MB poll :)

[JRodriguez]

I think they are overpriced - but so are most of the sought after pens when you think about it. I don't own any, but it's largely because none have ever just called out to me as a have to have.

[Allan]

My 146 is the finest writing FP I have (out of about 100) and if it was stolen, run over, burned, whatever there would be a trail of flames from my house to the nearest MB dealer where I would not hesitate, not even for a milisecond, to pay full retail to replace the pen. No other pen in my collection being stolen/whatever would even get me in the car at all, on ebay maybe, but not in the car.

 

Allan

 

PS And if it happened during the night, I would take a vacation day from work to go get the new one the next day!

[Gerry]

My 146 is the finest writing FP I have (out of about 100) and if it was stolen, run over, burned, whatever there would be a trail of flames from my house to the nearest MB dealer where I would not hesitate, not even for a milisecond, to pay full retail to replace the pen. No other pen in my collection being stolen/whatever would even get me in the car at all, on ebay maybe, but not in the car.

 

Allan

 

PS And if it happened during the night, I would take a vacation day from work to go get the new one the next day!

Connect this fella with the PR department of MB without delay, I believe I've just seen the quintessential unsolicited satisfied customer recommendation.

 

I would be delighted if I were able to say that about any of my pens (although there are some I like a lot). Unfortunately, I don't own a Montblanc 146...

 

That's gotta be it!

 

Gerry

[Titivillus]

My 146 is the finest writing FP I have (out of about 100) and if it was stolen, run over, burned, whatever there would be a trail of flames from my house to the nearest MB dealer where I would not hesitate, not even for a milisecond, to pay full retail to replace the pen. No other pen in my collection being stolen/whatever would even get me in the car at all, on ebay maybe, but not in the car.

 

Allan

 

PS And if it happened during the night, I would take a vacation day from work to go get the new one the next day!

Wow,

I've never owned a pen that I would paid full retail for, even once let alone twice!

 

K

Edited February 18, 2006 by Tytyvyllus

[Gatorade]

My 146 is the finest writing FP I have (out of about 100) and if it was stolen, run over, burned, whatever there would be a trail of flames from my house to the nearest MB dealer where I would not hesitate, not even for a milisecond, to pay full retail to replace the pen. No other pen in my collection being stolen/whatever would even get me in the car at all, on ebay maybe, but not in the car.

 

Allan

 

PS And if it happened during the night, I would take a vacation day from work to go get the new one the next day!

I am trying really hard to think of anything I would react this way to.....

[weepstah]

I had both a black and burgundy 146 - did not write well, no precious resin accidents, plus I like more colorful pens.

[chrisb]

My 149 writes amazingly well and has not had any resin issues. Just a leaky piston that got repaired a few months ago.

[Allan]

My 146 is the finest writing FP I have (out of about 100) and if it was stolen, run over, burned, whatever there would be a trail of flames from my house to the nearest MB dealer where I would not hesitate, not even for a milisecond, to pay full retail to replace the pen. No other pen in my collection being stolen/whatever would even get me in the car at all, on ebay maybe, but not in the car.

 

Allan

 

PS And if it happened during the night, I would take a vacation day from work to go get the new one the next day!

Wow,

I've never owned a pen that I would paid full retail for, even once let alone twice!

 

K

I own two pens I bought at full retail. One was the 146 in question because I am one of those people who values experiences very highly, and once, and only once, I wanted the whole "handle my pen with a white glove, wipe the ink off with white cotton rags, guy in a suit calling me sir, MB embossed warranty card, sales rep signature on my warranty card, MB bag" experience. The other was a weird one that I wont discuss. Now I am in such love with this particular 146 that I do not know what I would do without it. It is the pen I grab when the Parker 51 doesnt like the garbage paper and stutters, or when the VP has been sitting too long and refuses to start, or when the Omas Paragon has teed me off for the umpteenth time because it skips on the start of letters, or when my wife hands me a stack of checks to sign and the mail man is just down the street and I have to sign fast and can not have a mistake.

 

As for the boutique I will say that the salesman was very nice every time I went in even though it took three trips of buying nothing to even decide what I wanted. He happily handed me every pen I wanted to see, including some $10,000+ solid white gold thingy that wrote like garbage (ballpoint).

 

The experience was great, and I am glad I did it. We all pay for experiences, for example how many people here have paid to ride rides at an amusement park? Anyone here play a round of golf? How about buy a ticket to a sporting event? In all these cases you have a ticket, a scorecard or a picture for your money. I have a pen. We both have our memories. To each their own.

 

Allan

[saturation]

It is the pen I grab when the Parker 51 doesnt like the garbage paper and stutters, or when the VP has been sitting too long and refuses to start, or when the Omas Paragon has teed me off for the umpteenth time because it skips on the start of letters, or when my wife hands me a stack of checks to sign and the mail man is just down the street and I have to sign fast and can not have a mistake.

 

As for the boutique I will say that the salesman was very nice every time I went in even though it took three trips of buying nothing to even decide what I wanted. He happily handed me every pen I wanted to see, including some $10,000+ solid white gold thingy that wrote like garbage (ballpoint).

 

The experience was great, and I am glad I did it. We all pay for experiences, for example how many people here have paid to ride rides at an amusement park? Anyone here play a round of golf? How about buy a ticket to a sporting event? In all these cases you have a ticket, a scorecard or a picture for your money. I have a pen. We both have our memories. To each their own.

 

Allan

 

Pretty good pen philosophy, more specifically a phenomenology of MB ownership!

 

To find a match that makes one feel 'ah' is special, regardless of object. Its like specializing in a music instrument, it doesn't make the others instruments any less.

 

I feel that way for my Pilot VP, you decribe why I like it so relative to other pens, substitute VP for MB.

 

The VP does dry out if left unused for over 4-5 days, but I use it and fill it literally everyday. The MB however, has a great cap. It stays moist and wet for at least a week.

[Titivillus]

The experience was great, and I am glad I did it. We all pay for experiences, for example how many people here have paid to ride rides at an amusement park? Anyone here play a round of golf? How about buy a ticket to a sporting event? In all these cases you have a ticket, a scorecard or a picture for your money. I have a pen. We both have our memories. To each their own.

Every time I have visited a MB boutique I have either had a disinterested person or one who was looking over my shoulder for another big sale. Never had a single person willing to let me try everything in the store. I had hoped that the ads would translate to exquisite customer service but it fell short. So the one reason that buying a MB might be worth it has never shown it's head to me.

 

 

Kurt H

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I had a wonderful time at the boutique today. I spent an hour talking about pens with the sales associate there, and he let me try anything I wished. I then decided that I want the 145 and 114. Well, next time...

 

Dillon

[PaulK]

Haven't had any difficulties with my 146 (first fountain pen; given to me as a gift from my wife). I find it to be a very reliable writer.

 

As for bad boutique experiences...none to speak of. My "local" dealership is Borsheims in Omaha. Normally a nice selection with a few limited editions hanging about.

I went to the MB store (off of Michigan Ave. in Chicago) early last year and was treated with respect & attentiveness. I personally don't think it's the store that creates the issue. Salespeople are salespeople. Some really enjoy what they do and others...well....they're unhappy wherever they're at.

 

Paul

Edited February 21, 2006 by PaulK

[Betty]

I saw a very good bootleg in Chinatown today. Everything looked like a real Montblanc (even on the bands, it has Montblanc written on it). The only difference you can tell is when you get to the nib, the bootleg says "Iridium Point Made in Germany". This one is a pretty large pen, so I assume it's the famous 149.

[Greg]

Cynical prejudgement here. I have never liked MB pens, I see them rather like BMW cars.

 

Greg - now isolated from most of the forum!

[antoniosz]

Cynical prejudgement here.  I have never liked MB pens, I see them rather like BMW cars. 

Bzzzz, wrong answer

My purpose here was not to "impose" an opinion on MB pens.

We are not supposed to like the same pens. Actually, it is more than OK to snob the snobbery.

What is not OK to form an opinion on the basis of inaccurate facts.

IMHO (and to certain extend according to the non-scientific poll) the "brittleness" of precious resin has been greatly exaggerated

[Kees]

One cheap (!) MB with a cracked (plastic) barrel, due to tension, I think. A very nice pen, and a sad loss.

 

One expensive MB with a cheap filling mechanism that broke twice before it found its place in the (then still small) Cabinet of Errors.

 

On the other hand: I’ve also used a 146 model continuously for several years without any problems...

[Greg]

Apologies. On the other hand I always like to see someone with a fountain pen regardless of its manufacture and admire it regardless of its price.

 

 

Greg

[FrankB]

I own MB(s) that write well and never had a precious resin accident.

 

But I have witnessed two MB precious resin acidents, and heard narratives from three more. All five were dropped from various heights, all five shattered like glass. Hence, I use my MB 146 and 149 exclusively at home. My 146 was pre-owned and has some deep scratches on the end of the barrel where it was posted.

 

I also have three Noblesse FP's from the late 1970's, all of which have differing metal caps and barrels. These pens are not fragile, and I have carried all three of them at one time or another. But they are very thin pens, hence I do not use them for extended writing.

 

All five of my MB's write very well. Both my 149 and 146 have customized stub nibs that I enjoy using very much. I have had no leaks, ink blots or smears.

 

The 149 was given to me as a gift new in the box. All my others were pre-owned. I will not myself pay full retail for a MB as I am among those who disdain MB's pretense. Other than the five I have, I cannot see myself buying any more. I don't care to push my luck with this brand, and there are just too many other good pens available to focus on MB's.

[Sparky]

I have the MB and other cheaper pens. True the MB writes a little better and it is a very nice pen, but I do get somewhat stressed when I have the pen at work. I find myself wondering where I put it etc. so I don't lose it. However, with the cheaper pen that writes well, I'd rather use that because I don't worry about losing it. It is also more understated looking than a MB and therefore it draws less attention, but it is a joy to write with too. So I keep the MB at home and try to use it every night, but I don't think the price defines the enjoyment of the FP experience.

[playpen]

This entire issue about "precious" really makes me laugh..and that's a pretty good thing because I find precious little amusing. What is precious?

 

I must say that I am quite satisfied with the performance of my MB and have been for almost 20 years. It's small and that's one of the things I totally love about it. I hate the larger pens. It writes beautifully and I treasure it, but the "precious" bit has got to go...