Drive-By Shootings - The Most Over-rated Pen & Why

[TheWalrus]

MB 146. Overstatement to say the least. Snobby. The lemon I bought didn't even write. The 149 is maybe similar, but uglier.

 

So!

 

I tend to find that the only people snobbier than a person who buys a Montblanc expressly as a statement, is the person who expressly avoids Montblanc as a statement.

 

But he didn't avoid MB. He bought one and it did not write. I'd say he has every reason to avoid MB now. It's snobby not to like pens that don't write?

 

I wasn't aware that calling a pen snobby and an 'overstatement' was a legitimate comment in response to it not working.

[ethernautrix]

I had been thinking of getting a Vedo, but Stipula's recent cash grab on MSRPs has left me cold. I could see paying $90 for a Vedo, but $150...

 

I just checked melpens.com just now: Stipula Vedo, $90. Yeah, I wouldn't have gotten the second one if the price had jumped to $150. But at $90? No hesitation.

[Bill Smith]

For me, the whole Mont Blanc writing jewelry range. Way too much money for mediocre product.

[I am not a number]

I wasn't aware that calling a pen snobby and an 'overstatement' was a legitimate comment in response to it not working.

You are now.

[lapis]

Ahh, I just love these debates... one of my very best pens is an M800, so I can't say anything against it. Apart from that, it led me to buy an M215, Sahara, M320, M605. I love 'em all !!

As is that weren't enough, one of my very best and very favourite pens is my 51 (aerometric). Timeless, qualitative, reliable, comfortable, easy to chang nibs, easy to fill, it always writes. I somehow think it is my very best pen. Not that I care -- and/or that it influenced me -- but there are clubs and enthusiasts who collect and love and rave practically only 51s.

 

Mike

[eric47]

Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point. Nib is nice. But trap door is somewhat fragile (mine broke twice) and traps ink -- a pain to clean and can leave unwanted spots. Depending on finish, paint on clicker can wear rather quickly. Gimmicky. *runs for cover*

 

[Edit: Added "gimmicky" because I had space. ]

 

Great, NOW I hear about the problems when I'm about to order one.

 

Also, aren't you supposed to fill the nib section outside of the pen?

Yes, you fill it outside the pen.

 

I was trying to abide by the 2-line limit, so I was a bit cryptic. Shocks, bumps, just the movement of the nib/feed section in and out, etc. -- along with making it a pain to clean -- seem to leave just a bit of ink on/in the front hole, or maybe it works its way there. Once it's there, in certain situations, it can leave ink spots or streaks.

 

I have early 90s faceted all-black stealth Namiki. The paint's worn off unevenly on my clicker -- kind of ugly.

 

The most problematic pen I've ever owned. Within 6 months of purchase, the door broke twice, and the bladder started to gum up and got stuck together. Luckily the store I bought it from gave me new barrels and filler on the spot and asked the sales rep for a new ones. The problem with the bladder may have been the Parker Penman Sapphire Blue I was using at the time.

 

I've had some pens that from the get go leaked, had bad piston seals, or had nib issues. But it only took one time to get those issues solved, and the pens have been solid ever since. The Vanishing Point failed on me three times in a very short time span. It's the official stinker in my collection.

[Silvermink]

I just checked melpens.com just now: Stipula Vedo, $90. Yeah, I wouldn't have gotten the second one if the price had jumped to $150. But at $90? No hesitation.

 

Yeah, it's already gone up in some places (I admittedly didn't dig that much). All the more reason to snap one up while some stores still have it at the old price, I suppose.

 

Someone was asking about Vedos recently so I'll be sure to mention to him that they're still $90 at Melpens.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Silvermink

[Nellie]

At the risk of being run out of town: Lamy Safari.

 

I agree, and will add the Pelikano: in the country of their origin many of these pens are unusable out of the box

 

I've had good luck with these, but even if you get a bad one, at least you have not paid an arm and a leg for it. It hurts to pay high prices for disappointing pens.

 

Well, for a kid the price of a Safari is quite high. Now I wouldn't mind so much, of course.

[lapis]

MB 146. Overstatement to say the least. Snobby. The lemon I bought didn't even write.

I tend to find that the only people snobbier than a person who buys a Montblanc expressly as a statement, is the person who expressly avoids Montblanc as a statement.

Lemme simplify things. Actually, snobbiness isn't the end of the world, you might even call it a type of cult, which sounds much greater, and can be IMO even a nice thing. But a pen company seeking such a high reputation (and one selling so many other non-pen goodies) -- and which does everything to remain famous is IMO not good, when they manufacture and/or Q/A and supply bad pens. Sure, names like Virginia Woolf etc are supposed to lure us all. But... if their pens just don't write nicely, well then that's game over for me.

BTW, I sent my 146 back to MB headquarters here in Hamburg twice, to get it fixed. It came back with the remarks "Pen repaired". But it remained in no way repaired. It still wrote worse than any other pen I own, including a NN which costed about 1/40th as much.

So, do you now sorta get the idea why I don't like MB?

 

Mike

[grimakis]

MB 146. Overstatement to say the least. Snobby. The lemon I bought didn't even write. The 149 is maybe similar, but uglier.

 

So!

 

I tend to find that the only people snobbier than a person who buys a Montblanc expressly as a statement, is the person who expressly avoids Montblanc as a statement.

 

But he didn't avoid MB. He bought one and it did not write. I'd say he has every reason to avoid MB now. It's snobby not to like pens that don't write?

 

I wasn't aware that calling a pen snobby and an 'overstatement' was a legitimate comment in response to it not working.

 

It is...

 

If the pen writes brilliantly, maybe it is worth the high price tag. When the pen turns out to be a (self-censored) writer, the large amount of money spent seems only be an entrance fee to the exclusive club that is Montblanc.

[MidnightBlue]

You know we're in an area so subjective when someone states Nakaya Namiki Edison or Danitrio anywhere near this list.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks

[Nellie]

At the risk of being run out of town: Lamy Safari.

 

I agree, and will add the Pelikano: in the country of their origin many of these pens are unusable out of the box

 

I've had good luck with these, but even if you get a bad one, at least you have not paid an arm and a leg for it. It hurts to pay high prices for disappointing pens.

 

Had sevaral Safaris, Vistas and Al Stars as well as Pelikanos. Those pens are designed and used as schoolpens and thus cannot be compared to more expensive pens in the EUR 100 + range.

Can I compare them (unfavourably) with Sheaffer school Cartridge and NoNonsense pens and the Waterman Kultur??

[kushbaby]

OK. Totally subjective, right? IMHO only, right?

 

Parker 51. I have one I have kept, which works just fine, gave away or sold the others. They write OK, and mine is smooth and dependable, just uninteresting (so no need for more than one). I just don't get hundreds to thousands of dollars for essentially the same pen in a rare color/finish - and I have some pretty expensive pens. I guess I just don't get what all the fuss is about.

 

:::ducks and runs for cover:::

 

 

[grimakis]

OK. Totally subjective, right? IMHO only, right?

 

Parker 51. I have one I have kept, which works just fine, gave away or sold the others. They write OK, and mine is smooth and dependable, just uninteresting (so no need for more than one). I just don't get hundreds to thousands of dollars for essentially the same pen in a rare color/finish - and I have some pretty expensive pens. I guess I just don't get what all the fuss is about.

 

:::ducks and runs for cover:::

 

A lot of the hype over the rare pens is not to be understood by a pen user. Those pens are reserved for real collectors. People that are willing to spend a lot of money so they can complete a collection. To have every "51" variant ever produced. I don't get what all the fuss is about coins, but people collect those....

[dogpoet]

At the risk of being run out of town: Lamy Safari.

 

I agree, and will add the Pelikano: in the country of their origin many of these pens are unusable out of the box

 

I've had good luck with these, but even if you get a bad one, at least you have not paid an arm and a leg for it. It hurts to pay high prices for disappointing pens.

 

Had sevaral Safaris, Vistas and Al Stars as well as Pelikanos. Those pens are designed and used as schoolpens and thus cannot be compared to more expensive pens in the EUR 100 + range.

Can I compare them (unfavourably) with Sheaffer school Cartridge and NoNonsense pens and the Waterman Kultur??

Or the Schneider Base or cheap Chinese fountain pens, come to that...

[krandallkraus]

the MB 149 (dont hurt me! i still want a 146!)

 

Wouldn't trade my 30 year old 148 for all the ink in India.

[krandallkraus]

What I find the most interesting in this heated and seemingly endless debate are the pens NOT mentioned.

 

Do we think that is about the pens or the participants?

[TheWalrus]

MB 146. Overstatement to say the least. Snobby. The lemon I bought didn't even write.

I tend to find that the only people snobbier than a person who buys a Montblanc expressly as a statement, is the person who expressly avoids Montblanc as a statement.

Lemme simplify things. Actually, snobbiness isn't the end of the world, you might even call it a type of cult, which sounds much greater, and can be IMO even a nice thing. But a pen company seeking such a high reputation (and one selling so many other non-pen goodies) -- and which does everything to remain famous is IMO not good, when they manufacture and/or Q/A and supply bad pens. Sure, names like Virginia Woolf etc are supposed to lure us all. But... if their pens just don't write nicely, well then that's game over for me.

BTW, I sent my 146 back to MB headquarters here in Hamburg twice, to get it fixed. It came back with the remarks "Pen repaired". But it remained in no way repaired. It still wrote worse than any other pen I own, including a NN which costed about 1/40th as much.

So, do you now sorta get the idea why I don't like MB?

 

Mike

 

 

I can see why you don't like MB. But I still don't see how any of your experience has anything to do with the 'snobbiness' of the pen. Also, snobbiness isn't a good thing.

 

Finally, I have a couple MBs, and I bought one as a gift. Of the 3, one didn't work. We sent it in, it came back and it's been working beautifully. I've seen none of the bad experiences you've had.

[Garageboy]

One more pen to add. Hero pens- they're useable, but I'm sick of hearing "they're as good as XYZ"

They are what they are and that is the 'Bic' of the Far East

[TheWalrus]

MB 146. Overstatement to say the least. Snobby. The lemon I bought didn't even write. The 149 is maybe similar, but uglier.

 

So!

 

I tend to find that the only people snobbier than a person who buys a Montblanc expressly as a statement, is the person who expressly avoids Montblanc as a statement.

 

But he didn't avoid MB. He bought one and it did not write. I'd say he has every reason to avoid MB now. It's snobby not to like pens that don't write?

 

I wasn't aware that calling a pen snobby and an 'overstatement' was a legitimate comment in response to it not working.

 

It is...

 

If the pen writes brilliantly, maybe it is worth the high price tag. When the pen turns out to be a (self-censored) writer, the large amount of money spent seems only be an entrance fee to the exclusive club that is Montblanc.

 

So if I have you right, one person's experience with one pen is sufficient to deem the entire line of Pens - the company itself(!) as snobby.

 

Snobby.

 

Not inconsistent. Not unreliable.

 

Snobby.