Precious Resin - Ongoing Debate

[Lam1]

I have shocking news for you. You'd better sit down for it.

 

Everyone's pens are plastic.

 

This makes it impossible to insult Montblanc for using plastic. Understood?

 

Most certainly. And my MBs are definitely plastic, except for those that are metal .

But what would shock me is if someone were to buy a 149 expecting anything other than plastic.

 

But not everyone's pens are plastic. GvFC makes some nice ones in metal+wood.

[max dog]

Montblanc describes Precious Resin as being like porcelain. I just like the way it feels (high grade like glass) better than most other plastic pens. Maintains a nice sheen always, and I like the reddish tint under a bright light.

[Lam1]

Montblanc describes Precious Resin as being like porcelain. I just like the way it feels (high grade like glass) better than most other plastic pens. Maintains a nice sheen always, and I like the reddish tint under a bright light.

 

I didn't know that. But, then again, I never pay attention to ads.

 

I certainly like their pens. But I don't really think there is anything special to the plastic and actually prefer the feeling of other brands plastics to MB's. Although, that is a matter of personal preference, of course.

[Corona688]

Montblanc describes Precious Resin as being like porcelain.

Thank you, that's the first useful description I've heard. I take that to mean more rigid than the average plastic, able to take fine surface features instead of warping.

 

Given that, I wonder if precious resin is acetal.

[Matlock]

Montblanc describes Precious Resin as being like porcelain. I just like the way it feels (high grade like glass) better than most other plastic pens. Maintains a nice sheen always, and I like the reddish tint under a bright light.

 

That's sounds OK except that a Chinese fake 145 that I bought for around $12 also shows the reddish light.

[max dog]

Thank you, that's the first useful description I've heard. I take that to mean more rigid than the average plastic, able to take fine surface features instead of warping.

 

Given that, I wonder if precious resin is acetal.

Rigid and hard, almost like glass. That's how it maintains it's sheen. I am no plastic materials expert, but when plastic is made very hard, then it can be brittle and crack, but MB seems to have improved the formulation over the years. I've dropped the precious resin cap of my 145 from my patio table to the hard concrete patio floor, and it survived unscathed after bouncing off the floor a half dozen times. I don't recommend doing trying that at home willfully, but it shows me MB precious resin has some resilience (the modern ones anyway) and doesn't crack if you look at it funny as some people would have you believe.

[max dog]

 

That's sounds OK except that a Chinese fake 145 that I bought for around $12 also shows the reddish light.

Maybe a fake of a fake Chinese knock off may have the reddish glow (was meant to be red but turned black because of the qc issue with the red paint that was used), but not the original fake knock off.

Edited March 4, 2018 by max dog

[invisuu]

Feels like plastic to me. Doesnt feel like glass, porcelain, diamonds, or dark matter at all.

 

But then again, I refuse to succumb to irrationality and blind following.

[Matlock]

Maybe a fake of a fake Chinese knock off may have the reddish glow (was meant to be red but turned black because of the qc issue with the red paint that was used), but not the original fake knock off.

 

Actually it was made of green cheese . But seriously I bought the pen as a part of a project to compare fakes with the genuine article (not just MBs). I was quite surprised at the quality of the pen. It was obviously a fake as, apart from the wrong converter, the nib was steel although marked 14k. However the body was very well made and almost identical in feel and appearance to the real thing. It also wrote quite well. I certainly think that for $12 it was a good deal, just a shame that so many people are taken in by this unethical type of trading.

[Corona688]

it shows me MB precious resin has some resilience (the modern ones anyway) and doesn't crack if you look at it funny as some people would have you believe.

Like most other plastic it's more prone to crack (or perhaps, given the hardness, chip) in areas where its stressed, like edges and joints, rather than shattering in the middle. That's the complaint I've heard about MB plastic. Whatever it is, can't be as infamously bad as acrylic, which people continue to buy knowingly.

 

Of course, that's where everyyone else's rigid plastics are liable to crack too.

Edited March 4, 2018 by Corona688

[JonSzanto]

It's actually a translation error from German, as opposed to wildly exaggerated definition of cheap plastic from Montblanc's hypermarketing department.

 

That is it, completely. There is no debate, just a simple variance in descriptive terms in two different languages.

[Kalessin]

It's actually a translation error from German, as opposed to wildly exaggerated definition of cheap plastic from Montblanc's hypermarketing department.

 

 

I think what might have happened is the MB marketing department jumped on a happy accident of bad translation, and have been mercilessly using "precious resin" everywhere they can because it sounds so luxurious.

 

I think I first saw the phrase in print advertisements in the early- to mid-1980s.

[Zaphodbebullbrox]

Who really cares, i personally do not. whether it is "precious resin" or Plastic it would not make a difference to me.

 

First off, lets get one thing straight, Montblanc is by no means the most expensive pens made. Montblanc is just the most well known luxury pen company in the world.

 

I personally by my pens because i like the way they look or the way they write. if the happen to cost more or less than another pen, it would not matter. i by what i personally like.

 

Personally i would not but the Iconic Montblanc 149 Fountain pen, not because it is made with the "precious resin" but because it is boring looking. But my Montblanc Tolstoy fountain pen is a beautiful pen (to me) and i think it was a steal for what i pay for it. Yes it has Plastic on it but it is constructed 1000 times better than any plastic bic i have ever bought.

 

So again i say, WHO CARES.

[Zaphodbebullbrox]

Oh, and just another point.

 

if you buy any Apple Products like the iPad or iPhone. instead of calling the display a display they call it a "retina display" even though it is just a display.

 

it is all marketing, so who cares.

[Tom Kellie]

Who really cares, i personally do not. whether it is "precious resin" or Plastic it would not make a difference to me.

 

I personally by my pens because i like the way they look or the way they write. if the happen to cost more or less than another pen, it would not matter. i by what i personally like.

 

...it is constructed 1000 times better than any plastic bic i have ever bought.

 

~ Zaphodbebullbrox:

 

As it happens, what you've expressed above is more or less how yours truly feels about Montblanc fountain pens.

When you mentioned Bic I smiled. That's a brand name I haven't encountered in decades.

As a high school student half a century ago many classmates used Bics while I fumbled around with a Sheaffer Cartridge Pen.

I hope that every dawn light will float with magic, allowing you to observe creation holding its breath.

Tom K.

[Zaphodbebullbrox]

Thanks tom

 

It is always nice to know that i have brought a smile to ones face.

[Corona688]

if you buy any Apple Products like the iPad or iPhone. instead of calling the display a display they call it a "retina display" even though it is just a display.

Nobody gets their feathers up when you call it a screen.

[Polanova]

It's actually a translation error from German, as opposed to wildly exaggerated definition of cheap plastic from Montblanc's hypermarketing department.

 

 

I beg to differ - the translation is perfectly alright. Edelharz & precious resin pretty much means the same thing!

It`s just your typical marketing euphemism, I mean, they won`t be able to sell a 800 $ pen, saying it`s made from plastic, or even precious plastic, which would be closer to the truth.

If I compare my plastic pens, I usually can`t tell the difference - they`re usually made from better plastics like acryl or plexiglas. Can`t tell a difference between MB- or Sailor plastics but I do have the feeling that the precious resin used by Omas is not as good (scratches faster) than the aforementioned.

[Zaphodbebullbrox]

 

I mean, they won`t be able to sell a 800 $ pen, saying it`s made from plastic, or even precious plastic, which would be closer to the truth.

 

I disagree, They can and do sell plastic pens for 800 or whatever. There is way more to a Montblanc Pen than what it is made of.

 

i will point out one thing.. you compared the Montblanc & a Sailor pen. if i pick up my Sailor pen it is very light weight but my Montblanc has some heft behind that. Know ask yourself why is that. could it be the metal threads and piston mechanism that it so jewel like made?

 

The Quality, Fit & Finish, Customer service, Nib, Presentation & exclusivity, etc.. of a Montblanc Fountain Pen make it worth the money charged regardless of what the material is called.

[Pen Nut]

I try and stick to 'precious' metal Montblanc writing instruments to avoid any confusion