Magna Carta 600 Advice

[nm4]

Tempted by the Mag 600 flex nib fountain pen but reviews consistently document flow issues and lackluster quality (though it seems some of those issues have been improved over time).

 

Can anyone compare the flexibility to a Montblanc 146/149 calligraphy flex nib or a Waterman #5 vintage nib?   Trying to decide if the pen is worth the hassle (sadly can’t find a used one which is my normal approach to this situation).

 

How wide does the line width go and how much pressure is needed to flex the nib?

 

Thanks,

N

[antares1966]

I'm bumping this because I too am interested in anybody's experience with this pen, especially the newer generation which is rumored to be less problematic.

[Mercian]

On 11/17/2025 at 7:04 AM, nm4 said:

Can anyone compare the flexibility to a Montblanc 146/149 calligraphy flex nib or a Waterman #5 vintage nib?

 

I navigated to the (very long) 'Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread' in the Montblanc forum.
From the front page of that thread, I used the search window at the top right to look within the thread for all mentions of "Waterman", and I got back lots of hits.

You may find the following post from that thread useful, but there are others which were found by that search that might be better still:

 

 

You could also try the custom Google search engine that moderator 'watch_art' pinned as the third thread in the 'First Stop' forum:

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=016372583718073050395:1rsitsemrpo

 

I would try the search string "montblanc calligraphy nib waterman compare", but other strings might return better results for you.

 

Slàinte,
M.

[nm4]

Thank you so much.  I have both Waterman and MB 149 flex nibs...I just wasn't sure how the Magna Carta 600 compared.   Succumbing to my fountain pen addiction yet again I have ordered one...Antares I will post an update but may be a few months before the pen arrives.

 

N

[Karmachanic]

WARNING - Thread/pen drift.  Scribo Piuma Flex 14k EF is reputed, by some, to match/exceed the flex of the MB variant.

[SpencerianDream]

Haven’t tried the MB but I can say, sample size of 1, that while my Mag600 is decidedly flexier than any of my vintage Waterman and other flex nibs -a true Wet Noodle, as it were- I cannot recommend it because it doesn’t actually work. 
 

Mine arrived with a cap band loose from the dealer. It initially laid down so much ink that it was impractical, maybe ok for illustrating a poster but not writing on any paper I know of. Most recently I decided to give it another try (with a more dry ink) and now it doesn’t feed at all. 
 

If it’s that sensitive to ink I guess it’s theoretically possible that there’s a sweet spot somewhere in the middle, but I doubt it. Nice idea but I’ll be sending mine to a nibmeister and/or selling it. 

[Geert Jan]

I found the feed on both my Mag600 and Mag650 needed to be heat-set in order to tame the flow. Still needs a drier ink to work well, but I have at least one of the two pens inked up at any time. I really enjoy both pens.

 

[Baka1969]

I have the Mag 600. It takes only a light touch to get flex. The pen is a diva. It takes work and practice to get it writing well. It doesn't like writing fast. If you are careful and write slowly you can get very nice line variation. Once you know its limitations and how much you can and cannot flex the nib you can enjoy writing with it. 

[antares1966]

Useful feedback, thanks!   I’m still very much on the fence.  I’d be using a nib like that mainly for addressing holiday cards and personal correspondence, and I’m not sure I can justify the price tag for something that would be used so infrequently unless it was really something special.  As it is I have a “Parson’s Essential” broad cursive italic from the now defunct Mr. Pen/Italix in UK.  It does a good job for what it is.

[Baka1969]

10 hours ago, antares1966 said:

Useful feedback, thanks!   I’m still very much on the fence.  I’d be using a nib like that mainly for addressing holiday cards and personal correspondence, and I’m not sure I can justify the price tag for something that would be used so infrequently unless it was really something special.  As it is I have a “Parson’s Essential” broad cursive italic from the now defunct Mr. Pen/Italix in UK.  It does a good job for what it is.

 

I have several stub nibs. Which I mostly like. I also have a few flex nibs. The Mag 600 is by far, the most flexible. The Mag 600 is not a daily pen and takes care to use. My other flex and stub nibs could be used for daily writing. 

 

That being said, the Mag 600 adds a lot of character to writing. This is great for addressing envelopes. If you're careful it could be used for signatures. 

 

I eye dropper it and the Magna Carta holds a ton of ink. It needs it as it's a fire hose. 

 

If you have the budget for it then get the pen. If you need to be pragmatic with your spending (then you're in the wrong hobby) then buy a more versatile pen. 

 

Part of the reason I am in this hobby is because of the vast variety that's out there. Practically a pen for every scenario. That means I have pens I use rarely and for specific needs or occasions. That's a portion of the fun for me. 

[Greg66]

To resurrect this: any views on how the Mag 600 compares to the Pro Flex (aka Zebra G) sold by Tom’s Studio?

 

I’m a big fan of the latter more because it provides a nice level of feedback and friction (until a tip snaps!) and produces a beautifully thin writing line with light pressure. By contrast the other Tom’s flex nibs don’t work for me as they don’t have the feedback, aren’t as super fine, and don’t flex as well. 
 

Interested to hear how the Mag 600 compares to a Zebra G, really. 
 

ETA: I have a MB 149 Calligraphy which I love writing with. But it really chucks out the ink, so it’s never that fine, but it does have a good range of stroke width from where it starts to where it can get to. Nice feedback and friction too, which IME is unusual for a MB nib out of the box. The Zebra G though writes considerably finer and to begin with feels like you’re writing with a needle. 

[nm4]

I’d love to give you an update but after >100 days I’m still waiting on my Mag 600:  At this rate I think the preorder will never be fulfilled lol.

N