I got to handle the new Alexander von Humboldt Patron of the Arts pen today...

[Andy]

...I took a quick trip into the local MB Boutique today to see if they had any pictures of the Faulkner Writer's Series pen (nope- though they are amused by some of the misinformation out there, such as claims that it's already for sale (nope) and that it will have gold trim (nope again- platinum), etc).

 

While I was a little bummed by that, it didn't last long, as I was informed that the store had received its first Alexander von Humboldt, just last night. Sweet.

 

(BTW- the "official" write-up for this pen can be seen at the now less screamingly un-navigable and flash-heavy Montblanc site Here )

 

First impression- big honking pen- had to be about 6" long. The cap seemed a trifle over-long to me, but not glaringly so- however, I feel if the silver section over the clip had been just a bit shorter the pen would have been a bit better visually balanced.

 

http://www.montblanc.com/media/edition/Alexander_von_Humboldt_H_01.jpghttp://www.montblanc.com/media/edition/Alexander_von_Humboldt_H_02.jpg

 

Images hotlinked from the MB web site

 

Weighty. The weight is packed on by the sterling silver appointments- and there's a lot of it, from the inlays to the clip to the turning knob AND the section. In the hand, the bulk of the weight is very much towards the back of the hand- some folks don't like that, I do. I found it to be a nice balance. It's not a light pen- I don't think I would be writing the great American novel with it, but I would find it comfortable for writing a few pages. Would I want to carry it in my shirt pocket? Probably not.

 

Barrel and cap are made of black grenadille- a very hard, dense, and dark wood- it's a very stable wood used in various wood-wind instruments. The pictures I had seen of the pen, as well as the brochure for the Humboldt led me to believe that the wood would be a bit lighter in shade and more lustrous, but in real-life it was fairly dark and a tad on the matte side. I imagine that with use this will change.

 

In size, it compares well with the 149 in barrel diameter and is a touch longer capped, IIRC. Uncapped (forget posting this one- it would flip your hand over backwards....) it's not quite as long and has a slimmer section than the 149.

 

The nib imprint is probably my favorite out of all of the MB LEs that I've seen- 146-sized with a platinum mask surrounding a sextant in gold- very nice. Now, I'm a bit prejudiced- ask me if something should have a big honking nib or a medium-sized nib, and it's not hard to guess my answer- but if it had been a 149-sized nib instead of a 146-size, I would have really been blown away by the pen. But, given the length and girth of the pen, the smaller 146 nib makes the uncapped pen look a bit squat. That's being fairly picky, but that's my impression.

 

The clip has the "vintage" MB logo- I like it.

 

I did notice a few things that struck me as fit and finish issues- there was a small gap between the end of the wood on the barrel and the base of the piston unit- I do not know if this was intentional (a little relief space for the wood- doubt it) or not, but it caught my attention. The clip on the one I handled seemed juuuuuuuust a tad askew, and the sterling panels on the cap and barrel did not quite meet up when the pen was capped- off by a few degrees, but off none-the-less. Would the sum of these issues (and I was trying to be pretty critical here) make me say, "No- send this one back."? Idunno- close call there. At $2400, my nit-picky-ness would probably be allowed a lot more say in the matter than on a $240 or $24 pen.

 

From what I'd seen and known ahead of time, I was prepared to be impressed, and, on the whole, I was- it's gorgeous. I love the elements of the pen- it could have been tied together a little better, but I like it none-the-less. This is one that I almost tried to figure out how to scrape together the fundage for- now that I've seen it in person, I've throttled back that urge a bit. Not that I don't like it- heck no; I think this one is going to sell like hotcakes- it just didn't have the immediate "BUY ME! BUY ME!!!!!" that I expected it to. All-in-all, a very impressive offering.

 

Andy

Edited December 3, 2008 by MYU

[Shangas]

That.

Looks.

Like.

A.

BEAUTIFUL.

Pen.

 

It looks rather heavy, though...is it hard to write with because of that?

[Andy]

That.

Looks.

Like.

A.

BEAUTIFUL.

Pen.

 

It is- it really is.

 

It looks rather heavy, though...is it hard to write with because of that?

 

It CAN double as a paper weight, and for $2400 it had better have multiple uses (not sure how good it would be at removing staples, though...).

 

Posting would be out of the question- no way. It isn't light by any stretch of the imagination, but it had a nice balance in my hand. While I think my hand would get tired after a long time, it still felt good poised in writing position- I could use this pen.

 

Andy

[Penache]

The detailing looks magnificant. Wonderful eye-candy.

[PAKMAN]

WOW sure wish I had an infinite pen budget. I believe that pen would come home with me!

[goodyear]

I saw one of these in the store in Edinburgh the other week. I didn't have the nerve to ask to handle it, so all I can say is that it looks awesome.

[jonro]

That is a great-looking pen. But, you are absolutely right when you say that when you pay $2,400 for a fountain pen, it should have flawless craftsmanship.

[georges zaslavsky]

absolutely gorgeous

[Andy]

I saw one of these in the store in Edinburgh the other week. I didn't have the nerve to ask to handle it, so all I can say is that it looks awesome.

 

Oh, you should have asked- really. Unless you look like you're either going to grab it and run or probably drop it, they'd have most likely let you have a close-up (at least here they would).

 

Funny part was that the salesman donned the cotton gloves to take the pen out of the packaging and show it off, but then just handed it to me to give it the thorough looking-over. I do admire showmanship. And- this very patient individual still makes a game attempt at a sale on my occasional visit- sticktoitiveness is another admirable quality. Who knows- some day it might work (as soon as I rid myself of several thousand dollars worth of inventory....).

 

If one is in the Pleasanton area, I do recommend a stop to the MB Boutique in the Galleria- it boasts a very nice array of MB FPs (and other writing implements) for your viewing, testing, and purchasing pleasure as well as a patient and courteous staff (and I'm not just saying that because I know that they browse FPN.... ).

 

Andy

[PigRatAndGoat]

There's a 888 version of this pen sitting at my not so local MB Boutique. Very pretty. I think the body is made out of onyx or something, rather than wood. Very pretty! (4810 and 888 edition that is...)

[goodguy]

OMG this is so beautiful.

Do you think Bill Gates will adopt me as his son ?

[adelaidepen]

...I took a quick trip into the local MB Boutique today to see if they had any pictures of the Faulkner Writer's Series pen (nope- though they are amused by some of the misinformation out there, such as claims that it's already for sale (nope) and that it will have gold trim (nope again- platinum), etc).

 

While I was a little bummed by that, it didn't last long, as I was informed that the store had received its first Alexander von Humboldt, just last night. Sweet.

 

(BTW- the "official" write-up for this pen can be seen at the now less screamingly un-navigable and flash-heavy Montblanc site Here )

 

First impression- big honking pen- had to be about 6" long. The cap seemed a trifle over-long to me, but not glaringly so- however, I feel if the silver section over the clip had been just a bit shorter the pen would have been a bit better visually balanced.

 

http://www.montblanc.com/media/edition/Alexander_von_Humboldt_H_01.jpghttp://www.montblanc.com/media/edition/Alexander_von_Humboldt_H_02.jpg

 

Images hotlinked from the <A HREF="http://www.montblanc.com/6996.php">MB web site</A></center>

 

Weighty. The weight is packed on by the sterling silver appointments- and there's a lot of it, from the inlays to the clip to the turning knob AND the section. In the hand, the bulk of the weight is very much towards the back of the hand- some folks don't like that, I do. I found it to be a nice balance. It's not a light pen- I don't think I would be writing the great American novel with it, but I would find it comfortable for writing a few pages. Would I want to carry it in my shirt pocket? Probably not.

 

Barrel and cap are made of black grenadille- a very hard, dense, and dark wood- it's a very stable wood used in various wood-wind instruments. The pictures I had seen of the pen, as well as the brochure for the Humboldt led me to believe that the wood would be a bit lighter in shade and more lustrous, but in real-life it was fairly dark and a tad on the matte side. I imagine that with use this will change.

 

In size, it compares well with the 149 in barrel diameter and is a touch longer capped, IIRC. Uncapped (forget posting this one- it would flip your hand over backwards....) it's not quite as long and has a slimmer section than the 149.

 

The nib imprint is probably my favorite out of all of the MB LEs that I've seen- 146-sized with a platinum mask surrounding a sextant in gold- very nice. Now, I'm a bit prejudiced- ask me if something should have a big honking nib or a medium-sized nib, and it's not hard to guess my answer- but if it had been a 149-sized nib instead of a 146-size, I would have really been blown away by the pen. But, given the length and girth of the pen, the smaller 146 nib makes the uncapped pen look a bit squat. That's being fairly picky, but that's my impression.

 

The clip has the "vintage" MB logo- I like it.

 

I did notice a few things that struck me as fit and finish issues- there was a small gap between the end of the wood on the barrel and the base of the piston unit- I do not know if this was intentional (a little relief space for the wood- doubt it) or not, but it caught my attention. The clip on the one I handled seemed juuuuuuuust a tad askew, and the sterling panels on the cap and barrel did not quite meet up when the pen was capped- off by a few degrees, but off none-the-less. Would the sum of these issues (and I was trying to be pretty critical here) make me say, "No- send this one back."? Idunno- close call there. At $2400, my nit-picky-ness would probably be allowed a lot more say in the matter than on a $240 or $24 pen.

 

From what I'd seen and known ahead of time, I was prepared to be impressed, and, on the whole, I was- it's gorgeous. I love the elements of the pen- it could have been tied together a little better, but I like it none-the-less. This is one that I almost tried to figure out how to scrape together the fundage for- now that I've seen it in person, I've throttled back that urge a bit. Not that I don't like it- heck no; I think this one is going to sell like hotcakes- it just didn't have the immediate "BUY ME! BUY ME!!!!!" that I expected it to. All-in-all, a very impressive offering.

 

Andy

 

Mine arrived today - it truly is a great looking pen - I can't wait to ink it and try it out tomorrow.....

 

[adelaidepen]

Having just inked up my A Von H I thought I'd put up my first "real" post! Having read the review I was a little anxious about receiving my pen but I have to say that many of the issues raised must be due to the individual pen the above reviewer received. My pen has NO gap between the wood and the silver, the clip is sound and the cap screws up with the silver areas perfectly aligned. I have a M nib and it writes beautifully. I find it overbalanced when the cap is posted but beautifully weighted without.

Just a few thoughts - some of the issues raised may be an issue with some of the AVH pens but mine seems fine and I'm enjoying it so far........

 

[PigRatAndGoat]

Having just inked up my A Von H I thought I'd put up my first "real" post! Having read the review I was a little anxious about receiving my pen but I have to say that many of the issues raised must be due to the individual pen the above reviewer received. My pen has NO gap between the wood and the silver, the clip is sound and the cap screws up with the silver areas perfectly aligned. I have a M nib and it writes beautifully. I find it overbalanced when the cap is posted but beautifully weighted without.

Just a few thoughts - some of the issues raised may be an issue with some of the AVH pens but mine seems fine and I'm enjoying it so far........

 

Personally, I would love to see a full blown review with pictures and all! Glad to hear that you like your pen.

[adelaidepen]

Having just inked up my A Von H I thought I'd put up my first "real" post! Having read the review I was a little anxious about receiving my pen but I have to say that many of the issues raised must be due to the individual pen the above reviewer received. My pen has NO gap between the wood and the silver, the clip is sound and the cap screws up with the silver areas perfectly aligned. I have a M nib and it writes beautifully. I find it overbalanced when the cap is posted but beautifully weighted without.

Just a few thoughts - some of the issues raised may be an issue with some of the AVH pens but mine seems fine and I'm enjoying it so far........

 

Personally, I would love to see a full blown review with pictures and all! Glad to hear that you like your pen.

 

I'll dust off the digital camera and get to work.........

[breaker]

nice review

[goldenkrishna]

...I took a quick trip into the local MB Boutique today to see if they had any pictures of the Faulkner Writer's Series pen (nope- though they are amused by some of the misinformation out there, such as claims that it's already for sale (nope) and that it will have gold trim (nope again- platinum), etc).

 

While I was a little bummed by that, it didn't last long, as I was informed that the store had received its first Alexander von Humboldt, just last night. Sweet.

 

(BTW- the "official" write-up for this pen can be seen at the now less screamingly un-navigable and flash-heavy Montblanc site <a href="http://www.montblanc.com/6996.php" target="_blank">Here</a> )

 

First impression- big honking pen- had to be about 6" long. The cap seemed a trifle over-long to me, but not glaringly so- however, I feel if the silver section over the clip had been just a bit shorter the pen would have been a bit better visually balanced.

 

<img src="http://www.montblanc.com/media/edition/Alexander_von_Humboldt_H_01.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /><img src="http://www.montblanc.com/media/edition/Alexander_von_Humboldt_H_02.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

 

<i>Images hotlinked from the <A HREF="http://www.montblanc.com/6996.php">MB web site</A></i></center>

 

Weighty. The weight is packed on by the sterling silver appointments- and there's a lot of it, from the inlays to the clip to the turning knob AND the section. In the hand, the bulk of the weight is very much towards the back of the hand- some folks don't like that, I do. I found it to be a nice balance. It's not a light pen- I don't think I would be writing the great American novel with it, but I would find it comfortable for writing a few pages. Would I want to carry it in my shirt pocket? Probably not.

 

Barrel and cap are made of black grenadille- a very hard, dense, and dark wood- it's a very stable wood used in various wood-wind instruments. The pictures I had seen of the pen, as well as the brochure for the Humboldt led me to believe that the wood would be a bit lighter in shade and more lustrous, but in real-life it was fairly dark and a tad on the matte side. I imagine that with use this will change.

 

In size, it compares well with the 149 in barrel diameter and is a touch longer capped, IIRC. Uncapped (forget posting this one- it would flip your hand over backwards....) it's not quite as long and has a slimmer section than the 149.

 

The nib imprint is probably my favorite out of all of the MB LEs that I've seen- 146-sized with a platinum mask surrounding a sextant in gold- very nice. Now, I'm a bit prejudiced- ask me if something should have a big honking nib or a medium-sized nib, and it's not hard to guess my answer- but if it had been a 149-sized nib instead of a 146-size, I would have really been blown away by the pen. But, given the length and girth of the pen, the smaller 146 nib makes the uncapped pen look a bit squat. That's being fairly picky, but that's my impression.

 

The clip has the "vintage" MB logo- I like it.

 

I did notice a few things that struck me as fit and finish issues- there was a small gap between the end of the wood on the barrel and the base of the piston unit- I do not know if this was intentional (a little relief space for the wood- doubt it) or not, but it caught my attention. The clip on the one I handled seemed juuuuuuuust a tad askew, and the sterling panels on the cap and barrel did not quite meet up when the pen was capped- off by a few degrees, but off none-the-less. Would the sum of these issues (and I was trying to be pretty critical here) make me say, "No- send this one back."? Idunno- close call there. At $2400, my nit-picky-ness would probably be allowed a lot more say in the matter than on a $240 or $24 pen. <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

 

From what I'd seen and known ahead of time, I was prepared to be impressed, and, on the whole, I was- it's gorgeous. I love the elements of the pen- it could have been tied together a little better, but I like it none-the-less. This is one that I almost tried to figure out how to scrape together the fundage for- now that I've seen it in person, I've throttled back that urge a bit. Not that I don't like it- heck no; I think this one is going to sell like hotcakes- it just didn't have the immediate "BUY ME! BUY ME!!!!!" that I expected it to. All-in-all, a very impressive offering.

 

Andy

Hello Andy,

 

Good informative review. Thanks.

Some shops here in the Netherlands sell the AvH for around €2,500. When you compare that with the starting MSRP of $2,400 than it looks like AvH has gone up in price over the years. Where $2,400 is already a respectable sum of money. Are they mad at Montblanc Headquarters.

 

With love,

 

goldenkrishna

[MarkHanks]

I am not able to see the images for some reason. Pray why?

[Karmachanic]

Possibly because the 2007 pages linked to no longer exist.

[MarkHanks]

Thanks.