1979 Montblanc Meisterstück 149

[georges zaslavsky]

Hi

 

A Vintage 1979 Meisterstück 149 review. But let's start by the beginning. I was wanting a 149 for a very longtime. When I went to St Germain in December, there was a pawnshop who was selling one but with a broken piston. I went to this shop and asked the shop owner to see the pen. The nib was perfect and the cap besides some minor scratches was in very good condition. I asked the price and she said me 100€, so I didn't think twice and I baught it. I then sent it for repair to Montblanc France who charged me only 50€ for the repair. When the pen arrived I immediately tested it and I was very enthusiasmed. Since then the 149 is one of my favorite if no my favorite fat pen. Now a review about the pen itself.

 

Apparence/Finish:

The 149 is a sober pen but it imposes itself by its size. That pen has a strenght of character. Some people who here dislike Montblanc and who say that the caps break like glass have all wrong, the cap fell on the floor two times and it never broke nor shattered. Montblanc resin used in vintage models from the 60-80's is perhaps not celluloid but it is enough solid to resist to shocks.

 

Size/Weight:

It is a big and bulky pen but yet very comfortable to write with. It is a large pen by any means. With 17 mm of diameter you are in the oversize category, only the namiki and the oldwin supergiant are bigger (19mm of diameter). About the weight, it is not too light and not too heavy, it is a perfectly balanced pen.

 

Filling system:

The piston filling system which works like a Rolex and needs no effort. It is really a pleasure to use it.

 

Nib/Performance:

This is where Montblanc shines. I hear a lot of people saying that Montblanc makes some great and other some very bad nibs. This 28 years old example has a fine semiflex nib with the tines perfectly adjusted and polished.The semi flex nib writes very good on the paper.

 

Conclusion:

For the price I paid, the 149 was more than a bargain. Vintage 149s from the 60-80's have a charm and shouldn't be neglected or considerated as inferior to their modern versions. It is a high quality pen with a strenght of character and with a sober design.

Edited February 25, 2007 by georges zaslavsky

[johnr55]

Sounds like you got a pen that satisfies you at a price that's a bargain. What more can any of us ask?

 

Thanks for the review, Georges, and the story.

[Ray]

I love it when a pen has a story.

 

Ray

[gene]

i agree to his common on the nibs. i had 4 MB 149 from 90s, 80s, 70s and early 60s or late 50s. In my very own experience i can tell the difference in them. the on from the 70s with a 14C nib is softer than the modern ones, and it is slightly lighter because of the plastic piston. if i had to choose one, the one from the 70s will be the winner.

[FrankB]

Thanks for the review, Georges.

 

I like the story of the pen. I just do not have any pen stores in my area, and it is highly unlikely anythking of this sort would appear in a pawn shop here, so the chances of my having an opportunity like this are nil.

 

I have two 146's, one new and one an older model. I can tell the diference between the nibs. My 149 is a newer model, so I am also hoping for an older 149 sometime. Your review has rekindled my goal to acquire one. Thanks.

 

I hope you continue to enjoy the pen.

[meanwhile]

Very nice buy! A lot of people say that you shouldn't be an MB from later than the 80's as that's when they switched to the fracture prone "previous resin". I'd say you have one of the finest 149's possible (not *the* finest only because I saw an amazing green celluloid special sold on ebay once: my brain has numbed out the price).

[ballboy]

I bought a 1979 149 based on Geroges's reviews of his pens.