Montblanc Friedrich Schiller LE-review

[goodguy]

Montblanc Schiller this is a pen not talked about too much in the Montblanc kingdom.

Until I didn’t start to get close to Writers Edition pens I am less excited about I didn’t even bothered to give this pen a thought or a look.

It really looked so plain to me as if somebody slapped a red cap on a black barrel and said ok let call it the Schiller.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture002-15.jpg

 

After the Proust I told myself, oh well the first WE pen that I will get the chance to buy will be the one I will get. I really didn’t have too much a of a preference, after all I really want all WE pens and I already got the ones I really love.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture004-8.jpg

 

So I got the Dickens. It was paid for and ready to be shipped to me when I find the seller also has the Schiller.

I don’t know why but in an erg I knew I had to have the Schiller. Something about it clicked in my mind.

I became very impatient to get it and suddenly started to see a lot of details I never really notices so far in this pen.

When I saw Bryant’s pictures of the pen I was hammered by the beauty of it.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture011-4.jpg

 

Well I got the pen yesterday and the pen is MIB, I love the feel of a brand new crisp pen. This pen was done a great injustice by me and many others by overlooking it.

I must tell you this pen is GORGEOUS. Those among us that appreciate the classic look of older generation pens will love this one.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture012-5.jpg

 

Everything about this pen is calling retro.

First the red cap and black body. In first look the pen almost look like the cap is made of RHR and the pen of BHR. The cap looks warm and the vibrant red colour is so lively and cheery but not screemish. Wow what a lovely combination, I feel like I want to keep holding this pen in my hand and never let go. The clip is another stunning element that I overlooked in the past. It’s riveted to a ring that is hugging the red cap, such a nice thought was put in this clip and its simply look perfect on this pen.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture013-5.jpg

 

I unscrewed off the cap and to my surprise the pen look ed like the Agatha’s barrel. Its plain black and thank god for the gold ring in the bottom to save me from complete boredom.

Yes this pen is perfect with the cap on but once you take it off this becomes yet another precious resin MB. Thos who love to post the cap on can still enjoy the red/black look of the pen but those (like me) who never post have a very plain black pen to write with (while holding the gorgeous red cap in the other hand).

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture014-3.jpg

 

The pen is much lighter then other WE pens as I think it doesn’t have a brass piston. It feels very comfortable in the hand but still is weighing a bit to the back due to the piston mechanism. Its very simple slightly slender barrel is very comfortable in the hand. No curves ala Masterpiece.

 

Like almost all other WE pens this is a piston filler. It feels to me like it will hold slightly less ink then other bigger WE pens but it still hold a lot of ink. The piston is very smooth to operate and this is one of many reason I love MB and WE pens so much.

 

On the nib there is a nice crossbow etched. I am sure somebody could tell me what that means. In any case it looks nice on it and all you have to do is add a Parker arrow and you are ready to go hunting.

The nib is surprisingly smaller then I expected but after a good look at the whole pen I think the size is perfect as this pen is really not a very big pen.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture015-6.jpg

 

I inked the pen and I felt the nib was very smooth but very dry. I cleaned it and decided to let my pen tech give it a look and then write a review on it. Well I took the pen to work and tried another ink. My Aurora black I have at work worked miracles on my Omas Paragon when it was still giving me hard time and it has improved the ink flow on the pen to a point I fell comfortable enough to write this review. Yes it is still too dry to me but a huge improvement. Sean will get that fixed in a second.

So as I said the fine nib is very smooth even with a dry flow so I am sure fully adjusted this nib will be among one of the best in my pen gang.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture016-5.jpg

 

CONCLUSION

 

The Schiller is a pen that in a very subtle way is very beautiful. There are lots of small details that combined together create a pen that I simply overlooked and now thrilled to have. On the sad part the designer put so much attention to the cap that he forgot the barrel. I think the barrel is missing something and few more subtle details to it could create an even better pen.

As a writer it reminds me the Agatha a lot. If you would put the Agatha or the Schiller barrels in my hand I think for a second I wouldn’t know which is which.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture018-3.jpg

 

The quality pen this pen is superb, it feels so solid and it reminds me of the feel my 149 gives me when I screw the cap on.

Pen is light, balanced holds a nice amount of ink. A pen that is easy to use for long sessions or quick note taking.

I think very fast this will be among my favorite pens and after Sean tweaking it I will have hard time putting it back on display.

So consider it people and don’t miss on a it. Compared to the Agatha or Proust it is less expensive and thus worth getting.

 

And of course Tzuziks thumbs up as always :meow:

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture008-7.jpg

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture006-8.jpg

Edited January 17, 2009 by goodguy

[QM2]

Thanks for the review, Amir!

 

Can you take a photo of the Christie and the Schiller uncapped next to each other for comparison?

I think that would be very interesting to see.

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2009 by QM2

[Diamondback]

Goodguy,

 

Thanks for another insightful review. You asked about the signficance of the crossbow on the nib of the Schiller WE. Friedrich Schiller was a great German dramatic writer and philosopher who wrote, among his body of works, William Tell, the legendary Swiss hero who was a peasant from Bürglen in the Swiss canton of Uri in the 13th and early 14th centuries. Tell defied Austrian authority, was forced to shoot an apple from his son's head with a crossbow, was arrested for threatening the governor's life, saved the same governor's life en route to prison, escaped, and ultimately killed the governor in an ambush. These events supposedly helped spur the people to rise up against Austrian rule and form the Swiss Confederation.

 

Mark

Edited January 17, 2009 by Diamondback

[jbbreau]

Great review of a really nice pen!

Reading about your WEs is really fun.

You sure make us Canadians proud!

[goodguy]

Great review of a really nice pen!

Reading about your WEs is really fun.

You sure make us Canadians proud!

Thank you fir the kind words.

And I say 2 things.

1.WE pens rock

2.Canaiands people are amazing people,I am proud to live in this country

[goodguy]

Thanks for the review, Amir!

 

Can you take a photo of the Christie and the Schiller uncapped next to each other for comparison?

I think that would be very interesting to see.

io that tomorrow after I finish my night shift.

[goodguy]

Goodguy,

 

Thanks for another insightful review. You asked about the signficance of the crossbow on the nib of the Schiller WE. Friedrich Schiller was a great German dramatic writer and philosopher who wrote, among his body of works, William Tell, the legendary Swiss hero who was a peasant from Bürglen in the Swiss canton of Uri in the 13th and early 14th centuries. Tell defied Austrian authority, was forced to shoot an apple from his son's head with a crossbow, was arrested for threatening the governor's life, saved the same governor's life en route to prison, escaped, and ultimately killed the governor in an ambush. These events supposedly helped spur the people to rise up against Austrian rule and form the Swiss Confederation.

 

Mark

Thank you for the information.

I heard a lot about William Tell.

I should read this book once.

[jbbreau]

Great review of a really nice pen!

Reading about your WEs is really fun.

You sure make us Canadians proud!

Thank you fir the kind words.

And I say 2 things.

1.WE pens rock

2.Canaiands people are amazing people,I am proud to live in this country

 

I, for sure, agree with the two things you said.

And I have a feeling these two might not be the only things we have in common.

[Bryant]

Excellent! I hope you can get that bad boy up and running sooner rather than later... Getting close to the goal my friend!

 

[goodguy]

Excellent! I hope you can get that bad boy up and running sooner rather than later... Getting close to the goal my friend!

Indeed few more to go to have the complet WE set.

[girlieg33k]

Thank you for an interesting review! The Schiller is one of the WEs that interests me (in addition to the Wilde, Dumas, and Poe). I have the Dostoevsky, and only seriously considered buying one after reading Richard Binder's review. I like that the Schiller is relatively lightweight (as your review notes). It is indeed subtle and understated (which I happen to like). Thanks again for the review.

 

P.S. Though your MB WEs collection is, no doubt, larger, I believe my cat is bigger...

 

http://girlieg33k.googlepages.com/perils-of-journaling.jpg

 

...and eats pens for breakfast.

[goodguy]

Thank you for an interesting review! The Schiller is one of the WEs that interests me (in addition to the Wilde, Dumas, and Poe). I have the Dostoevsky, and only seriously considered buying one after reading Richard Binder's review. I like that the Schiller is relatively lightweight (as your review notes). It is indeed subtle and understated (which I happen to like). Thanks again for the review.

 

P.S. Though your MB WEs collection is, no doubt, larger, I believe my cat is bigger...

 

http://girlieg33k.googlepages.com/perils-of-journaling.jpg

 

...and eats pens for breakfast.

Oh what a cute kitty.

What his/her name ?

He/she looks young :meow:

[Ghost Plane]

Thank you for an interesting review! The Schiller is one of the WEs that interests me (in addition to the Wilde, Dumas, and Poe). I have the Dostoevsky, and only seriously considered buying one after reading Richard Binder's review. I like that the Schiller is relatively lightweight (as your review notes). It is indeed subtle and understated (which I happen to like). Thanks again for the review.

 

P.S. Though your MB WEs collection is, no doubt, larger, I believe my cat is bigger...

 

http://girlieg33k.googlepages.com/perils-of-journaling.jpg

 

...and eats pens for breakfast.

 

Glad to see you back, sweetie. You've been greatly missed!

[breaker]

very nice review and pics

[noCartridges]

Since the word "amber" is nowhere to be found in this thread, I should point out the cap is made from granulated amber. I remember admiring the cap after being told this in an MB boutique when it was introduced. In other words, the cap has amber fragments suspended in the resin...like Visconti's HS has lava rock in its resin or a quartz kitchen countertop is actually granite fragments bonded together.

[goodguy]

Since the word "amber" is nowhere to be found in this thread, I should point out the cap is made from granulated amber. I remember admiring the cap after being told this in an MB boutique when it was introduced. In other words, the cap has amber fragments suspended in the resin...like Visconti's HS has lava rock in its resin or a quartz kitchen countertop is actually granite fragments bonded together.

Very interesting, I never knew that.

Thank you for adding to my review

[georges zaslavsky]

looks like a nice le. thanks for sharing

[Montblanc owner and lover]

one of my prefered WE

 

what are the phew that you still don't have?