Montblanc Brahms

[GRJP]

Montblanc Brahms

 

Time for the Montblanc Brahms review. This was the second Christmas present I gave myself and the blame for this particular purchase falls squarely on Mr. Hyde’s shoulders (the hideous beast who comes out and pokes me until I do crazy things like buying this pen!)

I was planning on getting a flat top. While surfing around for a modern piston filler with that antique feeling I stumbled across the Brahms. I couldn’t really put my finger on why it struck my fancy and to be perfectly honest I always cringed at the sort of money a new Montblanc costs. Having said that, after seeing it I just had a hitch I couldn’t really scratch.

 

I posted around here for advice on modern flat tops (actually got the urge to get a Bexley now. You are all enablers of the worst kind, but that’s beside the point), hoping someone would steer me toward something cheaper that kept the craziness in check.

 

Fast forward to Saturday, January 19th. Arrived in Lisbon the day before and I decided to take the parents and better half for a walk and start hunting down for that flat top. First stop: MB boutique – my dad wanted to get some MB purple ink, so it all came together rather nicely. I asked to see the Brahms, and as soon as I held it I made up my mind and got it.

 

It comes in a nice box, with a booklet and tuning fork. The box has a good looking black velvet inside and feels rather light. The presentation is nice and careful and definitely looks like a high end packaging: not too gaudy or flashy.

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-Appearance & Design (1-10) – 9 – Classic design: it could have hitched a ride in a DeLorean from the 1940’s.

 

The pen itself looks very sober with the flat top, silver trims and the 5 bands near the top. The shape is rather simple and the black resin is shiny and reflective as hell.

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The design (and as soon as I get home and place it side by side the 334 ½ I understand why I fell in love with this pen) is right out of the classic old days. It looks just like a bigger version of the 334 and that’s a good thing in my book. If you look at them side by side you will see they are twins, except for the size. For me it’s perfect, because I really love this design and I really wanted more pens which looked exactly like this.

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The black and silver scheme works well (I don’t really love the black/gold scheme so this is just right). The tuning fork clip looks good, though I would have preferred something more on the classic side, but it is in tune with the theme , so I think it works rather well.

 

On the cap you get a nice white snowcap, the 5 silver bands (I quite like those) and the large band with the “Montblanc” and Brahms’ signature. All are finely engraved and the slight lip on the bottom of the band feels just right – it’s enough tactile feedback for me to unscrew the cap without fumbling around and twisting it somewhere it’s not meant to be twisted.

 

The body is also has that nice classic shape with a silver band beneath the piston knob. It has 149 like ink window. I would have liked it better with “real” ink window instead of these slivers, but it’s a small gripe. Even better would have been a long window… Oh well.

 

The nib is large and silver with a dove, which is perfectly defined and looks interesting there. The curve on the grip keeps you hand from slipping and your fingers where they should be.

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This gets a 9 because 10 is perfection and I could probably complain how I’d prefer a more “classic” clip or I would like the ink window to be completely open instead of those small slits, or how I’d like it on brown instead of blue. But that’s nitpicking and I know it. The design is sober and solid. It is a simple pen and the retro/classic design is stunning, in my humble opinion.

 

A quick note to say that fingerprints are inevitable on this shiny slick black surface!

 

-Construction & Quality (1-10) – 8 – Well-built and solid, except for the wiggling cap.

 

In this department I must say the build quality is great. The pen feels solid, with everything built to exacting tolerances. You can feel the 5 bands, but not in a way it bothers me and the knob joint is barely perceptible.

 

The barrel and cap material is smooth and feels just right, not too slippery and with just enough grip.

 

The cap, however, rocks a bit even when screwed. I can’t really overlook this, considering the price on this baby and the fact they managed to make caps which didn’t wiggle in the 1940’s… It gets the 8 for the materials and way the whole thing is assembled, but the bar is set quite high on a pen such as this, hence the cap issue being that much more noticeable.

 

-Weight & Dimensions (1-10) – 9 – Long, chunky and just the right weight (for me).

 

This is a big pen, probably on the 14,5 cm capped. It also has a nice diameter and some heft. It is just the right weight for me and a fat design. Maybe someone with smaller hands would have some issues with it. My better half finds it a tad too long and too wide. Her benchmark for a “just right” pen is a 45 or a Vector and she does have smaller hands than mine, so that should give you an idea.

 

I don’t think there is any reason to use this posted and the balance on it is amazing. I had a meeting where I had to take a lot of notes and I kept jotting down stuff with ease, keeping up with everyone and finished feeling I could keep going for another few hours writing at that pace.

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-Nib & Performance (1-10) – 8 – Buttery. M size looks more like a B.

 

The nib is smooth as silk from the start: no false starts so far and no skips. It delivers ink very consistently and actually promotes some shading with MB Toffee brown. With MB Black you don’t get much shading, but that’s to be expected. I still have to run Parker Qink Black on this (it’s my everyday ink) but I doubt it will be a problem…

 

Although this is an M, it writes more like a B, with a thick line and while I like it, it is a bit too wide for my usual handwriting (that terrible scrawling you have to put up with on my writing sample. Believe it or not it’s actual English, not Martian or some outer space language, I swear!).

 

I know it should probably score higher here. The nib is objectively good… very good to be honest. But considering it is a bit on the wide side, I allowed a bit of bias to show through when I scored it: it should probably be a 9 (a 10 being reserved for a certain vintage 14c flex nib – we all have our benchmarks, I’m just stating mine for honesty’s sake).

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-Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) - 10 – Piston filler.

 

This is a piston filler and the pen apparently takes a lot of ink. Maintenance wise I wouldn’t know yet, but I doubt this will be problematic…

 

It gets the full 10 because piston is my favorite filling system. This one is smooth and works great, with the right amount of resistance. I’m not a fan of awarding 10s but I’ll do so on this occasion because it is exactly what I look for in a pen. If I have any problems, I will revise this score, but I’m hoping I won’t have to, because it would be a problem with the maintenance…

 

Cost & Value (1-10) – 9 – €615

 

Let be honest and put this out right away: it is an expensive pen. At that price one could get very fine writing instruments indeed. You could get several of them and I’ll readily admit I could have crossed a few items on my “wanted” list for this kind of cash.

 

The thing is, it is a timeless design, well built, with fine materials. You can get probably get quality cheaper. You can probably get a second hand MB for a lot less than the cost of this baby. But I think it’s worth it. She’s beautiful, with the design I love and everything about it (except the cap wiggling) is just “right”. Still, grain of salt, et al.… this is a very personal opinion… I don’t regret the money, but I cringed as I handed the card to pay for it. When I inked it and used it all those worries went away and as I head for the second week with it I must say I crack a smile inside every time I pick it up. It was just that satisfying.

 

Conclusion (Final score: 8,8) – A very good pen.

 

Conclusions are always the hardest part of a review. To sum it up, when you get one of these you are getting a very classic design, sober and something that is discreet and very personal. It won’t be turning heads and most people will not look at it twice unless they see the snowcap. That’s fine: it’s what I want. I was very happy to get what, to me, looks like an overgrown 334 ½. I’m not exaggerating when I say I feel like this pen is just one step below the Hemingway my personal “wanted” list.

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The build quality is good, only issue being the rocking cap – I know I sound like a nitpicker, but it’s beyond me how they could do it perfectly 70 years ago and can’t seem to get it right today.

 

The writing (and in the end that’s what matters) is amazing, smooth, with a nice looking line. Inked with Toffee Brown it makes every note warm and much more personal.

 

So if you want a solid performer with a classic design and a build that will probably outlive you, this is a serious contender, although, granted, on this range it’s always a very difficult choice.

 

Photos to be added as soon as possible.Photos an writing sample added as promised

Edited January 23, 2013 by GRJP

[Les49]

Thank you for the review! I saw this advertised earlier this year and it immediately went high on my want list. It's a beautiful pen, as you say, classic and elegant. I do like the pitch fork clip - it adds a level of distinctiveness that is part of its charm. Thanks again for such a thorough review.

[de_pen_dent]

Hehe, my purchase of the Brahms started in a similar fashion - I had gone into the airport MB dutyfree shop to compare a 146 to a 149, and ended up walking out with the Brahms. I have since gotten a 149 as well, but I prefer the Brahms in terms of aesthetics and appeal for precisely the same reasons you enunciated.

 

My nib is also on the broad side, although I dont have the cap wiggle.

[Pterodactylus]

Thanks for the detailed review.

Could you please share also writing samples with us when adding pictures?

 

For me writing samples are the almost most important part of a review, to see how a pen writes.

[Sblakers]

Thank you for the excellent review. Very enjoyable. Congrats on the pen. Sounds like a winner

[akustyk]

Congratulations on the new pen! I enjoyed reading the review. I love this quote: "... it makes every note warm and much more personal." Awesome!

[bernardo]

Pics, pics, pics!

[Montblanc owner and lover]

great pen...i love it.Waiting for pictures

[GRJP]

Pics, pics, pics!

By all means: as promised, photos and writing sample (I can post that somewhat larger if anyone wants a closer look... I just don't want to be rude and overload people with large images!)

[bernardo]

Thanks for the review; this is one of my goal pens!