Have You Guys Seen This Pen Twist Mechanism?

[pennoobie]

A few months ago, I bought a 164 meisterstuck classique (ballpoint pen) from a reputable online store.

 

But more as I use the pen, I felt that the twist mechanism was making grinding noise as I twist. So I took the upper barrel apparatus apart to see if it need some lubrication or tweak.

 

The twist mechanism however doesn't look like the ones that I've seen on other posts on this forum or other websites.

 

For people who owns the same pen, have you seen this type of mechanism?

 

All twist mechanisms i see in internet websites looks like brass barrelled mechanisms. Mine feels and looks like made out of plastic.

 

I've attached some pictures.

 

Any opinion would be appreciated.

 

 

 

[Mister Mont Blanc]

Hi pennoobie, and welcome to FPN!

 

The mechanism pictured definitely looks different than the twist mechanisms in my Montblanc pens and those that I have seen, as you mentioned. Of course, the brand has had many variations to their products, parts, servicing, etc. over time but my personal opinion is that the mechanism pictured does not appear like it would have been produced by Montblanc. The materials, quality, and design do not fall in line with what I've come to see and expect from Montblanc, regardless of the era in which it was manufactured.

 

Hopefully someone else here can shed more light on what you have but have you checked the rest of the pen? The clip, serial number, engravings, resin, etc.?

[pennoobie]

  On 5/25/2016 at 7:55 PM, Mister Mont Blanc said:

Hi pennoobie, and welcome to FPN!

 

The mechanism pictured definitely looks different than the twist mechanisms in my Montblanc pens and those that I have seen, as you mentioned. Of course, the brand has had many variations to their products, parts, servicing, etc. over time but my personal opinion is that the mechanism pictured does not appear like it would have been produced by Montblanc. The materials, quality, and design do not fall in line with what I've come to see and expect from Montblanc, regardless of the era in which it was manufactured.

 

Hopefully someone else here can shed more light on what you have but have you checked the rest of the pen? The clip, serial number, engravings, resin, etc.?

 

Hello Mister Mont Blanc,

 

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

 

Regarding to all of the points you mentioned, I didn't really doubt the authenticity of the pen since the seller was listed as a montblanc authorized store on montblanc website.

 

My serial number is different than the conventional 'two alphabets seven numbers' trend. Mine goes more like MBXX#XX##(X as alphabet and # as number). But I think the way montblanc write serial number changed not too long ago. I have seen some serial numbers on this forum that follows the trend of my pen's serial number in more recent posts.

 

Also the underneath the clip is embossed with "Made in Germany" "metal"

 

But then again, I don't have much experience with montblanc pens. It is first time handling it personally, in fact.

 

Perhaps I may bring it into one of the boutique one of these days to confirm.

 

 

But thank you anyway for your input.

[deitic_nib]

Wow that is an interesting mechanism. Never seen anything like that before... Would love to know what it is too.

[KJY]

Hmm. I haven't seen the innerparts of a meisterstück ballpen before, but why would this one be odd?

What is shown is the inner part of the twistmechanism which normally is fixed in the pen itself and normal we can't see. I tried to unscrew my starwalker but that part what is shown is fixed tide.

[jsolares]

  On 5/26/2016 at 12:47 PM, KJY said:

Hmm. I haven't seen the innerparts of a meisterstück ballpen before, but why would this one be odd?

What is shown is the inner part of the twistmechanism which normally is fixed in the pen itself and normal we can't see. I tried to unscrew my starwalker but that part what is shown is fixed tide.

 

 

It's usually brass, then again I only have older models none were made that recently.

[deitic_nib]

Oh... I missed that it was a ballpoint. This entire time I thought it was a fountain pen cap. I was wondering why a fountain cap required such a complicated mechanism. Alright, so it's not that odd anymore, but it would still be cool to know why it's not the usual brass.

[pennoobie]

  On 5/26/2016 at 12:47 PM, KJY said:

Hmm. I haven't seen the innerparts of a meisterstück ballpen before, but why would this one be odd?

What is shown is the inner part of the twistmechanism which normally is fixed in the pen itself and normal we can't see. I tried to unscrew my starwalker but that part what is shown is fixed tide.

 

I just never seen this specific part on online haha

 

It was just out of curiosity.

 

I greased up the mechanism a little and it works fine again.

 

I don't own star walker though so I wouldn't know how to take out the mechanism.

I like to fix things around so taking things apart is my second nature..

 

I wouldn't take it apart unless it has some problems though

[pennoobie]

  On 5/26/2016 at 6:28 PM, jsolares said:

It's usually brass, then again I only have older models none were made that recently.

That is true ..

 

but I don't know why they would change brass part to plastic part. I thought MB is all about quality. Or maybe I got a fake from the store I bought.

 

Fact is though the pen is still writing well and since it is greased up, I don't feel that grinding noise in the mechanism anymore

Edited May 28, 2016 by pennoobie

[Nathanb]

This is my 164, purchased from a Boutique ~5 years ago.

 

http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b558/nbendy1/164_zpsnp9b12lt.jpg

[CS388]

  On 5/27/2016 at 10:31 PM, pennoobie said:

That is true ..

 

but I don't know why they would change brass part to plastic part. I thought MB is all about quality.

 

There are probably some modern plastics/composites which will work better than brass in certain applications.

 

You may be right, it may be a cost cutting exercise, or it may be an improvement, due to better materials now being available.

 

Just guessing, got no idea about ballpoints.

Pleased you got it fixed, though.

Enjoy.

[Harunie]

  On 5/27/2016 at 10:31 PM, pennoobie said:

That is true ..

 

but I don't know why they would change brass part to plastic part. I thought MB is all about quality. Or maybe I got a fake from the store I bought.

 

Fact is though the pen is still writing well and since it is greased up, I don't feel that grinding noise in the mechanism anymore

 

Generally its for cost cutting, such as the meisterstuck 149 before having a brass full piston mechanism, now its a hybrid plastic and metal one, but all in all as long as it doesnt affect the functioning of it, it probably is ok in the end since plastic is lighter than brass and other metals so the balance is better.

Theres always tradeoffs when it comes to these things when a company changes a core component of something

[Mister Mont Blanc]

  On 5/25/2016 at 8:36 PM, pennoobie said:

 

Hello Mister Mont Blanc,

 

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

 

Regarding to all of the points you mentioned, I didn't really doubt the authenticity of the pen since the seller was listed as a montblanc authorized store on montblanc website.

 

My serial number is different than the conventional 'two alphabets seven numbers' trend. Mine goes more like MBXX#XX##(X as alphabet and # as number). But I think the way montblanc write serial number changed not too long ago. I have seen some serial numbers on this forum that follows the trend of my pen's serial number in more recent posts.

 

Also the underneath the clip is embossed with "Made in Germany" "metal"

 

But then again, I don't have much experience with montblanc pens. It is first time handling it personally, in fact.

 

Perhaps I may bring it into one of the boutique one of these days to confirm.

 

 

But thank you anyway for your input.

 

I apologize, I didn't realize where the pen was purchased. Well everything that you say about the pen and seller leads me to believe it is authentic. But keep in mind for future purchases that even counterfeiters are able to replicate all of those details.

 

If the authenticity of the pen is not in question, I guess it's just a curiosity about the twist mechanism. I was not able to disassemble my latest Montblanc ballpoint to see its mechanism... most modern MB pens seem to be glued together or at least are very difficult to take apart (leading to the need for Montblanc service). But it appears yours came apart fairly easily...? The serial number format and lack of "Pix" engraving would suggest it is a recent-production model, which could mean this is just yet another change in Montblanc's products from old ways to new ways. This pen was purchased new, correct? It's worrisome to think these are the parts being used in such a pen and still wind up resulting in issues from day one!

 

My Classique ballpoint pen manufactured in "W.-Germany" didn't even start squeaking until recently and that, of course, was the original brass twist mechanism. Nathanb pictured yet another variation of the twist mechanism that appears to be stainless steel so I suppose change is inevitable!

[pennoobie]

  On 6/7/2016 at 6:29 PM, Mister Mont Blanc said:

I apologize, I didn't realize where the pen was purchased. Well everything that you say about the pen and seller leads me to believe it is authentic. But keep in mind for future purchases that even counterfeiters are able to replicate all of those details.

 

If the authenticity of the pen is not in question, I guess it's just a curiosity about the twist mechanism. I was not able to disassemble my latest Montblanc ballpoint to see its mechanism... most modern MB pens seem to be glued together or at least are very difficult to take apart (leading to the need for Montblanc service). But it appears yours came apart fairly easily...? The serial number format and lack of "Pix" engraving would suggest it is a recent-production model, which could mean this is just yet another change in Montblanc's products from old ways to new ways. This pen was purchased new, correct? It's worrisome to think these are the parts being used in such a pen and still wind up resulting in issues from day one!

 

My Classique ballpoint pen manufactured in "W.-Germany" didn't even start squeaking until recently and that, of course, was the original brass twist mechanism. Nathanb pictured yet another variation of the twist mechanism that appears to be stainless steel so I suppose change is inevitable!

 

I recently handled one of my co-workers mb 164 pen that have had been given to him as a present. He doesn't know when it was purchased but it was definitely more than 5 yrs ago. Anyhow, I have noticed his serial number was two letters followed by seven numbers and had pix underneath the pen clip(matching with most of the authentic pen traits described in many posts). Most importantly though, the twist mechanism felt much smoother and easy to turn. In fact, my pen felt really cheap compare to his..

 

I agree with you mr mister Mont Blanc that if mine is in fact an authentic pen, the newer pen quality became significantly poorer than older brass ones..

[Mister Mont Blanc]

Well we have an answer... This is yet another evolution of the Montblanc brand and its products.

 

I was able to dismantle my most-recent ballpoint, being a Blue Hour Classique purchased directly from Montblanc. The twist mechanism I so dearly loved turned out to be exactly what you have in your pictures. I, however, have had the opposite experience in that mine has been very smooth and was noticeably different from my previous ballpoint models with the metal mechanism. So maybe this new, cheaper part also comes with some inconsistencies.

 

This finally explains why I've always felt my Blue Hour pen to be so light for a Solitaire pen. But I had also noticed that Montblanc moved to a resin/plastic barrel construction as opposed to the previous metal barrel.

 

Precious resin must be more precious than precious metals now.

[pennoobie]

  On 6/12/2016 at 6:09 AM, Mister Mont Blanc said:

Well we have an answer... This is yet another evolution of the Montblanc brand and its products.

 

I was able to dismantle my most-recent ballpoint, being a Blue Hour Classique purchased directly from Montblanc. The twist mechanism I so dearly loved turned out to be exactly what you have in your pictures. I, however, have had the opposite experience in that mine has been very smooth and was noticeably different from my previous ballpoint models with the metal mechanism. So maybe this new, cheaper part also comes with some inconsistencies.

 

This finally explains why I've always felt my Blue Hour pen to be so light for a Solitaire pen. But I had also noticed that Montblanc moved to a resin/plastic barrel construction as opposed to the previous metal barrel.

 

Precious resin must be more precious than precious metals now.

 

Thank you for confirming the issue with your dearly loved pen. It is not easy to just dismantle an expensive pen for odd reasons.. I am still enjoying the pen a lot, and use it daily. But I am a little disappointed that montblanc is possibly downgrading the part quality for such a high price..

 

I prefer the glossy "precious" resin finish for the presentation of the pen. But I would still prefer the metal material for working mechanisms of the pen.. It just feel more robust and smooth for me haha..

 

I wonder if they changed the turning mechanism for other models like star walkers.

[Mister Mont Blanc]

  On 6/21/2016 at 6:12 PM, pennoobie said:

 

Thank you for confirming the issue with your dearly loved pen. It is not easy to just dismantle an expensive pen for odd reasons.. I am still enjoying the pen a lot, and use it daily. But I am a little disappointed that montblanc is possibly downgrading the part quality for such a high price..

 

I prefer the glossy "precious" resin finish for the presentation of the pen. But I would still prefer the metal material for working mechanisms of the pen.. It just feel more robust and smooth for me haha..

 

I wonder if they changed the turning mechanism for other models like star walkers.

 

I was happy to do that... It got me wondering if I could unscrew my pen as you did since I've tried on previous models and had no luck. But I also wanted to know if I had pens with these different parts, as I've just assumed things were the same unless I saw otherwise. It isn't uncommon that different parts are used throughout time but I agree that it is disappointing to see such a downgrade from metal to plastic.

 

I believe the StarWalker models, and maybe even Bohème ballpoints, do use a different mechanism than the Meisterstück models but I do not currently have any to compare. I am sure some of those parts have also changed over time.

 

If it is an issue that is bothersome, you may be able to send the pen into the service center to see if they would replace the part under warranty but I have a feeling this would be unlikely, depending on what country you're in.

[Keith22]

Hello,

 

I know this is an older post, but thought someone may be able to answer a quick semi-related question (before starting a new thread).

 

I had my old 164 meisterstuck classique stolen some years back and am now looking to replace it, but really prefer to get one with the old brass mechanism. Does anyone know what year they changed from using the brass mechanism to the current plastic?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Keith

[FerDS]

I had never seen this

[Adamlanc]

  On 5/27/2016 at 10:31 PM, pennoobie said:

That is true ..

 

but I don't know why they would change brass part to plastic part. I thought MB is all about quality. Or maybe I got a fake from the store I bought.

 

Fact is though the pen is still writing well and since it is greased up, I don't feel that grinding noise in the mechanism anymore

I currently have the exact pen passed down to me from a relative. The pen is a month old but I am experiencing this grinding issue, I tried some WD40 on the outside of the new plastic twist mechanism but it still grinds when twisted and feels cheap. Is there a specific way to grease it up or would you suggest visiting a mont blanc boutique considering its a month old?