Go Broad Or Go Home?

[ShinyObject]

Hi FPN!

 

I am in the market for a Montblanc 149 and I know I want a broad nib. I don't live close to a Montblanc store or an authorized dealer, but I know I liked the broad and double broad nibs. I am now regretting not testing the obliques as the OBB and O3B nibs looks awesome. If getting back to a location to test the pens is not much of an option for now, would you guys recommend just getting the BB that I tried and liked, or going all in with the OBB or O3B?

 

Plans for the pen include some note taking, signature, thank you cards, etc. Would love to use this pen as much as possible.

 

Any advice/suggestions?

[FOUR X FOUR]

I would certainly buy a broad and go home.

Seriously, my handwriting isn't nice enough to use a broad nib

[DrDebG]

Definitely broad . . . But how broad, is the question I think.

 

An oblique will give you more line variation. But whether to go OB or OB3 (reminds me of R2D2 - anyway) will depend on how big you write now and how big you really want to write.

 

I generally have small to medium writing. I purchased a wet OB for basically the same reasons. I was immediately disappointed because my writing just seemed to flow together into an unreadable mess. Then I realized that I would have to write larger. When I mastered the art of writing larger than normal, the pen works wonderfully.

 

So, unless you have really big writing or plan on learning to write really big, I would probably just go with a broad not a double or triple broad.

[jar]

Unless you rotate your pen in a weird way oblique offers little except frustration. B and BB offer line variation with the potential for later modification into a true cursive italic.

[Inky.Fingers]

Go big 3B. Always can grind down but never up.

[Matlock]

  On 5/2/2016 at 1:41 AM, jar said:

Unless you rotate your pen in a weird way oblique offers little except frustration. B and BB offer line variation with the potential for later modification into a true cursive italic.

 

I would agree with that, although I did get an OB (Pelikan not MB) and once I had mastered it I was very pleased with the results.

[penparadise]

  On 5/2/2016 at 12:12 AM, ShinyObject said:

Hi FPN!

 

I am in the market for a Montblanc 149 and I know I want a broad nib. I don't live close to a Montblanc store or an authorized dealer, but I know I liked the broad and double broad nibs. I am now regretting not testing the obliques as the OBB and O3B nibs looks awesome. If getting back to a location to test the pens is not much of an option for now, would you guys recommend just getting the BB that I tried and liked, or going all in with the OBB or O3B?

 

Plans for the pen include some note taking, signature, thank you cards, etc. Would love to use this pen as much as possible.

 

Any advice/suggestions?

 

I recommend to wait with your purchase until you get near to an authorized Montblanc dealer or a Montblanc boutique for testing and choosing exactly that nib witch suits your taste best. Otherwise you will never know if there hasn't been a better nib for you ...

 

Never ever I would buy a pen to write with without having tried exactly that nib in that pen!

Edited May 2, 2016 by penparadise

[Matlock]

  On 5/2/2016 at 7:54 AM, penparadise said:

 

I recommend to wait with your purchase until you get near to an authorized Montblanc dealer ore a Montblanc boutique for testing choosing exactly that nib witch suits your taste best. Otherwise you will never know if there hasn't been a better nib for you ...

 

Never ever I would buy a pen to write with without having tried exactly that nib in that pen!

 

And don't choose on your first visit. First impressions are very seldom the correct ones.

[zaddick]

  On 5/2/2016 at 7:54 AM, penparadise said:

 

I recommend to wait with your purchase until you get near to an authorized Montblanc dealer or a Montblanc boutique for testing and choosing exactly that nib witch suits your taste best. Otherwise you will never know if there hasn't been a better nib for you ...

 

Never ever I would buy a pen to write with without having tried exactly that nib in that pen!

 

O3B is only available on the 149 and unless your dealer happens to have one and is extra nice, you will not be able to test one with ink. I had to even convince my local boutique that 03B was an option for a 149 and the #6 nibs top out at BB and OBB.

 

I have had all the sizes in the 149 nib and while I like the 03B it is pretty wide and a I do not recommend it for "using as much as possible." I recommend BB and not fooling with obliques. I did not find enough difference in variation with a modern OB and a B to justify changing writing grip.

[Zdenek]

  On 5/2/2016 at 1:57 AM, #InkyFingers said:

Go big 3B. Always can grind down but never up.

 

 

I am afraid 3B nib is not currently available. Maybe as a bespoke.

[Remedial penmanship]

Are you certain? I'm new to fountain pens as of January 2015 and in roughly May 2015 sent back under exchange a 149 90th for O3B and in perhaps November a 149 75th rose decidedly not under exchange also for O3B. And YMWV (your mileage *will* vary): the 90th writes wider and wetter, the 75th narrower and often a bit of a dry start. Still, they're very good, but oodles different than a similar OBB/B on an older celluloid body, witness a 234.5 and 144 with fantastic line variation, from the days when all were piston fillers.

[kelvinkeh]

I just recently acquired an O3B and use it as my daily writer. I moved to this nib from a BB, and also commonly write with a 1.5mm calligraphy nib. MB does not offer a BBB nib as a standard option, only bespoke.

 

As others have said, you definitely want to try the obliques to see if its for you, as it requires a different writing style/ position. If you are not already holding your pens this way, it will seem strange, even uncomfortable.

[Tom Kellie]

~ It's encouraging to read that both @Remedial penmanship and @kelvinkeh are using O3B fountain pens.

Their positive comments about OBBB nibs increases my interest.

Thank you for your helpful comments.

Tom K.

[jmccarty3]

Much good advice here. A visit to a boutique may be very helpful, but the last time I tried the "nib selection" pens at my boutique, I was surprised to find that many of the nibs were out of adjustment and not freshly inked. The paper they have you write on is horrible as well. This is not the sort of situation that is going to make a good first impression on a customer. If I do this again, I'll at least bring my own paper.

 

That being said, I like obliques because I naturally tend to rotate my pen to the left, even though I am left-handed. If you don't do this, then an oblique may not be for you.

[Tom Kellie]

~ Thank you, @jmccarty3, for clearing up something which I've experienced.

At the Montblanc boutiques in Beijing, the experience of using the tester pens has been less than satisfactory.

Why?

The paper. What you've written is consistent with the writing here. The paper has been sub-standard at best.

All of the nibs tend to result in excessively watery lines without any elegance.

When I use my own pens on boutique-provided paper, they likewise yield a messy, overly wet line.

Yet those same pens are consistently superb...on quality paper.

Your suggestion to bring my own paper rings loud and clear with me. Many thanks for that!

Tom K.

[jmccarty3]

I may drop by my boutique next weekend, since I will be nearby anyway for our local pen club meeting. I'm debating whether to call the sad state of the demonstration pens (and paper) to the attention of the manager. He is very cordial and seems knowledgeable. On the other hand, I'm trying to develop a relationship with the boutique and don't want to offend them.

[zaddick]

Don't bother mentioning the pens. More downside for you than upside.

[jmccarty3]

  On 5/5/2016 at 1:29 AM, zaddick said:

Don't bother mentioning the pens. More downside for you than upside.

 

 

I'll take your advice.

[ShinyObject]

Thanks everyone! I liked the double broad. I think I am going to move forward with this.

[zaddick]

That's a double good choice.