Montblanc M And M Ultra Black -- The Newson Twins

[ParkerBeta]

Foreword: For some inexplicable reason, Montblanc's "traditional" piston-filler pens do not interest me in the least: for the brief time I owned a 146, I found it unutterably boring, and the 149 is just too stodgy (and stogie) and pompous for me -- I own its Made-In-Germany knockoff the Senator President (suggested names for LEs: "JFK" and "Obama"), which is less showy but has seen almost no use from me either. On the other hand, something about Montblanc's cartridge-fillers appeals to me: I have all three Bohemes (all without that gaudy bauble on the clip -- take that, bling aficionados!), a Starwalker, and now both versions of the M. In fact, with the exception of the midsized Boheme, all of these pens are supposed to use cartridges exclusively -- this lack of flexibility ought to count as an annoyance, yet I cheerfully overlook it for these pens, and only for these pens, in my collection. I say all this in advance of my review, because my criticism of the two M models may sound harsh, but the fact is that I own them both and like them, warts and all.

 

With that out of the way, let's get to the review. The Montblanc M and the M Ultra Black, which I shall refer to in this review as the Newson Twins after their parent (designer), Marc Newson, have evoked very polarized responses from the moment the M was introduced in 2015.

 

 

Here's an amalgamation of the criticism that has been leveled at it, with the hyperbole turned up to 11, as befits modern internet style:

What does the "M" stand for? Montblanc? Marc (Newson)? Millennial? Mediocrity? Monstrosity? Money-grab? From the cribbed-from-Lamy-Safari ($35) clip, to the flattened barrel that doesn't accommodate a converter, to the cap that won't post even in the revised-edition Ultra Black (though the cap on the rollerball version of the Ultra Black does post), this ugly-duckling design just proves that Newson has (a) never used a fountain pen and (b ) delegated this project to the junior most intern in his studio. And the price! Sure, it's built to the very tightest of tolerances and the highest of standards, but at $575, Montblanc has gilded a you-know-what and is selling it as a gold brick!

 

My response to the above rant(s) would be to ask the ranter, "Have you ever written with one?" Yes, there is an annoying step in the section. Yes, you cannot post the cap. Yes, the nib looks ugly too, at least the early ones that had Newson's initials on them -- the later nibs with an "M" inside Montblanc's snowflake design look better.

 

 

But ultimately it's the way the nib writes that matters, and the nib delivers. It looks like a modified version of the nib on the Starwalker, but it writes differently and feels different, in a way that I cannot quite describe [then what am I doing writing this "review"?]. I expect that the M line was designed primarily to sell rollerballs and ballpoints to millennials (or maybe Gen Y-ers -- millennials probably aren't earning enough yet to throw $450+ at a pen), and the fountain pen version of the M was an afterthought. Yet credit is due to Montblanc for putting in the resources and effort required to design a new nib for this line, and for executing it so well.

 

A word on the difference between the two models: the original M came in a shiny finish, while the later M Ultra Black came in a matte finish with a distinctive thin red band visible when the pen is uncapped. It is a striking and eye-catching flourish and gives the pen a bit of flair that I think is missing from the original.

 

 

However, the very shininess of the cap and barrel on the original M gives it a certain spartan appeal as well. I, for one, am delighted to have both.

 

 

By the way, I would never buy them for list price or anywhere close to list price. However, they are not easy to find on the used market either -- maybe they sell in small numbers to begin with, or those who do buy them know what they are getting and tend to hold on to them. Fortunately, I managed to buy them both used in mint condition a month or two apart, both at a substantial savings off list.

 

In short, the Montblanc M: dumb name, hit-or-miss design, but the nib hits it out of the park. Sure, if you want a modern pen made by a designer better known for furniture, the $75 Lamy Aion by Jasper Morrison is far better value (it even has a different nib from the rest of the Lamy models!), but I am nevertheless happy that Montblanc used its profits to fund this project!

[TheDutchGuy]

Thanks for this! I like it when people stand up for the "ugly duckling". Personally, I rather like the somewhat industrial design of this model and I've been eyeing it for some time. But my two vintage MB's give me so much pleasure that I will probably never see the need to invest in a new(er) one.

[BVT]

Thank you very much for this nuanced review. In a way I appreciate that Montblanc doesn't stick to its guns and tries to continue innovating even when they have had a winning recipe for as long as they have. I personally prefer the more classic Meisterstück models, as well as the Starwalker, but the M absolutely has its appeal.

 

On the other hand, it seems odd to me to design a pen for millenials or, as they put it, the 'new urban elite'. I highly doubt they will be all too interested in an expensive pen (fountain or otherwise) while going paperless seems to be the ultimate goal now. Designing a pen for the growing group of fountain pen enthusiasts seems like a more sensible option (and all the better if the design also appeals to that urban elite). But that's just my opinion

[ygv]

Interesting review and definitely interesting pens.

[RoSpectre]

Meh, I'm in my early 30s and I dig this pen... I don't speak for a generation, or even for good taste though, haha. Not earning enough to buy one new, and if I had the cash not sure it would be my first choice, but I do like MB going outside the cigar-shaped comfort zone. Does M stand for magnetic? I thought this had a magnetic cap, which is pretty cool. I am fine with cartridges too since I am equipped to refill them. This pen should post though... I can't forgive that.

 

I don't know if I can agree that nib performance can totally redeem all of a pen's faults though. In this price range there is a multiverse of great nibs available. I haven't tried one of these so maybe the nib really is one-of-a-kind, but I am dubious... I think you can ask for a great nib and a well made pen.

 

I'd recommend an S.T. Dupont Fidelio if this size/aesthetic appeals... nib looks very similar and I'd reckon the performance would be just as good. The Franklin Christoph 65/66 range looks similar too.

 

Thanks for this review!

[ParkerBeta]

I completely agree that Montblanc may be asking too much by expecting buyers to overlook all the other issues with the pen just for the nib, especially because there are several other pens with excellent nibs in this price range. I have an ST Dupont Fidelio and like it very much but the section is thinner and therefore less comfortable than the relatively stout one on the M. On the other hand, the clipless Franklin-Christoph 66 Stabilis (which I have too) is pretty much flawless but its meant to be a desk pen and is a bit too long to carry around, I think. So the wide section and portable characteristics of the M do give it something distinctive even against such tough competition.

[4lex]

I wanted to like this pen. The design is very much to my taste. But there is a limit to how much design over function I can take.