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Martele Legrand Fountain Pen


simon73

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Hi all

 

I'm thinking of getting a Martele LeGrand with an EF nib. Please give me your thoughts on this combo. For any owners: I'd love to see your photos and have any feedback on this pen. Looks beautiful to me!

 

Thanks

Simon

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Dubhe Thanks. I'm looking at this for a notes/meeting pen at work, hence EF. I'm fortunate to have a variety of broader and stubbed nibs from Montblanc and Nakaya to take care of correspondence.

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~ simon73:

 

Montblanc EF nibs have been reliable tools for me for several years.

The clear, precise strokes they produce are made without annoying scratchiness.

EF nibs are outstanding for notes.

If you do go ahead to purchase it, please let us know.

It's sure to be a beautiful combination.

Tom K.

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fpn_1503764110__img_4202.jpg

 

The martele sterling silver is my favorite among all meisterstuck solitaire I own because of the unique hammered optic barrel. When you hold the pen to write you can see the shine reflecting to your hand. That's amazing!

My martele is F as a daily pen, and I am sure EF will do the same job as well.

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Tom K. - thanks, good to know. I've had all sorts of different Montblanc nibs before but never EF (I do have a 149 which started life as a medium nib and Michael Masuyama ground to an EF stub but I suspect that will turn out to be much finer than a MB EF, judging by MB fine nibs I have).

 

mjchuang9 - Thank you. I think that may have pushed me over the top! I know it'll be heavier than the regular 146 and 149s that I own but is it well balanced?

 

Thanks

Simon

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Tom K. - thanks, good to know. I've had all sorts of different Montblanc nibs before but never EF (I do have a 149 which started life as a medium nib and Michael Masuyama ground to an EF stub but I suspect that will turn out to be much finer than a MB EF, judging by MB fine nibs I have).

 

~ simon73:

 

I'm in no position to compare a nibmeister's EF stub with a Montblanc EF nib. You may very well be right about that.

However, if you don't mind, may I please mention my experience with Montblanc EF nibs?

At present I write with four EF nibs: a 90th Anniversary 149, a 90th Anniversary 144, a yellow gold 144, and a platinum Mozart.

I've also written with three other 149 EF pens, which were later exchanged for BB and OBBB nibs.

My subjective impression was that Montblanc F nibs didn't lay down especially slender strokes.

By striking contrast, all of the EF nibs, regardless of pen size, produced lines of commendably thin clarity.

I use a Bespoke EEF which provides a clear but exceedingly slim line. The surprising reality is that the platinum Mozart EF appears to actually be an EEF.

With such EEF nibs for comparison, my impression has been that there's a pronounced qualitative difference between F and EF nibs.

For that reason I regularly use four EF nibs, the 90th Anniversary 144 and the platinum Mozart being inked at present.

I hope that your experience may be like mine, noting that an EF nib fulfills the need for a slender yet clear line far more than an F nib, which often seems like an M nib.

Thank you for sharing with us your interest in a Martele EF. After seeing the photo from mjchuang9, it's certain that such a pen and nib would be a wonderful writer.

Tom K.

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If the Martele had a MOP star I'd be all over it.

I have it in F and I too wish it had a MoP star. Still looks good, but I don't use it often and it stays uninked in my display box

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Thanks Tom - good to know that EF should mean a true fine line.

 

Dubhe - that would indeed be the icing on the cake, so to speak...

 

888007888 - on the occasions you have used the Martele, how did you find the balance?

 

Thanks

Simon

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Simon73 - it's perfectly balanced IMHO. The weight is pleasant and gives it a sense of luxury that I don't find in my resin 146 or 149 models. Mine says F on the box however it actually writes more like an EF. I also have a large number of StarWalker models, Limited, and Special editions. The Martele is likely one I will hang onto for the rest of my life whereas I could see myself selling of the other MBs in the future.

 

The reason I don't use it much is because I typically use my FPs at work all day and I received too many compliments on the Martele when I used it in the office for a week. Some of my colleagues never even realized that I used FPs everyday for years until they saw me use the Martele. It was just a bit too flashy for my comfort as a work pen. While I enjoyed the compliments, I felt it attracted too much attention compared to my more understated black resin pens. I don't know how to explain the feeling in words. I guess I felt like I was showing off or something and that is not the way I am, nor did I want my colleagues seeing me in that light.

 

The reason I say I would keep it above all other pens is because I like everything else about it. The look. The feel. The balance. The weight. The uniqueness. I also like that I can polish it with a silver polishing cloth to give it a brilliant shine, or let it oxidize a bit to give it that weathered look more common in the photographs seen online. It's also built sturdy and tough so I feel it would last a few lifetimes. Most of all, I don't have to baby it because of the hammered design. No need to worry about it getting bruised. It already has bruises all over. And if it scratches, no problem. It's silver so I can polish scratches out anytime. Hope this helps you make your decision.

Edited by 888007888
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888007888 - thank you so much, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear: a pleasing heft, imparting a nice sense of luxury. And well-balanced too.

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Curious to know whether there is any tarnishing with the silver? I have one and dare not realize it from it's packaging as I want to keep it like new. I have an older Montblanc that's very tarnished.

 

 

fpn_1503764110__img_4202.jpg

 

The martele sterling silver is my favorite among all meisterstuck solitaire I own because of the unique hammered optic barrel. When you hold the pen to write you can see the shine reflecting to your hand. That's amazing!

My martele is F as a daily pen, and I am sure EF will do the same job as well.

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With my experience on Montblanc's nib sizing, I feel they are the one manufacturer with the most variations. I have many OBBs and BBs and boy are they all different. Some are almost considered italics, while some Bs are wider than the BBs. I have one OBB that writes like a true double broad with no line variation.

 

It's the same story with the Fs and EFs. I have a Rouge et Noir regular black edition EF that's so fine, it writes like a needle point. I have a few Fs that write thick and wet like mediums. My Shakespeare medium writes like a very fine F. My favorite to write Chinese are a couple smaller 144s and Mozart that are slightly older. Those were the days Montblanc ground their nibs with a mild architect's point or if you will Naginata. They produce the most delicious Chinese 撇和捺. My 149 EF writes like a nice Fine. All very hit and miss with Montblanc.

 

 

~ simon73:

 

I'm in no position to compare a nibmeister's EF stub with a Montblanc EF nib. You may very well be right about that.

However, if you don't mind, may I please mention my experience with Montblanc EF nibs?

At present I write with four EF nibs: a 90th Anniversary 149, a 90th Anniversary 144, a yellow gold 144, and a platinum Mozart.

I've also written with three other 149 EF pens, which were later exchanged for BB and OBBB nibs.

My subjective impression was that Montblanc F nibs didn't lay down especially slender strokes.

By striking contrast, all of the EF nibs, regardless of pen size, produced lines of commendably thin clarity.

I use a Bespoke EEF which provides a clear but exceedingly slim line. The surprising reality is that the platinum Mozart EF appears to actually be an EEF.

With such EEF nibs for comparison, my impression has been that there's a pronounced qualitative difference between F and EF nibs.

For that reason I regularly use four EF nibs, the 90th Anniversary 144 and the platinum Mozart being inked at present.

I hope that your experience may be like mine, noting that an EF nib fulfills the need for a slender yet clear line far more than an F nib, which often seems like an M nib.

Thank you for sharing with us your interest in a Martele EF. After seeing the photo from mjchuang9, it's certain that such a pen and nib would be a wonderful writer.

Tom K.

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With my experience on Montblanc's nib sizing, I feel they are the one manufacturer with the most variations. I have many OBBs and BBs and boy are they all different. Some are almost considered italics, while some Bs are wider than the BBs. I have one OBB that writes like a true double broad with no line variation.

 

It's the same story with the Fs and EFs. I have a Rouge et Noir regular black edition EF that's so fine, it writes like a needle point. I have a few Fs that write thick and wet like mediums. My Shakespeare medium writes like a very fine F. My favorite to write Chinese are a couple smaller 144s and Mozart that are slightly older. Those were the days Montblanc ground their nibs with a mild architect's point or if you will Naginata. They produce the most delicious Chinese 撇和捺. My 149 EF writes like a nice Fine. All very hit and miss with Montblanc.

 

 

~ gerigo:

 

Thank you for explaining your experience.

As I'm a comparatively new Montblanc user, I lack the breadth of usage which you've had.

Nearly all of my nibs — aside from one 1980s 149 M and two 3-42 Gs — have been purchased within the past four years.

There's been consistency of stroke size, without the considerable variation you've described.

Why the difference?

Ha! I have no idea.

Had I not read your informative post, I'd have misleadingly said that Montblanc nibs as I've experienced them have been fairly consistent.

It's great that you've expanded the discussion with your experience, as it may help simon73 better anticipate whatever size nib he chooses.

Although I write with 144s with EF nibs and a Mozart with an EF nib, they're used for English and other European languages.

For written Chinese 中文 I use brush pens 毛笔. Students are such sticklers, expecting nothing less.

Tom K.

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Yes the Martele tarnishes very quickly and heavily, but a microfiber cloth and some silver polish returns it to brand new in less than 3 minutes.

 

In a way that's part of the allure to have it transform back and forth however you please. Here in Dubai's humidity it's quite often

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With my experience on Montblanc's nib sizing, I feel they are the one manufacturer with the most variations. I have many OBBs and BBs and boy are they all different. Some are almost considered italics, while some Bs are wider than the BBs. I have one OBB that writes like a true double broad with no line variation.

 

It's the same story with the Fs and EFs. I have a Rouge et Noir regular black edition EF that's so fine, it writes like a needle point. I have a few Fs that write thick and wet like mediums. My Shakespeare medium writes like a very fine F. My favorite to write Chinese are a couple smaller 144s and Mozart that are slightly older. Those were the days Montblanc ground their nibs with a mild architect's point or if you will Naginata. They produce the most delicious Chinese 撇和捺. My 149 EF writes like a nice Fine. All very hit and miss with Montblanc.

 

I suppose when they hand finish each nib, variation is inevitable. No two nibs will be the same. That's what I like about fountain pens. They have personality, some more than others. I bought a couple of Lamy Safari EFs to give away as gifts, and the Safari EFs were very consistent like carbon copies of each other. Couldn't tell them apart. A lot of people like that. On the other hand, the multiple MB EFs and M's I've had each had it's own character and were unique in their own way. I think a lot of people like that as well. I miss some of the MBs I sold to fund new ones, as they had their own unique writing character.

Edited by max dog
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