Montblanc Is Revamping Their Standard Ink Line!

[Barkingpig]

Ah the smell of homeless people by the ocean...

 

Most scented things are problematic for me; I have been less than happy with most items that are artificially made to resemble something natural.

 

An antique shop I sold in had a shelf of locally made candles for sale. There was a well known Thoroughbred race track less than 10 miles from the shop & one of the candles for sale was "Paddock," with attractive artwork showing horses being saddled prior to race. I grew up attending race meets @ that track & was well acquainted with the smells that could be found there & never wanted to burn a candle INSIDE my house that emulated them!

[MightyEighth]

So how about those new inks?

Petrol blue is very tempting.

 

 

I got a bottle earlier this week. I like it. First inking for my new 149...

 

[Michael R.]

 

P1450694 by pensninks, auf Flickr

[NeverTapOut]

 

P1450694 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

 

The new stash?

[Michael R.]

yes

 

Some quick color impressions based on first swatches:

 

• Petrol Blue reminds mit of Noodler's Blue Black
• Marine Blue reminds me of Noodler's Ellis Island
• Manganese Orange reminds me of Gandhi Saffron (first edition)
• Modena Red looks slightly lighter than The Legend of Zodiacs - The Dog
• Cool Grey is much more towards a cooler blue compared to Oyster Grey
• Pop Pink is more intense compared to Ladies Edition Pearl but far from the intensity of Pink Ink
• Vetiver Green is slightly less intense than Diamine Light Green or Iroshizuku Chiku-Rin and also slightly less green but more yellow

 

A quick picture but colors are not 100 % correct...

 

P1450704 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

Cheers

 

Michael​

[NeverTapOut]

yes

 

Some quick color impressions based on first swatches:

 

• Petrol Blue reminds mit of Noodler's Blue Black
• Marine Blue reminds me of Noodler's Ellis Island
• Manganese Orange reminds me of Gandhi Saffron (first edition)
• Modena Red looks slightly lighter than The Legend of Zodiacs - The Dog
• Cool Grey is much more towards a cooler blue compared to Oyster Grey
• Pop Pink is more intense compared to Ladies Edition Pearl but far from the intensity of Pink Ink
• Vetiver Green is slightly less intense than Diamine Light Green or Iroshizuku Chiku-Rin and also slightly less green but more yellow

 

A quick picture but colors are not 100 % correct...

 

P1450704 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

Cheers

 

Michael​

 

Michael,

In your opinion is Cool Grey more saturated than Oyster Grey?

Thanks,

David

Edited May 21, 2019 by Jesus1

[Michael R.]

I don‘t think so; just more cool and less warm hues.

 

I will need to makle a comparison shot soon.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[inotrym]

Why did they have to ruin the labels and boxes?

Edited May 21, 2019 by inotrym

[NeverTapOut]

Why did they have to ruin the labels and boxes?

 

Someone in Marketing and in the Accounting Department got together...It's all about $

White Boxes and labels are cheaper to produce than colored boxes...

Change some of the standard ink colors...blows out old inventory...then consumers buy the new inventory...

Then...Ink of the Year, Pen of the Year, LE Inks, WE Inks, WE Pens...it's all to get us pen people talking and to remove money from our wallets into their wallets. MB is a (M)arketing/(B)randing Machine...

I like their products and I give them my money...I'm not complaining...it is what it is and I enjoy it.

Edited May 21, 2019 by Jesus1

[inotrym]

I am not talking about marketing and business policy, tbh. I know MB charges their logo and that's why I stopped buying their LEs years ago.

I am talking purely aesthetics. Did someone actually think they look better?

Edited May 21, 2019 by inotrym

[inkstainedruth]

 

There is one, by Fritz Schimpf (along with the other new colours): https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/346068-a-few-new-montblanc-inks-have-arrived-and-more-to-come/

 

Hmmm. Petrol Blue looks remarkably like MB Leo Tolstoy LE from a couple of years ago.... It would be interesting to see a side by side when this is actually released.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Michael R.]

Tolstoy is less green and appears slightly lighter while Petrol Blue has slightly more intensity.

 

I try to get a comparison shot soon.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[Uncial]

So the orange comes in an ice cube bottle, not a shoe bottle?

[Michael R.]

Only the Petrol Blue comes in the ice cube bottle. The regular colors are shoe bottles. And Elixir inks come in a cube smooth bottle.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[1nkulus]

I am not talking about marketing and business policy, tbh. I know MB charges their logo and that's why I stopped buying their LEs years ago.

I am talking purely aesthetics. Did someone actually think they look better?

 

The look became immaterial after they glanced at the bulging wallet and, presto, the two tone packaging became all the rage.

[1nkulus]

Tolstoy is less green and appears slightly lighter while Petrol Blue has slightly more intensity.

 

I try to get a comparison shot soon.

 

[mulrich]

 

Someone in Marketing and in the Accounting Department got together...It's all about $

White Boxes and labels are cheaper to produce than colored boxes...

Change some of the standard ink colors...blows out old inventory...then consumers buy the new inventory...

Then...Ink of the Year, Pen of the Year, LE Inks, WE Inks, WE Pens...it's all to get us pen people talking and to remove money from our wallets into their wallets. MB is a (M)arketing/(B)randing Machine...

I like their products and I give them my money...I'm not complaining...it is what it is and I enjoy it.

 

I'm a business professor so I'm biased but a company needs to make money to survive. So yes, most things that companies do (especially luxury brands) are about making more money.

[inkstainedruth]

 

I'm a business professor so I'm biased but a company needs to make money to survive. So yes, most things that companies do (especially luxury brands) are about making more money.

 

There's making money and then there's gouging the customer. And frankly, what I've seen from MB over the years leans more towards the latter....

You want well built, "luxury" piston fillers? There's Pelikan. I paid roughly the same for two M405s a couple of years ago (admittedly, I bought them from Rolf Thiel's eBay store) as I probably would for ONE MB 149. You want well-built pens with a range of nib widths? There's Sailor (even though they're raising THEIR prices as well).

You want a well built reliable classic writing instrument? Well, the most I ever paid for a vintage Parker 51 was $120 US -- and that included the buyer's premium at the PCA auction at the Triangle Pen Show.... Most of my other 51s were under $75.

Oh, and the $9 + tax Parker 45 I found in an antiques store a few years ago gave me a better writing experience than a friend's MB 146. And the $5 1980s era Pelikan Pelikano I got at last year's Baltimore/Washington Pen Show did too. And that's a KID'S pen. So explain to me again why I should pay hundreds of dollars for a single pen for MB's snobbery factor to keep them in business? Especially, as far as I can tell, they make the bulk of their pen-business money on ugly, ostentatious, unusable pens?

I like a few of their inks. But honestly, I can get just as good results with way less expensive ones. Even other "luxury" inks like Iroshizuku and Edelstein are less expensive than I paid for the two LE MB inks I own bottles of....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[NeverTapOut]

 

I'm a business professor so I'm biased but a company needs to make money to survive. So yes, most things that companies do (especially luxury brands) are about making more money.

 

 

Mulrich...

I am not going to argue with you...

My last line of my post says..."I like their products and I give them my money...I'm not complaining...it is what it is and I enjoy it."

​As you know since you are a "business professor and are biased"...if your not moving forward in business your moving backwards.

I don't begrudge them at all. I think you need to reread my post. I don't tell people what I did for a living...however it afforded me the luxury to retire full-time at age 40...that was 10 years ago...I don't have book smarts like you...I graduated with a 2.01 GPA...however I do have business acumen. I still attend my Original MasterMind Group...which actually met today for lunch at Fleming's. We talked about IQ versus EQ in the workplace and business. Unfortunately, I will never have a high IQ like you...however I do have a high EQ...

Much Respect,

David

Edited May 23, 2019 by Jesus1

[thygreyt]

Going back to the discussion of inks...

 

I'm interested on the comparison of Tolstoy blue and petrol! I currently am using Tolstoy and have about 1/2 bottle left and no idea on how to follow up.