Montblanc Masters For Meisterstück L’Aubrac Vs Nakaya Maki-E

[christianch]

Dear all,

Last December I purchased what I was thinking would be the "grail" of my modest collection - a Nakaya Maki-e folding screen of flowers. This was available with an M-Flexible nib and it did write well indeed yet nothing extraordinary. After just a few days of use it also became somehow inconsistent in terms of ink flow. This could be due to my limited knowledge... yet it was not writing better or more fluently that a Graf von Faber Castell Anello Wood.

 

Yesterday I purchased a Montblanc Master for Meisterstück l'Aubrac with M Nib and I am totally impressed. The writing performance is just outstanding and, also in terms of feedback and fluidity on the paper no comparison with my Nakaya Maki-e with M Flexible Nib.

 

I have just finished a review with several photos and comparison that I plan to publish on my blog soon. Before doing that I was wondering if I could post the link to the review on this forum OR if I have to write a review on the forum e.g. if links to a review blog are not allowed.

 

As another side question I was wondering if you own a Montblanc with a similar nib and a Nakaya and what is your experience with both ? I appreciate that Nibs can be changed, customised etc. but from a out of the box experience (which I think one has the right to expect at this price level) there is, in my opinion, a big gap.

Thanks for sharing your view and letting me know about the review posting etiquette

Best Regards
Christian.

[fountainpende]

All my Montblanc pens also have a good ink flow. However, I definitely prefer Nakaya nibs ...

 

My favorite nib is a flexible Nakaya italic nib from Motischaw (nibs.com).

[ethernautrix]

I have both Montblanc and Nakaya pens, and the Nakaya nibs are my favorite. I like both, but for my nib size preferences, Nakaya nibs with their finer lines please me more.

 

My other favorite nib is on a Mb 100-Year Historical, but I had to "wreck" the EF nib by grinding it on a nail buffer, trying to make the line finer (even an F would have been an improvement over what was more of an M line). Now this nib (by accident and rage) writes with a wonderful line variation, but it certainly wasn't like that out-of-the-box.

[mirosc]

I prefer the Nakaya nibs over the current Montblanc nibs, too. Writing feeling is better (and the noises, too).

But if I had to compare to an old Montblanc nib (50's) I prefer the Montblanc nib.

[Montblanc owner and lover]

for nibs i can't tell i don't own any nakaya. For the review you can write it on your blog and make a link but it's more appreciated (at least by me) if you do it here on FPN.

[VanRocket]

I am with the OP on this. I have tried Nakaya pens, and they were very good, but I prefer the nibs on my Montblanc pens. I am interested in reading your comparison review.

[christianch]

All my Montblanc pens also have a good ink flow. However, I definitely prefer Nakaya nibs ...

 

My favorite nib is a flexible Nakaya italic nib from Motischaw (nibs.com).

 

Indeed nibs.com is an excellent option for Nakaya and they do know what they are doing. I did buy two from them and I couldn't commend them more for the professional work. This said, with the exception of the Music Nib which is indeed special and unique to Nakaya, for the average user (me) the out of the box experience for an M Nib (Flex) compared with Montblanc was entirely different. What I am trying to say is that the most expensive pen (and yes Nakaya are more expensive than Montblanc if you exclude the crazily expensive LE for the rich and famous) doesn't necessary mean a better writing experience. Quiet obvious you would say which is true too. I just recommend not just one but several trying sessions before breaking the bank and to avoid disappointment.

Sure, in terms of beauty etc. Nakaya and many Japanese producers are truly unique yet in terms of writing performance if you are used to a more European feel (and look in terms of writing size) I feel that Montblanc wins

[christianch]

I have both Montblanc and Nakaya pens, and the Nakaya nibs are my favorite. I like both, but for my nib size preferences, Nakaya nibs with their finer lines please me more.

 

My other favorite nib is on a Mb 100-Year Historical, but I had to "wreck" the EF nib by grinding it on a nail buffer, trying to make the line finer (even an F would have been an improvement over what was more of an M line). Now this nib (by accident and rage) writes with a wonderful line variation, but it certainly wasn't like that out-of-the-box.

 

Yes for very fine nibs I would agree. I just dislike the feedback and I feel that EF / Japanese F writing doesn't look like a fountain pen at all so not my thing but indeed if someone has a preference for very fine Nib I can certainly agree that the Japanese are in a different league of lightness !

[christianch]

I am with the OP on this. I have tried Nakaya pens, and they were very good, but I prefer the nibs on my Montblanc pens. I am interested in reading your comparison review.

 

Thanks. I should finish it soon altho I just made some writing comparison (and look, size by size comparison) among a very expensive (and therefore elaborated) maki-e nakaya and a special edition Montblanc that is half the price yet to me delivers a better performance. Obviously the look is different and the amount of work that goes into producing a maki-e cannot be compared with a less elaborated special edition Montblanc..... yet it might be an interesting read

[christianch]

Here is the review and comparison http://www.9.ai/2014/01/montblanc-masters-for-meisterstuck-l-aubrac-review-.html sorry if this is not as comprehensive and obviously very subjective but perhaps it might be relevant to some!

[sarahfar]

I have to agree with fountainpede who is pretty astute about Montblanc. That said Nakaya's that John has played with from anything with flex, stubs or obliques are spectacular. And Faber Castell doesn't get talked about as much, but when you look at the Pens of the Year, wow. Just nib alone, I have to say the mods by John on Nakaya are winners. I just feel uncomfortable about comparing them, they all are very different pens. Of the moderns L'Aubrac and the Alfred Hitchcock have held some fascination for me. Congrats....

[christianch]

Hello Sarahfar,

thanks for your comments. I would agree with you that comparisons are really tricky and this is why are not very common (or at least it seems so from the forum). The Graf von Faber Castell pen of the year are amazing too yet I still think that Montblanc win on the "out of the box" nib experience altho other models from Graf von Faber Castell, like the anello wood that I used in my comparison, write as well as the montblanc, matter of taste, even better.

[Fleetlord]

Out of the box, Montblanc is a better writing experience 10/10 times compared to Nakaya...

 

 

When they are tuned by Mottishaw any FP becomes brilliant.

[mongrelnomad]

Out of the box, Montblanc is a better writing experience 10/10 times compared to Nakaya...

 

 

When they are tuned by Mottishaw any FP becomes brilliant.

In my experience: out of the box, Nakaya 10/10 times better than (modern) MB.

 

YMMV

[Fleetlord]

In my experience: out of the box, Nakaya 10/10 times better than (modern) MB.

 

YMMV

I doubt I'd ever buy another Nakaya. Buying a MB today...

 

I vote with my wallet!

[mirosc]

I vote with my wallet!

 

I did so, too.

Sold all my modern MBs, only one to go.

[Fleetlord]

I'm curious as to what the MB opponents dislike about the writing experience so much?

 

 

All of mine have been extremely smooth, consistent with flow and start...never skipping or hard to start...They have been the benchmark I compare other brands too..

 

 

These other brands that people will step on MB publicly to support have been nothing but trouble for me. They have all needed adjustments to get the performance of my

MB's...

 

Pelikan...horrible performance out of the box on (2) M1000's. Had them fixed and they are great now...but not that way from Pelikan.

 

 

Nakaya. Scratchy with measly flow. Exited the brand.

 

Sailor. See above. Kept my 1911 after adjustment. It's ok now.

 

Omas and Montegrappa. All needed Nib work.

 

Visconti...Better, but still needed smoothing.

 

Dupont...Closest to MB, but nibs are stiff.

 

Waterman..see above.

 

This is the short list...

Edited February 1, 2014 by Fleetlord

[mirosc]

I'm curious as to what the MB opponents dislike about the writing experience so much?

I have nothing against MB's writing experience, I just don't find anything in favor of it. It's just... for a lack of a better word: boring.

Last year or so some friends and I had some fun with writing blindfolded: We got a pen and had to guess which pen it was just from the writing experience. It's not a fair test, because you feel the girth and weight (and more) of a pen, but it was just for fun.

I was lucky enough to recognize my favorite pens and to be able to tell which pen was which pen. But I felt again why I don't favor MBs. They just aren't interesting enough for me (and please note, that it's just a very personal opinion, I don't condemn MB as brand, not at all, it's just my own taste)

 

I mean: They write very well, no doubt, but just lack character. For me the modern MBs are just like one of a million; and that's not enough to satisfy my preferences anymore.

[Blade Runner]

I love the feel of MB nibs - their thickness, the characteristic slight feedback. Aurora has a similar feel. Aurora also produces nibs in house and offers integrated piston fillers, so Aurora is another favorite of mine. I have not yet tried Nakaya, but I have tried other Japnese pens, including Sailor and Pilots, and they definitely lack the character that I look for. They felt thin and too slippery smooth with no feedback. I would call them boring! Sold them all except for a couple that belonged to my dad. I really like the aesthetics of Nakaya's urushi, but there's no opportunity for me to test drive their nibs, so I won't commit to buying one, considering their price and long turnaround time.

 

MB's broad and wider nibs are also fashioned with a stubbish profile. I have small writing, but I can use these nibs, because they produce line variation, and I can keep my letters open. This is in contrast to broad and wider nibs of most other brands I've tried whose nibs are a spherical blob of tipping producing no line variation and too wide of a line.

 

I understand that Japanese brands are consistently better than most Western brands at producing true XF line widths, although, I've found Aurora's XF to be true, consistent and are among my favorites.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Blade Runner

[christianch]

In my experience: out of the box, Nakaya 10/10 times better than (modern) MB.

 

YMMV

Umh can you define out of the box? AFAIK Nakaya doesn't really have an out of the box (beside on Nibs.com but is not really out of the box as they do modifications as needed and probably some checks too). There is just another shop here in Switzerland that has Nakaya in stock.

 

I think much depends on your nib preferences too. With a Music Nib Nakaya is more than fine but with the medium and medium flex out of the box I don't think that the experience is as good as Montblanc - of course this is subjective - but I mean in terms of a distinct trait typical of a fountain pen or at least what appears to be so in Europe.

Somehow I feel that all the Japanese are scratchy and perhaps this has to do with a different culture of what makes a good fountain pen e.g. feedback etc.

 

Of course I respect the work of Nakaya and other Japanese manufacturers. My point is just that in many cases you might feel that these being more rare and personal (this is the selling point of Nakaya) it will be a better pen and you might end up being disappointed, like in my case.