Montblanc 149 Review - 2021

[NickUK]

55 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.

In my experience so far (all be it much more

limited than some), there really isn’t much out there that feels like a Pelikan M1000 nib; and if you love that feeling, I think other pens will feel less pleasurable to use. 
 

I’ve since tried the new 18K Gold Visconti Homo Sapiens nibs (the Bock ones), and whilst some people call them “soft and springy”, they are nothing compared to the M1000, and quite frankly, feel atrocious. 
 

I would need to try a lot of Montblanc nibs before I found the one for me, and I have a feeling it would need to be pretty broad to get the same level of smoothness as the Pelikan, but would still be too hard for my liking. 
 

Side note - I’ve just ordered the Pilot Custom Urushi with a broad nib! I’ve read that it’s soft and bouncy, but not as soft as the Pelikan (yet just as smooth). 
 

I actually find the size of the M1000 quite tame, and prefer the section to be a little thicker (the Homo Sapiens was too small in that regard). 

[NickUK]

On 8/2/2021 at 12:44 PM, Karmachanic said:

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

I kept the M - it writes like a BBBBBBB and I love it 😂

 

On a serious note, it’s thicker than the Montblanc B I had. But it’s like velvet. So, so smooth. 

[1nkulus]

1 hour ago, agentdaffy007 said:

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!

Thank you, I stand corrected.

I am glad it is offered as a swap unless your AD has a great relationship with MB. Some AD are better than others.

If you buy the nib, them it is ~$400.

[Tasmith]

On 8/2/2021 at 7:44 AM, Karmachanic said:

 

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

My 146 F wrote like a B too, had it reground into a .5mm CI several years ago.  Love it!

[hairlame]

On 8/13/2021 at 6:50 PM, Frank C said:

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. 

Ouch! I admire your patient and measured response!

 

I won't hold it against Montblanc, but I'll probably seek out a pen shop that carries them next time. It may be that there are only a handful of MB boutiques that have staff who are trained in using fountain pens. 

[hairlame]

On 8/13/2021 at 6:57 PM, agentdaffy007 said:

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.

I've seen a few other threads indicating that Boutique staff aren't necessarily trained in using and maintaining fountain pens, but I'm still interested enough in them to venture out again.  I have a very nice OM nib on a 221p, and I would love to find a duplicate of this nib on a more modern pen. The 221p has developed cracks on the piece that connects the converter to the section, and replacement parts are hard to find, and so it doesn't get much use. 

[hairlame]

On 8/13/2021 at 6:59 PM, NickUK said:

In my experience so far (all be it much more

limited than some), there really isn’t much out there that feels like a Pelikan M1000 nib; and if you love that feeling, I think other pens will feel less pleasurable to use. 
 

I’ve since tried the new 18K Gold Visconti Homo Sapiens nibs (the Bock ones), and whilst some people call them “soft and springy”, they are nothing compared to the M1000, and quite frankly, feel atrocious. 
 

I would need to try a lot of Montblanc nibs before I found the one for me, and I have a feeling it would need to be pretty broad to get the same level of smoothness as the Pelikan, but would still be too hard for my liking. 
 

Side note - I’ve just ordered the Pilot Custom Urushi with a broad nib! I’ve read that it’s soft and bouncy, but not as soft as the Pelikan (yet just as smooth). 
 

I actually find the size of the M1000 quite tame, and prefer the section to be a little thicker (the Homo Sapiens was too small in that regard). 

I haven't had much of a chance to try Visconti, but have heard more than enough horror stories about breaking pens and poor QC, so its good to know that I'm not missing much. The M1000 is comfortable in my hand, only complaint might be some slight back weighting, but this is a minor issue. Congrats on the Pilot Custom Urushi, that is a beautiful pen! 

[Frank C]

It would appear that you live in Canada. Here's a list of pen stores in Canada recommended by one of your countryman:

 

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/storesofnote/canada.html 

 

Some of them are Montblanc dealers. He mentions that in the descriptions. His website is also interesting. He has visited pen stores all over the world. 

 

I do recommend trying before buying if you can, especially if you are new to fountain pens. 

[hairlame]

On 8/17/2021 at 9:22 PM, Frank C said:

It would appear that you live in Canada. Here's a list of pen stores in Canada recommended by one of your countryman:

 

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/storesofnote/canada.html 

 

Some of them are Montblanc dealers. He mentions that in the descriptions. His website is also interesting. He has visited pen stores all over the world. 

 

I do recommend trying before buying if you can, especially if you are new to fountain pens. 

Thank you! That is a great resource.