Help Me Pick A Special Mb Fp

[OneRoad]

Hello everyone,

 

I am looking for some input on choosing both a very special, and also my first MB fountain pen. It will be a present from my father on the occasion of his birthday (he had the idea, and asked me to pick a pen). It will likely be the only MB FP in my household, and should be a somewhat special pen to remind me of him.

 

Some background on me: I have been a more or less life long FP user, but dont own any super fancy pens. My daily writers are mostly Pilot Decimo’s in EF, which I enjoy a lot for taking notes at work, annotating documents, etc. I like both the smooth precision nibs, and the capless feature, given that I travel a lot and they are easier to use in meetings, on planes etc. I did have a short affair with a Lamy 2000 (EF). I like who it writes, but it did have some piston troubles, which were fixed under warranty, but now has some other leaky and staining issues, so at some point I gave up on it and it sits in the drawer.

 

Now on to the new pen: I’m looking for a Meisterstück, but am not a fan of the standard models. The reason is twofold. I never really fell in love with the black luxury resin (i fail to see whats luxury about it), and there are way too many colleagues in the office who have standard black ones, so it has the wrong association for me.

 

Which brings us to the candidates

 

Martele LeGrand

Geometry LeGrand

Blue Hour LeGrand

 

My father originally suggested the Martele, as he liked the sterling silver. However neither of us have seen the Martele in the flesh (he found it online). I like the pictures too.

 

Today I was able to play with a Geometry in a boutique and liked it. It’s hefty and heavier than my other pens, but for a signature, note card, special pen it should be fine.

 

The shop did not have the Blue Hour LeGrand, but a smaller model, with presumably the same finish. I like it a lot, but it feels somehow a little less special than the other two?

 

So question to you: which one would you pick and why?

edit: or is there another pen that you would suggest that i should consider?

Edited May 9, 2020 by OneRoad

[Uncial]

You have a choice of three stunning pens, so pick the one you would like to own rather than what we would.

[DrDebG]

Let me throw another thought your way.

 

I recently acquired a MB Special Edition JFK. I purchased it not because I am a huge fan of JFK, but because it has many memories of father and his Navy background and his involvement in the space program (the nib has the image of the Apollo Lunar Module engraved on the nib).

 

I am not suggesting that you acquire this particular pen, but I might suggest that you look at some of the elements of a pen which might have significance or memories of your father. For me, it was the Navy blue and platinum components of the pen, plus the nib engraving. Everytime I use it I think of my Dad who died 20 years ago. And it makes me grateful that I purchased the pen.

 

I also suggest that you acquire this special pen from a retailer that you can trust.

[austollie]

Well, you did ask. In my opinion, the Martele looks pretentious and the Geometry looks overblown. If I had to choose from that list, I'd choose the Blue Hour. By modern MB standards, the Blue Hour offers at least a hint of understatement and the colour looks great.

[zaddick]

What about the Petite Prince line? Lighter weight, more like a different color meisterstuck 146.

[GOTO10]

I love my Martele but I have a thing for hammered metal. Is this meant to be a daily carry pen?

 

I did some quick reading but couldn't tell what metal the body of the blue hour was made of. I don't know if it matters to you what the metal body is as it is coated in the blue lacquer. I would assume based on pricing it's also sterling but can't be sure.

 

At this price point you might also want to look at some of the older WE/LE pens out there unless your heart is set on a new pen, not just a new to you pen.

[Erik Dalton]

Le Petit Prince Burgundy:

 

 

[jchch1950]

Martele is beautiful pen.Heavy but not a common design found in the many brands in the market,I think Platinum has one pen in this finish and they were some Parker 51 caps.It has the same mechanical parts of the 146 ,so if repairs are ever need will be quite easy,and it will cover small dings without any problem.

[Mulrich]

I'm not as familiar with the first two options but I really like the Blue Hour (I also don't like metal finishes, which pushes me away from the first two options).

[Toll]

I have the Blue Hour Le Grand. It is a heavy pen, but the finish is stunning (without being over the top) and the nib is flawless. That would be my choice of the three pens that you mention. Like others, I think you should take a look at Le Petit Prince offerings from the past three years; blue theme in 2018, brown theme in 2019, and burgundy this year. All of the pens you are looking at are piston fillers, as opposed to cartridges, and I presume that works for you. Have fun with the choice! Let us know what you decide.

[Karmachanic]

Martel. Because Dad.

[Lam1]

Since all three pens are beautiful and you can’t go wrong with your choice, and this is a pen to remind you of your dad when you use it, why not let him decide which one?

 

I only have the Blue Hour: it is gorgeous and I love it. The finish has a depth that I don’t think the other two have.

 

These are very heavy pens and not well suited as daily writers, IMO. If a daily writer is what you want, as Zaddick notes, one of the Little Prince series may be more appropriate, since they are lighter.

[eciton]

I have the Martele and Geometry and use them both daily. I get compliments on them in the office but I don't think they're gaudy by any means.

 

I reviewed the Geometry here: https://ukfountainpens.com/2019/03/09/heavy-metal-the-montblanc-geometry-solitaire-legrand/

And the Martele here: https://ukfountainpens.com/2020/03/01/shimmering-silver-the-montblanc-martele/

 

You can't really go wrong here, as others have said. Choose the one that appeals to your aesthetic sense best, or let your dad choose. I'm sure you'll treasure the pen for years to come!

[OneRoad]

Thanks a lot everyone for your responses. I’ve had a few more talks with my father and gathered that he was very fond of sterling silver as a material. And somehow the sterling and the hammered optics associate well with him, so the Martele it is. It’s being engraved and should be ready in a week or two I guess.

 

Now time to find some worthy ink and paper to go with it

[eciton]

Congratulations, and thanks for coming back to report on your decision! Please post photos when it arrives!

[jagwap]

Great choice. I have lusted after one for a while. However where I live the silver will tarnish so fast, polishing it will suspect make it almost smooth within a couple of decades

[OneRoad]

One more question to you all: is there something I need to watch out for when choosing an ink? I used to think it really doesnt matter (other than personal taste), until I tried to revive and old Lamy Ratio 57 that I inherited. While it has a truly awesome nib (“FK” type), no matter how often I rinse it, ultrasound clean it etc, it always clogs up with whatever black particles the old ink had in it

[Thymen]

You can't go wrong with Waterman (Serenity Blue = blue / Mysterious Blue = blue-black). Very forgiving inks. And not very expensive.

[markcotter]

MB pen - why not put a MB ink into it. Whatever of the standard range of colours suits you. I prefer black over blue ink - no idea why. But most of the darker MB inks are lovely - Toffee Brown is the favourite of a friend of mine, and I quite like the Lavender Purple.

[DrDebG]

I only use either MB or Pilot Iroshizuku inks in my piston fillers. I don't use iron galls or permanent inks in my piston fillers. I save the permanent inks for my less expensive pens. Between MB and Pilot Iroshizuku, they have great colors and they clean up easily .