Search the Community

Hi, hello, everybody I've decided to come out of lurking to ask for advice about purchasing my first pen, I've selected a few candidates, however I'd like to know if there is anything I may have overlooked. I joined almost a year ago while I was looking for information on the Montblanc Noblesse Oblige and the Chopin, but I decided to sit on it for a little while longer. If there's anybody who would like to help me make the best decision for my lifestyle, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm looking for a pen that I would be happy to grow with, a companion for other tools that I cherish, namely a Leica M2; I'd like a pen that comes close to embodying what the M2 represents to me i.e. a classic design in its simplest form -- perhaps designed to outlast its owner. It's a very early M2, as far as Ms go it is stripped of everything: it lacks a traditional shot count, light meter, self-timer, modern loading system, modern rewind, hot shoe etc. What this means to those who are unacquainted, it is sometimes very difficult love in light of more modern, albeit still archaic, Leica cameras. I'd like to spend $300, however I will extend the budget for the right pen. If it helps, I'm in a somewhat fortunate position to be a university student earning money, whilst still living at home, so I don't pay rent, utilities, or anything other than my own transport and phone bill; being an extra five hundred dollars out of pocket merely means I might not be able to buy nice shoes. I'd also like to add that the M2 was my first film camera, a year later I bought an M6--has an inbuilt meter--from a limited production. It has all the fancy modern additions, but I don't quite like it--it doesn't speak to me and I've considered selling it. I'm currently looking at a gold trimmed midnight blue Noblesse Oblige, it feels like it fits the bill: classic, slender design. However I worry for its longevity and its build quality as I have read that its barrel is made of plastic as it belongs to Montblanc's pseudo-budget line of sorts; I believe it is also priced quite high ($300) for such a pen, as I might be able to buy another Montblanc with the same amount of money.One of the reasons why I do not like the M6 is that it is made of a lighter magnesium alloy, which feels cheap compared to the chromed brass of the M2. I'm the type of person who enjoys fine things at my own pace, this means that I might enjoy the must have thing from the last century and dress like your grandad... I suppose. I've been fixated on the Noblesse Oblige for about a year, and I do not want that to steer me in the wrong direction. Could I have possibly overlooked other pens? Thoughts, and or opinions would be appreciated. I would be eternally grateful if somebody would care to help me out in anyway possible.