Montblanc Meisterstuck 149, Golden Or Platinum Nib

[Boywholovedbooks]

Dear Montblanc Fellow Writers,

 

I am a newbie to the wonderful world of fine fountain writing instruments, so please excuse any ignorance in advance.

 

Not such a long time ago I had developed an itching desire to start writing with a fountain pen. My job and also an open university course provided a good training base for practice.

 

Not wanting to spend a fortune it has been decided to start with something inexpensive; after a long research a Pilot Cavalier was bought and imported from Japan. I quickly realized two main points: first is that I immensely enjoy writing with a fountain pen and second is that the tiny Pilot can be a little painful for my shrek fingers when holding it for a while.

 

So I have ventured out to find a larger fountain pen. I did quite like the fine nib though as it was so precise, so that was my only condition when choosing a new pen.

 

Montblanc fine writing instruments have always been central in my choice criteria, 149 being the ideal size. The only dilemma was that it costs nearly £700 and the variety of the materials (gold or platinum) in nibs. Being a cheapskate I checked amazon and ebay, suprisingly the same models were traded at £550...Having looked more attentively one could deduce that the exact gold detail inlay of the nib was of different shape/position. Some also did not have the serial/unique number, the explanation was given that they had been made before the number introduction.

 

I am still quite uneasy when it comes to making a final decision, but one thing had been set: it is either platinum or red gold nib and definitely from a Montblanc store in London. With my 36th birthday coming up at the weekend, it would make a great gift.

 

The only downside (for me anyway) is that neither can be used with a cartridge. I find it barbaric to dip such a treasure into an inkpot... The shop assistant at Bicester Village quickly dismissed/laughed off my concerns by inviting to buy some special tissues that would take off the excess of ink and clean the nib. He himself had the 90 Edition, and the nib was thickly covered in ink, I guess after a long use it does become normal to stop paying attention...

 

Could anyone assist with their feedback of using either golden or platinum nibs of 149 size?

 

Thank you for finding time to read, folks!

 

Regards,

 

Yevgeny

 

 

[jar]

First, it's likely that any Montblanc nib will be wider than your Pilot. European nibs tend to run wider than Japanese nibs so be sure to test the widths before deciding. The dealer should have a set of tester pens with different size nibs.

 

While there ask to test a 147. It is still a large pen but slightly smaller than the 149 but it is cartridge filled.

[Boywholovedbooks]

Thank you for your advice. I tried the 90 edition as was told they had same size nibs. It was a fine nib and whilst not as fine as my Pilot, still quite acceptable. I also tried some testers with EF nib, but frankly, was not much difference there.

 

Was offered LeGrand, which I believe 146 size, but was never offered 147... Rest assured will ask at a big Bond Street store this Saturday, 2nd April (my birthday) and let you know.

 

Yev

[jar]

The 146 and 147 are the same size.

 

Ah...if it is a Bond Street store and not a boutique then take the time to also explore some other options like the Pelikan 1000 and the Sailor King of Pens and the Platinum Izumo and see if they have any from Danitrio and the Graf von Faber Castell Pen of the Year and the Caran D'Ache Varius and Montegrappa Extra 1930 and ...

[Boywholovedbooks]

Ok, in that case, I did try it. Still prefer the 149 size, just would need to come to a decision whether it is a red gold or platinum nib. It is incredibly light for its size, but I guess it will pay off when writing for long periods of time.

 

Y

[benbot517]

It does. The 149 is (in my experience) great for long distance writing. I had a chance to use one for a few days and write for hours with it. Its a lovely pen.

[Boywholovedbooks]

Thank you. That was my conclusion, though in the beginning was not quite impressed with the price tag vs weight. The shop assistant courteously offered to try one of limited edition that was heavy and at the price of a brand new Lexus. After holding for thirty seconds I quickly came to realize my misapprehension

[Pravda]

Hello and welcome to FPN You are gonna love it here.. I also came in search for an answer to a question, some 10 years ago- and i've been around since

 

Few points:

 

- I was also like you starting with fountain pens and had an appeal for cartridges. For the same reasons. Believe me, the more you like FPs if you are anything like me you will start hating cartridges eventually. I sold all my first pens with time.

 

The ritual of owning a nice bottle of ink, filling the pen, wiping it clean and using it afterwards cannot be described. My experience with carts is that they have worse ink flow, expensive and very 'amateur' if I may.

 

- Between the platinum and the rose gold, I would go for red gold definitely. I have the 90s but the newer one standard is also beautiful.

 

- If I understood your question correctly, about nib size.. If you have big writing go for a M or a B. If you have smaller handwriting, then go for a F which is more like a Japanese M. I personally have mostly Ms although my handwriting is small- a mistake- and slowly making sure that all my newer pens come as Fs.

[Boywholovedbooks]

The 146 and 147 are the same size.

 

Ah...if it is a Bond Street store and not a boutique then take the time to also explore some other options like the Pelikan 1000 and the Sailor King of Pens and the Platinum Izumo and see if they have any from Danitrio and the Graf von Faber Castell Pen of the Year and the Caran D'Ache Varius and Montegrappa Extra 1930 and ...

I did not read the entire thread. It is actually a Montblanc boutique located on Bond Street

[Boywholovedbooks]

Hello and welcome to FPN You are gonna love it here.. I also came in search for an answer to a question, some 10 years ago- and i've been around since

 

Few points:

 

- I was also like you starting with fountain pens and had an appeal for cartridges. For the same reasons. Believe me, the more you like FPs if you are anything like me you will start hating cartridges eventually. I sold all my first pens with time.

 

The ritual of owning a nice bottle of ink, filling the pen, wiping it clean and using it afterwards cannot be described. My experience with carts is that they have worse ink flow, expensive and very 'amateur' if I may.

 

- Between the platinum and the rose gold, I would go for red gold definitely. I have the 90s but the newer one standard is also beautiful.

 

- If I understood your question correctly, about nib size.. If you have big writing go for a M or a B. If you have smaller handwriting, then go for a F which is more like a Japanese M. I personally have mostly Ms although my handwriting is small- a mistake- and slowly making sure that all my newer pens come as Fs.

Hello, Pravda, many thanks for your input! You are obviously an advanced user, having unearthed an inner knowledge of fountain writing culture ...and am just a humdrum plodder, embarking on this journey

Will check the nibs on Saturday, my gut feeling is that I would go for EF that only rose gold option offers, but let us see...

[KAC]

Even if you're not new to fountain pens and you want a 149, why not consider a used one from the FPN classified section? They're much more reasonably priced than a new one from a MB shop.

 

As for the bottle vs. cartridge issue, the latter are a relatively recent development in the history of fountain pens. They are uneconomical, offer a more limited range of color options, may restrict your purchase options to the manufacturer's own items, offer more limited writing time (lower ink capacity) and they're unaesthetic (my opinion). A bottle-filler is more consonant with the entire fountain pen ethic (insert disclaimer here).

Edited March 30, 2016 by KAC

[Boywholovedbooks]

Perhaps you are right and in the future I would definitely be considering a used pen to save some costs. At present, however I am more inclined to have the first hand experience of writing with a brand new unit.

 

Besides am not sure they have exact Montblanc models (nibs) that I had listed. I have gone to the page 11 and lost patience.

[Raif79]

Yevgeny,

 

The 149 is perfect for your Shrek fingers. I love my 149. I've never been a fan of rose gold. Platinum is the new sexy. I have a brand spanking new 149 yellow gold in my drawer. I wish I had bought the Platinum. Too late now. It'll sit uninked until my other 149 needs service.

 

As for an ink bottle. You say barbaric. I'll correct you and tell you it's pronounced elegant. There's a time and place for cartridges. I'm not sure when or where that is, but the rest of the time its all about the pistons, sac/levers, vac fillers, button fillers. How are you ever going to try some custom ink with a pen that only takes cartridges? Uncivilized.

[Pravda]

Hello, Pravda, many thanks for your input! You are obviously an advanced user, having unearthed an inner knowledge of fountain writing culture ...and am just a humdrum plodder, embarking on this journey

Will check the nibs on Saturday, my gut feeling is that I would go for EF that only rose gold option offers, but let us see...

 

 

I am curious to see a XF on a 149 :/ Don't you suppose a big pen as such needs a solid i.e more visible than not line? Just a thought. Unless you considering the 147 (146 size but cartridge filled) then I guess you're golden. Good luck

[Boywholovedbooks]

I take your point, Raif, many thanks. It somewhat allayed my concerns; after all, I am just a starter here and using ink for my Pilot has not been the greatest experience. Perhaps that was to do with the converter more than with anything else - it never filled to the brim, always below the mid level. I did not like the flow of ink too - it was too much or too little at times. Hence my leaning towards cartridges. I think I made a mistake (again, being new to it), by having bought a pen from one supplier and the converter from another... Because it was import from Japan I waited for the pen about a month, blissfully unaware I would need a converter to it. When the supplier actually suggested about it, the shipping had already started and I could not entertain the thought of waiting another month, so bought one locally.

 

Thank you for your opinion on gold vs platinum. I guess once I will have seen both pens, it would be an obvious choice...

Edited March 31, 2016 by Boywholovedbooks

[Boywholovedbooks]

 

 

I am curious to see a XF on a 149 :/ Don't you suppose a big pen as such needs a solid i.e more visible than not line? Just a thought. Unless you considering the 147 (146 size but cartridge filled) then I guess you're golden. Good luck

There is really not that much difference between F and XF on 149, hardly any. Even the shop assistants had a debate in front of me, but everyone was in agreement that it would not be possible to tell which is which

The lines are actually quite visible with F nib, they are in fact thicker than on my Pilot - that is the only downside for me. Tried 146, but really not sure. I like the appearance of the nib on 149.

[Boywholovedbooks]

Also, would anyone consider adding engraving too? Or is it considered unethical?

[benbot517]

A montblanc piston filler is a great mechanism. Works very efficiently.

[Nathanb]

EF nibs for the platinum have been on order since November, down here in Australia

 

You have 6 weeks to try the F and then can choose to make the change to EF if you desire.

[Boywholovedbooks]

Thank you, Both! I will update on the choice and in greater detail about the actual instrument (with photos of course).

 

The only topic that I am not exactly sure if I would need personal engraving at all or will it destroy the looks...