Pen Review: Montblanc Le Petit Prince Legrand Fountain Pen

[Ceelo]

Hey FPN'ers. Below is my review on my newly received Montblanc Le Petit Prince LeGrand. A more detailed review and photo's are available on my blog - I hope you find it useful.

 

Product Specifications
Full Name: Montblanc Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince & Fox LeGrand (Phew!)
Colour: Night blue
Materials: Resin barrel and cap, platinum trim, the clip has a yellow lacquered star
Nib Size & Material: Factory Extra Fine 14 karat 585 gold rhodium coated nib.
Filling Mechanism: Piston filler with ink window (yay!)
Measurements: 146mm capped, 126mm uncapped. Posts securely. Weighs 32 grams capped with a fill of ink.
Price: RRP $900USD – street price can be had for less
Available: Just released (April 2018), special edition so not being made forever.

 

What Makes It
Classic proportions and writing experience. There is no denying that the regular Montblanc LeGrand is going to suit the majority of fountain pen users for writing comfort. It is large but not oversized. Solidly constructed but not heavy. It uses a piston filler but is well balanced. In short, there is a lot worse you could do than a LeGrand for extended writing periods or short note taking. The Le Petit Prince alters this formula ever so slightly with the metal piston turning knob that adds a few grams to the weight but it retains all of the features you have come to know and love like a large ink capacity, sturdy clip and useable ink window. The cap and barrel of the Le Petit Prince are also ever so slightly longer than the regular LeGrand which may be a bonus or not depending on your hand size. I feel the details added to the Le Petit Prince do not detract from the regular LeGrand writing experience and unlike many other special editions, do not add aesthetically pleasing elements at the expense of comfort.

 

Details, they work. The pen boasts a range of different details to commemorate the theme. Does the pen try too hard? In my opinion, when viewed in the flesh, no. All of the design elements largely walk that fine line of too much versus too little, but all in all, I think Montblanc chose the right elements to showcase on the pen without going overboard. It is also immediately clear when viewing this pen that the quality and execution of these details are first class. No bad manufacturing tolerances or quality issues to speak of.

 

Beauty. I fell in love with the pen at first sight, which may not surprise you to see this as a positive, however I think it is important to point out how well the overall aesthetic comes together. The choice of night-blue resin paired with crisp platinum trimmings and nib provides a soothing visual experience. When capped, the metal band in the cap top matched with the metal turning knob is balanced and gives the pen a more elegant style.

 

It has passion in spades. The Le Petit Prince LeGrand will have different meaning for you if you grew up with or have read the book. With the elements featured by this pen, you will likely feel a connection every time you reach for the Le Petit Prince. Whether it’s the colour of the night sky, a reminder that you are unique, the laughter in the stars or the playful fox engraving on the cap, I certainly felt the passion in this Montblanc and one could not say it is boring. If you’ve not done so, I do suggest you read the book before considering this pen.

 

What’s Not So Great
Metal piston turning knob. I mentioned earlier that the metal piston turning knob adds a little bit of weight the regular LeGrand and adjusts the balance a little bit. Whilst this adds arguably a beautiful aesthetic, some people may not like the impact to the writing experience. I personally have not struggled with this when the pen is inked, but there is no way around the fact that this feature has adds a little ‘top heaviness’ to the pen. Just as there are some who hate metal sections on fountain pens, I’m sure there are those who will find this to be a turn off.

 

Could use more restraint.There are a number of design elements that have been added to the Le Petit Prince to carry the theme with conviction. Some may find this a little too busy and desire a little more design restraint. I myself was dubious about the cap engravings after I purchased the pen as from some angles in the photo’s they appeared to be prominent. Upon receiving it I was pleasantly surprised that they blend in nicely to the resin colour. It’s personal preference of course, and with a special edition I suppose there is pressure to differentiate the pen from the regular LeGrand without going overboard, but at the same time including enough elements to encourage purchase. For example, who hasn’t been disappointed with a ‘new release’ or ‘limited edition’ fountain pen being just a new colour with a jacked up price (*cough* LAMY Black Amber)? I get that Montblanc can’t win either way in this space, so I sympathize with the fact they have put their best foot forward here.

 

There are more to come – $$$!!! OK, I might be being a little facetious with this one. The Le Petit Prince collection kicks off with this release, which as mentioned above is part of a broader range, however Montblanc has stated their will be two more releases centered around the Little Prince book. This ‘trilogy’ as Montblanc describes it will include The Aviator and The Planet. I am hoping these new releases include new resin colours and not just new cap engravings. An orange or dark red resin release would be my pen nirvana, and I will likely be picking up the other two resin LeGrands if this is the case. So why is this a negative? Well, because my wallet feels a little aggrieved in advance

 

Overall Verdict

If you’ve read (and liked) the book, love the way the pen looks, and can live with a little extra weight from the piston turning knob I would say the pen is worth picking up. If you aren’t convinced about the aesthetics, a trip to the Montblanc boutique is in order to suss things out. I can honestly say the pen presents better in real life than in the marketing photos, and that indeed is quite rare.

 

 

[nishantdr83]

I have been sitting on the edge for a couple of days trying to see if I should pull the trigger. You are making it incredibly hard to say no ... Great Review !

[visvamitra]

Thanks for the review. I'm not really thrilled with the design.

[Gloucesterman]

You did a very nice review and the images truly enhance the words and thought you have shared.

 

Yes, I have, and still do, read the book on a regular basis.

 

This pen, for me creates a certain poignancy about as I would really like to own one (an EF would be ideal) and my "real world" budget whispers, "are you out of your mind?)!

 

Until priorities change, food, fuel, heat and othe forms of human sustenance, I will savor this pen vicariously with very nice reviews such as yours. Thank you.

 

P.S. I am open to any desire to PIF with Little Prince inspired pens.

[Ceelo]

I have been sitting on the edge for a couple of days trying to see if I should pull the trigger. You are making it incredibly hard to say no ... Great Review !

Happy to enable you any time 😉

[Ceelo]

Thanks for the review. I'm not really thrilled with the design.

Youre welcome. I think people will either love the design or not, pens would be boring otherwise!

[Ceelo]

You did a very nice review and the images truly enhance the words and thought you have shared.

 

Yes, I have, and still do, read the book on a regular basis.

 

This pen, for me creates a certain poignancy about as I would really like to own one (an EF would be ideal) and my "real world" budget whispers, "are you out of your mind?)!

 

Until priorities change, food, fuel, heat and othe forms of human sustenance, I will savor this pen vicariously with very nice reviews such as yours. Thank you.

 

P.S. I am open to any desire to PIF with Little Prince inspired pens.

Thanks for your kind words, I am happy to have given you an outlet to vicariously savour the pen. It sure isnt cheap by any means, but maybe one day perhaps?

[adim]

Great review, thank you for taking the time and effort to write and illustrate it!

 

I also received my Le Grand Le Petit Prince last week and have been using it daily since then, inked with MB Royal Blue.

 

I love the pen overall and I find it different enough to my regular 146 so much so that I feel the only similarity is the width of the section -- which is ideal for me. Regarding the metal piston knob, while I do feel it adds quite a lot of weight (and also the cap feels heavier, there's definitely more metal there than in the 146), I find it quite comfortable. It rests naturally between my thumb and index finger and it gives a very comfortable writing experience. Yes, it's different from the 146, but that doesn't make it less pleasant.

 

Regarding the design details, I absolutely love the pen, with one small exception. Visually, I find the metal piston knob draws too much attention, it's much too shiny and big. But I understand, from afar, it would have been too resemblant the platinum trim 146 if it weren't for that, I guess.

 

But other than that, I love the engravings on the cap, the message below the finial and the yellow star on the clip, which looks hand drawn -- making it much more personal and emotional. And overall, since I almost regretted when I bought the 146 in gold, I can say I now have a very special 146 in platinum.

 

Also, dark blue is my favourite colour, so this definitely was an easy purchase!

 

Oh, and the nib details are gorgeous, I truly love them!

 

As a disclaimer, I have to point out once again that the only other Montblancs I have and used are the 146 (gold) and 149 (rose gold) and basically I wanted a new Montblanc pen and my only other option was the Brahms (main reasons being price and aesthetics). I don't regret the choice at all.

Edited May 3, 2018 by adim

[TheDutchGuy]

Nice review, thanks! What ink were you using in your first photo? I adore nice blue inks and that ink sure looks great.

[jchch1950]

A good review.Terrible for the wallet.

[Mastiff]

Thank you for the detailed review. I would have ordered one if it wasn't for that horrible star on the clip...

[Ceelo]

Thanks for all the nice words

 

The ink in the first photo is also midnight blue from Montblanc. Awesome to hear you picked one up too Adim, feel free to post some pics in this thread to show us. Regarding the weight of the piston knob, it’s only a couple of grams heavier overall so not a massive difference.

[rautej1]

Great review. It made me pull the trigger myself. I was unlucky though, my pen is not a great one. There is a slight give in the cap when capped. I wonder, do you experience that too on your pen? When tightened, the cap on mine can be moved a miniscule bit in any direction off the pens axis.

Also, the nib is a bit skippy, I was thinking maybe angle, etc, but many my other pens tolerate my penmanship without trouble (Pelikan m400, platinum 3776, vac 700r, etc)

I am thinking of visiting my local MB boutique in Prague and ask for a service / replacement. (pen was bought via authorised seller from Belgium)

[rautej1]

Thank you for the detailed review. I would have ordered one if it wasn't for that horrible star on the clip...

The star looks much better in person, the photos make it look like a crappy hollowed out crooked star, no matter how hard one tries to capture it

 

In real life, its more like and enamel emblem integrate onto the clip, like a small gemstone on a ring...

 

And if one buys the pen because of the Petite Prince, than the star is a nice addition to the theme...

 

But of course, everything is in the eye of the beholder 😀

[PAlbedo]

I too have gotten this pen, in the Solitaire Le Grand trim, with a Fine Nib.

 

It is the most beautiful piece I own.

 

Unfortunately the nib was also skippy. Even after washing it a few times and using two different inks the skipping persisted. It's not all the time, but significantly more than my Starwalker (F), Visconti (M) and Sheaffer (F) pens.

 

So I hesitated trying to convince myself that that was normal for a few days writting around 20 pages and I just sent it in yesterday to the boutique to have it looked at.

 

Unless you guys tell me that a Fine nib is expected to skip, I would hope for it to be flawless considering the price

 

Fingers crossed it comes back great

Edited April 17, 2019 by PAlbedo

[ujda765]

I too have gotten this pen, in the Solitaire Le Grand trim, with a Fine Nib.

 

It is the most beautiful piece I own.

 

Unfortunately the nib was also skippy. Even after washing it a few times and using two different inks the skipping persisted. It's not all the time, but significantly more than my Starwalker (F), Visconti (M) and Sheaffer (F) pens.

 

So I hesitated trying to convince myself that that was normal for a few days writting around 20 pages and I just sent it in yesterday to the boutique to have it looked at.

 

Unless you guys tell me that a Fine nib is expected to skip, I would hope for it to be flawless considering the price

 

Fingers crossed it comes back great

 

 

I have the exact same pen, I requested Montblanc to make it EF. It took them more than 1 month to complete.

 

But it never skips. No matter after how many days it sit there capped, it never fails.

 

If yours does skip, the nib is defective, ask Montblanc to fix.

 

 

 

 

 

[PAlbedo]

Why thank you for the reply! Glad to see your beautiful Le Petit Prince as well . Quick question for you : are the threads of your cap made of resin or metal? Mine are resin in the cap but metal on the barrel.

 

As for the pen, it is indeed at the service centre at the moment. I have asked them to fix the nib either tweaking or changing the nib. Here's to hoping for the best.

 

In the meantime I took out my Starwalker cool blue again. Absolute pleasure. The fine nib never skips.

Edited April 25, 2019 by PAlbedo

[ujda765]

Why thank you for the reply! Glad to see your beautiful Le Petit Prince as well . Quick question for you : are the threads of your cap made of resin or metal? Mine are resin in the cap but metal on the barrel.

 

As for the pen, it is indeed at the service centre at the moment. I have asked them to fix the nib either tweaking or changing the nib. Here's to hoping for the best.

 

In the meantime I took out my Starwalker cool blue again. Absolute pleasure. The fine nib never skips.

 

 

Pen cap plastic(resin) thread, pen body brass(metal) thread.

 

Actually all Montblanc metal body pens are made in this way(in order to make it air tight after you screw the cap on).

[PAlbedo]

Hey ujda765,

 

Pen already came back with a new fine nib. It's better there was only the occasional skip yesterday when I inked it up which looked secondary to hand oils. It seems to be performing perfectly today even on cheap paper. The turnarond from Mississauga was around 1 week

 

It really is a beautiful jewel for people into the story like we are. My entire family loves the book so to have such a reminder is a joy.

 

Good wekend to all.