The 149 Is A Reliable Pen?

[Edo98]

Hello to all of the community of FPN and the Forum of Montblanc, in the most attentive and respectful way I communicate to you so that they give me their experience in an objective way.

 

I am a young man of 20 years of age with a great passion and admiration for calligraphy and fountain pens.

But it all started when I saw a fountain pen from a distance the Montblanc 149 a beautiful and robust fountain pen that left me in love , I do not have it and I have never tried it on fountain pens I only have experience with Lamy my current favorite pen is a Lamy 2000 BB Modified to stub by Daniel Smith is comfortable and easy to clean and lubricate the piston, I love it.

But I have always had in my interior that desire to obtain the 149 is the pen that for its beauty introduced me to this world of fountain pens, but I refrained from buying it for several doubts after reading bad comments.

1.-Some criticize the value of the snob but I do not want it, that's why I love it for its beauty and history.

2.-But the strongest criticism comes about the material of the famous "precious resin" that many users say is a cheap plastic

that breaks as easy as glass (I do not drop my pens) but some say that even begins to break without needing to fall.

So I ask you esteemed users of these fountain pens how true is this?

I ask it to clear my doubts.

3.-Others say that the current ones are of very poor quality and that they do not compare to the vintage, there is another thing that I have read and that is that the old models had a one-piece barrel and the current two, that affects something ? and equal to the ebonite feed.(I am interested in a 149 BB modern)

So if it is a reliable fountain pen that is worth getting it?

and how is Montblanc's customer service?

Edited September 12, 2018 by Edo98

[Edo98]

I really want to buy a 149 BB but I want to know the quality of this before buying it.

[Aysedasi]

I can't speak for the modern pens, but I have two 149s, one from the late 80's/early 90's and another a bit later and both are quality pens, in my opinion. Having said that, if I'm honest, I have numerous pens that write better.

[zaddick]

I wrote a long answer and FPN ate it. 149s are more reliable than FPN on my computer at work!

[zaddick]

I am not going to retype what I wrote, but as a user of 149s that are well over 60 years old to ones made last year, the pens are reliable if taken care of, not babied just used reasonably. i would recommend buying used, although BB will be a bit harder to find.

 

MB service is hit or miss, but can offer a good value for a broken pen replacement. The 149 requires special tools and parts are hard to come by.

 

The 149 is my favorite regular production pen. I recommend it to anyone who feels a strong calling.

Edited September 12, 2018 by zaddick

[thygreyt]

I have a 149 from the 70s, and it has been in use since then. First by my uncle, and for the last 3 years by me.

 

I have a few modern [Montblanc] pens, from 2006 up to 2018, all see near daily use... All are great.

 

Better writers...? How so? I put ink on them, then i write until the pen has no ink. None of my pens have any skipping, or issues to them. None of them have been dropped.

 

So, in my opinion: they are fantastic writers, they are reliable, they are great.

 

If you like them, buy it and enjoy them! If you dont like them, there are plenty of pens at varius pricepoints. Find the one that makes you tick.

Edited September 12, 2018 by Reed_thoughts

[VRI39C]

I have a circa late 80's 149 that I write with regularly and a 2 year old model I picked up at a Boutique in Toronto, Canada that has never been inked.

The 149 is a very decent pen. Many will argue that they are grossly overpriced for what you get. I had a friend once ask how much a certain pen was worth. I answered the pen was worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. Montblanc has positioned itself as a luxury brand. They charge a premium for their products because people are willing to pay their prices. But you are also paying for the top tier marketing, advertising, the coffee and water their sales reps offer at a boutique, free nib replacement and engraving on purchasing and customer care. Is all that worth the cost? To some yes, to others no. In my opinion, for me the cost is something I was willing to pay. I took the safe route by purchasing the circa 80's 149 at a pen show, liked it so much I decided to visit a boutique and buy one new. I would recommend picking up a used one at a pen show or from a reputable dealer for a decent price. If it is to your liking, pull the trigger on a new one, if not you can always re-sell it and recoup the cost.

Good luck.

Edited September 12, 2018 by VRI39C

[Charles Rice]

My 149 is as reliable - or more so - as any other pen I have. It NEVER fails.

 

Of all my pens, it is the one pen that is always inked.

Edited September 12, 2018 by Charles Rice

[Edo98]

I am not going to retype what I wrote, but as a user of 149s that are well over 60 years old to ones made last year, the pens are reliable if taken care of, not babied just used reasonably. i would recommend buying used, although BB will be a bit harder to find.

 

MB service is hit or miss, but can offer a good value for a broken pen replacement. The 149 requires special tools and parts are hard to come by.

 

The 149 is my favorite regular production pen. I recommend it to anyone who feels a strong calling.

 

Is that the since I was a child and I saw it has caught my attention and the desire to have it in my hands.

So if it is difficult to find a BB '?

 

I searched the official website of Montblanc in my country for the BB and only found as Broad, then Montblanc no longer does BB?

[zaddick]

Standard nib sizes are EF, F, M, B, BB, OM, OB, OBB, OBBB. For a new pen, most anything other than F, M, and B requires a free nib exchange from MB.

 

MB does not mark their nibs so when buying used you have to estimate the width unless the pen has an original sticker or the original box with the nib sticker. It can take a little practice to estimate the difference between a B and BB as the nibs are also all hand finished. So buying a used BB may require more searching due to scarcity and the possibility of people mislabeling a B as a BB.

Edited September 12, 2018 by zaddick

[Edo98]

My 149 is as reliable - or more so - as any other pen I have. It NEVER fails.

Thanks for sharing your experience that pen is really beautiful and I plan to get it

[Edo98]

I have a circa late 80's 149 that I write with regularly and a 2 year old model I picked up at a Boutique in Toronto, Canada that has never been inked.

The 149 is a very decent pen. Many will argue that they are grossly overpriced for what you get. I had a friend once ask how much a certain pen was worth. I answered the pen was worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. Montblanc has positioned itself as a luxury brand. They charge a premium for their products because people are willing to pay their prices. But you are also paying for the top tier marketing, advertising, the coffee and water their sales reps offer at a boutique, free nib replacement and engraving on purchasing and customer care. Is all that worth the cost? To some yes, to others no. In my opinion, for me the cost is something I was willing to pay. I took the safe route by purchasing the circa 80's 149 at a pen show, liked it so much I decided to visit a boutique and buy one new. I would recommend picking up a used one at a pen show or from a reputable dealer for a decent price. If it is to your liking, pull the trigger on a new one, if not you can always re-sell it and recoup the cost.

Good luck.

 

Thank you for your response I understand the position of the company

[Edo98]

Standard nib sizes are EF, F, M, B, BB, OM, OB, OBB, OBBB. For a new pen, most anything other than F, M, and B requires a free nib exchange from MB.

 

MB does not mark their nibs so when buying used you have to estimate the width unless the pen has an original sticker or the original box with the nib sticker. It can take a little practice to estimate the difference between a B and BB as the nibs are also all hand finished. So buying a used BB may require more searching due to scarcity and the possibility of people mislabeling a B as a BB.

Then I would have to go to the boutique and buy a 149 and then ask for the change to a free BB, but since there are no labels I must be careful not to send the correct size.

To another question if it is not too much trouble.

 

This pen for the maintenance of piston lubrication is necessary and mandatory to send it to montblanc and how much does it cost?

[meiers]

Lubricating the piston needs to be done every ten or fifteen years or so. And you can do it yourself with the right tool. Its easy to do.

 

I gave one of my 149s to my son because he is special. The other two are keepers. They are outstanding work horses: reliable and fun to use.

Edited September 12, 2018 by meiers

[zaddick]

 

Then I would have to go to the boutique and buy a 149 and then ask for the change to a free BB, but since there are no labels I must be careful not to send the correct size.

To another question if it is not too much trouble.

 

This pen for the maintenance of piston lubrication is necessary and mandatory to send it to montblanc and how much does it cost?

 

 

You can find a used pen with a BB nib, but it is less common. Most people are pretty honest when trying to tell the nib width, and if you can get pictures in advance, posting them here will generate opinions. If you do the exchange from MB it should come back with a sticker and paperwork to indicate the size. I don't keep the stickers on pens i use so I would put it on the box.

 

Lubricating the piston does not need to be done often. How frequent depends on many factors such as the ink used, how long ink sits in the pen unused, the humidity of your location, etc. I would say on average it is many years with reasonable use. A service from MB is level 1. the price changes all the time so I am not sure the latest. it used to be about $70 I think, but I have not checked recently.

 

For less money you can buy a tool to unscrew the piston and lubricate it yourself. You can make a tool, but some efforts result in imprecise tools that may damage the pen. I invested in a nice set of simple metal tools and lower cost versions can even be found on eBay shipped over from China. It is an easy job to do yourself. the exception is the older pistons from the 1960s because they are not screwed in. they are friction fit and can be tricky to remove. i leave those to more experienced hands.

[Freddy]

Yes......

Fred

'I Gloriosoi Arditi.......................

[hankosaurus]

Hello Edo.

 

I have a number of pens I love, but the 149 is the one I would keep if I could keep only one. It's special for a number of reasons. Like you, I was mightily impressed when I met someone with one back in the 70s. Just had to have one too. I love the feel, the look, the way it writes. I have received good service from the US service center in Fort Worth, Texas.

 

Happy Day.

 

[meiers]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/290071-lubricating-the-piston-on-a-meisterstuck-149/?fromsearch=1

 

Here is a how-to thread.

[Edo98]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/290071-lubricating-the-piston-on-a-meisterstuck-149/?fromsearch=1

 

Here is a how-to thread.

 

Thank you for sharing such a useful and detailed tutorial

[Erik Dalton]

Lubricating the piston needs to be done every ten or fifteen years or so. And you can do it yourself with the right tool. Its easy to do.

 

I gave one of my 149s to my son because he is special. The other two are keepers. They are outstanding work horses: reliable and fun to use.

I think Meiers has given you the most important reason to buy a 149. They are a world class pen that will last a lifetime and be around to pass on to your kids. Shop around, do your research first. Buy anything from the 1980’s to current day and I don’t think you will regret it. In fact you will eventually look for another, then you’ll want a 146 or two.

I have no good excuse. But over the years, I have aquired 4, 149’s and 14, 146’s. I love them all. Wait t’ll You get one. You’ll be hooked as well.

Good luck. Be sure to come back to us with pics when you get one.