Montblanc Inks Only?

[Arctic]

Finally I got my hands on a Meisterstück 149. The booklet enclosed instruction to use Montblancs own inks exclusively surprised me. Is this somthing they (really) do in order to promote their products, or is this really something I should take into concideration when buying ink? I see ppl use inks by other manufacturers in their Montblancs on YouTue. Have some really nice Iroshizuku (fu ghaku I think it is, but all this japanese names is not my stronger side haha) I'd like to try out. The pen came with both black and blue ink, but It's a bit boring I think. Pens used on a more every day basisi are inked up blue and black.

 

If using other inks than the Montblank-ones, is there something I need to take into concideration? I paid quite a lot even on this used one, so I'd really not mess it up.

[Olya]

That's for 3 reasons: 1. they ensure that you use an ink they trust won't damage the pen, it's a warranty issue as well (but manufacturers mess this up too, to this day, but the most famous example might be Parker Superchrome ink which was toxic to even their own pen!), 2. they make sure you keep buying their products and keep lining their coffers, and 3. pen makers tend to pair their inks to their pens, eg Pelikans are firehoses, insanely wet, their inks balance this out by being quite dry, Pilot also make their ink specifically to fit their pens - in the end this will boil down to personal preference though as some like dry inks in dry pens and some wet inks in wet pens and some like a nice middle ground, you'll have to find that out for yourself what suits you best; unless your pen turns out to be fussy and won't work with a specific ink, which also can happen, eg very poor flow or excessive flow which can be if eg a pen is very wet and the ink too (or vice versa - too dry: ink + pen), but I haven't had any issues like that like some others, though I'm also not overly experimental.

 

In terms of warranty, they say they won't repair your pen if it has issues because you used some funky ink. This is somewhat of a grey zone, as for one there are few inks out there that are that damaging (eg Noodler's Baystate line stains like crazy, so for the sake of your ink window forgoe that one in your MB), for another a manufacturer's own ink can be damaging/ problematic (eg MB's pigment ink had some staining issues, incl on their own pens, as mentioned in the past also Parker's super toxic Superchrome ink), further how can they tell you used another's ink (yeah with some there can be tell-tale signs but this is still bordering on the impossible - depending on the ink and your clean-up before sending it off to repair), and read some more here and you'll see that most inks are just fine. That includes J Herbin, Pilot, Sailor, Pelikan etc etc etc (and "regular" Noodler's, but I have no personal experience with this brand).

You best google for reviews, as some might stain (ink window, but some people don't mind stains, so that too falls into personal preference), on a whole dye inks are fine (staining is the worst that can happen), pigment & iron gall inks need some maintenance and can also have staining issues; red inks and colours in the red family (purple, brown, orange etc) may give staining issues and nib crud is sth that can easily happen with a number of red inks, but again just read reviews (or ask!) and you'll know how damaging an ink might be, most are perfectly fine!

[OCArt]

Any high quality ink should be fine. Some of the popular brands are Parker, Sheaffer, Diamine, Noodlers and many more. All have their proponents and detractors. Iroshizuku is certainly on the list of good inks and it is one of my favorite brands.

[CS388]

Ku Jaku? It's a beautiful ink. Get it in there and use it. Have had bottles of it go through my 149.

 

As others have outlined, any quality ink will work. A 149 is a solid, top quality, robust pen, it doesn't need special treatment.

 

Congratulations - and welcome to the 149 club.

 

Enjoy.

[Arctic]

Fuyu Gaki is the naame, just chekced out. It's a nice red-orange colour.

Thank you for your quick and nice responce

[zaddick]

Any high quality ink should be fine. Some of the popular brands are Parker, Sheaffer, Diamine, Noodlers and many more. All have their proponents and detractors. Iroshizuku is certainly on the list of good inks and it is one of my favorite brands.

This pretty much sums it up in my opinion. I have certainly used Iroshizuku inks in many of my MB pens without issue.

[SpecTP]

Use whichever ink you would like. It's a fine pen and a fine ink.

[Chrissy]

I'm for the use other brands of ink too, but be careful about using some other brands of permanent inks that might discolour your ink view window.

[Cordovian]

The only MB that I use only MB ink in is my Boheme and that's only because it is a cartridge pen. For some reason I like the MB cartridges but I'm sort of "meh" on their bottled ink.

[Oranges and Apples]

Only use MontBlanc inks in MontBlanc pens because the "precious resin" is true to its name and it cannot tolerate any other inks as the resin is very vulnerable.

 

I am not even exaggerating. Call any MontBlanc service center to find out.

Edited July 23, 2018 by Oranges and Apples

[Padawan]

If you ask such a question I would like to remind abt LE and SE MB ink series like Leo Tolstoy, Miles Davis Jazz, JFK Navy Blue just to mention a few.

It is another interesting and attractive story. ))

But more expensive ((

[thygreyt]

have fun, be safe.

 

Stick to big name inks and you should be safe. (pelikan, lamy, pilot, visconti, MB, parker, waterman, etc)

Stay away from MB permanent blue.

[RitwijMishra]

I have found this insistence of Montblanc's to have become a butt of more jokes than perhaps that insistence deserves. When I switched from Perle Noire to Montblanc Permanent Black ink last year, the difference it made to the performance of my vintage 149 was quite astonishing. It flowed much better: neither too wet, nor too dry, consequentially making my handwriting slightly more legible. Moreover, the pen stopped having skipping issues thereafter. Perle Noire is one of the greatest black inks ever to be released for public consumption, and is one of the best performing ones in most pens. Yet, switching to the permanent black ink by Montblanc altered my writing experience significantly.

 

This is not to state that their inks perform as well in pens of other make; all I state is that if they exercise allure enough for you, a Montblanc user, to buy them, prefer them over other brands of ink, at least in your Montblanc pens.

 

In my limited experience, therefore, there must be some legitimacy to the brand's long-standing claims that it is their own line of inks that perform best in their pens. Perhaps they are indeed formulated such as is unfairly considered to be an absurd claim.

[Tom Kellie]

I have found this insistence of Montblanc's to have become a butt of more jokes than perhaps that insistence deserves. When I switched from Perle Noire to Montblanc Permanent Black ink last year, the difference it made to the performance of my vintage 149 was quite astonishing. It flowed much better: neither too wet, nor too dry, consequentially making my handwriting slightly more legible.

 

 

~ RitwijMishra:

 

Thank you for mentioning Montblanc Permanent Black ink.

It's in one of my pens at all times. There have been no problems whatsoever.

It's been an excellent ink for sketching, as well as for writing.

Tom K.

[Uncial]

It's a way of maintaining brand loyalty even though MB permanent blue is one to be avoided; not because it will damage your pen, it's just problematic in behaviour. I use all kinds of inks and have never had a problem. I'd avoid staining inks if you care about keeping your ink windows clean and clear and personally I wouldn't put shimmering or glistening inks in a MB pen. I doubt it would create a long term problem, but those inks can be a pain to wash out of a cc pen, so I imagine it would be worse in a piston filler. It's like Nespresso telling you only ever use their coffee pods, Colgate telling you to only ever use their toothbrushes with their toothpaste and so on and so on. Pretty much every big brand that has linked products spouts this nonsense.

[Kalessin]

Montblanc urging the customer to only use Montblanc ink is just marketing -- of course they would prefer that you buy Montblanc ink!

 

Montblanc will service pens in and out of warranty that have been used with ink from other makers, and have always done so.

 

In my Volvo owner's manuals over the years, they have urged me to buy only Volvo products for the car's consumables -- light bulbs, fluids, etc. If I only used all Volvo products, I wouldn't be able to afford the cars. In some cases, it's important to buy the Volvo-labeled item -- the timing belt, for instance -- but otherwise I buy other brand names.

[RitwijMishra]

 

 

~ RitwijMishra:

 

Thank you for mentioning Montblanc Permanent Black ink.

It's in one of my pens at all times. There have been no problems whatsoever.

It's been an excellent ink for sketching, as well as for writing.

Tom K.

 

It is indeed an excellent black. I have not used it for illustrations as of yet (I prefer cedar pencils of varying grades), but it is the only ink I have bottles of. I use it exclusively for all my writing.

 

I did once find it to cause flow issues. On a festival this summer, I had been away all day to visit a family friend of ours, and was not back home until past midnight - as a consequence of which I could not sit down to write until next morning, when, of course, I found the ink taking its vengeance upon me for my said negligence.

 

Thankfully, if only for the fear of ink (and for my obvious love for writing), I take care to write aplenty each day!

[niksch]

I'd avoid vintage MB Turquiose unless you flush your pen frequently.

[Chrissy]

I'd avoid vintage MB Turquiose unless you flush your pen frequently.

 

Didn't Montblanc recall that one?

[Tom Kellie]

Didn't Montblanc recall that one?

 

~ Chrissy:

 

I don’t recall...

Tom K.