Review Of The Montblanc 149 By A Former Anti-Montblancite

[revdrjaydwright]

1345549046[/url]' post='2440787']

The piston models are generally legit as they're too expensive to manufacture for the average counterfeiter. Ditto for oblique or double broad nibs. The fakers copy the F or M c/c fillers & bung a gilded irridium fake on the business end.

 

Stick to a 146 or 149 until you know what you're doing and factor in the basic service charge in case you have to send it in for an overhaul.

 

This is good to know.

 

 

How much is the basic service charge Ghostplane?

Edited August 21, 2012 by revdrjaydwright

[sirach]

The piston models are generally legit as they're too expensive to manufacture for the average counterfeiter. Ditto for oblique or double broad nibs. The fakers copy the F or M c/c fillers & bung a gilded irridium fake on the business end.

 

Stick to a 146 or 149 until you know what you're doing and factor in the basic service charge in case you have to send it in for an overhaul.

 

This is good to know.

 

 

How much is the basic service charge Ghostplane?

 

A Flat 70$ + 10$ s/h covers everything but the nib. 135$ for the nib. Generally, if you send it in here in the USA, they will replace parts.... I ended with almost a brand new pen. (This is current at time of writing - 21 August 2012)

[Onoto]

The piston models are generally legit as they're too expensive to manufacture for the average counterfeiter. Ditto for oblique or double broad nibs. The fakers copy the F or M c/c fillers & bung a gilded irridium fake on the business end.

 

Stick to a 146 or 149 until you know what you're doing and factor in the basic service charge in case you have to send it in for an overhaul.

 

This is good to know.

 

 

How much is the basic service charge Ghostplane?

 

A Flat 70$ + 10$ s/h covers everything but the nib. 135$ for the nib. Generally, if you send it in here in the USA, they will replace parts.... I ended with almost a brand new pen. (This is current at time of writing - 21 August 2012)

 

:blink: $80?!

 

Presumably there must be some cut off point before they call b.s. and return your pen with an apologetic but firm note

[sirach]

The piston models are generally legit as they're too expensive to manufacture for the average counterfeiter. Ditto for oblique or double broad nibs. The fakers copy the F or M c/c fillers & bung a gilded irridium fake on the business end.

 

Stick to a 146 or 149 until you know what you're doing and factor in the basic service charge in case you have to send it in for an overhaul.

 

This is good to know.

 

 

How much is the basic service charge Ghostplane?

 

A Flat 70$ + 10$ s/h covers everything but the nib. 135$ for the nib. Generally, if you send it in here in the USA, they will replace parts.... I ended with almost a brand new pen. (This is current at time of writing - 21 August 2012)

 

:blink: $80?!

 

Presumably there must be some cut off point before they call b.s. and return your pen with an apologetic but firm note

 

The only two parts on my pen that are original... are the Clip (where the serial number goes) and the Nib. They had to replace the finial... which meant a new cap (new threads?)... which meant a new section for the new cap to screw into... which meant a new barrel.... etc.... 80$

[Onoto]

Now that's what I call customer service! :clap1:

[sirach]

quote name='Onoto' timestamp='1345557291' post='2440886']

Now that's what I call customer service! :clap1:

 

Seriously... it is almost as good as Lamy (where you just pay shipping)

 

Old Pen: Scrachted up, cracked... obvious signs of wear:

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7140/7650344416_f4d6c538fd.jpg

 

 

 

 

New Pen.... sparkly fresh... (no scratches around the ink window either....)

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RH75Tbh1UDc/UCmX0obogyI/AAAAAAAABuM/dUuAteclvFY/s1600/IMG_9065+(1280x576).jpg

Edited August 21, 2012 by sirach

[Onoto]

Brilliant. Not enough people seem to carry this much pride in their products nowadays. Goes to show, the price tag isn't just for the pen.

 

Beautiful pen by the way Sirach, there is something special about the 149, it must be what 99% of people would imagine if someone asked them to visualise an expensive FP.

[sirach]

an update of sorts:

 

Shortly after I got the pen back from getting a cracked repaired, I noticed that it was skipping worse and worse as time went on. I inspected the nib, and it just wasn't sitting right with the feed. I ended up finding the issue:

 

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7952031816_8246d62d72_b.jpg

 

 

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8035/7952031168_4f2ca27cef_b.jpg

 

 

 

The nib was crimped where it goes into the section.

 

I sent it back, fully expecting to have to buy a new nib.

 

I waited for the e-mail that told me I owed 135$ for nib repair... but it never came.

 

6 days after I sent the pen in ( only 4 work days, because of Labor Day) I received a package.... It was my pen, and it still has a 2 tone 14k nib.... but no crimp....

 

They said it was all under warranty. They must have repaired the nib. The only parts listed were Feeder, Feeder case..... but the nib writes better than it ever did before.

 

edit... I tried to fix the pictures from being so big, but I am too tired right now...

Edited September 7, 2012 by sirach

[olivier78860]

The 149 is the exception that confirms the rule... And the only (modern) fountain pen I'd recommend from this brand.

Edited September 7, 2012 by olivier78860

[Montblanc owner and lover]

thanks for the excuse.You see we aren't wrong when we say "those pens are exceptional" now you can enjoy it too

[roofchees9]

I said in other posts before that my Shaw is just too beautiful to use and I need to sell it and get one of these bad boys. Just a really simple and elegant pen.

[penboard.de]

Very nice review,

but let me shed a little doubt about this fully exchange policy.

Already the fact of loosing the perfect ebonite feed might upset some pen enthusiasts.

But now, what about the celluloid 149 pen,sent in to Montblanc via a Hamburg Pen Dealer,

ordered was explicitly just and only a replacement clip. the rest of the pen was in working condition.

and on top, customer ordered a quote before the execution of the repair.

NOW - what came back? a pen like the one seen here - a completely new pen!!!!! OK, cheap - just 68 Euro were billed.

 

BUT the collector lost a 1500 to 2000 Euro pen - a VINTAGE pen. From Celluloid, with silver rings.

 

and both, dealer and Montblanc themselves refuse responsibility!

Not even compromise was offered. simple message that came back: we did not do any wrong, please come to pick YOUR pen.

 

This IS the bad side of this kind of policy. and on top, this IS BAD SERVICE.. especially the way they deal with their mistakes afterwards.

 

Regards

Tom Westerich

[meiers]

Great fun! Thanks.

[wspohn]

MB have always had decent pens at what many consider to be excessively high prices. Your review does nothing to amend that , it just tells the truth about their quality control, which has been unjustly slammed by those who don't like the brand.

[zhuzhukare]

I also love MB149 very much !

[dragon2java]

You indeed have captured my thoughts exactly. I recently purchased a 149 for a great price and love it. For years I had an EF 146 and was not at all impressed (I love B as a general rule) and didn't understand what the fuss was about.... So into a case it went, where it gets used only when I must rely on its ink capacity to get me through long uninterrupted writing sessions, with no fear of running out in the middle of a meeting. But still my opinion was less than stellar.

 

Then a M 149 entered my world.... Phenomenal! Smooth, juicy, huge ink capacity, a little feedback which i like, perfect in my hand, and no fatigue when in use for long writing sessions. I would place it in my top 5 pens.

 

Thank you for putting on paper exactly my feelings, "mea culpa" for my disbelief.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I'd heard things said here like what Tom said. So wouldn't send an old valuable pen to MB.

 

I find both the 149 and 1000 too big for me.

 

As noobie I was at a live auction ...wanting only the 400NN...not the two matching Pelikan BP and MP from 1956 when my pen was made...a rare one...with friction feed that they tried sneaking in that year. Much less the ugly MB.

 

As noobie I believed all that was told to me..about MB buy the bottle and toss the ink...so I took Sepia in I'd never used a brown. Racing green did not get bought. That Ugly-strange standard sized.....MB 234 1/2 Deluxe KOB ('52-55) well the nib was semi-flex....brass piston parts put the pen into the web of my thumb.

 

The ugly pen grew on me...later after I got the Lambrou book, I discovered it was a refined pre-war 139 model with the masterpiece clip for those folks that wanted a 139 instead of the Sheaffer clones...the then medium-large 146 and the giant 149.

 

I've not made a pen survey in a while...but that MB became my #1 pen, the 400NN my number two and I did not sell the Pelikan BP&MP as expected to make some money back....and I defiantly didn't sell that MB.

 

My wife told me my B&M was having a pen sale...did I want an MB......it's amazing how slow women can be getting out the door.

The 146-9 were not on sale...I got a medium-large Virginia Woolf. The nib is only modern springy. Matching the modern 146-9. It is of course butter smooth. One of my three butter smooth pens, a Townsend, 600 and that pretty MB Woolf.

 

I'd bought a '50's-65's 146 in preference with the great nib...would have even have bought a 149 to get a great nib. '66-75 would be second.

 

Got the great nib....I'm not really into bling, and do have more than enough black and gold pens....at a live auction, a dealer who didn't care a dam about a great nib, tried to steal standard size rolled gold 742 (@'51-55). It is heavier than I wanted, it is much blingier than I wanted....but it really has a super 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex nib. That I wanted.

 

Yep, I can remember when MB Racing Green was the most hated ink in the world. That was long before that good poster put up that fine 32 murky green ink thread.

 

Perhaps it's not the pen, but some of the folks that 'have' to have one for pure status reasons, instead of a personality.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Bo Bo Olson

[rishikhanna]

Anti montblancism is either

 

A. Jealousy

B. defence mechanism

C. Denial

D. Ignorance

E. Reverse snobbery

F. Counter culturalism for the sake of it

G. Pseudo expert wannabeism

[Namo]

Anti montblancism is either

A. Jealousy

B. defence mechanism

C. Denial

D. Ignorance

E. Reverse snobbery

F. Counter culturalism for the sake of it

G. Pseudo expert wannabeism

Orjust someone who doesn't want to pay twice the price for a d*** f****** snowflake?

[sirach]

Orjust someone who doesn't want to pay twice the price for a d*** f****** snowflake?

 

Orjust someone who doesn't want to pay twice the price for a d*** f****** snowflake?

 

I was not a big fan of the cost... I'm still not... I wouldn't buy one at full price. I still wouldn't say it's the "bee's knees", but it is pleasant. I think the danger of applying a stereotype to "anti-montblancism" is the same danger as anti-montblancism in the first place... don't judge something till you have given it a chance to prove itself.