

[adim]

Try the Broad-tipped ballpoint refill. My MB ballpoints dont write under their own weight. You need a rollerball or a fountain pen to achieve that.

Interestingly enough, the two Le Grands that I tested had broad refills. The experience was not quite smooth, I have some dollar ballpoints that write smoother and with no hard starts. So I assumed maybe they were old.

 

I will see, thank you for the reply!

[A1979]

 

Thank you for the reply and sorry for my delay! I understand, I will research more the rollerball market as well.

 

Have any of you had problems with hard starts on MB ballpoints? of you could share some experiences with ballpoints, how long before they don't write on the first touch and the overall smoothness, that would be helpful.

Never had hard starts issues with my MB ballpoints. I mostly use the medium blue refill. As for the durability, I have to say that I never had to change a refill because it ran out of ink, but - to be completely honest - I dont use the ballpoints a lot (even If I always carry one). That said, my preferred alternative to the MB FP are the fineliner refills.

Edited May 6, 2018 by A1979

[SergeyASW]

I had tried many (about 15-20) Montblanc ballpoint refills (medium and bold, black and blue) from different sales point. All bold refills periodically had hard start and none of them could draw 2 long lines (in width of a sheet) in a row without saturation diminution. But I agree they are very smooth and quite good for normal writing. Medium refills are less smooth, less prone to hard starts and make more even line (but sometimes also have saturation diminishing dramatically on long stright lines)

Edited May 7, 2018 by SergeyASW

[meiers]

Rollerball and ballpoint pens are not as much fun as fountain pens. With each day I find BPs and RBs less interesting.

Edited May 8, 2018 by meiers

[adim]

Rollerball and ballpoint pens are not as much fun as fountain pens. With each day I find BPs and RBs less interesting.

 

I totally agree, I just wanted another pen to write quick notes when I'm not in the comfort of my home desk, something a bit more practical than a fountain pen. But every time I get to write with my FPs, I'm in awe.

 

I had tried many (about 15-20) Montblanc ballpoint refills (medium and bold, black and blue) from different sales point. All bold refills periodically had hard start and none of them could draw 2 long lines (in width of a sheet) in a row without saturation diminution. But I agree they are very smooth and quite good for normal writing. Medium refills are less smooth, less prone to hard starts and make more even line (but sometimes also have saturation diminishing dramatically on long stright lines)

 

Thank you very much for the detailed reply. This being the case (and that I was afraid of, in fact), I will stick with my Rotring ballpoints for quick notes and not spend 4-500€ on a Montblanc ballpoint. Maybe if at some point I find a MB rollerball that I like and can afford I will reconsider. But for the moment, my enthusiasm towards MB ballpoints plummetted.

[adim]

I went to the local boutique and tested the Brahms rollerball. I absolutely love it! I was after the FP a while ago, but couldn't make myself like the nib, with its dove engraving, so I purchased the resin 146 Little Prince instead.

 

(Why the Brahms? I'm after a pen with a thick section and not very flashy or expensive. Not considering the Le Grand because of the refills, the Brahms is the next that fits the bill, at least in terms of what the Romanian MB boutique offers. There are also the JFK and the Exupery, but I like the Brahms much more and it's cheaper.)

 

The Brahms rollerball is really gorgeous! And it uses regular refills, so I can benefit from the plethora of colours available, not to mention the few fineliner refill options.

 

Plus, it wrote great, with hardly any pressure, nothing compared to the ballpoint that I tried.

 

Now I'm almost certain I'll get the Brahms rollerball someday soon, hopefully. I'll have to be extra careful with my wallet this summer.

Edited May 13, 2018 by adim

[Cyrille81]

I went to the local boutique and tested the Brahms rollerball. I absolutely love it! I was after the FP a while ago, but couldn't make myself like the nib, with its dove engraving, so I purchased the resin 146 Little Prince instead.

 

(Why the Brahms? I'm after a pen with a thick section and not very flashy or expensive. Not considering the Le Grand because of the refills, the Brahms is the next that fits the bill, at least in terms of what the Romanian MB boutique offers. There are also the JFK and the Exupery, but I like the Brahms much more and it's cheaper.)

 

The Brahms rollerball is really gorgeous! And it uses regular refills, so I can benefit from the plethora of colours available, not to mention the few fineliner refill options.

 

Plus, it wrote great, with hardly any pressure, nothing compared to the ballpoint that I tried.

 

Now I'm almost certain I'll get the Brahms rollerball someday soon, hopefully. I'll have to be extra careful with my wallet this summer.

 

Happy you have found the pen that suits you Good luck now for saving money

[adim]

 

Happy you have found the pen that suits you Good luck now for saving money

 

Thanks, your answers have really helped a lot!

[adim]

I thought I'd add a follow-up to this thread, since I became the happy owner of both a rollerball and a ballpoint this week.

 

I went with the Le Grand ballpoint with platinum trim and the Brahms rollerball.

 

I am hugely impressed by both of them, how easy they write and how saturated is the ink, especially in the ballpoint (I was expecting that from the rollerball, so no surprise here). What does impress me on the rollerball is how easy it writes, it really can write under its own weight and the comfort of the slightly flaired section is of great use.

 

I'm very happy about these purchases and I would like to thank you all who replied here and especially Cyrille, who was so kind to show writing samples, which weighed towards my decision.

 

Hopefully, I will be posting pictures soon.

[Cyrille81]

Congrats for your purchases and have good time with them

[A1979]

I went with the Le Grand ballpoint with platinum trim and the Brahms rollerball. I am hugely impressed by both of them, how easy they write and how saturated is the ink, especially in the ballpoint (I was expecting that from the rollerball, so no surprise here)

May I ask which kind of ballpoint refill did you choose (bold or medium)? I have three MB Starwalkers, all fitted with a medium BP refill. I’m considering buying the Le Grand platinum BP (I already own the rollerball) and use it with a different refill.