Tribute To Mont Blanc Le Grand

[Vlad Soare]

Hello,

 

Although I had just bought a new Parker Premier, which is a great pen and was supposed to be my main writing instrument for at least the next couple of years, I just couldn't resist. I had been dreaming about a Montblanc for some time, and finding a Tribute to Mont Blanc Le Grand in an online shop that ships to Romania was the last drop - I just couldn't help buying it.

 

It's a piston pen. So far I've only used cartridge/converter fountain pens. I was attracted by the idea of having a piston filler incorporated into the pen itself, as it seemed more elegant to me than messing with cartridges. But I've never owned one, and there are a couple of things I'd like to know about it (I know, I know, I should have asked before ordering it, not after, but now it's too late for that ).

 

First, how about reliability? A converter can be simply thrown away and replaced with a new one when it goes bad, but that may not be an option when the piston is part of the pen itself. Are these pistons reliable enough to last for a long time? What happens when they finally go bad? Can they be replaced by a qualified Montblanc repairer, or is it game over for the entire pen?

 

Second, how do you know how much ink you have in the reservoir? Is there a way of knowing when you're about to run out of ink, or do you just wait for it to stop writing? Or, when filling it up, do you know when it's filled completely, or do you just turn the knob blindly and hope for the best?

 

Third, is there anything in particular that I should know about this pen? Anything I should be aware of?

 

Thank you.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Vlad Soare

[Michigan]

My MB's piston is now corroded--slight pitting on the externals. It took 16 years to get that way. I believe it was caused by the water used to flush between inks. It now takes minimally more force to unscrew than when new.

 

I am very confident MB will replace the piston when I ask them to do so.

 

I am much more worried about losing my pen than wearing it out--I've put terrible dents in the silver barrel and split apart the nib tines in the past. MB fixed it.

 

Good luck on the new pen.

[MBFan]

The pistons, in my experience, can last for decades. If they break down, they can be repaired by sending the pen off to Montblanc in Hamburg, and they'll fix it, and any other issues, for a flat fee (£60). However, this is unlikely to happen any time soon as long as you take care (e.g don't store with ink for extended periods, be aware of corrosive inks etc.) When you gain some experience, you can maintain your piston yourself, all you need is a tool. I've found it to be very rewarding.

 

I don't know exact capacity details, but if you've been happy with a c/c, then the capacity will knock you down All you do is twist the blind cap gently, until you see the piston pass the ink view window, then dip the nib into your ink of choice, and then twist the blind cap, nib submerged, until it is closed. You can get an idea of how much ink you have by viewing the small window below the threads. The blind cap only turns a certain distance, so you have a constant amount of ink in the piston after each fill, not random amounts.

 

Enjoy your 146, you'll get years of joy out of it, I'm sure.

[PigRatAndGoat]

Hello,

 

Although I had just bought a new Parker Premier, which is a great pen and was supposed to be my main writing instrument for at least the next couple of years, I just couldn't resist. I had been dreaming about a Montblanc for some time, and finding a Tribute to Mont Blanc Le Grand in an online shop that ships to Romania was the last drop - I just couldn't help buying it.

 

It's a piston pen. So far I've only used cartridge/converter fountain pens. I was attracted by the idea of having a piston filler incorporated into the pen itself, as it seemed more elegant to me than messing with cartridges. But I've never owned one, and there are a couple of things I'd like to know about it (I know, I know, I should have asked before ordering it, not after, but now it's too late for that ).

 

First, how about reliability? A converter can be simply thrown away and replaced with a new one when it goes bad, but that may not be an option when the piston is part of the pen itself. Are these pistons reliable enough to last for a long time? What happens when they finally go bad? Can they be replaced by a qualified Montblanc repairer, or is it game over for the entire pen?

 

Second, how do you know how much ink you have in the reservoir? Is there a way of knowing when you're about to run out of ink, or do you just wait for it to stop writing? Or, when filling it up, do you know when it's filled completely, or do you just turn the knob blindly and hope for the best?

 

Third, is there anything in particular that I should know about this pen? Anything I should be aware of?

 

Thank you.

 

Hello,

 

Welcome to the forums. Feels a bit odd since I myself have been away awhile. The piston filler is quite reliable from my own experience. Problems generally occur if you over twist the filler knob and snap the mechanism. You'd have to be monumentally rough and distracted to do that though, as the resistance is quite obvious. That said, pistons can break and can be repaired. Personally, I wouldn't weigh reliability as a major deciding factor when deciding about piston vs converter.

As for knowing how much ink is left. With the regular Meisterstuck collection (resin), there is an ink window on all piston filling pens to allow you to see the ink levels. However, precious metal collections and the Tribute to MB pens eschew the window. You'll just have to guess when the pen may be needing a refill based off of when you last filled it, and when the pen starts to write a bit drier than usual.

Enjoy your purchase, I think you'll really like it!

 

Regards,

 

PR&G

[Vlad Soare]

Thank you.

I can't wait for it to arrive.

[A1979]

Although I had just bought a new Parker Premier, which is a great pen and was supposed to be my main writing instrument for at least the next couple of years

Congrats for your first Montblanc!

 

Even if it is not related with the topic, may I ask you if you did write a review about the new Parker Premier? I'm very interested in that pen.

[Vlad Soare]

No, I didn't write any review. I'm not sure I'm the right person to write reviews, as my experience with fountain pens is quite limited.

I have the Pink Gold Edition. I find it extremely good looking (but that's a matter of taste - you may or may not like it), and it writes very smoothly (but that is to be expected from a pen of its price, anyway). Other than that, I'm not sure what I could say about it.

[RuiFromUK]

I have my MB Grande fountain pen since late 1970's or early 1980's and it still writes like in day I bought it.

 

As to reliability, quite a few times I have ink in it without using it for few months and all I had to do was to flush it with water and refill it with ink again.

 

All in all it is an excellent pen.

[A1979]

No, I didn't write any review. I'm not sure I'm the right person to write reviews, as my experience with fountain pens is quite limited.

I have the Pink Gold Edition. I find it extremely good looking (but that's a matter of taste - you may or may not like it), and it writes very smoothly (but that is to be expected from a pen of its price, anyway). Other than that, I'm not sure what I could say about it.

 

It's enough, thanks!

I like the "all black" version, but I wasn't sure about the pen writes, since I've read some negatives reviews.

[Vlad Soare]

Does anybody know what this pen is made of? Is it resin, like regular Meisterstücks, or metal?

[Vlad Soare]

I received it yesterday. It's metal, all right. It's by far the heaviest fountain pen I've ever laid my hands on, so it must be metal.

Despite its weight (or maybe because of it) it's very comfortable and feels very well balanced in my hand.

 

What seems a bit strange to me is that although the thread on the body of the pen looks quite long, about five or six threads, the cap only turns a little, even less than one complete turn.

Also, because the threads are metallic, the cap makes a slight screeching noise while it rotates. But I guess that's normal, and it doesn't bother me.

 

There seems to be little consistency in nib sizes among the Montblanc fountain pen range. This pen has an F nib and, although a tiny bit thicker than a Parker F, it's still nice and thin, while on my 149 the F nib was so awfully thick that I had to send it back for replacement. After my experience with the 149, I was a little worried that my soon-to-come Tribute (which I knew had been ordered with an F nib) might prove to be the same. But it didn't. It's exactly as I wanted it.

 

[Filipson]

I'm thinking about purchasing this MB pen. Vlad says that it is heavy. But just how heavy is it?

[Vlad Soare]

I didn't weigh it, but I'll do it tonight when I get home and will give you the exact weight.

[Pen Nut]

Enjoy your new pen in good health for years to come.

[Vlad Soare]

Thank you.

I've weighed it. It's 64.4 grams, filled with ink.

For comparison, the 149 is 36.9 grams, also filled.

[orfew]

Thank you.

I've weighed it. It's 64.4 grams, filled with ink.

For comparison, the 149 is 36.9 grams, also filled.

Wow, that is heavy. My Heritage is only about 48 grams.

[Filipson]

Thanks Vlad!

 

I also got an email from Dennis at La Couronne that it is 62 grams uninked. The Legrand solitaire (w MOP) is 52 grams. A heavy pen indeed.

[Vlad Soare]

It is, indeed, but that doesn't bother me. Somehow it fits very well in my hand, and its weight is very well distributed. At least that's how I feel it. I use to write with a very light touch. So light, that lighter fountain pens tend to skip sometimes because I inadvertently lose contact with the paper if I'm not careful. With the Tribute I have no such problem. It feels like it writes all by itself, I just guide it across the paper.

But this is with the cap unposted. If you like to post your caps, then you may not like it, because it's very heavy and totally ruins the balance of the pen.

Anyway, it's heavy because it's also the biggest fountain pen in the Tribute series. I guess the Chopin or Mozart should be somewhat lighter.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Vlad Soare

[luckduck369]

Thank you.

I've weighed it. It's 64.4 grams, filled with ink.

For comparison, the 149 is 36.9 grams, also filled.

Wow! Such a heavy pen. I have been looking for a heavy pen for a while and really loved the appearance of the Tribute to Montblanc. Really should go check it out soon.

[Filipson]

Done. Purchased. From La Couronne Du Compt. Thanks Dennis!