Mont Blanc 146/149 Marketing Hype Or Holy Pen Grail?

[mhosea]

I guess in my mind I draw a distinction between "hype" and "positioning as a luxury item". There can be a little hype in the latter here and there, insofar as "quality" is equivocated with the notion that you'll never have to deal with problems. In the world of luxury goods that do anything, this is a common misapprehension.

Edited November 3, 2013 by mhosea

[Pterodactylus]

There is more to the joy of fps than making a nice line. All my pens make a nice line, the bare minimum prerequisite when I buy a pen. But then what makes a favorite pen? A large variety of personal factors, both objective and subjective.

 

The simple fact that many discerning fountain pen enthusiasts on this site enjoy MB pens supports their worth to them. Contesting what others find worth while won't get you very far.

http://imageshack.us/a/img854/2893/4fek.jpg

 

(Waterman 12 1/2 ..... Sailor Jentle Sky High)

(Mont Blanc 264 - OBB ..... Montblanc Oyster Grey)

(Mont Blanc 146 - B ..... P.W. Akkerman Hofkwartier Groen)

[Pterodactylus]

Referring back the op's question, the 149 is neither an example of marketing hype, nor a holy grail pen. In my opinion it is an incredible workhorse pen that will go on and on and on and on.

http://imageshack.us/a/img542/376/9842.jpg

 

(Mont Blanc 342 - B ..... Caran d´Ache Storm)

[Blade Runner]

http://imageshack.us/a/img854/2893/4fek.jpg

 

(Waterman 12 1/2 ..... Sailor Jentle Sky High)

(Mont Blanc 264 - OBB ..... Montblanc Oyster Grey)

(Mont Blanc 146 - B ..... P.W. Akkerman Hofkwartier Groen)

Sure. But many of us care for both the line and the "packaging".

[orfew]

There is more to the joy of fps than making a nice line. All my pens make a nice line, the bare minimum prerequisite when I buy a pen. But then what makes a favorite pen? A large variety of personal factors, both objective and subjective.

 

The simple fact that many discerning fountain pen enthusiasts on this site enjoy MB pens supports their worth to them. Contesting what others find worth while won't get you very far.

Agreed, and well stated.

[mrchan]

Hmm, I think this is a difficult question to answer. To be honest, I like MB a lot because of their designs and I find their nibs the most attractive (which is a huge point for me). Too many other brands have boring looking similar design nibs despite bringing out impressive looking pens (CS I am looking at you especially). While I'd like to say that the standard line of MB pens such as the 149 and 149 are not very different in quality compared to for eg Pelikan m800 or M1000, its the other editions that I find highly fascinating.

 

Take for example a limited edition Pelikan, its essentially a dressed up m800 or m600. The shape is the same, the size is the same, the NIB is usually the SAME.

 

Looking at the MB patron of the arts or the writers edition for example, they veer a lot away from the regular design (although I know they maintain a 146 length in general and nib size) and they always have interesting carvings or nib designs. That I truly appreciate.

 

Another thing is that, in general, I know that MB tends to hold their value to a certain extent. Unlike the regular line which drops in price as soon as it is inked (eg a 146 costs 860AUD in Australia and then online prices for a mint inked is running around 300-400), the other editions hold their value fairly well. If I buy one and I get tired of it for any reasons, I know that I can sell it and not lose too much money, and also know that it won't be difficult to sell for sure.

 

Thats my two cents, we all love or hate it for some reasons or other, but for me, I really love my MB pens

 

Btw this isn't to bash any other brands, its just how I feel about it.

 

ps: CS please make some other nib designs!

[carlosviet]

One of the first things that surprised me when I started to browse into the FP aficionados' networks, was that urge of everyone to try to make a league out of the Fountain Pens and the brands. I put in this same astonishment the mania of giving ratings "x/10" to nibs, feeds, ink systems and so, in the reviews. That a nib is glass-smooth and other has a little feedback, doesn't make one better than other. To rate piston filling better than converter, is riddiculous. You may like one better, but not say that one is superior to other.

 

A pen is good if all its parts work flawlessly as designed, and that's all there is. And if something is not right, then it is either a flawed product or a flawed design. It doesn't get a 6/10. It gets a No Good. You can't be a part-time whore. Either you are, or aren't.

 

In this sense, the number of good pens is very big. You can't say that a M1000 is better or of a higher league than a Lamy Safari, both working as they should. You may find more satisfaction in one or another, but you really can't compare them.

 

Montblanc makes a -mostly- flawless product: It works as designed, and it backs up the products with good global service. As many other brands do. So quality-wise, and production cost-wise, people is right to wonder why Montblanc is so much more expensive and immediatly point to an inflated price which would mean that they are scamming the consumer, so it is a bad brand. But that's not the case.

 

To think that a product price comes mainly from material and production cost is very shortsighted. That may be true at the factory door, but much of the costs of a product come from the distribution strategy. Montblanc has chosen to be distributed by Boutiques, mostly in exclusive, and mostly sited in the higher rental places available. The month sales must pay the production cost and the boutique costs. That's not marketing. That's distribution. If other pen companies would go to the same strategy, I assure you that the price would be similar to Montblanc, give or take a 15%.

 

For me the funny thing is that Montblanc's prices serve as reference for others who aim to the higher market and allow them to set outrageous prices, as long as they stay under Montblanc, considering that they go through cheaper retailers, even some going mainly on line and with no distribution costs. To point the finger to companies that inflate the prices, I would look at them rather than Montblanc. I can understand Montblanc Prices; it is not difficult after going to their boutiques and being pampered by the retail service (mostly). The 500$ o so of a CS Churchill (which I love), or the 600+$ of a Delta, are the prices that make me ask Why??

[provis]

I've never been won over by mondern Montblancs. After handling vintage Montblancs, the unbearable lightness and plastic-ky feel of a modern pen in hand is off-putting, to say the least.

 

But I will agree that for a brand like Montblanc to be so powerful and enduring after all these years, has to stem from somewhere -- the quality of its pens yesteryear contributes greatly to that mythos.

[maksim]

Hey guys. Newbie to the forum and to the fountain pens (since I used them in grade school in the soviet union). I own a couple businesses, but my primary one is my independent financial planning company. I have always wanted to spend, as in purely an expense, on a nice pen and well, of course Mont Blanc came up. I love the design on them as well as the perceived brand status.

 

 

For the most part I was using Pilot Vision rollerballs, and for meetings I had a decent Parker rollerball that I received as a gift from one of the companies I did business with. It was just fine. It wrote very well. I hate ball points.

 

 

A few months ago, opportunity came up, after I hit my sales goals, where I got some bonus money from one of the companies I do insurance with, that was redeemable for various items, or credit. To my pleasant surprise, there were 3 Mont Blanc pens avail. Before effectively shelling out $400 on a rollerball, I wanted to feel it in person. Fortunately I was going to be in Las Vegas for a conference and would be able to try them out in a boutique. I am glad I did.

 

 

Besides the fact that the pens looked great, the writing experience was a let down.... for such an expensive item. The Meisterstruck line,in particular the fineliner system wrote no better than my parker rollerball for 1/20 the price, and completely underwhelmed by the feel of the pen.

 

 

The starwalker line felt much better in the hand, however I could not justify the $500 plus for it.

 

 

With my emotional letdown, I was lost.

 

 

A few weeks ago, was doing google searches, looked at some pens and decided that I wanted to quench my thirst for nostalgia and looked at fountain pens. Looked at the Waterman Expert as it looked nice (business classic) and was around $100 on ebay. Seemed like a good deal. Decided to read some reviews, and sleep on it.

 

Wanted to see and touch some pens, and I remembered from my Staples days that they had a Fine Writing section. Went to the store and was not crazy about selection, however I did buy a $20 Franklin Covey fountain pen. Instantly I knew I wanted fountain pens. While it was not a super super smooth writer, seeing the ink flow from the nib... priceless AHA moment. the search was on.

 

A few days later, I had Reliable (an officemax b2b division) send me a coupon for $50/100 for trying them out. Saw that it was a good opportunity for a pen. They only had 2 or 3 nice pens, including a Parker Sonnet Chiselled Silver. Was $355 MSRP, they had it for $325, had them price match to Farhneys @ $284 minus coupon, plus tax, all in about $250. Overall, seemed like a great deal, and being me, the Jew in me wants a great deal. I did a search for reviews and looked pretty good so I bought it.

 

While it was shipping, I spent time on the other fp forum and before long, read reviews and I had a Lamy AI on its way from Amazon with inks. Both came and I was in love. The Lamy was a great all around pen, and the Sonnet....I was in love. With Aurora Black... a nice wet Medium, smooth as glass nib.... it was, for lack of better word an orgasmic writing experience.

 

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided that I want to play with more pens, and I needed to get Dad a gift for his bd, so went to the mall to Paradise Pen. It was heaven for the geek. =)

 

I had the opportunity to play with all the nice pens I see talked about on the forum, and compared them to my new Sonnet and Lamy, as well as the Franklin Covey pen. I played with the Von Graf Faber Castell, Mont Blancs, Deltas, etc. Even though I really wanted to be blown away by the 146 and 149, I far better preferred the feel of the Von Graf Faber Castells, and quite frankly, my Sonnet felt smoother writing. The other thing... resin... ie plastic. I still can't really justify $600 for a pen that still felt "cheap" in my hands. The Starwalker line, metal, felt much better, but every Von Graf Faber Castell felt more substantial and worthy of the higher price.

 

In fact, I would have absolutely no issues spending the money on a met made of metal, rare wood, etc... over .... plastic.

 

I still do want one, for the sake of the hobby, however will end up buying used. At least this way, like my other hobby, guns, if you buy used, you are not likely going to lose money on it if you want to sell it.

 

 

 

[Mtrap]

I felt not right not to chip in since I use MB pens.

 

There are many good and historical brands FP like MB out there.

But what truly about these 146 / 149 are they stand the look of time. Their simple cigar shape and not fancy outlook are always that attractive no matter how much you look at them. They hold tons of ink which you never need to worry about when you are far away from home. They are reliable. Ready to ink at your command. A pleasure to hold on hand as the cigar shape is smooth and not fancy.

 

You will really love these pens when you have the chance to hold, write and feel them from the 50's till now.

And they hold lots of history being an iconic pen.

[MisterBoll]

They are both sacred and profane.

 

I'm sure the pens made by the original company retain some semblance of soul but at this point in time they are very well made pens by a giant corporation.

[Shelumiel]

I like my two 149's and 146. Like them a lot more once they were tuned by Mike Matsuyama though.

 

With the 149's, I have an 18K nib and the other in a 14K. Find I have a bit more feedback with the 18K. Both are great nibs though.

[Shelumiel]

The one thing I wish were that parts were more readily available by local pen sellers. Heard it used to be that local pen sellers had all the parts to be able to build a 149 from scratch - however this changed over time. The parts were also a lot more affordable in those days.

[WilsonCQB1911]

My observations on this so far -

 

I've owned a 149 for 2 months maybe? Or more? I dunno. I've used it a lot, and I own several other nice pens, and have owned others I have given away. I have to say that the 149 is my #1 and refuses to be unseated. Whoever did my nib knew what they were doing. I'm a lefty, so my hand position and writing angle changes a lot. This is a problem for some nibs. Even the great nibs will have some variation in how they feel depending on how I'm holidng my hand. But the 149 is consistent regardlesss, and is just an absolute joy to write with.

 

I really could be content with just this one pen, and it has killed my desire to collect a lot of pens. It has, however, caused me consider buying another 149. My current is a fine, and I'm considering adding a broad.

 

My other pens that come close in terms of nib performance and build-quality are my Visconti HS with fine nib, and my Pilot 823 with medium.

[Francisco Pena]

I have both a 146 as a 149 and i love them.

If bought new 750 euros for a 149 and 450 by 146 is too much money.

Buy used, yes indeed.

 

They are not just an expression and disigne art and luxury, we feel the "power" of individuality.