Montblancs: What Percentage Sold Are Fountain Pens?

[JonW]

So I was stuck in the Chicago airport. They have a mini (and I mean really small) Montblanc store there so I wandered in. The cheapest fountain pen was $690 for a basic, simple looking thing. Most were significantly more expensive. Overall, they look nice, but I’d call them pretty expensive.

 

Anyways, I was curious so I asked the woman working there what percentage of the pens they sell are fountain pens. She didn’t know. I asked “is it a high percentage or a low percentage?” She said “mid.”

 

So there you go. Based on one person working at one store.

 

I must admit that I was expecting her to say a low percentage. Given that Montblanc is a prestige brand which, for some people, might be more about showing off than the writing experience. I would have guessed that might mean very few fountain pens and many more ballpoints and such. Shows what I know.

 

…A dispatch from the department of useless information that I’m posting because I thought that someone might be interested to hear about it.

[ANM]

Well to add to the cache of useless information, I have 7 Montblancs and two of them are rollerballs. I use the roller balls more than I use the fountain pens.

[Jimmy James]

I think there are two competing factors here:

 

1) A pen bought as jewelry probably isn't going to get used. Why not go with the biggest and most expensive? That tends to be the fountain pen.

 

2) Somebody crazy enough to drop money on pens like we do here is probably going to be an enthusiast.

 

Those two factors probably keep the FP percentage up to some degree. The expensive gift market I would expect will tend to run predominantly to a non-FP, though.

[kaisede]

I think it depends on which product line you are talking about.

Personally every time I goto my favorite MB boutique I see more ball point pens are being sold.

One time when I was buying ink at the boutique a woman told me that I was brave for using a FP because it is a mess when you fill the ink. She said she rather stick with BP or RB.

[ANM]

I would think that non FPs outsell FPs in the US but that there are more MB FPs sold world wide.

[falconhigh24]

Its kind of off topic, but I think that $690 pen is the Mont Blanc 146 since that was the price of it last time I checked the local MB boutiquet.

[ANM]

Egads! How much is a 149 going for these days? I paid $185 for mine many many moons ago and thought it was an awfully high price way back then.

[BrandonA]

Just completed a quick count of mine. 11 out of 18 are foutain pens. I have all the non-FPs I need now though so moving forward my percentage will continue to rise.

 

I'd imagine mid % would be accurate. A number of people will have sets, I have 3. A number of people will buy a MB for a gift, the two other people at my work who have MBs fall into this category and they both had BP.

[Blade Runner]

Egads! How much is a 149 going for these days? I paid $185 for mine many many moons ago and thought it was an awfully high price way back then.

And how much are other high ends pens of other brands going for? Some are even higher than the 149 yet don't have MB's level of service, offer only convertor/cartridge filling options, don't make their own nibs and have worse QC in my experience.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Blade Runner

[meiers]

Egads! How much is a 149 going for these days? I paid $185 for mine many many moons ago and thought it was an awfully high price way back then.

 

 

The prices are still awfully high...

[meiers]

Egads! How much is a 149 going for these days? I paid $185 for mine many many moons ago and thought it was an awfully high price way back then.

And how much are other high ends pens of other brands going for? Some are even higher than the 149 yet don't have MB's level of service, offer only convertor/cartridge filling options, don't make their own nibs and have worse QC in my experience.

 

 

... I have always gotten my money's worth... I think.

 

Matt

Edited June 28, 2010 by meiers

[niksch]

MB tracks sales of Writing Instruments in their annual report, but does not break it down any further.

 

 

[East Bay Rider]

Of the 3 MB we own there are no fountain pens.

1 LeGrande BP - wife's

1 Meisterstuck RB - wife's

1 mechanical pencil.

All are Bordeaux color so finding/buying a matching FP isn't something I'm just going to jump into.

[Blade Runner]

In an age when fps have long since lost their place the main mode of writing, I hope MB sells tons of bps, rbs, watches, and a wide variety of other non-pen products to thrive and retain the capability to make high quality fountain pens. It's a strategy that once proud and world leading pen companies didn't follow or follow soon enough to their own detriment and loss of huge market share, closure of factories, and marked reduction of product lines or extinction.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Blade Runner

[meiers]

I will ask George, my authorized MB Dealer, this question when I see him tomorrow.

 

Matt

[trojan_four]

In an age when fps have long since lost their place the main mode of writing, I hope MB sells tons of bps, rbs, watches, and a wide variety of other non-pen products to thrive and retain the capability to make high quality fountain pens. It's a strategy that once proud and world leading pen companies didn't follow or follow soon enough to their own detriment and loss of huge market share, closure of factories, and marked reduction of product lines or extinction.

 

 

Too true.

[v17sender]

I have one mb fountain pen and one rollerball. The fountain pen is really good, but average for a fountain pen at its price point, while the rollerball is probably the nicest writing rollerball ive ever picked up. When i take the cap off the rollerball, though, its always a little disappointing not to see a 14k gold and rhodium jewel at the tip =/

[meiers]

My authorized dealer tells me that he is selling way more roller ball and ballpoint pens than fountain pens.

 

Matt

[penparadise]

What Percentage Sold Are Fountain Pens?

 

As we will never get exact data from the Montblanc distributors or the Montblanc Headquater we only can guess.

And you have to keep in mind: Each country has it's own consumer habits and within the countries all business is local, so there is no generally binding for the following data.

 

But due to the 10 years sales statistics of the Montblanc Boutique Bremen from 1996 to 2006 :

More than 50% of all Montblanc pen sales are ballpoint pens, just ballpoints and no rollerballs, pencils or so.

This means in quantity and not in value. In value it's more than 50% for the fountain pens.

 

And there are more data:

More than 50% of all Montblanc pen sales are black Resin Meisterstück pens.

About 20% are Starwalker, Less than 15% are Boheme and far less than 10% are Meisterstück Solitaire pens.

 

More than 50% of all Montblanc fountain pens were sold with a M nib, nearly 20% with a B nib, 12% with an OB nib and 10% with a F nib.

 

The pen with the highest sales volume is the Meisterstück 164 Classique ballpoint pen.

The number one at the fountain pens is the Montblanc Meisterstück 146 LeGrand followed with a very small distance by the Montblanc 145 Classique / H. a. Frederic Chopin. (But then there is a big distance to the number 3)

 

All these data do not include any Limited Editions!

 

Mazed or amused?

 

Axel

[ImolaS3]

Not statistically significant, but I have 5 MBs and all are fountain pens