First experience (brand new) Montblanc 149 - a bit dissapointing

[DD26]

After many years of thinking and trying Montblancs, I have finally decided to get one. I have selected 149 Platinum with medium nib. I normally prefer narrower nibs but occasionally use wider nibs (e.g. in my Sailor KOP). After I got home, I washed the pen following recommendations from Montblanc (using only distilled water, flush 5-6 times), then filled it in with Montblanc black ink and tried it out. I was very surprised that it was very-very wet and "messy". By messy, I mean that the flow seems to be a bit inconsistent letter to letter. It feels just as if there is a tiny hair stuck in the nib (I inspected the tines and there is nothing wrong). I used the pen to write around 10 letter-sized pages with not much improvement. It does not skip. The start seems fine but this MB is the wettest pen I have (even wetter than Pelikan M-1000) and surprisingly introduces feathering even on a good quality paper (tried a few brands of paper).  I used it like this for a couple days and then decided to switch to a different montblanc inc (blue this time). I flushed the pen thoroughly with distilled water and inked it up. The blue ink behaves a tiny bit better but not too much. I can still see slight feathering. I am going to use it like this for a few days and then probably switch the nib to extra-fine. Alternatively I am considering sending the pen to Mike and have him grind to italic but with the new pen, I am more inclined to contact Montblanc and try their nib-switching service. Anyway, just wanted to share this. I am also attaching a sample of the writing (Montblanc on the top, then Pelikan M-100 with the same ink, followed by Sailor KOP and Sailor Realo). Other than the writing, MB 149 looks quite beautiful and feels very solid with good-looking nib.

[katerchen]

The writing sample looks OK to me, but ultimately it's you who needs to be completely happy with the pen. Sounds like you'd be more aligned with an F or even EF nib.

 

Try to have the nib exchange done sooner rather than later - there's another thread here on the forums discussing how MB shortened the exchange window rather aggressively when they switched service organizations.

 

EDIT: here it is: 

 

[DD26]

Thanks! I plan to swap the nib in the next couple weeks or sooner.

 

The sample looks OK-ish but if you zoom in on the photo, you can see the fuzziness (slight feathering) of the MB writing. I do not mind having wider nib but this fuzziness does bother me. I am a bit surprised since I always thought that feathering mostly depends on the ink and the paper but Pelikan with the same ink does not show any feathering.

[agentdaffy007]

In that case, the flow is too wet. Send it in to either reduce the flow or change it to a Broad nib which is cut italic.

 

Good luck, don't wait, or hope it gets better because it won't.

[DD26]

32 minutes ago, agentdaffy007 said:

In that case, the flow is too wet. Send it in to either reduce the flow or change it to a Broad nib which is cut italic.

 

Good luck, don't wait, or hope it gets better because it won't.

Thank you! Can Montblanc reduce the flow? Or you mean to send it to a nib meister?

[KBeezie]

5 minutes ago, DD26 said:

Thank you! Can Montblanc reduce the flow? Or you mean to send it to a nib meister?

I'd advise a nibmeister, not only might it be cheaper, but they're more likely to get it done correctly to your preference especially with Montblanc outsourcing almost all their work to MyJewerlyRepair.com 

[DD26]

2 minutes ago, KBeezie said:

I'd advise a nibmeister, not only might it be cheaper, but they're more likely to get it done correctly to your preference especially with Montblanc outsourcing almost all their work to MyJewerlyRepair.com 

Hmm. That's my second (at this moment) option. I am trying to decide on whether have a good nib meister to work on it or replace the nib at Montblanc. I have a MB boutique close-by.

[KBeezie]

Far as individual boutiques I would say your results are likely to be hit-or-miss with them as the skill of whoever is there is going to vary greatly. 

[MidSouthern-Dad]

If this is a brand new pen, then have the Montblanc boutique or retailer send it to Montblanc to service it for you.  Don't go to the extra expense of a nib meister.

If it's a second hand pen, then a nib-meister is your only choice.  I had a Pelikan "M" nib on an M1000 which gushed out like a fire hose.  It was uncontrollable.  It wrote more like a BBB than an M.  I couldn't control it even with narrowing the slit width at the tip.  It had to go to a nib meister to get it under contro, which he did manage to do very nicely.

[sandy101]

Send it to MB, and let them look at it.

 

If you have a boutique nearby, you could try a couple of their other medium nibs, and see if you get the same effect. 

 

If not, you might get a replacement on the spot.

 

It could be that something is not as attached as it should be - which means you have excessive ink flow.

 

The chances are the boutique will send the pen to Hamburg for repair.

 

If you go to the nibmeister, your warranty will be invalidated, and there won't be an return. 

[DD26]

5 hours ago, sandy101 said:

Send it to MB, and let them look at it.

 

If you have a boutique nearby, you could try a couple of their other medium nibs, and see if you get the same effect. 

 

If not, you might get a replacement on the spot.

 

It could be that something is not as attached as it should be - which means you have excessive ink flow.

 

The chances are the boutique will send the pen to Hamburg for repair.

 

If you go to the nibmeister, your warranty will be invalidated, and there won't be an return. 

 

Thanks everyone for comments and suggestions!

 

I called the boutique. I was told that the pen would be sent to Texas and nib replacement would take around 6 weeks or so. I am going to flush the pen again. It seems that not only it is wet but it seems that the ink which is coming out is quite "feathery". The same ink is fine in Pelikan M1000 (also very wet) but MB gives very fuzzy writing even on the best paper (I tried around 7-8 different brands). It works a bit better on Mnemosyne but still not good enough. I wonder if there could be some oily residue still left in the pen from the manufacturing process.

 

Anyway, at this moment, I am more inclined to have MB to deal with this and replace the nib to EF unless the pen behaves better after one more flush. I will keep everyone posted.

 

Very beautiful and well-made pen but I wish it would write better.

[VGriff]

Sorry @DD26 about the nib feathering. But it really is a beautiful pen. Write with for a few days. Since it's brand new, would it be better to send it back for the nib swap vs getting someone to grind it.

 

My quest pen is a MB 146.

[DD26]

1 hour ago, VGriff said:

Sorry @DD26 about the nib feathering. But it really is a beautiful pen. Write with for a few days. Since it's brand new, would it be better to send it back for the nib swap vs getting someone to grind it.

 

My quest pen is a MB 146.

That's what I plan to do at this moment.

[SpecTP]

I don't see any evidence of feathering from your picture. I think you're used to a F or EF and the wet Medium is laying down more ink than you're used to. I own several MB's (most with EF and F) and I've had all of them serviced by nibmeisters to my writing preference. MikeM is a great nibmeister option and he's done 8 of my MB's.

[EricTheRed]

I suggest changing inks before sending it back.  Pelikan  blue is a very dry ink that might give you the ink flow you prefer with this pen.

 

FWIW, I prefer wet writer’s like the MB you have.  To each his own, and you should be completely satisfied with your pen, especially the iconic 149.  I have had a 149 for about 20 years and it writes as well today  as it did when I first purchased it.  It’s very well made.  MB has always given me outstanding service with all my MB pens.  Good luck!

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, SpecTP said:

I don't see any evidence of feathering from your picture.

 

Me neither. I don't even see so much as woolly outlines to the ink marks in the photo, and I'm the sort of fountain pen user who doesn't like broader lines and considers feathering a mortal sin.

 

[DD26]

1 hour ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Me neither. I don't even see so much as woolly outlines to the ink marks in the photo, and I'm the sort of fountain pen user who doesn't like broader lines and considers feathering a mortal sin.

 

The easiest way to see is to zoom it in and compare line sharpness between Pelikan M-1000 and Montblanc. The edges on the lines from Montblanc are a little washed-out and not as sharp as Pelikan.

 

In fact, I compared Montblanc to two 1.1mm stub pens that I have and the edges on the writing by stub nibs are still way sharper than the edges on Montblanc pen.

[DD26]

3 hours ago, EricTheRed said:

I suggest changing inks before sending it back.  Pelikan  blue is a very dry ink that might give you the ink flow you prefer with this pen.

 

FWIW, I prefer wet writer’s like the MB you have.  To each his own, and you should be completely satisfied with your pen, especially the iconic 149.  I have had a 149 for about 20 years and it writes as well today  as it did when I first purchased it.  It’s very well made.  MB has always given me outstanding service with all my MB pens.  Good luck!

 

I am contemplating that too. I have plenty of dry inks (including the Pelikan blue that you mentioned and a number of other inks that work fine on the very wet Pelikan M1000). I was a bit hesitant to try another (non-Montblanc) ink in case I do decide to replace the nib using MB. I am a bit on the fence, trying to write it for a few days and see if I can learn to like it or not.

[DD26]

4 hours ago, SpecTP said:

MikeM is a great nibmeister option and he's done 8 of my MB's.

 

Thank you for recommendation. I would definitely trust MikeM to work on this pen but his lead time is 16 weeks now... Could be worth the wait though.

[SpecTP]

11 hours ago, DD26 said:

 

Thank you for recommendation. I would definitely trust MikeM to work on this pen but his lead time is 16 weeks now... Could be worth the wait though.

 

yea, his lead time is long. but he comes to the DC pen show so I try and get access to him during that event.