Mont Blanc Pen's

[Sweramic]

Originally Posted by Goodwatch

I have a Meisterstück that I bought over 20 years ago but I write with another fountainpen. The other pen is 'the' Fischer Space Pen.

That FP looks like a 149... God it looks sooo nice! I have been looking badly for one, without success. If anyone out there is tired of theirs, send me a PM!

[icnbne]

Not a huge fan of Mont Blanc..
Id rather spend less and buy a Pelican or spend a little more an buy an Omas.
Im not saying their pens are bad, but for the money, better can be had.

[sea-dweller]

I carry a Mont Blanc (and have since the mid-90's) when I make sales calls.

[shandy]

They certainly are a great pen, I just gave mine away to a friend who really loved the look and way it wrote but could not afford one, she loves using it.
As a collector I have to say that there are better made pens out ther for the money but that does not matter, there is something special about Mont Blanc, that is why a 149 is on the way for me

If you want to go a bit left field and get a truly hand made pen though then look to the land of the rising sun!

There is a company in Japan that makes the most exquisit fountain pens, Nakaya.

It takes on average three months to make one of the Urushi pens, they are made of the old fountain pen material, Ebonite (a hard rubber) this is the material that was widely used at the birth of the fountain pen.

The barrels and cap are hand turned by one man on a lathe, the barrels are then sent to be hand lacquerd (The Urushi part) this can take three months or longer to complete, you can go from the very simple clean look like I have to hand painted designes to your specifications, some have fragments of abalone shell pressed into the finish to give the appearence of a starry night!

Each on has it's gold nib hand tuned to your writing style (the order form comes with a very detailed questionare on how you write and use your pens, from this they tune the nib to write specifically for you)

All of this comes at a starting point of $335 for the basic black, though I would highly recommend going for one of the Tamenuri finishes like I have that start at $460. This finish is spectacular and my photos do it not justice at all! In my example the first coat is red, this is then followed by many more coats of black (this lacquer is a natural resin from a tree) over a period of time the black becomes sligthy translucent so as to show the red underneath, it is like looking into a still pool, it really is stunning, the depth and the shine is something to behold. Oh yes, this pen is hands down the best writer I own as well!
Here is a link to their site
http://www.nakaya.org/eindex.html

Here are a couple of picture of my example, this is the Portable writer and is about the same size as a 149.
the pen and the exqusite hand made wooden box it comes in:


The nib in comparison to my MB and waterman:


My old trio (only the Nakaya now remains, I now have two vintage parkers, a vacumatic from 1945 and a duofold from 1928 as well as a conway stewart from 1955, a 149 will soon be joining this stable)

[Bisquitlips]

I guess I deleted some of my photos in Flicker of my slight collection. Hopefully I can get the Agatha back on this post.

[Taffi Abernathy]

While I like my bordeaux Meisterstuck Classique and think it's attractive, for me, it's not a practical writing instrument to use daily. It feels too big for my hands (maybe because I'm a female?) and it also feels heavy (hurts my tendonitis). Nonetheless, although I stick with my Pelikan pen for daily use, I wouldn't be without the M.B.

[2careless]

You may want to try their Mozart or Boheme series. They are designed for smaller hands.

[shandy]

Originally Posted by 2careless

You may want to try their Mozart or Boheme series. They are designed for smaller hands.

Add the Chopin to that list, I had one for six years, a lovely pen and now a female friend of mine who has small hands is loving it!

[2careless]

Part of my collection. The right most is the classique 164 ballpen which was a wedding gift. After using it daily for 15 years I branched out and got the Legrand ballpen 161P (2nd left) and Legrand pencil 167P (3rd left).
Latest purchase is the 2x 100 year historicals in the middle. The fountain pen is an excellent writer!

[rpryan55]

I'm ignoring this thread. I have 5 Montblancs and have moved on to Montegrappa. If I continue down this road, I'll need a new wife to go with my new pen holder.

[Sweramic]

Originally Posted by rpryan55

I'm ignoring this thread. I have 5 Montblancs and have moved on to Montegrappa. If I continue down this road, I'll need a new wife to go with my new pen holder.

What Mont Blancs do you have?

@Bisquitlips: That Agatha Christie set is absolutely stunning!

[Lion]

I have three Mont Blanc pens. One is a stainless steel pen that my father was given back about 20 years ago but do not know the style name or model number. The second one is a Meisterstuck rollerball and my newest one is a Starwalker ballpoint pen which I got for 36% off retail!!!

[Sweramic]

Originally Posted by Lion

I have three Mont Blanc pens. One is a stainless steel pen that my father was given back about 20 years ago but do not know the style name or model number. The second one is a Meisterstuck rollerball and my newest one is a Starwalker ballpoint pen which I got for 36% off retail!!!

Do you prefer rollerball or ballpoint and why? The thing is, I just bought a rollerball :)

[Wink]

I bought a MB fountain pen in the 1980s. The nib is simply not flexible enough for me. I stopped using it several years ago. My favorites are Waterman, Pelikan, and Parker Sonet.

Wink

[Widows Son]

I don't have any MB's, but enjoy my Sailor and Conklin fountain pens.

[Lion]

Originally Posted by Dreambaby

Do you prefer rollerball or ballpoint and why? The thing is, I just bought a rollerball :)

I like the rollerballs better over a ballpoint pen but the discount was to good to pass up. Actually I like to write with a very fine tip(.38mm)which I can find in a throw away gel tip by Pilot(there G-2)!!!

[bodybump]

This is crazy..i bought a refill for my wife's MB...and fricking refill is not working after 3 days...its not writting...seems like it run out of ink...

[ijen0311]

I prefer a nice Uni-ball

[RobAdams]

My MB just fell apart, first the white bit on the top, then the tip fell off, they are way too brittle for normal wera and tear. Any recommendations for a bullet proof 'biro'?

[Lion]

Originally Posted by RobAdams

My MB just fell apart, first the white bit on the top, then the tip fell off, they are way too brittle for normal wera and tear. Any recommendations for a bullet proof 'biro'?

As Jen referenced, buy the cheap throw aways either the rollerballs or gel writers!!!

[Quicksilver]

I have a MB Meisterstuck (the big one - Le Grande) and I love it. It's my second MB - I lost my first one in court when I was a very junior lawyer. I must have been feeling nervous and mislaid the pen with everything else that was going on.

Other great fountain pens to consider are Pelikan, Conway Stewart and Omas.

Watch and pen love ofen go together - not sure why. Perhaps they are both items you can employ to express a bit of individuality.

[Quicksilver]

Originally Posted by RobAdams

My MB just fell apart, first the white bit on the top, then the tip fell off, they are way too brittle for normal wera and tear. Any recommendations for a bullet proof 'biro'?

The Fisher Space Pen that a few have already alluded to. Its a great ball point and the only one I use - its designed for use in Space and is practically indestructable. Great fun to own.

[Widows Son]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

I have a MB Meisterstuck (the big one - Le Grande) and I love it. It's my second MB - I lost my first one in court when I was a very junior lawyer. I must have been feeling nervous and mislaid the pen with everything else that was going on.

Other great fountain pens to consider are Pelikan, Conway Stewart and Omas.

Watch and pen love ofen go together - not sure why. Perhaps they are both items you can employ to express a bit of individuality.

Your client probably stole it!!!!

[Quicksilver]

Originally Posted by Widows Son

Your client probably stole it!!!!

You're probably right

[moby33]

Originally Posted by ijen0311

I prefer a nice Uni-ball

Bite your tongue...next thing you're going to say is, "My Timex tells the time just as well...actually, even better...than a Rolex."

[daveathall]

Originally Posted by RobAdams

My MB just fell apart, first the white bit on the top, then the tip fell off, they are way too brittle for normal wera and tear. Any recommendations for a bullet proof 'biro'?

Surefire, beautifully engineered, built like a tank.

[Mini2]

Im after a MB but are they really worth the money?

[shandy]

Originally Posted by Mini2

Im after a MB but are they really worth the money?

Anything is worth the money if you are willing to pay it! I loved my old MB and will love my new one when it comes, is it the best made pen I have? No. Does it have the highest quality materials? No the standard ranges precious resin is a joke in the pen collecting community, precious resin = plastic and you can get some very fine Pelikans at at least half the price with better build and plastic!

But that misses the point I think, there is something about them that makes you feel good, the nibs are very nice, again I have better nibs on other pens but it is still nice to use

I must say I prefer my hand made Nakaya in all ways over the MB but that does not stop me getting another!

[ijen0311]

Originally Posted by moby33

Bite your tongue...next thing you're going to say is, "My Timex tells the time just as well...actually, even better...than a Rolex."

Yikes!

No really, I could never buy an expensive pen as I'm not very careful with them. I'm sure I would be if I had a nice pen, but it's probably a loss waiting to happen

[moby33]

Originally Posted by ijen0311

Yikes!

No really, I could never buy an expensive pen as I'm not very careful with them. I'm sure I would be if I had a nice pen, but it's probably a loss waiting to happen

Ha, ha...you sound just like me (until I bought my MB). I use to lose pens constantly and was somewhat hesitant to spend any amount of 'real money' on one for that reason...but as you can imagine, the minute you purchase I fine writing instrument, your mental aspect of keeping tabs on your pen instantly changes.

Pens remind me of sunglasses. For years I refused to buy a 'nice pair' because I was constantly losing or breaking my cheap glasses. But after I had Lasik done on my eyes in '99, I decided to bite the bullet and once and for all get some quality glasses. Sure enough, I still use those sun glasses on a daily basis and haven't lost them yet.