Opinions Needed!

[linusgc]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm new to the network and was wondering if you could help me decide on my next pen purchase. I am currently torn between a 90th Anniversary 149, Miles Davis, Shakespeare and a Jules Verne. Do please explain the pros and cons if you think there are any that I should be aware of. I honestly wish I could purchase more than one but wife life does not allow for it.

 

Thank you in advance!

 

-Linus GC

[Uncial]

It depends greatly on your personal preferences. Personally I think the Miles Davis is a bit of a mess, the Shakespeare is overly fussy (but I do very much like that barrel) and the Jules Verne has too heavy a cap. From my perspective that leaves only one option.

[linusgc]

I am leaning towards the anniversary 149 and the Verne. Any idea which one would be harder to find in the future?

[Pravda]

149 Anniversary for sure.

 

Here's my reasoning:

 

1. Red Gold monotone color nib is gorgeous. Montblanc don't produce them frequently.

 

2. It's a 149. In case it's your first.

 

3. Miles and Shakespeare aren't pretty in my personal opinion.

 

4. Verne will still be around later. Tens of thousands units produced. No rush.

[meiers]

Welcome to FPN.

 

The 149 is my personal favourite.

 

I am sure your wife loves you very much and wants you to have all the pens you mentioned in your original post.

 

Anyway that's my opinion.

Edited February 24, 2017 by meiers

[horationelson]

I’ve posted quite a bit on here about Shakespeare – I want to like it but can’t. Parts of the pen (barrel, nib) are beautiful. Other parts of the pen together with its overall shape are just incongruence and inelegant. In some ways, they have captured the rudimentary craftsmanship typical of late Tudor/early Elizabethan England. But when you consider that the Elizabeth I POA pen from 2010/11 (?) is perhaps (in my mind) one of the most elegant and well-proportion pens MB has produced, I don’t see why they couldn’t have made the Shakespeare pen more appealing. For some reason, the Shakespeare also reminds me of pirates – not sure why, perhaps it’s the white and black contrast.

 

Miles Davis has no appeal, unless you are a jazz/Miles fan. It’s needlessly fussy but looks unremarkable from a distance. 149, you can’t go wrong (do you have one already?). I really like the Jules Verne. It’s slightly gaudy, namely due to the colour and metallic barrel with exposed metal at the top, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. Mind you, a 149 is going to be eye catching too. So I’d be tempted by those two, and it would probably turn on where I’m buying the pen from – if used, what is the condition/provenance of each etc.

[sandy101]

I have the 90th Anniversary 146 & the Shakespeare.

 

The grip on the Shakespeare is much more comforatable than the grip on the 146 - it's just that little bit thinner and the cone at the back sits better in the hand. The Shakespeare also has a bit more weight to it, which means if you like pens with more heft it is a better choice, however the Shakespeare will not post as the cap design won't fit properly. The Shakespeare has no ink window, the 146 does.

 

Nib wise, there isn't much difference. The Shakespeare in 18K, the 90th Anniversary 14k, but they are both hard - there's no springiness or line variation with either.

 

That said, purely on the basis of the heft and the grip - the Shakespeare is a more comfortable pen to use.

[Remedial penmanship]

It's a challenge. With at least the 90th Anniv, if sourcing new from an authorized dealer, you'll be able to swap out for your nib of choice at no additional expense. If you desire a particular nib on Verne, you'll perhaps have to exercise extreme patience or pay an additional ~$350 for Montblanc to grant your wish. If medium or fine are your nib of choice, you should find good availability in the discount resale market. Still, I'd expect a Verne to run $800-$1,000 and the 90th 149 right around $500 used, I don't see them as equal in value. The Verne's section is a torus (toroid?), compared with the cylindrical if slightly conical 149 section. I find I slightly prefer a torus section to a slight cone but, even uncapped, the metal of the Verne body is much heavier than the resin 149. The Verne's pattern is mesmerizing, I wish its star was MOP to unify a nautical theme (anybody with a spare JP Morgan cap to donate, were this even possible? They did it with the 149 caps...), and with rose gold an added regular model to the 149 line, I don't see much difference between 90th Anniv and regular rose 149 line UNLESS the fat "90" engraved on the nib or its release date holds special meaning. But by now you must also realize the 75th Rose gold edition (damn the verbiage, I don't remember if it's special or limited because clearly it's both) 149 with MOP star answers many of these complaints, if you can tolerate the additional bling the cap bears.

[linusgc]

So I guess we really are down to the Verne and 149. I do plan on sourcing the 149 from a local MB store while the Verne will have to be purchased either in Singapore or Germany. @Mint How is the market value of the 7th 149? Is it doing better than the Verne?

[Remedial penmanship]

The 75th 149 is unfortunately double the Verne, there's one currently in the classified section. For a first MB, can't go wrong with a 149. They all have a siren call whether or not they seem to be from the sea.

[Remedial penmanship]

An Agatha Christie would be a nice alternative: about the same cost as a Verne, similar grip section, light resin of a 149, similarly black and reserved. Pink snakeyes aren't too bad.