Montblanc 149 Review - 2021

[Karmachanic]

1 hour ago, NickUK said:

My eyes have now turned to the Pelikan M1000 (which I've managed to get for half the price of the MB in the UK) - I've bought both Fine and Medium so I can compare.

 

Just so you know.  My F wrote B.  I had it ground to a 0.5 CI.  Happiness!

[NickUK]

16 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

Just so you know.  My F wrote B.  I had it ground to a 0.5 CI.  Happiness!

 

Having read countless hours on this, and trying many pens myself..... I've come to the conclusion that everyone has a slightly different take on what is a fine/medium/broad.

 

Add in the differences in nibs, and it really is pot luck as to what you end up with! 

 

Everyone says the M1000 is a firehose, but I've seen some samples more recently that actually makes it look fairly tame, and no different to standard Western line widths.

 

That's why I ordered the Fine and the Medium - I definitely don't think I'll want an extra fine - Smoothness is what I'm after.

[gyasko]

1 hour ago, NickUK said:

• The sheer number of these that come up second hand - Whilst it's a testament to the longevity and timelessness of the pen, for me, it makes it just a little less special.

 

 

One can't help feeling what one feels, and yet that strikes me as a bit unfair.  The Waterman 52, Sheaffer Balance, Parker Duofold or 51 aren't any less special for being common.  They're great pens, and that's why they're common.  Same with the 149. 

 

The rare ones tend to be the weird pens with some kind of quirk that made them hard to make, buy or sell.

 

[bunnspecial]

I guess I'd missed you liking super smooth.

 

To be honest, if that's your preference(and there's nothing wrong with that) Pelikan may well be your brand. Over 25 or so MBs, I've only had a few that were what I'd class as "Super smooth", and most instead tended toward some if not a lot of feedback. To me, they make a pleasant writing experience, but it's different from Pelikans.

[NickUK]

34 minutes ago, gyasko said:

One can't help feeling what one feels, and yet that strikes me as a bit unfair

 

I did caveat all of what I said with a "my personal preference" - It'll resonate with some, and not with others.

 

What makes it less special for me, could very well be the thing that makes it special for others.

 

The longevity and timeless design is the reason it's still such a popular pen, and it's the reason I wanted it in the first place (if the nib had been to my liking, I'd not have given it a second thought).

 

37 minutes ago, bunnspecial said:

To me, they make a pleasant writing experience, but it's different from Pelikans.

 

If I hadn't ever picked up another pen, I would have probably been very happy. You are right, the experience is pleasant, and I could easily forget about it during a long writing session.

 

But knowing I wanted glassy smooth, and comparing with my Lamy 2000, I can feel quite a big difference, and right now, my preference is for that silky smooth experience.

[bunnspecial]

55 minutes ago, NickUK said:

 

I did caveat all of what I said with a "my personal preference" - It'll resonate with some, and not with others.

 

What makes it less special for me, could very well be the thing that makes it special for others.

 

The longevity and timeless design is the reason it's still such a popular pen, and it's the reason I wanted it in the first place (if the nib had been to my liking, I'd not have given it a second thought).

 

 

If I hadn't ever picked up another pen, I would have probably been very happy. You are right, the experience is pleasant, and I could easily forget about it during a long writing session.

 

But knowing I wanted glassy smooth, and comparing with my Lamy 2000, I can feel quite a big difference, and right now, my preference is for that silky smooth experience.

 

Well, one thing for sure, you don't know until you try. You can now honestly say that you've tried it, and I think here you've given a very fair critique of why the pen wasn't suitable for you while still acknowledging a lot of good points about it.

 

I realize Montblanc is a polarizing brand, however I have little patience for people who dismiss it(sometimes rather nastily) without having actually tried one. I know there's one person on Reddit who is insanely nasty to anyone who says anything remotely positive about MB. I've pushed them before and they claim to have tried one "once at a pen show and immediately put it back down"(without saying the model). This person also claims "Their overly smooth nibs often have baby's bottoms and hard start because of that", which tells me that either they've never tried one, or at best had tried one that had been worked on.

 

In any case, thanks for a great thread and again an honest opinion after "living with" the pen for several weeks.

[NickUK]

17 minutes ago, bunnspecial said:

I realize Montblanc is a polarizing brand

 

It is indeed, and in Montblanc's case, it reminds me of a certain Batman quote.....

 

“You Either Die A Hero, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain”

 

Anyone who has been around Fountain Pens long enough knows that it is very easy to get a pen that isn't perfect. You'd have to try many, many pens to get a good appreciation for the brand.

 

Every experienced person I've spoken to all say the same thing....... It doesn't matter what pen you get or how much it cost, you are best off sending it to a nibmeister to get it tuned to perfection regardless.

 

Now, my desire not to do this is down to my own personal flaws, and inexperience/mindset - Ask me in 20 years time and my opinion may have changed.

 

Put it this way - If the MB149 wrote like I wanted, the rest of the pen/brand/experience/customer service would have been well worth the cost of buying it new.

 

Whilst I appreciate the saving in buying second hand - I value the extra cost to get it from a boutique.

 

All my points from the first post still stand, and it's just a shame that in this case, it didn't work out.

 

If I was living near a boutique, things would have likely been different!

[como]

@NickUK If you are good with your hands, you can certainly turn a nib to glassy smooth if you have enough patience to smooth/polish it on a micro mesh of 8000 or 12000 grade. You can’t really hurt a nib on a 12000 grade micro mesh. Just polish on the mesh with water. Of course you can send it to a nibmeister. Doing so may void your warranty, but I doubt that MB will pick on your nib smooth (if they can even tell) if your repair job is about something else. In any case, your preference of having a glassy smooth nib can certainly be achieved without much difficulty.

[Sybarite]

Hey Nick, love your work!

What a great article/review, agree with all you say - looking forward to the next instalment.

[NickUK]

1 hour ago, Sybarite said:

What a great article/review, agree with all you say - looking forward to the next instalment.

 

Thanks @Sybarite!

 

It's going to be some time before I can get to a Montblanc Boutique to really try out the various nibs.

 

I ended up picking up a Medium Pelikan M1000 (Black) which writes about as thick as a MB 149 broad, but significantly softer and smoother.

 

My preference at the moment is with softer nibs, as I feel it makes the whole writing experience a little smoother.

 

I know some people don't like the glassy smooth nibs, so I can definitely see people still preferring the 149 over the M1000 there.

 

I don't think I'd ever find that by buying a MB149 online, so it'll need to be a trip to London one day!

[seoulseeker]

The nib thickness lottery thing is especially true with new MB. At least in my limited experience.

 

I got an F nib that writes like a firehose-level-wetness western B. I actually kind of liked it at first because I kind of fancied trying a thicker nib - had waffled about buying a B outright but the boutique didn't have any in stock.

 

But over the past year of using it I realized I really would rather have something more usable in every day life. Something that wouldn't feather on everything but the best paper.

 

Anyways, long story short I did some adjustments to the nib myself. Managed to cut down flow enough that it writes quite close to how my L2K M nib does, which is one of my favorite writers. I'd call that a huge success.

 

The pen has seen a lot more use since.

 

Anyways, new MB buyers be aware of the thickness variation. Definitely take advantage of the free nib exchange window if you end up with something that doesn't suit your tastes.

[1nkulus]

Thank you for the review. 

 

As long as you are satisfied, it is a successful purchase. New/Old is a personal preference.

 

I prefer buying MB second hand for two reasons,

First, if the pen is reasonably well looked after there is a minimal chance for any issues.

Secondly, the pen is sent to a nibmeister to suit my needs. Turnaround is usually 10 days which is far quicker than faffing about with MB/retailer.

 

The enjoyment is in the writing and the feel of the pen, not the brand.

IMO, a nibmeister tuned Jinhao 149 would make an excellent pen.

 

I would consider a new MB only for the larger nibs like OBB and O3B but IIRC the O3B was shifted to the 'bespoke nib' service in 2018-19 which costs a lot more.

Hence, OBB is the largest size you can swap.

 

IIRC, you can get the O3B nib for ~$400 from MB.

Since MB don't mark their nibs, it is hard to tell an OBB from O3B. The largest size was O6B AFAIK.

[mauckcg]

I really want an O3B but they are next to impossible to find used.

[agentdaffy007]

16 hours ago, mauckcg said:

I really want an O3B but they are next to impossible to find used.

 

Hence the reason why I bought it new. They had to grind an O3B for me and did the nib swap. Took like 6 weeks.

[1nkulus]

15 minutes ago, agentdaffy007 said:

Hence the reason why I bought it new. They had to grind an O3B for me and did the nib swap. Took like 6 weeks.

When did you purchase the pen? Did you have to pay extra for the nib?

 

AFAIK, the O3B was moved to the 'bespoke' service and cost extra. OBB is the largest size for a straight swap.

[mauckcg]

4 hours ago, agentdaffy007 said:

 

Hence the reason why I bought it new. They had to grind an O3B for me and did the nib swap. Took like 6 weeks.

I was hoping to avoid that, we shall see.

[hairlame]

On 8/10/2021 at 4:15 AM, NickUK said:

 

Thanks @Sybarite!

 

It's going to be some time before I can get to a Montblanc Boutique to really try out the various nibs.

 

I ended up picking up a Medium Pelikan M1000 (Black) which writes about as thick as a MB 149 broad, but significantly softer and smoother.

 

My preference at the moment is with softer nibs, as I feel it makes the whole writing experience a little smoother.

 

I know some people don't like the glassy smooth nibs, so I can definitely see people still preferring the 149 over the M1000 there.

 

I don't think I'd ever find that by buying a MB149 online, so it'll need to be a trip to London one day!

 

This is super informative thread, thanks for starting it!

 

I had a similar dilemma last year in terms of buying an M1000 new or a 149 new, and ended up buying the M1000 because it was about half the price of the 149...

 

I have the M1000 in an EF and it is both smooth and wet (nib was checked and tuned by the vendor). If using with a wet ink like Sailor, the line width is probably close to a Jowo M nib. When used with Pelikan 4001 inks (Brilliant Black, Blue-black, Violet), which are drier, it writes closer to a fine. The wetness of the nib yields a very dark line, even with drier inks, which I enjoy.  Its a fun pen to write with.

 

Then got a chance to try the 146/149 at a Montblanc boutique this summer. The pens are nice, but strangely enough, the nibs on the tester pens at the boutique did not write all that well, including a medium nib that would hard start and then stop writing. No comment on this from the sales person. Cured me of the desire to get one, at least for now.

 

-h

 

 

[Frank C]

40 minutes ago, hairlame said:

Then got a chance to try the 146/149 at a Montblanc boutique this summer. The pens are nice, but strangely enough, the nibs on the tester pens at the boutique did not write all that well, including a medium nib that would hard start and then stop writing. No comment on this from the sales person. Cured me of the desire to get one, at least for now.

 

-h

I like Pelikan M1000s and I like Montblanc 146s & 149s. Don't be too put off by the tester pens in the boutique. All sorts of people write with them, and many of the people are accustomed to ballpoints and press too hard on the nibs or hold them the wrong way. Bottles of ink are left open sometimes and dry out. People will take a pen filled with black ink and draw up some Hot Pink, accidentally, or just to see what happens. Some store employees are quite knowledgeable about Montblanc pens—they usually don't have any knowledge or experience with any other brand. I took my Calligraphy 149 to a boutique. The salesman had never seen one, so I let him try it. It didn't start right away, so he started to "milk" it by pressing up and down on the nib, burying the feed in the pad of test paper in order to get some flow. I stopped him as soon as I saw this. He had absolutely no idea how to use a fountain pen. I asked him what he carried, and he said a rollerball. I also had a $2 USD Jin Hao in my pocket. I showed it to him. He wrote with it and said he liked it. I asked him how much he thought it cost, and he said $400. I told him it was a $2 pen and gave it to him. 

[agentdaffy007]

8 hours ago, 1nkulus said:

When did you purchase the pen? Did you have to pay extra for the nib?

 

AFAIK, the O3B was moved to the 'bespoke' service and cost extra. OBB is the largest size for a straight swap.

Hi,

 

I read that it would cost extra so I called my dealer and he was able to guarantee me that it would not cost a dime to swap to O3B. I even have a screenshot email from Richemont so I went ahead and ordered it 3 months ago. The pen writes like a dream too!

[agentdaffy007]

54 minutes ago, hairlame said:

 

This is super informative thread, thanks for starting it!

 

I had a similar dilemma last year in terms of buying an M1000 new or a 149 new, and ended up buying the M1000 because it was about half the price of the 149...

 

I have the M1000 in an EF and it is both smooth and wet (nib was checked and tuned by the vendor). If using with a wet ink like Sailor, the line width is probably close to a Jowo M nib. When used with Pelikan 4001 inks (Brilliant Black, Blue-black, Violet), which are drier, it writes closer to a fine. The wetness of the nib yields a very dark line, even with drier inks, which I enjoy.  Its a fun pen to write with.

 

Then got a chance to try the 146/149 at a Montblanc boutique this summer. The pens are nice, but strangely enough, the nibs on the tester pens at the boutique did not write all that well, including a medium nib that would hard start and then stop writing. No comment on this from the sales person. Cured me of the desire to get one, at least for now.

 

-h

 

 

I remember going to a Montblanc Boutique this summer and their tester set was sent to the Montblanc Service Center to repair the pens. Maybe your dealer should do the same. It gives a bad image to Montblanc when the pens from the tester set does not work.

 

In any case, I went to another Montblanc Boutique and tried the 146 OBB and was satisfied with it so I ordered the MB 149 O3B from my favorite AD.