What Makes Montblanc's So Expensive?

[jar]

Yeah, I get it. Then what's the excuse of the other brands on the list for charging so much?

 

Far higher quality and workmanship?

 

More interesting designs?

 

More attractive designs?

 

Higher quality materials?

 

Greater reliability?

[PenFan95]

Yeah, I get it. Then what's the excuse of the other brands on the list for charging so much?

 

Far higher quality and workmanship?

 

More interesting designs?

 

More attractive designs?

 

Higher quality materials?

 

Greater reliability?

 

Outstanding points

[mdbrown]

Yeah, I get it. Then what's the excuse of the other brands on the list for charging so much?

 

Far higher quality and workmanship?

 

More interesting designs?

 

More attractive designs?

 

Higher quality materials?

 

Greater reliability?

 

Outstanding points

 

 

Outstanding maybe but not substantiated... :hmm1:

[Blade Runner]

Far higher quality and workmanship? - Not in my experience

 

More interesting designs? - Subjective

 

More attractive designs? - Subjective

 

Higher quality materials? - Sometimes different. But other flagship pens are resin or have cheaper elements like converters or smaller nibs.

 

Greater reliability? Not in my experience

Edited April 6, 2011 by Blade Runner

[jar]

Yeah, I get it. Then what's the excuse of the other brands on the list for charging so much?

 

Far higher quality and workmanship?

 

More interesting designs?

 

More attractive designs?

 

Higher quality materials?

 

Greater reliability?

 

Outstanding points

 

 

Outstanding maybe but not substantiated... :hmm1:

 

Well, all I can provide in the way of substantiation is personal experience. In the end it all comes down to individual tastes, and of course the final arbiter when it comes to judging value received for MY pens is ... me.

 

I am not one of the folk that have claimed Montblanc pens are over priced, and in fact do have a few of them, something over a dozen at the moment since I gave several away recently. Montblanc makes a fine product. I have not been very excited by any of their recent limited or special editions, but also must admit I liked the Hemingway.

 

On the other hand I find that other marques appeal to me far more strongly than Montblanc. In modern pens I get far more excited about a Yard-o-Led Grand Victorian or an ST Dupont Chinese Lacquer Olympio/Orpheo than any of my Montblancs.

 

I stopped being concerned about irrelevancies like the filling system long, long ago and appreciate a piston filler about as much as I do a cartridge or converter or leaver filled sac or a twist filler or diaphragm driven vac-fill. Now I am still enamored and excited by the Sheaffer Vacfil plunger system. That's truly neat.

 

So my 149s and 146s and all the other Montblancs spend most days sleeping in the display box. There are still a few Montblancs I'd like to buy, I do miss the 256 that I gave to a friend long ago and would love to find another. But even that quest is pretty far down the list.

 

Please understand that I do not have a really outstanding collection, particularly when it comes to the selections that so many others here at FPN have, it's relatively small and far more simply an accumulation than a collection. But because it is an accumulation it is likely more relevant as an indicator of how I perceived relative value of fountain pens over the years.

 

Using that as the yardstick, the standard, Sheaffer comes out ahead, fairly closely followed by Parker and then ST Dupont. Conway Stewart and Waterman would be next, then OMAS. Montblanc and Esterbrook would come next and then a pretty wide variety of makes with fewer than a dozen examples of each.

[Blade Runner]

And when it comes to Limited Editions, MB for the most part creates new designs for pens and unique nib engravings. This is in contrast to many other brands, including high end brands, that often use the same stock pen, the same stock nib, change the exterior colors or trim a bit, and package it as a limited edition with the higher price of an LE. In some cases these pseudo LEs are comparable in price to MB. Who deserves more censure?

Edited April 6, 2011 by Blade Runner

[jar]

And when it comes to Limited Editions, MB for the most part creates a new designs for pens and unique nib engravings. This is in contrast to many other brands, including high end brands, that often use the same stock pen, the same stock nib, change the exterior colors or trim a bit, and package it as a limited edition with the higher price of an LE. In some cases these pseudo LEs are comparable in price to MB. Who's gouging now?

 

That depends on what you consider a Limited Edition.

 

Personally, something made in quantities over a thousand or so would not be a Limited Edition in my book.

 

But that's what i so great about the world of fountain pens today, there really is something that will suite most anyone available today as well as many great examples from the past.

[Blade Runner]

And when it comes to Limited Editions, MB for the most part creates a new designs for pens and unique nib engravings. This is in contrast to many other brands, including high end brands, that often use the same stock pen, the same stock nib, change the exterior colors or trim a bit, and package it as a limited edition with the higher price of an LE. In some cases these pseudo LEs are comparable in price to MB. Who's gouging now?

 

That depends on what you consider a Limited Edition.

 

Personally, something made in quantities over a thousand or so would not be a Limited Edition in my book.

 

That's fine, but that doesn't negate the difference between MB LEs and many other "LEs".

[mdbrown]

Yeah, I get it. Then what's the excuse of the other brands on the list for charging so much?

 

Far higher quality and workmanship?

 

More interesting designs?

 

More attractive designs?

 

Higher quality materials?

 

Greater reliability?

 

Outstanding points

 

 

Outstanding maybe but not substantiated... :hmm1:

 

Well, all I can provide in the way of substantiation is personal experience. In the end it all comes down to individual tastes, and of course the final arbiter when it comes to judging value received for MY pens is ... me.

 

I am not one of the folk that have claimed Montblanc pens are over priced, and in fact do have a few of them, something over a dozen at the moment since I gave several away recently. Montblanc makes a fine product. I have not been very excited by any of their recent limited or special editions, but also must admit I liked the Hemingway.

 

On the other hand I find that other marques appeal to me far more strongly than Montblanc. In modern pens I get far more excited about a Yard-o-Led Grand Victorian or an ST Dupont Chinese Lacquer Olympio/Orpheo than any of my Montblancs.

 

I stopped being concerned about irrelevancies like the filling system long, long ago and appreciate a piston filler about as much as I do a cartridge or converter or leaver filled sac or a twist filler or diaphragm driven vac-fill. Now I am still enamored and excited by the Sheaffer Vacfil plunger system. That's truly neat.

 

So my 149s and 146s and all the other Montblancs spend most days sleeping in the display box. There are still a few Montblancs I'd like to buy, I do miss the 256 that I gave to a friend long ago and would love to find another. But even that quest is pretty far down the list.

 

Please understand that I do not have a really outstanding collection, particularly when it comes to the selections that so many others here at FPN have, it's relatively small and far more simply an accumulation than a collection. But because it is an accumulation it is likely more relevant as an indicator of how I perceived relative value of fountain pens over the years.

 

Using that as the yardstick, the standard, Sheaffer comes out ahead, fairly closely followed by Parker and then ST Dupont. Conway Stewart and Waterman would be next, then OMAS. Montblanc and Esterbrook would come next and then a pretty wide variety of makes with fewer than a dozen examples of each.

 

Well written but all you have told me is why you prefer other pens to Montblanc. This is not about what people prefer. Your post stated that other pens are made to a higher standard with superior materials and are more reliable. Nothing in either of your posts substantiate any of those claims.

 

Whether you intended it or not your post comes off as just another of those that hate Montblanc simply because they are very successful and the unwashed masses identify with the white star...

[jar]

Well written but all you have told me is why you prefer other pens to Montblanc. This is not about what people prefer. Your post stated that other pens are made to a higher standard with superior materials and are more reliable. Nothing in either of your posts substantiate any of those claims.

 

Whether you intended it or not your post comes off as just another of those that hate Montblanc simply because they are very successful and the unwashed masses identify with the white star...

 

If you look closely you will see that there is a character at the end of each statement in the initial post, a question mark.

 

And of course, this is about personal opinion and I gave my opinion since it is personal opinion that drives purchasing decisions. It is personal opinion about quality of materials, reliability, and standard of workmanship.

 

Third, of course I believe that the great unwashed masses identify with the bird splat.

 

If you read my posts as saying that I hate Montblanc, that too is fine. I have no problem with that. It's incorrect but that is not my problem.

 

I will say that not one of my Montblancs is built to the workmanship standards of ANY of my ST Duponts. That is also limited to a relatively small sample and I have seen a few Montblanc pens that I felt approached ST Dupont minimum standards. I can actually post my St Duponts without fear that the cap is going to fall off into the soup course. I find the degree of attention to detail exhibited by examining the parts of my ST Duponts that don't show to be finer than on my Montblanc pens. The sheer joy I experience when capping an Orpheo, that subtle self centering action as the cap slides that last quarter inch or so of travel, the reassuring click as the cap locks in place, simply far exceed the experience I get when capping one of my 149,

 

Every one of my ST Duponts has worked flawlessly, the nibs consistently moderately wet, the lines effortless, the pens can sit unused and opened for extended periods yet start immediately and without hesitation or encouragement. Those traits have been common over at least ten different models of ST Dupont pens and with nibs that ranged from XF to B.

 

Montblanc certainly makes fine pens and that they sell is certainly testament to the fact that many find they are of value. I have placed MB among the top tier pens for most of its history.

 

However it is but one among many, and to place it is some exalted position trivializes what is available today. Montblanc is a good pen, some models may even be great pens, but there are a whole bunch of great pens out there to choose from.

[lsmith42]

I can actually post my St Duponts without fear that the cap is going to fall off into the soup course.

This quality is, of course, especially important when writing about the soup course, during the aforementioned soup course. Nothing worse than a cap in the soup. (well, maybe one thing worse, but my pens aren't allowed there)

 

So, if my career takes a turn to soup journalism, I'm definitely tossing the MBs for a Dupont.

 

Sarcasm to reinforce the interesting and silly nature of these discussions. One trip to a big pen show will tell you that MB is not the king of the mountain. I like the analogue of Tiffany's. Not the best jewelers out there, but probably the most visible.

[Blade Runner]

Arguing preferences is futile. But the fact that many other brands have prices comparable to MB cannot be denied.

[jar]

Arguing preferences is futile. But the fact that many other brands have prices comparable to MB cannot be denied.

 

Good thing then that no one denied it.

[mdbrown]

Well written but all you have told me is why you prefer other pens to Montblanc. This is not about what people prefer. Your post stated that other pens are made to a higher standard with superior materials and are more reliable. Nothing in either of your posts substantiate any of those claims.

 

Whether you intended it or not your post comes off as just another of those that hate Montblanc simply because they are very successful and the unwashed masses identify with the white star...

 

If you look closely you will see that there is a character at the end of each statement in the initial post, a question mark.

 

And of course, this is about personal opinion and I gave my opinion since it is personal opinion that drives purchasing decisions. It is personal opinion about quality of materials, reliability, and standard of workmanship.

 

Third, of course I believe that the great unwashed masses identify with the bird splat.

 

If you read my posts as saying that I hate Montblanc, that too is fine. I have no problem with that. It's incorrect but that is not my problem.

 

I will say that not one of my Montblancs is built to the workmanship standards of ANY of my ST Duponts. That is also limited to a relatively small sample and I have seen a few Montblanc pens that I felt approached ST Dupont minimum standards. I can actually post my St Duponts without fear that the cap is going to fall off into the soup course. I find the degree of attention to detail exhibited by examining the parts of my ST Duponts that don't show to be finer than on my Montblanc pens. The sheer joy I experience when capping an Orpheo, that subtle self centering action as the cap slides that last quarter inch or so of travel, the reassuring click as the cap locks in place, simply far exceed the experience I get when capping one of my 149,

 

Every one of my ST Duponts has worked flawlessly, the nibs consistently moderately wet, the lines effortless, the pens can sit unused and opened for extended periods yet start immediately and without hesitation or encouragement. Those traits have been common over at least ten different models of ST Dupont pens and with nibs that ranged from XF to B.

 

Montblanc certainly makes fine pens and that they sell is certainly testament to the fact that many find they are of value. I have placed MB among the top tier pens for most of its history.

 

However it is but one among many, and to place it is some exalted position trivializes what is available today. Montblanc is a good pen, some models may even be great pens, but there are a whole bunch of great pens out there to choose from.

 

We are both straying from the OPs question which as to justify the price Montblanc charges for their product. I will say that my MB pens are very much the minority in my collection but they are as well made as any pen I own or have used (including Dupont pens of which I sold the 2 that I had not long after purchasing them).

 

I do not claim that MB pens are the best, only that they are among the best and that their prices are in line with what they sell and who they compete with. Nothing more... nothing less. Neither I nor anyone here is qualified to name any pen or brand of pen the best simply because it is very subjective. I like a conservatively styled, relatively simple pen... therefore I favor MB, Waterman Experts and pens of that type.

 

I don't care to post my pens unless they are designed to do so (ala the Starwalker) so whether a cap posts well or not has no bearing on it's quality... at least for me. Bottom line, for what they sell and who they compete with... Montblanc pens are NOT expensive, they are priced appropriately.

Edited April 6, 2011 by mdbrown

[Blade Runner]

Arguing preferences is futile. But the fact that many other brands have prices comparable to MB cannot be denied.

 

Good thing then that no one denied it.

Actually it has been alleged or inferred many times that MB is unusually expensive.

Edited April 6, 2011 by Blade Runner

[penparadise]

Arguing preferences is futile. But the fact that many other brands have prices comparable to MB cannot be denied.

 

Good thing then that no one denied it.

Actually it has been alleged or inferred many times that MB is unusually expensive.

Does "unusually expensive" mean it is too expensive in the average? Then I have to say NO. It's not unusually and not common, and it is not expensive.

 

The whole topic is only a question of a subjective point of view. It can't be objective. All arguments pro and contra are just lame excuses. It's only you who makes the decision to buy or not to buy – and noone can say Montblanc pens are expensive, but I agree that one can say valuable.

As simple as it is: Montblanc pens are not cheap and not expensive either, they are just valuable,

[wspohn]

I think it is odd that whenever this question comes up there is animosity shown by some of the posters toward MB.

 

MB deserves our respect. They have done such a good job of marketing that enough people out there are willing to pay more for their product than for other equivalent products. Job well done.

 

If you get into the psychology of this phenomenon, it is useful to look at other products, for instance cars and (as Georges pointed out) watches.

 

Rolex have done a very similar job of PR with the result that they, too, can ask higher prices than other watches of equivalent value made by manufacturers like Omega, to name just one.

 

Ther are (many) people out there that are willing to pay the freight to own a Cadillac Escalade, just because it is a Cadillac, even though in truth what it is, is a tarted up Chevy Tahoe, or GMC Yukon. The price difference can be $17 -27K for the base models, for those that don't follow this sort of thing.

 

They all deserve a big hand for the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns, and your disdain, if any, should be redirected at the rubes that are drawn in by those same campaigns to the extent that they buy the higher priced versions. Well, except that having name recognition and exclusivity is a valid goal for many people even if the product elicits a perception of value beyond what an objective evaluation would support.

[PenFan95]

First of all, I'd be a little disappointed in jar. I used the term 'Bird Splat'...at least give me credit And my tastes match with yours...Sheaffer and Parker leave the competition miles behind

 

The OP has disappointed me with his question...it is the worst display of tact to go in a brand forum and ask why the brand's pens are expensive. As I have already said, I am no Montblanc fan, and am not here to defend the brand at any stage.

 

Secondly, it is truly subjective that which brand is better. It may be that someone may think a Parker Vector is a wastage of money, while even a diamond-encrusted 18k gold pen which is limited to one piece in the whole world, has the most reliable filling system and is a masterpiece in terms of design would appear less to someone.

 

I do agree that the bird splat does not make a $300 pen worth $560. However, people buy them. Hence, they sell. I agree that Montblanc may be makers of good pens. I also know that many other pens are of better construct, have a comparable or better QC department, are made of better materials and leave Montblanc in the dust in heritage. Percieved value sells them, and we buy them. As for me, the pens I currently have are the best in the world for me.

[torstar]

As my clients tell me, divorce and Montblancs are so expensive because they are worth it.

[Blade Runner]

First of all, I'd be a little disappointed in jar. I used the term 'Bird Splat'...at least give me credit And my tastes match with yours...Sheaffer and Parker leave the competition miles behind

 

The OP has disappointed me with his question...it is the worst display of tact to go in a brand forum and ask why the brand's pens are expensive. As I have already said, I am no Montblanc fan, and am not here to defend the brand at any stage.

 

Secondly, it is truly subjective that which brand is better. It may be that someone may think a Parker Vector is a wastage of money, while even a diamond-encrusted 18k gold pen which is limited to one piece in the whole world, has the most reliable filling system and is a masterpiece in terms of design would appear less to someone.

 

I do agree that the bird splat does not make a $300 pen worth $560. However, people buy them. Hence, they sell. I agree that Montblanc may be makers of good pens. I also know that many other pens are of better construct, have a comparable or better QC department, are made of better materials and leave Montblanc in the dust in heritage. Percieved value sells them, and we buy them. As for me, the pens I currently have are the best in the world for me.

You are 16 years old, so for you, MB can be expensive.