Pen Review Ep.1: Three Montblanc 146 Green/grey Striated/striped Pens-Pen Chat With Jn

[lomoking]

I’ve been reading other posts for quite a while and got a lot of useful information. I am appreciated to all the shared knowledge from Youtube and forum FPN, fpgeeks, and Reddit. As that knowledge helped me to get started, I also want to do some contributions to this community. During the past year, I got really serious and had some nice pens for my personal collection. I would like to share my thoughts about those pens.
As I come from Hong Kong, the suitability of the pens in writing Chinese words is reviewed as well. That’s why you will find Chinese writing in the writing sample.
The first batches of pens I want to review are one of my favorite pens, Montblanc 146 in green and grey striated patterns.

First Impressions: Vintage Montblanc 146 striated pens were produced around the 1950s and were all made of celluloid. Nibs are all bi-color 14C and the filling system is telescopic piston structure. Depending on the color and patterns, those striated pens were divided into three types: 1. striated grey 2. striated green 3. vertical green striped. Three pens I owned and shown here are those three types. Although the vertical green striped one does not come with a pen cap with a straight green pattern, the barrel is in a striped pattern. To my personal taste, they are equally beautiful and much more exciting compared to the regular mono-color version. They really show beautiful colors with different layers under the sunlight. Depending on the condition of reservation, the color of the green/grey pattern may change to brown. The majority of the reason for color degradation may due to the exposure of UV light. Therefore, a perfect green striated/striped 146 is barely found in the market. Also, the material may shrink due to the temperature, hence the size of each 146 striated varies.

DSC_5106 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Left to right: green striped, grey striated, green striated


DSC_5133 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Left to right: green striated, grey striated, green striped


DSC_5184 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Left to right: green striped, grey striated, green striated


DSC_5188 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Left to right: green striated, grey striated, green striped


DSC_5137 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Bi-color 14C nibs

Appearance and Design (10): These pens look amazing and classic to me. The color has so many layers and the pattern on each pen is unique. Some details need to point out: 1. the band and the rings are all gold plated. 2. The engraving on the band is “Montblanc Masterpiece”. 3. Depending on the produced date, there are three types of feed, ski slope without a groove (~1949), ski slope with groove (~ the early 1950s), round ebonite (late 1950s). 4. On the piston nobs, there are different engravings, 146, 146 F, 146G and * and M (don’t know the meaning of “*”), which indicate the model number and nib size of the pen. Thanks to others’ work in FPN, the detailed analysis of for the produced date for 146 can be found in the post below:
https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/337490-dating-montblanc-146-legrand/
Overall, I think that those pens have a great looking and feeling so different from modern 146 models.

DSC_5120 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Piston nobs with 146G for green striped, 146 for grey striated, and 146 for green striated


IMG_8997 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_8998 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_8999 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
146G, *, and M write on green striped pen


IMG_8976 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_8977 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
146 and F write on grey striated pen


IMG_8988 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Only 146 on green striated pen

Construction and Quality (9.5): For pens for almost 70 years, they still preserved very well. This can tell us that the pens are well-constructed and very solid. Although there are some concerns regarding the long-time wearing of celluloid material, there are only some color changes and the pens have no crack. However, they are still vintage pens, hence some scratches can be found on the clips and nibs. The Montblanc mark on the cap turned into yellow and ink windows are in a reddish color. You can also find oxidations on the metal part as well. So they still need to be well reserved and not for perfectionism.

IMG_8995 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_8969 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_8984 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Pens with writing samples, top to bottom: green striped, grey striated, green striated

Weight and Dimensions (9): They are not big pens and smaller compared to model 146. The sizes of the three pens are slightly different. The length is ~13.3-13.5 cm (with cap) and the dimension of the barrel is ~1.2 cm. Weight is 26 g (with cap). The pen is back heavy, but you will not feel so awkward due to the lightweight. I definitely love the barrel to place my fingers, they have a smooth curve and I feel the finger position is just right during writing. Personally, I am a big pen lover and I would prefer to have a 149 green striated. Max Horst also makes some custom 149 pens from 1950 Montblanc green striated stock, but the price is not justifiable to me. For writers with an average size of male hands, I could still say the pen is definitely very comfortable to write and suitable for daily usage if someone is willing to.

Nib Performance (10): The nibs on those pens can sing. With those 1950s fine and medium nibs, writing is very smooth with a touch of feedback. They are very wet pens and I love wet pens. The ink flow is always proficient and consistent with the ebonite feed. Of course, the most beautiful part is the flexibility of the nibs on these pens. With the variation of the applied pressure, the width of the line can change from an Asian fine (0.2 mm) to triple broad (1.6 mm). The flexible nib allows me to do some cool English writing and definitely very fun to use. And I never have had any railroad when writing with the pens. Compared to modern flex nibs, such as ASC magic flex nib and Omas nib (in my next review), I would definitely prefer these vintage Montblanc nibs. The bounciness and consistency of ink flow into the nib are definitely better. Regarding Chinese calligraphy, I still always prefer a rigid nib. For example, my daily user pilot 823 (review will come later) can give more control because the change of width in Chinese writing is based on the “travel route” of the pen nib. Overall, vintage Montblanc pens are really great for flex writing and daily writing. It’s very pleasant for me to use.
Information for writing sample: 1. Ink: Sailor Jentle ink Rikyu-Cha/Waka-Ugnism. 2. Paper: Rhodia dot pad. 3. Nib size: Fine and medium. I found the medium size is actually finer than “fine” nib.

IMG_8996 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_9044 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
146 green striped with a medium nib and round ebonite feed


IMG_8972 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_8973 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
146 grey striated with a fine nib and ski slope feed


IMG_8985 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_8986 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
146 green striated with a fine nib and ski slope feed

IMG_9014 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_9015 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

IMG_9045 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr

Writing samples

 

Filling system and Maintenance (9): These pens use piston filler and specifically telescopic piston system. Instead of screwing the piston to immediately push the piston, the piston has a two-stage release. Firstly, you have to unscrew the turning nob to engage the rod to the piston and then further screw to move the piston. The piston can still function very well and store a rather large amount of ink. The downside of 1950s Montblanc piston is that uses a cord instead of nylon piston cup. The cork will be worn out over time. Thus the regular maintenance of the piston is necessary.

 

Cost and Value (10): Let’s be fair, they are very expansive pens. Depending on the preserved condition of the pen, the price ranges from around 1500 to over 2000 USD. But they are rather rare and gradually increase their value over the past few years. So I think it worth its money if you like it and can find one. To me, it really attracts me and I ended up own three of these with different colors and patterns. Regarding the market value for your reference, the perfect green stripe should be the rarest and the price is the highest.

 

Conclusion and Final Score (57.5/60): There are so many things to like on these pens. The appearance, which mixed so many layers of colors together, is unique and gorgeous. The pen feels classic and comfortable. The piston filler contains a rather large amount of ink. The nib is fantastic to write and very flexible. I just love these pens.

DSC_5141 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr
Pen caps

 

[jchch1950]

Nice review.Love these MB pens.

[TassoBarbasso]

Oh my God this is spectacular stuff!! But you have to be careful with the choice of ink: Japanese inks - including Sailor - can be very alkalinic and melt celluloid!!!

[VivienR]

Good review. Really nice looking pens. I think, Montblanc should renew this style.

[CraigN]

lomoking,

 

I appreciate your thorough review. Thank you very much for Sharing this information and welcome to the forum!

 

I am glad you enjoy them. I see parallels with the Sheaffer striated pens from the 1930-1940s, of which I have several examples. That being said, I wish I could find a Sheaffer made of this material.

 

Regards,

Craig

[zaddick]

I have seen other people reference a green striated version that has parallel striped instead of twisted, but I (and most of the collectors I have spoken with) believe it was more a variation of the green rods in some pens versus an actual different version of the material. So there would only be green and grey striated pens. Some green pens happen to show almost straight lines in the alternation between transparent celluloid and green celluloid.

 

You have lovely set of pens and I'm glad you are using them I stead of just letting them sit. A good cork can last 10 years if well prepared. I hope you enjoy your pens for any years.

[TMLee]

Stunningly beautiful pens.

 

I like the ergonomics of the cigar shape.

and the nib is proportionately large for that body ...

Very nicely put together.

[MalcLee]

Thank you for your review and thoughts on these three stunning pens. Enjoy them in good health.

[lomoking]

Oh my God this is spectacular stuff!! But you have to be careful with the choice of ink: Japanese inks - including Sailor - can be very alkalinic and melt celluloid!!!

Thank you for your kind reminder. I also found related posts on FPN and I have cleaned the pen thoroughly after this review. Do you know whether the acidic ink will also damage celluloid material? As Montblanc ink should be rather acidic and I am using Toffee Brown for my Omas pens, I would not continue to use it if that's true.

[lomoking]

Good review. Really nice looking pens. I think, Montblanc should renew this style.

Totally agreed, also renew 139, 128. Vintage Montblanc pens are classic.

[lomoking]

lomoking,

 

I appreciate your thorough review. Thank you very much for Sharing this information and welcome to the forum!

 

I am glad you enjoy them. I see parallels with the Sheaffer striated pens from the 1930-1940s, of which I have several examples. That being said, I wish I could find a Sheaffer made of this material.

 

Regards,

Craig

Thanks for the warm welcome, Craig. I also love the look of vintage striated Sheafer. Those materials themselves are beautiful without using too many decorations.

[lomoking]

I have seen other people reference a green striated version that has parallel striped instead of twisted, but I (and most of the collectors I have spoken with) believe it was more a variation of the green rods in some pens versus an actual different version of the material. So there would only be green and grey striated pens. Some green pens happen to show almost straight lines in the alternation between transparent celluloid and green celluloid.

 

You have lovely set of pens and I'm glad you are using them I stead of just letting them sit. A good cork can last 10 years if well prepared. I hope you enjoy your pens for any years.

Hi, Zaddick,

 

Thank you for your information. I saw the information on the website saying they have been divided into thee catalogs: https://parkerpens.net/montblanc.html

 

But seems vertical pattern is rarer to be found than the striated version.

[lomoking]

Stunningly beautiful pens.

 

I like the ergonomics of the cigar shape.

and the nib is proportionately large for that body ...

Very nicely put together.

The nib is lovely to use.

[KaB]

what a beauties!

[Michael R.]

Those are beautiful and well constructed pens!

 

Thank you for showing them :-)

 

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[jmccarty3]

I love these pens. My 146 green striated has a little brown discoloration, but the 144 is almost mint.

[PAKMAN]

The brown stripe version of this pen has long been on my list of 'want to have' pens! Congrats and thanks for the review!

[DilettanteG]

I’ve only ever owned 1980s and 1990s Montblancs and had no idea these lovely, flexible nibs even existed. Thanks so much for sharing yours with this delightful review.

[mana]

😍

[lomoking]

what a beauties!

Thanks, they are indeed very classic and beautiful.