MB Pope Julius II 888 Edition

[yachtsilverswan]

Don't relax too soon, sweetie. The Persian Diversion hasn't put a ring on my finger - yet.

 

From you dear lady, I might run just a bit slower - just a bit.

[Brian]

A great review. Thanks for the journey into the details.

[yachtsilverswan]

A great review. Thanks for the journey into the details.

 

Afternoon Brian - thanks for taking time to read through my little tome - and thanks for leaving a comment.

 

Like you, I really like the Montblanc broad and BB nibs. As you posted, their ovoid shape gives them just a little stubbish line width variation, and the Montblanc smoothness is just amazing.

 

Even before Nibmeister Binder reground this PJ 888 to a wonderful broad cursive italic, the factory broad nib was still expressive and had a lot of visual texture.

[AKAGodSent]

Hi Ray,

 

Great review, I love the time and devotion you put into the back history of your pens and your reviews for them. A great pen, something I can only dream about today . And thanks to your advice and help, Richard has 3 of my pens in line for regrinding to Cursive Italics.

[yachtsilverswan]

Hi Ray,

 

Great review, I love the time and devotion you put into the back history of your pens and your reviews for them. A great pen, something I can only dream about today . And thanks to your advice and help, Richard has 3 of my pens in line for regrinding to Cursive Italics.

 

Evening Yan -

 

What a pleasure to hear from you.

 

I just love the history and symbolism backing up the design of these LE pens. Gives me a full shelf of stories when someone asks about the pen I pull from my shirt placket or coat pocket.

 

I really like what the fabled Nibmeister's Cursive Italics do to my overly average handwriting - lots of visual texture and line width variation. The good Mr. Binder makes me look much better than I really am. I like that. Tragically, the organizers of this year's Atlanta Pen Show booked the same weekend as the Long Island Pen Show, and Mr. Binder, et al are choosing the New York show over us southern boys. **sigh** So I have a small group of naked nibs that were looking forward to their own CI transformation at the Atlanta show. I suppose I shall be making a road trip this year to Raleigh or Miami (Miami in July?!)

 

Thanks for taking time to read my review. I appreciate your comment - it's always nice to have a nod from the cognoscenti.

 

Take care Yan. Study hard, play hard, and keep in touch.

[AKAGodSent]

Hi Ray,

 

Great review, I love the time and devotion you put into the back history of your pens and your reviews for them. A great pen, something I can only dream about today . And thanks to your advice and help, Richard has 3 of my pens in line for regrinding to Cursive Italics.

 

Evening Yan -

 

What a pleasure to hear from you.

 

I just love the history and symbolism backing up the design of these LE pens. Gives me a full shelf of stories when someone asks about the pen I pull from my shirt placket or coat pocket.

 

I really like what the fabled Nibmeister's Cursive Italics do to my overly average handwriting - lots of visual texture and line width variation. The good Mr. Binder makes me look much better than I really am. I like that. Tragically, the organizers of this year's Atlanta Pen Show booked the same weekend as the Long Island Pen Show, and Mr. Binder, et al are choosing the New York show over us southern boys. **sigh** So I have a small group of naked nibs that were looking forward to their own CI transformation at the Atlanta show. I suppose I shall be making a road trip this year to Raleigh or Miami (Miami in July?!)

 

Thanks for taking time to read my review. I appreciate your comment - it's always nice to have a nod from the cognoscenti.

 

Take care Yan. Study hard, play hard, and keep in touch.

 

And always a pleasure to hear from you . Sadly, or maybe not so sadly, I'm back in Arizona, so I'll miss this years show in New York. Which pens do you have that you'd like Richard to work on? I thought all the pens you had were in your signature, and it seems they've already been worked on.

 

[yachtsilverswan]

... Sadly, or maybe not so sadly, I'm back in Arizona, so I'll miss this years show in New York. Which pens do you have that you'd like Richard to work on? I thought all the pens you had were in your signature, and it seems they've already been worked on.

 

FPN's signature file has a maximum characters cap, so the pens I list there are my most used, fully tuned pens.

 

Waiting their turn at Richard Binder's workbench are:

 

Sheaffer Valor (love the look of the inlaid nib)

 

MB 147 Traveler (my second fountain pen - twenty-five years old)

 

MB Starwalker in rubber and platinum (such a great look, and such great tactile texture) with a factory broad nib

 

Waterman Edson Black Diamond (the stock round broad nib was used in my review handwriting sample to show the difference between a Cursive Italic and a stock round nib)

 

Visconti Divina Proporzione (I recently bought another copy of this pen in Broad from our FPN Member and Visconti dealer Bryant, because the line was being closed out, and because I use my other two so often)

 

And I really want to find a 75th Anniversary 149 (the version with Rose Gold trim and a Mother of Pearl Star) so I can have the nib exchanged for a Broad and then have the Broad nib reground to a Cursive Italic. I missed a NOS that was recently sold by Bittner. Any sellers out there?

 

So I'm guessing I'll do a road trip to Raleigh this summer to get some bench time with the fabled Nibmeister.

 

Haudquaquam sorbeum.

Edited January 17, 2009 by yachtsilverswan

[ntheo]

Wow...

 

$6,700 not including tax for a pen..

 

That pen would cover about 2/3 of my yearly college expenses....

 

 

 

No offense or anything but this is splurging to the max...It is beautiful but the cost still doesn't justify buying IMHO but a very nice and detailed review.

 

 

Edited January 17, 2009 by ntheo

[hollyuk]

Don't worry - I was only joking. I am a happily married middle aged lady! No need for the running shoes!!! My other half has lots of toys too - pens, guns, yacht, tons of sports gear - all the usual stuff!!!!

 

Enjoy the pen! It's a beauty!

 

Sounds like your hubby is a lucky guy Holly. A loving partner who understands and indulges a guy's need for toys - good on you.

 

(takes off running shoes, wipes sweat from brow - dodged another bullet)

 

Of course he is lucky - he has me! He has to share his toys though!!

 

[yachtsilverswan]

Wow...

 

$6,700 not including tax for a pen..

 

That pen would cover about 2/3 of my yearly college expenses....

 

 

No offense or anything but this is splurging to the max...It is beautiful but the cost still doesn't justify buying IMHO.

 

Hey Theo - thanks for taking time to read through my review.

 

Yeah, it's an expensive pen. Fortunately I am not paying anyone's college expenses, though I do enjoy supporting a few local charities that do great work. It's not a pen I could have afforded as a student, and not something I could have afforded in the early years of my career.

 

Our world is a better, richer, more diverse place because of talented artists, craftsmen, artisans who create objects that go beyond function. Without patrons who buy and enjoy their art, those artists' careers would not survive. And without art, our culture would be more bland, more gray, more somber, and more boring.

 

I support the work of talented artists whose work I enjoy because it enriches my life, and because my patronage makes their continued work possible.

 

But don't fret, if I had a son in college, I would pay his bills first (and second, and third).

 

 

 

[rogerb]

Thank you, Ray.

A very interesting review of a stunning pen ..... I am not normally attracted to such opulence, but MB do seem to have got it 'just right' this time, and if I had the disposable income, I might well have been tempted.

 

I also appreciate your very gracious responses to the comments

 

I am hoping to go to Raleigh .... maybe I'll spot your stylish presence!

[yachtsilverswan]

Thank you, Ray.

A very interesting review of a stunning pen ..... I am not normally attracted to such opulence, but MB do seem to have got it 'just right' this time, and if I had the disposable income, I might well have been tempted.

 

I also appreciate your very gracious responses to the comments

 

I am hoping to go to Raleigh .... maybe I'll spot your stylish presence!

 

Thanks Roger, I appreciate your experienced eye.

 

Hope to see you in Raleigh this summer.

 

I'll be the guy with a small campsite just in front of Richard Binder's workbench.

 

[Ghost Plane]

With the running shoes tucked neatly underneath.

[AKAGodSent]

FPN's signature file has a maximum characters cap, so the pens I list there are my most used, fully tuned pens.

 

Waiting their turn at Richard Binder's workbench are:

 

Sheaffer Valor (love the look of the inlaid nib)

 

MB 147 Traveler (my second fountain pen - twenty-five years old)

 

MB Starwalker in rubber and platinum (such a great look, and such great tactile texture) with a factory broad nib

 

Waterman Edson Black Diamond (the stock round broad nib was used in my review handwriting sample to show the difference between a Cursive Italic and a stock round nib)

 

Visconti Divina Proporzione (I recently bought another copy of this pen in Broad from our FPN Member and Visconti dealer Bryant, because the line was being closed out, and because I use my other two so often)

 

And I really want to find a 75th Anniversary 149 (the version with Rose Gold trim and a Mother of Pearl Star) so I can have the nib exchanged for a Broad and then have the Broad nib reground to a Cursive Italic. I missed a NOS that was recently sold by Bittner. Any sellers out there?

 

So I'm guessing I'll do a road trip to Raleigh this summer to get some bench time with the fabled Nibmeister.

 

Haudquaquam sorbeum.

 

 

Ray,

 

Good luck . Very nice line up of pens, I have a Starwalker rollerball, for some reason the FP didn't appeal to me. Do you have any future purchases in mind?

[djrsf42]

That review was one of the most incredible reviews I've ever read on the fpn. Awesome! Congrats on the pen! I look forward to your next review. -Again, awesome thank you!

[yachtsilverswan]

That review was one of the most incredible reviews I've ever read on the fpn. Awesome! Congrats on the pen! I look forward to your next review. -Again, awesome thank you!

 

Thanks, I'm pleased you enjoyed reading my little tome. I really enjoy the backstories of these pens - particularly the symbolism of their design elements.

 

Thanks for taking time to leave a comment.

 

[katfisch]

Don't worry - I was only joking. I am a happily married middle aged lady! No need for the running shoes!!! My other half has lots of toys too - pens, guns, yacht tons of sports gear - all the usual stuff!!!!

 

I was happy with my Lamy Joy 1.1, but suddenly, I'm feeling seriously underprivileged.

No where the heck is my usual yacht??

(...I thought I'd left it around here somewhere...)...

:ltcapd:

[montblancdude]

Amazing! Beautiful! Superlative! Glad to hear you use this pen a lot! I think I'd be afraid to...

 

Congratulations and thanks for the review/tour!

[Brian]

Hmmmm, this review is so good that I have to post again. It is masterful and replete with history and design analysis worthy of an 888. This is really a very beautiful pen and I am glad you enjoy using it. I wonder, how many 888s are out there that never get used only offering themselves as periodic eye candy.

 

 

Edited July 13, 2009 by Brian

[Pen2009]

Wow...

 

$6,700 not including tax for a pen..

There is no question this is a very beautiful pen. But at the price like that, the pen should get canonized (or whatever it is called to make a pen a "saint-y" pen, provided such a term exists :roflmho: ) by the Vatican authority or the current Pope himself before it is delivered to the customer or collector.

Edited July 15, 2009 by Pen2009