how about montblanc fountain pens

[d.marcus]

I was wondering why nobody really mentions montblanc fountain penS. Is it the quality of the nibs are not any good or they are to expensive for what they are? I know they are not a starter fountain pen bu would appreciate any feedback on this topic. PS-Thanks for all the advice on the fountain pens under 50.00 dollars. I really appreciate it

 

 

Dave

[Glenn-SC]

You'll get fewer flames if you dumped a gallon of gas on the floor and struck a match!

 

 

But I personally have tried about half a dozen MB FPs, and only 1 wrote well; they scratched and or skipped. Performance I find completely unacceptable from a pen at that price. Or any pen costing more than say $30.

(BTW, I tried and feel the same about new Conklin and Conway Stewart pen so it's the performance not the name.)

[DrPJM1]

With Montblanc you are buying pocket jewelry. Their nibs are no better than other brands. Their acryllic is brittle and breaks. Kudos to their advertising department with the huge budget. I would rather spend my money elsewhere.

[Onion]

DrPJM1... Now that is what I was looking for in my post!

[HDoug]

I have one MB, a Kafka LE w/medium nib. It writes wonderfully, looks gorgeous, and leaves a blue spot on my index finger. I got it cheap at a silent auction. I wouldn't hesitate getting another one if I had the dollars, but I think Montblanc is kind of like Rolex -- they're so well known as being "expensive" that there is a backlash among many aficionados. Just mho, please don't flame me.

[Michael Wright]

People don't like the market positioning of MB, the company's pretentions, and the motives of some people for buying them. Also, the 144 had a bad patch of being very prone to breakage.

 

OTOH my experience with the nibs has been excellent, and I have a wonderful stub on an MB 12 from the 1960s. A 146 I bought in about 1980 deposits ink on the fingers by some process that defies fixing, but my Partner On Life's Journey is very happy with her recent 146.

 

They are, however, so much there and known in the market that there isn't a lot to be said about the modern ones. (People don't talk a lot about modern Parker Duofolds, either.) However, there is a major aficion for the pre-1960 MBs; nobody sneers at those pens, though most of us don't have the income to collect them.

 

Best

 

Michael

[Chris]

I have a MB 145 Chopin model that I cannot fault; writes perfectly and is a really good fit to my hand. Also, it is very well made and the attention to detail is good . I have heard stories of poor quality with the larger pens, but the 145 has nmerous metal reinforcements in the cap and barrel - it is substantially built imo.

 

It is one of my everyday pens. And yes, non FP people do notice it, but not as much as my silver Cross Townsend though more than my Sheaffer Valiant and other oldies.

 

Would I have paid £216 for the MB? No. But I liked it so much I got three more

 

I confess, I got them all as free gifts from the Eurostar frequent travel programme, but they are good. I chose them above all the other options (including free wine )

 

If they (Eurostar) had not changed the offer to the newer design of MB, I would by now have at least one or two more of the Chopin

 

Now whether you agree with the whole MB philosophy/advertsing thing, that is a personal choice but it does not affect the quality of the product. How MB supports their product is something I cannot comment upon, but others have experiences ranging from the good to the less that adequate.

 

Whether their quality represents value for money is again a subjective matter for you alone. Some say no but lots say yes.

 

Go with your own judgement.

 

Chris

[Nikolaos]

i have a montblanc Boheme, an MB146 Italic, MB146 medium, MB149 fine and the performance in all of them is excellent. The manufacturing quality is also great, the designs are timeless classics.

[Betty]

I saw a skinny MB pen (I think it was a chopin or mozart? It's some music guy's) that I liked because it was black and silver trimmed, my favorite look in pens. And that pen was affordable at the $250 price point rather than $500+. I sort of want it, but probably not in the upcoming quarter or so (unless someone tells me this pen is discontinued )

 

I haven't tested it or held it, so I'm just speaking from looking at it in inside a glass case.

[Slush99]

Well, I like the Montblanc 149. Some of them do write well. I have seen two that did.

[chris burton]

I currently have about eight or ten Montblancs, which range from a safety (1920's) to modern 146's and a 149. They're all great writing instruments.

As for the "brittleness" of their porecious resin, I would challenge someone to drop a 149, a Pelikan 1000, and a Parker Duofold all onto a tile floor and see which survive. I'd wager that none of them would. The MB 144 was poorly designed (too thin) and was indeed prone to breakage, but the 146 and 149 are well constructed pens, and I don't think that they are any more prone to damage than any other comparable pen.

The company's marketing campaign is a whole other conversation, but as far as writing instruments go, I think that they're quite good.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Someone sent me a PM.

 

Ok, I dropped many MB pens with that resin, and none of them broke at all (My own MB pens mind you!! )

 

I must now confess to liking precious resin.

 

Dillon

[TheNobleSavage]

I have an older 149 and I love it. Very durable!!

[Gatorade]

I like them but haven't had much experience with the fountain pens so I can't comment much. I would love to get a few but just can't afford them so I will have to wait. It is funny but there is a post on here where people listed their collection and almost all had a MB in one form or another. 146 and 149 being the most commnon. Anyone who hates their "Bird Splats" just send them straight to me and I will make sure they don't bother you ever again!

[John Cullen]

The 146 and the 149 are great pens. The nibs are exceptionally smooth and tend to run on the broad side. These larger pens are not any more likely to break than any other pen.

 

As others have said, the company and service can be snobby, as are some users, and the price is high, but they are generally good pens.

 

Their is a reverse weird snobbery against MB. j

[Blade Runner]

The 146 and 149 are among my favorites. My pens performed perfectly out of the box and have never required adjustment or service over years of continous service. And I've always loved their clean, classic look.

My latest 146 is a stainless steel solitaire.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/jelb/IMG_3272.jpg

 

Regards,

J

[RichardS]

I have a MB 146 from the early 1970s and it's excellent; nice semi-flex 14kt F nib (the monotone type, not the current one). The gold plate on the clip and band is in excellent shape, despite frequent use. I think 149s and 146s from the 1970s might be worth considering if you can't afford the '60s and earlier models.

 

RichardS

 

PS Nice pen Jeen!

 

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/5530/mb1a5xr.jpg

Edited February 9, 2006 by RichardS

[Blorgy]

I was put off Montblanc partly by reading about the fragility of precious resin, and partly by reading that other pens were better value for money. I prefer pens which are not black.

[Larry T]

I have two MB 146's, a LeGrande and a Solitaire. Both have been excellent pens right out of the box. I haven't dropped my MB pens, but I have dropped caps from two Italian resin pens, and both of them broke. I doubt that MB precious resin is any more fragile than some of the other fine plastics and celluloid materials in use by other pen makers.

 

Larry

[Blorgy]

Frank Dubiel seemed to think that Montblanc plastic was fragile. He wrote that he saw a box full of broken Montblanc 149 pens, for sale at a pen show.