Montblanc 146 Le grand Calligraphy/flex

[Martty]

Dear friends,

I was able to acquire the new Montblanc 146 Le grand Calligraphy/flex fountain pen this week. Just thought I’d share some thoughts with you, after a few days worth of using it.

 

Appearances-wise this is just a regular 146. The nib is of course the big difference here. And this nib really is true EEEF when writing with no pressure to moderate pressure. It is even finer than the 149 Calligraphy, in my opinion. The tines are also very tightly pressed together. I’m right now using Pilot Shin Kai, which flows quite nicely. When adding pressure, the EEEF quickly becomes a medium, then broad then triple broad. I find that the 149 could flex even more than 146, but then again: the 149 has a much larger nib with a somewhat different design.

 

So far, I’m impressed with this nib. It will take some practice to control it to the level of mastery of @fpupulin, but then again, that is the whole point of this hobby. 
 

I would be very interested to read other people’s experience with the 146 flex!

 

regards, Marty

[Amit.]

Many congratulations for this wonderful purchase. Please do share some pictures whenever convenient .

 

[maclink]

The nib is ground with a sort of triangular tipping.  So the tilt of the pen will affect line width.  When held close to upright, the line width, I agree, is very small, i.e, like EEF.  However, at 45 or so degrees, my natural writing angle, it's more like an EF which becomes expressive with my usual variation in pressure when writing quickly.

 

[TheDutchGuy]

I recognize most of the points made by Marty and maclink. As Marty mentioned, the tines are pressed together tightly and with no pressure at all, the line is extremely narrow. With the nib hardly touching the paper (making an effort to keep it at bare minimum), mine writes downstrokes that are about 2/3rd of a Sailor F. With a light touch but not making an effort, the width increases to Japanese F. Faster writing without consciously applying pressure increases the width to about Japanse MF. Once I start leaning into it, the line can increase to B territory… but not more than that. Here is a comparison of the maximum I can reasonably get out of the 146C vs. my Bohème OB. I should say that my OB is quite wide for a B and is close to 1.5 B.

 

 

Compared to the five or six 149C’s that I’ve tried, I’d say that the 149C is wetter, softer and can go much further in terms of line width. Some of the writing that I’ve seen from @fpupulin is probably not possible with the 146C.

 

I’ve compared my new 146C to some vintage pens with very soft flex or semi-flex nibs and most of all to my Ero. The Ero has a tiny nib comparable in size to the #5 nibs found in Kaweco’s Sport. This nib is very soft and it is almost impossible to use it without spontaneous line variation, as the below writing sample illustrates. This tiny old Ero nib can effortlessly reach the variation of the 146C.

 

 

For comparison, I’ve added a Sailor Pro Gear Slim F at the bottom, which is the most narrow nib I currently have. With no pressure, the 146C is about as wide. The Ero is in the middle - note the difference between the writing and the downstrokes on the right; this pen provides effortless spontaneous variation, which is why I love it so much.

 

Adding it all up, for those wanting to dive into serious calligraphy I’d recommend the 149C over the 146C. The latter’s nib is smaller, stiffer, drier and can’t reach quite as far. For those wanting the ultimate EDC that writes like a dream, is extremely well suited to long sessions, to fast writing, for successfully using various styles and allowing you to verge into calligraphy territory, then the 146C is ideal. Calling the 146C the ultimate Swiss army knife of pens might do it an injustice, but you get the idea. On top of these considerations, of course, things like size and weight come into play which might rule out either or both pens depending on your requirements.

 

I bought the 146C because I’m firmly in the ‘ultimate EDC’ camp. Serious calligraphy is beyond my abilities but I like to dabble with it. More importantly, the 146C fits my hand like a glove, improves my handwriting (which is very important to me because my abilities differ from day to day), is super-enjoyable and will allow me to do anything that I could possibly wish to do within my range of possibilities. 

 

 

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

Excellent write-up, @TheDutchGuy! Thank you very much for sharing your insights.

[TheDutchGuy]

My pleasure, @A Smug Dill! It’s me who should thank you for your tireless and exacting contributions to this forum 👍.

 

Have discovered that the 146C is wonderful for math! The ink is Sailor Shikiori Yonaga, which is very dark, very wet and very lubricating. Gives it a classy, old-school kind of look without the relative monotony of black.

 

 

I’ve now changed to iroshizuku ku-jaku, an ink I’ve thoroughly disliked thus far (like every iroshizuku ink except shin-kai) because of the tendency to spread after the line has been put down. But somehow it seems to get on very well with the 146C and offers beautifully complex shades of green and turquoise.

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[A Smug Dill]

On 2/27/2022 at 12:25 AM, Martty said:

I would be very interested to read other people’s experience with the 146 flex!

 

In another thread in the Montblanc forum here:

My Meisterstück LeGrand (with flexible nib) has no wobble whatsoever. However, after inking it up for testing on Day One, I didn't revisit the pen until Day Four, and the first stroke hard-started (on the stem of a cursive capital D), so that was a bit concerning. So far the issue hasn't reoccurred; but then, the longest I have left the pen unused since was about 60 hours.

 

Considering that my Sailor Profit Black Luster didn't hard start when I uncapped it for the first time in at least 18 months if not 24 months (it was so long that I just can't remember), in spite of the pen not having a Platinum Slip & Seal mechanism or equivalent, I think that is an exemplar or benchmark to which all Japanese and Western pens in the >$500 space ought to deliver, or at least aspire to.

 

In terms of the resin's hand feel, I'd say the Montblanc is on par with the Sailor Profit Black Luster.

[OldTravelingShoe]

8 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

Considering that my Sailor Profit Black Luster didn't hard start when I uncapped it for the first time in at least 18 months if not 24 months (it was so long that I just can't remember), in spite of the pen not having a Platinum Slip & Seal mechanism or equivalent, I think that is an exemplar or benchmark to which all Japanese and Western pens in the >$500 space ought to deliver, or at least aspire to

I like very much to this benchmark!

[Sherlock40]

Hello all!  I recently was able to purchase a new Montblanc 146 Calligraphy pen.  However, the pen hard-starts a lot.  I initially filled it with Pelikan 4001 ink. I then emptied the pen, flushed with distilled water several times until it ran clear, and refilled it with the Montblanc RL Stevenson brown ink.  But the pen still hard-starts.  Here are some pictures of the nib and a writing sample without and with flex.  Any input is appreciated.  

[Karmachanic]

I recall reading here that this issue disappears with use.  Feed related I believe.

[dbs]

6 hours ago, Sherlock40 said:

Hello all!  I recently was able to purchase a new Montblanc 146 Calligraphy pen.  However, the pen hard-starts a lot. 

 

It is a hard start, really hard start with a lot of skips. My 146 flex didn't give me much trouble because the nib is much rigid. my 149 flex is much worse than 146 flex. Both inks you mentioned are dry inks. Most Montblanc inks are hard to start except Elixir series. So the trick part is to find some wet inks.

 

I believe this is written on the instruction manual or Montblanc instruction video I watched somewhere.

[_anonymous_]

I have had mixed results with mine depending on the ink I use.  Currently I have Montblanc Permanent Blue inked in it and it's performing quite well.  Kon Peki does well but Yama Budo doesn't.  Lamy Black not so good.  🤷‍♂️

[Carrau]

Mine behaved similarly when I first purchased it on initial offering a couple of years ago.  As others have mentioned on this and other threads, mine improved with regular use over a couple of weeks, with no tweaking needed.  I stayed with Waterman Serenity Blue during that break-in period, given my familiarity with the performance of that ink in other pens, so I had something to gauge the pen’s performance over time.

[Dankoh69]

Can anyone help to confirm that with the piston fully retracted, there is supposed to be a gap as indicated by the orange arrow?  Thanks.

[dbs]

23 hours ago, Dankoh69 said:

Can anyone help to confirm that with the piston fully retracted, there is supposed to be a gap as indicated by the orange arrow?  Thanks.

 

yes, all non metal barrels/knobs look like this

 

 

[Dankoh69]

Thanks! 

 

Does anyone know why the groove?