New Inks: Elixir Colorist Collection

[Matlock]

Interesting as I though you had closed this thread. I think what most of us were getting at was the unreasonable price.

You mention the Pelikan Edelstein "expensive premium line" yet is only one third the price of the MB Elixir line. I am a great fan of MB but it saddens me to see the way they are going, I am certainly not knocking them.

[Mew]

The thing is MB sell some decent inks at a decent price (how many people swear by Toffee Brown or Irish Green), then they have their luxury limited edition brands that cost wise target the other luxury inks such as Pelikan Edelstein and GvFC. These Elixir inks are just a whole additional cost level higher.

 

BTW when talking about the luxury inks, bare in mind that Sailor and Pilot Iroshizuku are a lot more expensive outside of Japan due to import costs, hence the good deals on Amazon/eBay and the like direct from Japan.

I really don't mind the cost, provided I am given an ink which justifies at least 70% of the price tag. MB inks aren't the best inks out there. Corn poppy red refused to flow in my Nakaya.

Red chalk was worse, at least I was getting a line on the paper with CPR. This one didn't even reach the tipping.

Toffee brown and Irish Green weren't particularly great either.

 

Their inks are painfully average, both in performance and quality. Their inks don't flow well even in their own EF nibs. They should probably have a look at their pens too. MB 149 is a sub-standard pen, and this is coming from someone who owns 2 of them.

 

I think it would be better to always see the price of the ink in the manufacturer country rather than the country you live in. Nothing is going to be cheaper than what is made in US for someone who lives in US, so that gives local stuff a lot of headstart over imported stuff.

For imported inks, better to always buy from the country it is made in. Edelstein costs something like 11 in EU, iroshizuku is 1620 yen in Japan, sailor is 1080 yen, GvFC is 20, Chromatics is 26-27 iirc. KWZ is 7-8. I've never paid more than this for the above brands.

[invisuu]

Interesting as I though you had closed this thread. I think what most of us were getting at was the unreasonable price.

You mention the Pelikan Edelstein "expensive premium line" yet is only one third the price of the MB Elixir line. I am a great fan of MB but it saddens me to see the way they are going, I am certainly not knocking them.

One third? Im used to paying exactly 13.5 EUR for a bottle of Edelstein ink. And thats without any special privileges, just a normal price at some of the most popular retailers.

 

Thats more one fifth than a third.

[Cyrille81]

Came to see if were still bashing Montblanc. Yup!

 

Ok will check again in a few days

 

PS Curious why only in Montblanc forum vs other manufacturers this happens.

 

PPS Do these guys also visit Hermes forums and complain about the price of their scarves? Or Patek Philippe and say that their Timex tells the time just as well?

 

We have this kind of bashing on Apple forums and sites too

[Kalessin]

Matlock, I had briefly closed this topic thread, reread the whole thing, and decided to re-open it. If conversation starts sliding back into the negative, then I will lock it again.

 

I always hope people can be gentle and civilized, even on controversial issues, and it's only very rarely that I need to remove posts or lock or remove topic threads.

[Kalessin]

One third? Im used to paying exactly 13.5 EUR for a bottle of Edelstein ink. And thats without any special privileges, just a normal price at some of the most popular retailers.

 

Thats more one fifth than a third.

 

At gouletpens.com, a popular site for US pen enthusiasts, Edelstein is $27.80/bottle, and the lower-line "regular" 4001 ink is $13.80/bottle.

 

At lacouronneducomte.nl, in the Netherlands, Edelstein is Euro 13/bottle, and 4001 is 3.95/bottle.

 

For Pelikan, the Edelstein line is the more expensive premium offering, but it does appear to be quite popular. But their prices aren't seen as "luxury pricing" the way MB's prices are.

[inkstainedruth]

You dont understand. This is precious ink. Made with precious water. In a precious bottle. Its all very precious, you see...

 

Snerk.

Like their "precious resin" pens, right?

 

Came to see if were still bashing Montblanc. Yup!

 

Ok will check again in a few days

 

PS Curious why only in Montblanc forum vs other manufacturers this happens.

 

PPS Do these guys also visit Hermes forums and complain about the price of their scarves? Or Patek Philippe and say that their Timex tells the time just as well?

Well, since I don't go to those forums I couldn't say. OTOH, my college (now ex-) boyfriend made a big deal about buying me a Seiko quartz watch and when it died and I found out a battery for it was going to be $90 US the watch went in the trash. And I bought a $20 Casio sports watch that had actual functionality to it.

Of course nowadays I have a several hundred dollar "watch" that also has a camera, a calendar, Google Maps, YouTube, iTunes, The Weather Channel, a calculator, an alarm clock, a flashlight, etc. Oh, and I can *also* use it to make phone calls.... Can a Patek Philippe watch follow eBay listings?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for formatting

Edited February 14, 2018 by inkstainedruth

[gerigo]

I AM one of those gullible ones that will want to try and buy at least one bottle of the inks. The idea I am using something that has it's origins from a millennia ago sounds really intriguing and definitely worth $70, if only to travel back in time knowing the dyes they use are similar to the ones we have used since the origins of time. Knowing its Montblanc, it would probably be safe. I am a sucker for this type of marketing!

[Matlock]

One third? Im used to paying exactly 13.5 EUR for a bottle of Edelstein ink. And thats without any special privileges, just a normal price at some of the most popular retailers.

 

Thats more one fifth than a third.

 

Prices vary from country to country but I was quoting the most expensive in the UK. There are cheaper sources though.

[Matlock]

Matlock, I had briefly closed this topic thread, reread the whole thing, and decided to re-open it. If conversation starts sliding back into the negative, then I will lock it again.

 

I always hope people can be gentle and civilized, even on controversial issues, and it's only very rarely that I need to remove posts or lock or remove topic threads.

 

Thanks, I hope we can keep things positive and, more importantly, constructive.

[Jagamov]

I think the new inks are cool and the history of the colors sounds interesting. Marketing? Maybe, but they are still cool and I like that they keep introducing new products. Keeps this hobby fun.

 

Calling people gullible is fairly childish since we are all here because we like Montblancs.

 

Calling out Montblanc for charging "unreasonable" prices and calling it price gouging is completely laughable. Learn about how free markets work and worry less about what people do with their own money.

[Ghost Plane]

Came to see if were still bashing Montblanc. Yup!

 

Ok will check again in a few days

 

PS Curious why only in Montblanc forum vs other manufacturers this happens.

 

PPS Do these guys also visit Hermes forums and complain about the price of their scarves? Or Patek Philippe and say that their Timex tells the time just as well?

Its not only this forum. Just say Visconti and Quality Control in the same sentence over in Italian Pens and watch the smoke rise.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Pretty bottles. And I'm a bottle fiend (see Mr. Skinner's thread). Pretty colors.

 

But I would want to see actual written samples first, whether from a review or a dealer's swatch.

[max dog]

OK everyone. Take a deep breath, look at your own collection of fountain pens and inks, and ask yourself "Is it worth it" for you? The answer for the vast majority of the population will be a resounding "NO!!!", although those fountain pens and inks in your cherished collection may be worth it for you. It's no different with these Elixir inks.

 

Then watch this video:

 

Consider:

TWSBI VAC 700 cost $60 to $80 USD

Pilot Custom 823, with similar filling system and some extras cost 5 X TWSBIs

Visconti Homo Sapiens power filler, with similar filling system and some extras cost 10 X TWSBI's

Conid Bulk Filler, with similar filling system and some extras cost 15 X TWSBIs.

 

A lot of you folks own these pens, because for some reason they are worth it for you, even though a $60 TWSBI is effectively doing the same thing at a fraction of the cost.

 

When you are passionately into something as "niche" as fountain pens, it always comes down to the big question, "Is it worth it" for you?

Edited February 15, 2018 by max dog

[jconn]

When you are passionately into something as "niche" as fountain pens, it always comes down to the big question, "Is it worth it" for you?

 

Truer words were never spoken.

[Uncial]

I confess I'm not really liking the bottles. The new larger ice cube is for me the best ink bottle I've ever bought. I love them.

[FPRebel]

Bye Montblanc!

+1

[Amit.]

ARE THEY EXPENSIVE----------------- YES

ARE THEY WORTH IT--------------------MAY OR MAY NOT BE

AM I GOING TO BUY -------------------- AS LONG AS I CAN AFFORD TO

[Chrissy]

There are other expensive premium lines of ink, such as Pelikan's Edelstein line, and Caran D'Ache's Chromatics line, and of course there are more expensive inks out there now than there ever have been.

 

The other makers' premium lines have been in the market since before MB's Elixirs line was released, though MB seems to be trying to position themselves above even these lines with pricing, as they do with their other products. It will either work in the (rapidly shrinking) fine-writing market or it won't.

 

Customers will decide to buy them or not, but I'm guessing that market saturation for premium ink has been reached, and the Elixir line might fade away. People seem to like the Edelstein inks, but not the Chromatics.

 

Personally, I have more ink than I will probably be able to use for the next ten years, and I tend to buy Waterman, Lamy, Pelikan, Namiki and Sheaffer inks, all of which are affordable. I'm still using some MB blue and black bottles that I bought over fifteen years ago.

 

+1 for this.

Sailor has decided to reduce their bottle size and sell their inks at almost the same prices. Like Montblanc I think it's a case of "let's try it and see what happens."

[horationelson]

It is also worth bearing in mind that inks mean different things to different people.

 

Some (many?) hoard inks in draws for years/decades. Sometimes this is so that they can crack them open for use at a later time (like a fine wine?), other times this is so that they can resell them for 2-3x original RRP on eBay.

 

Others rush back from the shop and ink up a pen immediately: to do calligraphy; to take notes in business meetings; to write poems/love letters; to doodle; to mark exam scripts.

 

I like to use my inks so sit in the latter camp, but in doing so I still derive pleasure from ink several years after having opened and finished the bottle. I still have notebooks from university, which I can date because I used limited edition MB inks (Seasons Greetings, from 2006-2008). Although those inks lost their scent a long time go, it is still a joy (albeit somewhat self-indulgent) to look back at my handwriting and fondly recall the joy I had when writing with those inks.

 

Whilst I don't intend to rush out to by any of the new Elixir inks, if they give anyone pleasure or fulfil a purpose in any of the above ways, then £50/$79 or whatever pales into insignificance.