The price of Montblanc ink

[arcfide]

9 hours ago, txomsy said:

I guess nobody here went to the cinema before the lockdown.

 

Say so, because nobody seems to pay attention to non-tangible values. Even if MB were so expensive, which I do not agree, but nevertheless, there's still whether you like the colors, the flow, the assurances, service, quality, fairly paid workers, the treatment you get at a boutique or at a B&M shop, the bottle, the box, the "story" about them (like in Noodler's), perception by one and by others, and many, many more.

 

I would argue all those are subjective, but provide an enjoyment that -like movies- does not "pay" immediately although some will cast as a bonus worth paying for. What would otherwise be the reason for getting a Lamborghini instead of a Skoda?

 

It is not all about how much ink and written pages you can squeeze out of a ml. And so, defining if MB is expensive requires a more complex (and highly subjective) equation.

 

Value is definitely a subjective thing and I totally agree with that. In the case I gave, I personally am willing to pay more even though I do a lot of writing and it costs more per month because of many of the intangible things that I consider valuable, some of which others don't find nearly as valuable. Just as a classic example, I derive a significant amount of enjoyment from using the same brand of ink and pen together as a "system" in my writing, and even more if I can match paper (such as All German, or All Japanese). It makes almost no difference in terms of actual impact on the page, but it provides an intangible benefit to me that means when I'm writing with my MB pens as daily writers, I would get more pleasure out of using a MB ink in the pen even though it is more or less the same color as another brand, even to the point that I would be willing to pay more to get that brand benefit, even with no functional differences. That sort of value literally lives only in my head, but it is what it is. 

 

In my personal threshold, I'm willing to often shell out from $15 - $30 / 50ml bottle without too much issue, and I'm willing to even consider the more expensive $45 bottles, though they have to offer something more to me at that price. I sort of draw the line at $80 / 50ml bottles as too much for me except in very rare "collectible" situations where I like having a "matched set" of products as a collector rather than as a user. 

 

On the other hand, I don't often go to the movie theater because I don't find the value worth it, even if I pay about that amount in inks on a regular basis.  

[arcfide]

1 hour ago, sansenri said:

And I'm not talking just MB (although admittedly they do it rather well).

 

I actually think MB should get credit there. So many other heritage brands lost the battle of marketing, and as a result, we end up with inferior products or lackluster products that aren't very desirable precisely because those traditional pen companies couldn't get enough money to continue innovating. But MB succeeded in a very harsh environment, largely through marketing, and as a result they still have very interesting pens that are still highly desirable. In a sense, it's a *good* thing for a company to be successful at marketing their products, because that means they now have money, which, contrary to many people's kneejerk reactions, is a *good* thing. It allows MB to invest good money in making their own nibs, like the Flex nib, for instance, which wouldn't exist if they didn't have that cash available for doing those sorts of projects. 

 

I for one want to see many of these pen companies succeed, because it means that they can continue to deliver interesting and desirable products to me at a higher level of quality and experience/presentation than if they were operating on a shoestring budget. 

[Uncial]

There are a quite a few threads on this site comparing price by 'ml' and it's worth taking a look. Montblanc come out somewhere in the bottom-middle zone in the threads that have a comprehensive list.

[agentdaffy007]

On 4/6/2021 at 6:23 PM, arcfide said:

 

I actually think MB should get credit there. So many other heritage brands lost the battle of marketing, and as a result, we end up with inferior products or lackluster products that aren't very desirable precisely because those traditional pen companies couldn't get enough money to continue innovating. But MB succeeded in a very harsh environment, largely through marketing, and as a result they still have very interesting pens that are still highly desirable. In a sense, it's a *good* thing for a company to be successful at marketing their products, because that means they now have money, which, contrary to many people's kneejerk reactions, is a *good* thing. It allows MB to invest good money in making their own nibs, like the Flex nib, for instance, which wouldn't exist if they didn't have that cash available for doing those sorts of projects. 

 

I for one want to see many of these pen companies succeed, because it means that they can continue to deliver interesting and desirable products to me at a higher level of quality and experience/presentation than if they were operating on a shoestring budget. 

 

Well said! I love my MB 149 Flex!!