What Makes The Montblanc 149 Special Other Than Its Size?

[Stewiesdad]

The big nib just makes it more enjoyable to look at while writing, which is one of the pleasures of fountain pens for me.

[KaB]

For me, the unique quality of the 149 lies in the fact it's an icon. If you'd design an icon signifying 'fountain pen' (or even 'pen'), it'd show a 149. Very much like an 911 in sports cars. Lots of alternatives, only one icon.

[samasry]

The big nib just makes it more enjoyable to look at while writing, which is one of the pleasures of fountain pens for me.

I can't deny what I believe

I can't be what I'm not

I know I'll like big-nibs forever

I know it, no matter what

[A Smug Dill]

If you'd design an icon signifying 'fountain pen' (or even 'pen'), it'd show a 149. Very much like an 911 in sports cars. Lots of alternatives, only one icon.

 

 

I wouldn't. For starters, I don't even know what an Montblanc 149 looks like, but I have plenty of Sailor, Platinum and Pilot fountain pens and so an icon I design would match what I see as the quintessential characteristics of the fountain pens I know and love.

 

I also wouldn't design an icon that looks like a Porsche 911 to represent sports cars. A Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari 308 GTS, perhaps; they were the two top cars that trumped everybody else in my deck of sports cars cards I used to play with friends in primary school.

[Karmachanic]

For me, the unique quality of the 149 lies in the fact it's an icon. If you'd design an icon signifying 'fountain pen' (or even 'pen'), it'd show a 149. Very much like an 911 in sports cars. Lots of alternatives, only one icon.

 

Parker Duofold Flat top

Jaguar XK 120

Edited July 22, 2019 by Karmachanic

[BaronWulfraed]

 

 

I wouldn't. For starters, I don't even know what an Montblanc 149 looks like, but I have plenty of Sailor, Platinum and Pilot fountain pens and so an icon I design would match what I see as the quintessential characteristics of the fountain pens I know and love.

 

 

Big, black, cigar with rounded ends, and a white * on the end of the cap... It's that splat that tends to be recognized. Next similar might be a Sheaffer White Dot on a cap, but the splat can be seen from all sides (at least, the arms hanging down) where a white dot is only visible when looking at the pen in the proper angle.

 

Pelikan cap ends are too complex for an icon, and the pelican bill clip too subtle. Parker arrow clips are probably too subtle too.

[Uncial]

 

 

I wouldn't. For starters, I don't even know what an Montblanc 149 looks like, but I have plenty of Sailor, Platinum and Pilot fountain pens and so an icon I design would match what I see as the quintessential characteristics of the fountain pens I know and love.

 

I also wouldn't design an icon that looks like a Porsche 911 to represent sports cars. A Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari 308 GTS, perhaps; they were the two top cars that trumped everybody else in my deck of sports cars cards I used to play with friends in primary school.

 

Well, Sailor, Pilot and Platinum copied Montblanc's standard lineup design even down to how the clip looks and in one instance even to the height of a mountain, so I'd ay you've a fairly good idea what a Montblanc 149 looks like. Just think bigger and better and you're there.

[A Smug Dill]

Well, Sailor, Pilot and Platinum copied Montblanc's standard lineup design even down to how the clip looks and in one instance even to the height of a mountain, so I'd ay you've a fairly good idea what a Montblanc 149 looks like.

I think that claim is a bit rich. What constitutes Montblanc's standard lineup, and in what way is the Sailor Professional Gear and/or koshu-inden (and kabazaiku) pens similar to that? Or even the Sailor Proft Black Luster, for that matter. They are the Sailor pen models that I know and love. What about the Pilot 'Hannya Shingyo', Custom Kaede, Elite 95s, Capless Vanishing Point? Or even the Pilot Elabo/Falcon or Custom Heritage 91?

 

If you said a specific model of Sailor (e.g. Profit21, but not Profit Standard or Promenade) and a specific model of Pilot (e.g. Custom 743, but not Custom 74) copied a specific model of Montblanc (and preferably referring to the MB 149), then maybe there is some merit -- although it'd still be questionable whether they copied Montblanc, or took their design cues from some other pen brand and model. That non-specific statement you made is fairly meaningless and cannot be taken seriously, I'm afraid.

[stacybean]

I dont require a large sized nib or specific grind to have a good writing experience. Different pens offer variable tactile experiences such as flow, stiffness, feedback, etc.

[Freddy]

Thanking y'all for a enjoyable afternoon read...........

Fred

Chardonnay v Cabernet Sauvignon {shh...perhaps Tito's Handmade Vodka...Choices..Choices..Choices}

[Marlow]

The big nib just makes it more enjoyable to look at while writing, which is one of the pleasures of fountain pens for me.

 

haha - yes! I have a nice and flexy early tri-colour 149 nib that I'm about to mount on a large old hard rubber lever-filler for that very reason!

[wspohn]

If you get a MB 149 you'll buy a well-made pen like dozens of other well-made pens in it's league. I don't think there is anything special about it except the aggressive marketing and brand recognition. If you need a pen to show off in meetings or with customers who have no clue about fountain pens, MB is first choice. That's one reason why I avoid MB. The other reason is that because of the hype they are overpriced in my opinion, especially the vintage ones which I'd always prefer.

 

Excellent synopsis.

 

I enjoy MB pens in spite of, rather than because of all the advertising hype. I own several 146s and have had a 149 with a superb XF nib for decades now, but I lucked out on that one as I have since tried the same nib in other 149s and wasn't nearly as taken with them.

 

I tend to discount the flash argument - I don't think that most people notice the watch you are wearing or the pen you use. And I would never buy a MB new as the prices are silly. I also use a vermeil 146 with customized nib quite a lot as well as a Bordeaux 146

[wspohn]

 

The only other rational I could find for your question, is that you have SOLID DATA , that M1000 consistently betters the MB 149 in writing experience, do you have such data?

 

 

 

Well the M1000 nib has significantly more flex than any of the smaller Pelikans, but you'll only categorize that as being better than a MB if you value flex (I do). For writers that prefer a 'stiffie' (yes, I am talking to you, Edson owners!) they might even like the M1000 less.

[samasry]

I dont require a large sized nib or specific grind to have a good writing experience. Different pens offer variable tactile experiences such as flow, stiffness, feedback, etc.

 

 

It is a common practice by the pen manafucturers when they increase the price by 100% from the second tier pen to the flagship to give the purchaser 10%-30% (not that accurate) increase in the nib size to give us the illusion that paying double the price is worth it.

 

We can argue forever as to whether this is useful, worth it, or justified, in the context of why would a $50 gold + $5 plastic + $50 machinery and labour sell for $1000. Meanwhile the networth of louis vuitton LVHM's CEO has reached $108 Billion this month.

[dubhe]

I am looking forward to the 149 coming this year with a special flexible nib. As it is the 149 is a great pen for anyone with large hands and it has an ink capacity to keep going longer than I can write.

 

In nearly every meeting I have seen someone use a MB it has been a 146 or StarWalker, if I saw a 149 I would actually think they knew what they were using. Personally I use an Exupery WE or Pelikan M815 depending if I want it to be noticed (former) or not (later). Both are excellent pens with a bit of weight behind them.

 

I do have a 149 and other similar sized pens but I use them to write, not show off. They also dont fit in my leather folio notepad thing so they stay at home.

[samasry]

Thanks for all the responses. However, I still don’t see anything about the intrinsic value of the 149 as a pen that makes it valuable compared to other pens, other than size (combined with the Montblanc endcap).

 

The fact that there is a large second-hand market doesn’t make the pen itself any better. The fact that people are impressed with it, also says more about branding than the actual product.

 

For comparison: the Platinum Urushi, even though many unfavorably compare it to the similar Nakaya, offers the Urushi finish; the Visconti Homo Sapiens offers the lava in the body; the ebonite Sailor KoP offers the ebonite and the delicious nib; and the Pelikan M1000 apparently offers not only size (as all these examples do) but also a nib that’s unequalled in any other Pelikan. I haven’t seen anything like that about the 149. Its body materials can be found in other Montblancs and its nib isn’t a standout either.

 

Considering I hardly ever take my pens out of the house and in any case don’t need to impress anyone with my collection, I’m still wondering what’s special about the 149 that would make me want to have it other than that it’s a classic.

 

I do not have direct side by side comparison between the KOP nib and the MB 149 nib, but using custom urushi as a reference, the MB 149 nib appears to stand its own vs the KOP nib, unless I am missing something.

 

Here is a nib comparison between Pilot custom urushi and Montblanc 149 nibs

 

http://kmpn.blogspot.com/2017/02/pilot-custom-urushi-2016.html

 

 

Here is a nib comparison between Pilot custom urushi and King of Pen nibs

 

https://goldspot.com/blogs/magazine/pilot-custom-urushi-biggest-fountain-pen-size-comparison

 

I would say the 149 nib does stand out,

unless montblanc give you this nib on the other smaller pens, do they?

 

Mind you, I do not advocate paying $1000 for this pen, but neither does the M1000 deserve that MSRP, nor does the KOP deserve its MSRP frankly.

 

I do not think that the visconti's Lava or KOP's ebonite (hard rubber) to be that precious. Yes, they are not plastic, but still a gimmick.

Edited July 22, 2019 by salmasry

[jvr]

I do not have direct side by side comparison between the KOP nib and the MB 149 nib, but using custom urushi as a reference, the MB 149 nib appears to stand its own vs the KOP nib, unless I am missing something.

 

Here is a nib comparison between Pilot custom urushi and Montblanc 149 nibs

 

http://kmpn.blogspot.com/2017/02/pilot-custom-urushi-2016.html

 

 

Here is a nib comparison between Pilot custom urushi and King of Pen nibs

 

https://goldspot.com/blogs/magazine/pilot-custom-urushi-biggest-fountain-pen-size-comparison

 

I would say the 149 nib does stand out,

unless montblanc give you this nib on the other smaller pens, do they?

 

Mind you, I do not advocate paying $1000 for this pen, but neither does the M1000 deserve that MSRP, nor does the KOP deserve its MSRP frankly.

 

I do not think that the visconti's Lava or KOP's ebonite (hard rubber) to be that precious. Yes, they are not plastic, but still a gimmick.

I can’t speak for the 149, but I did use the KoP I mentioned in the first post and it has by far the best nib I’ve ever used. I do agree, though, that none of these pens are worth their MSRPs and I always buy at big discounts.

[praxim]

... I’m still wondering what’s special about the 149 that would make me want to have it other than that it’s a classic.

 

Is there a shortage of information about the MB149, that you have difficulty discovering its features?

So, is there something Im missing?

 

Whom are you trying to persuade?

 

Just wondering, in light of the first.

[welch]

 

Parker Duofold Flat top

Jaguar XK 120

 

Not the XK-150 or XKE? They were my "grail cars" when I was in high school, in the mid-60's.

[Uncial]

Thanking y'all for a enjoyable afternoon read...........

Fred

Chardonnay v Cabernet Sauvignon {shh...perhaps Tito's Handmade Vodka...Choices..Choices..Choices}

Ah, it used to be fun when not every line dropped caught a fish.