What Pen do you pick ?

[Bo Bo Olson]

I ended up with lots of flagships that were not solid silver or gold...the run of the mill flagships, and at affordable prices in I was often a bottom feeder and outside of one live auction batch, never went above €150 for a pen***...after I stopped being a bottom feeder.

 

Vintage and semi-vintage flagships have great balance...posted...or no one would have bought them.

 

*** I only need three more pens...flagshipy ones...sea green 400, '30's full Pelikan tortoise....hum I wonder what that third one was?...

[langere]

For me, it's easy.  I am a big fan of the Aurora 88.  It is a plain black pen, but oh, does it write just the way I like it!  It is also perfectly balanced.

 

I have other pens that are neither flagships nor in production now that I enjoy just as much, but the Aurora, given your criteria, fits the bill.

 

Erick

[Runnin_Ute]

Generally I am not much for so called "flagship" pens. Only one modern pen that I would classify as such: Lamy 2000. 

 

I like it, but don't love it. Never really figured out why. I got it for a good price during a Black Friday sale, and was glad I didn't have to pay full retail which would have been about double what I paid.

 

I have other pens from other manufacturers that are either entry level from that company or mid level and like those better than the 2000. 

 

My only other pens that might be called flagship pens are also vintage.  The Parker 51 and possibly the Pelikan 400NN. 

[Misfit]

The Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age is my favorite pen. It’s in my avatar. Yet I think it would violate the OP’s criteria. Mine has the Dreamtouch palladium nib. Now they have gold nibs. I think having the lava from Mount Etna should not be disqualifying as precious resin seems to be welcome. The looks of a pen can drive some of us to buy them. 

[deuter]

56 minutes ago, Misfit said:

The Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age is my favorite pen. It’s in my avatar. Yet I think it would violate the OP’s criteria. Mine has the Dreamtouch palladium nib. Now they have gold nibs. I think having the lava from Mount Etna should not be disqualifying as precious resin seems to be welcome. The looks of a pen can drive some of us to buy them. 

I'am always intrigued by those that seem to like it and trust me there are a few of your kind.

Even my local Pen Shop suggest that's their most popular pen by a strong margin.

Keen to know what you like about it, for me the look (don't mean to be rude) is very offputting.

If I knew nothing about fountain pen brands and models I would say its a 50-100 dollar pen just by looking at its experior.

 

[Misfit]

Well, I knew I shouldn’t have posted, since it didn’t meet your criteria. I think, though, that price range you gave is rather low. It’s clear you don’t like the pen, and that’s fine. 
 

Why don’t you give your choice that meet your criteria?

 

Oh, and just an observation, calling someone a “few of your kind” isn’t exactly friendly. 

[Lam1]

8 hours ago, Misfit said:

Well, I knew I shouldn’t have posted, since it didn’t meet your criteria. I think, though, that price range you gave is rather low. It’s clear you don’t like the pen, and that’s fine. 
 

Why don’t you give your choice that meet your criteria?

 

Oh, and just an observation, calling someone a “few of your kind” isn’t exactly friendly. 

 

I've read it to mean that there are "many" that like the HS...

 

Count me among those that like the HS, I've had one with the palladium nib and I loved the pen (minus the trouble to uncap it). It fits very well in the hand, the feel of the lava infused resin is unique and the palladium nib was superb. So, why don't I still have it? Because my son adored the pen and I gave it to him, the absolute only way I would not keep it. I planned to get another one later, but they changed the nibs to gold...

 

As for stores in Europe to buy MB, I've had very good service with Fritz Schimpf and P.W. Akkerman in the Hague.

[Lam1]

16 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Honestly, it's because of the way the OP worded the criteria.  

It's not a case of "What pen would you recommend?"  It's a case of "Here is my (rather narrow) set of criteria" with no wiggle room.  Because honestly?  Most of my pens ARE vintage, and very few of them are "flagship models" -- and the ones that *are* "flagship models are the Parker 51s which ARE vintage.  And the Plum Demi 51 Aero?  They'll have to pry THAT pen from my cold dead fingers....  Unless of course I somehow ever manage to luck into a full size Plummer that doesn't cost me an arm and a leg and the other arm....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

It is interesting that I didn't have much trouble getting a full size P51 Plum: I've had three (all found at very reasonable prices, or even bargain) and kept a set in box. The Aerometric color that gave me the most trouble was Cocoa, there was a time in which they were commanding high prices (I don't know now, since I have plenty of P51 and don't hunt them anymore), and it took me several years to get a full size at a decent price. The second hardest was midnight blue.

[Claes]

g'day @deuter

If you are interested in MB, why buy from Europe?

There are more than one precious Montblanc Boutique in Australia.

 

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

To start with I always say chase the nib.

Balance is something old pens had that many new large pens lack.The only large pen I know of with great balance I know of if the thin Snorkel. the P-45 has good balance. Both are nimble.
The large 146 is stately and not nimble unless one compares it to a clunky 800...have three. W.Germany 800 early,,(the bit more springy regular flex nibs) 200's 805 and a '94 915 Hunter Toledo....an ill balanced pen to to the silver overlay.....but LE's don't count as flagships.. 
I do find the large 146 to greatly lack the balance of the medium-large '48-60 146.
...................while in Germany............

Knoblauch in Heidelberg on Plock Strasse, has a nice MB corner where I go each time I visit my B&M, and  in the corner....but I buy old flagship pens for much less.

....................................

I do have a @ '90 149 (unused by me...too large) , three 146's, two large modern '70-now, ones...those in springy regular flex  and a grand perfectly balanced medium-large '48--60 with a maxi-semi-flex that was restored from a beater missing cap lips to this by Francis.

Seeing the OP was more interested in MB... I have 2xx pens that are much better nibwise than modern...'70-now. 1970 is when MB went away from semi/maxi-semi-flex to nice springy regular flex nibs....having only a 2006 Virginia Woolf don't know when MB if it did go away from springy nibs....there is one LE with a superiority springy...perhaps semi flex nib....a calligraphy?? nib.

 

I do suggest looking for '50-70 149-146 medium-large('48-60) or even 144's or

pens with semi-flex or maxi-semi-flex nibs...that modern 1970=now are lacking a nib worth crossing the street for.

 

And yes one has to go Ebay or live auctions for semi-flex.

 

I'm not going to show all the nice little second tier and one third tier MB's with fantastic nibs that are not flagship...146-9...In I don't chase MB...only have 8-10.

The only the modern @1990 ones I have a 149 and two 146's didn't have nibs worth walking across the street for.

I had and have '50-60's second and third tier MB's with very nice semi-flex nibs.

 

Then again, I do like semi-flex nibs of vintage German pens....having  who knows...50-60 of them in different brands. Geha, Osmia, Pelikan, MB.

I have  a rolled gold 744 MB...if 14K gold $6,500 or so.

Rolled gold €350 or so.

It has a grand nib...the only one I have that is exactly between semi-flex and maxi, which mostly clump together.

I couldn't let a dealer get that nib...The standard sized pen is rolled gold over brass, so a very heavy standard sized pen. Telescope piston...that had to be repaired in it was frozen unused, and re-corked in it was 60 years of more old.

 

if big is better ... there is always Mountgrappa  expensive pens with it's very own teak temple. One does have to hire a shapely secretary to carry it on a silk pillow

 

[deuter]

6 hours ago, Lam1 said:

 

I've read it to mean that there are "many" that like the HS...

 

Count me among those that like the HS, I've had one with the palladium nib and I loved the pen (minus the trouble to uncap it). It fits very well in the hand, the feel of the lava infused resin is unique and the palladium nib was superb. So, why don't I still have it? Because my son adored the pen and I gave it to him, the absolute only way I would not keep it. I planned to get another one later, but they changed the nibs to gold...

 

As for stores in Europe to buy MB, I've had very good service with Fritz Schimpf and P.W. Akkerman in the Hague.

Thanks for listing the EU stores. Current pricing is same as in Australia.

[inkstainedruth]

On 5/13/2024 at 10:34 AM, Lam1 said:

 

It is interesting that I didn't have much trouble getting a full size P51 Plum: I've had three (all found at very reasonable prices, or even bargain) and kept a set in box. The Aerometric color that gave me the most trouble was Cocoa, there was a time in which they were commanding high prices (I don't know now, since I have plenty of P51 and don't hunt them anymore), and it took me several years to get a full size at a decent price. The second hardest was midnight blue.

Cocoa is not a color I've liked.  And the one I saw in the wild had a huge crack in the barrel.  OTOH, I don't tend to do the Pokemon "Gotta get'em all thing".  I get the ones I like, and don't bother with the ones I don't like.  

I have one Midnight Blue Aero, but had to check my inventory notes on that, because I couldn't remember one way or the other.  OTOH, I have TWO Cedar Blue 51 Vacs, because the price before repairs was just too good to pass up.  And the one with the EF nib?  That's the pen that gets inked up when I need to do a bunch of research and know I'm going to be taking copious amounts of notes.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sandy101]

The Lamy 2000 fits.

 

The Platinum 3776 fits.

 

The Waterman Carene fits.

 

The Cross Peerless fits.

 

If I had to choose 1, I'd go for the 3776 with a broad nib.

 

It's easier than maintain, the slip & seal system works and their nibs are nice. The broad groves a smoother writing experience too.

 

 

[SoulSamurai]

My favourite pen is still the Sheaffer Imperial (the 440 to b precise). Not sure if it counts a "flagship" model; that would probably be the PFM and later Legacy? Gorgeous inlaid nib, smooth stepless body, slip cap, compatible with Standard International cartridges.

[penwarrior32]

On 5/13/2024 at 10:12 AM, Misfit said:

The Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age is my favorite pen. It’s in my avatar. Yet I think it would violate the OP’s criteria. Mine has the Dreamtouch palladium nib. Now they have gold nibs. I think having the lava from Mount Etna should not be disqualifying as precious resin seems to be welcome. The looks of a pen can drive some of us to buy them. 

One of my Grail pen alongside MB 149 and KOP.