Getting The First Mb Pen

[CatalinD]

Greetings! After about 1 year and a half of using fountain pens I decided it is time to transition from a steel nib to a solid gold nib. After some searching I concluded I like the Montblanc design language the most and started looking on eBay for a new daily driver. From here on, I need you for a bit of an advice:

I have around 160USD and this should cover the shipping too, what do you think is worth in this price range on eBay pricing?

I've been eyeing out the following pens:

-Monte Rosa 042 EF but after some research I figured it might be to small for what I want (compared to my Parker 95 it doesn't seem to be that much bigger)

-no 32 which I have found this morning at quite a considerable sum below my budget, but to be honest, this is the first time I hear about this model and the seller hasn't listed the nib size, I am waiting for a reply to that

-Meisterstuck 144 (auctioned) this one I lean towards the most because of the series it is part of, but I don't know if it will fit my budget

What do you think about these pens? Are there any other options I should look for? I am fine with bidding at auctions.

Thank you in advance! And please excuse me if the topic isn't placed where it should have been!

[Estycollector]

You might find this information useful. http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/rjmorgan/openions/does_the_gold_content_in_nibs_matter.htm

 

As you might suspect, I collect and restore old Esterbrook pens which are known for the wide range of interchangeable stainless nibs made for various writing applications. . http://snyderfamily.com/current/estienibs.htm

[CatalinD]

I appreciate you sharing this information, but I knew it for quite a while. I know there are steel nibs outmatching gold ones and that there are steel flexible nibs achieving the same effect of gold nibs. To be honest, I am not looking for "the ultimate experience" neither am I expecting it, this "upgrade" is something I want more than something I need.

The reason I asked for an advice is that even though I cannot really justify this purchase, I want to get the most out of it.

[WLSpec]

I think people really like their 144s, so I would keep an eye on that one. You could also up your budget a bit and get a nice 146 for $200-$250 (on classifieds is the best place probably).

 

Good luck finding the right pen!

[CatalinD]

Well, my budget may be able to take a step up to 230USD (to with shipping). I am not sure though. About the classifieds you were talking about, I "legit" have no idea how that works, in fact, I didn't know it is even a thing. Nevertheless, I shall take a look, but just asking, is there somethign wrong with eBay auctions from sellers with 95%+ reviews from more than 1 thousand individuals?

[CatalinD]

I took quite a long look on classifieds and I couldn't really find anything. If I post some picks of the Monte Rosa and the 144, is someone willing to take a quick look to tell me if the pens look authentic?

[zaddick]

Investigate the 12, 14, 22, 24, 32, 34 models and the later 221. They are nice pens, easy to clean and are similar to a Lamy 2000. Rhe older models X2 and X4 have softer nibs. The X2 are shorter than the X4 versions. They should be easily available in your budget and there are lots of nib widths possible.

[CatalinD]

Lost the auction on the Mote Rosa sadly. I've been looking on eBay still and found that there are many MBs coming from Japan, why is that? I mean, I've seen just as many if not more MBs for Japan than from Europe.

Edited January 26, 2020 by CatalinD

[CatalinD]

Investigate the 12, 14, 22, 24, 32, 34 models and the later 221. They are nice pens, easy to clean and are similar to a Lamy 2000. Rhe older models X2 and X4 have softer nibs. The X2 are shorter than the X4 versions. They should be easily available in your budget and there are lots of nib widths possible.

Found a 12. For some reason if I search for 14s it only shoes me 144/6/9s so I'll stick with the 12 (I mean I'll try to get it). Before the auction ends, what should I look for in the pictures so I can "sleep well at night"? I mean it is a Meisterstuck but I really don't know if anything else besides the 144/6/9s are faked, which is my biggest concern when looking on eBay for Montblancs, even though the seller has almost 4000 positive ratings, I am still a bit paranoid.

Also, what is the most I should pay for a 12 in your opinion? It is advertised as near mint and it does look like it had an easy life (picture down below).

PS: I found a 22 on Classifieds which I guess I'll save for later just in case I cannot find a 12 or 14.

 

https://prnt.sc/qt229f

https://prnt.sc/qt22ht

[SpecTP]

Greetings! After about 1 year and a half of using fountain pens I decided it is time to transition from a steel nib to a solid gold nib. After some searching I concluded I like the Montblanc design language the most and started looking on eBay for a new daily driver. From here on, I need you for a bit of an advice:

I have around 160USD and this should cover the shipping too, what do you think is worth in this price range on eBay pricing?

I've been eyeing out the following pens:

-Monte Rosa 042 EF but after some research I figured it might be to small for what I want (compared to my Parker 95 it doesn't seem to be that much bigger)

-no 32 which I have found this morning at quite a considerable sum below my budget, but to be honest, this is the first time I hear about this model and the seller hasn't listed the nib size, I am waiting for a reply to that

-Meisterstuck 144 (auctioned) this one I lean towards the most because of the series it is part of, but I don't know if it will fit my budget

What do you think about these pens? Are there any other options I should look for? I am fine with bidding at auctions.

Thank you in advance! And please excuse me if the topic isn't placed where it should have been!

if you thought the monte rosa was small, then the 32 and 144 are similarly sized. the 32 and 144 are entirely different lines. if you want something a bit bigger, and you like the look of the 32, check out the 14,24,34,74,84 variants. though the latter 2 are likely to be more expensive due to the gold work on the body.

 

p.s. there's a wonderful thread on these pens here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/326283-a-thorough-report-on-montblanc-121422243234-series/

Edited January 26, 2020 by SpecTP

[WLSpec]

Found a 12. For some reason if I search for 14s it only shoes me 144/6/9s so I'll stick with the 12 (I mean I'll try to get it). Before the auction ends, what should I look for in the pictures so I can "sleep well at night"? I mean it is a Meisterstuck but I really don't know if anything else besides the 144/6/9s are faked, which is my biggest concern when looking on eBay for Montblancs, even though the seller has almost 4000 positive ratings, I am still a bit paranoid.

Also, what is the most I should pay for a 12 in your opinion? It is advertised as near mint and it does look like it had an easy life (picture down below).

PS: I found a 22 on Classifieds which I guess I'll save for later just in case I cannot find a 12 or 14.

 

https://prnt.sc/qt229f

https://prnt.sc/qt22ht

Glad classifieds are coming together for you! There are usually a lot of MBs on there for great prices. I got a 146 with a very flexible monotone nib for $260 recently. A pretty good deal.

[CatalinD]

if you thought the monte rosa was small, then the 32 and 144 are similarly sized. the 32 and 144 are entirely different lines. if you want something a bit bigger, and you like the look of the 32, check out the 14,24,34,74,84 variants. though the latter 2 are likely to be more expensive due to the gold work on the body.

 

p.s. there's a wonderful thread on these pens here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/326283-a-thorough-report-on-montblanc-121422243234-series/

After making this post I've seen a 144 in a store and all of a sudden it didn't seem all that small (I mean I think it is a 144 due to the ~500 Euro price tag after conversion), this is why I did try to bid of the Monte Rosa. Tomorrow end the Meisterstuck 12 so it is another try. If this fails again I will keep on the watch on Classifieds... tho' I would have loved to have a search system... Also I have already read the article shortly after zaddick informed me about these models. I compared a bit the 12 in the article to the 12 I see on the auction page, and it seems to add up.

 

 

Glad classifieds are coming together for you! There are usually a lot of MBs on there for great prices. I got a 146 with a very flexible monotone nib for $260 recently. A pretty good deal.

That's an amazing deal if you ask me, more and more I feel like Classifieds are better than eBay acutions...