Whats The Best Montblanc Pen You've Ever Written With?

[Paisa95]

My best experience ever with a MB is my 134 Kriegsmodel, the nib is great and the pen is nicely balanced. I have several Modern MB and sometimes the nibs can be a bit disappointing.

[jmcf1949]

I had an early eighties 149 with a wonderful M nib. It actually had a bit of spring to it. I'm sorry that I sold it.

[arcfide]

I don't buy or collect a lot of fountain pens, and I generally stick to using them as daily workhorses than anything else. That said, I've consistently found that I gravitate to MontBlanc pens as my main preferred pens overall. While it's hard to point to exactly what I enjoy, the end result is usually that I find they lead to a better overall experience during the day and throughout when compared to the other pens I've had.

 

However, amongst my MontBlancs through the years (probably only a few, maybe three or four at most), the 149 Calligraphy with the Expression nib is without a doubt the best.

 

Spencerian is my "native hand" at this point, and the difference an EF or EEF flex nib like the MB makes is huge. The way that the nib is designed that makes it more suitable for a wide array of papers than my custom ground Namiki Falcon is also really a big deal.

 

So, without a doubt, I consider MB's Expression nib in the 149 the winner across the board for me. But keep in mind that this is because I use Spencerian all the day long and often at very small font sizes. I know someone personally who can't stand the nib because she wants something wet, soaking, and bold (so things like an extra wet Waterman medium seem to work well for her), versus my desire for a tightly controlled, precise ink flow.

[jmnav]

While I'm not a colector, I ended up with four montblancs, all of them good to brilliant, no one perfect yet. Of course, personal tastes have a lot to do with what you consider good or not.

1. a 1950's 144. The nib I own I like the most... on a pen too thin and short for my tastes.

2. a 1950's 146. Best weight and balance, quite nice nib... still a bit too short.

3. a late 90's 146. Good lenght, not bad balance nor weight... the grip section is too wide for my tastes (it would be much, much better for me if they still did them in the old concave shape) and the nib, while sporting the proper flow, never skips, etc. is as dull as it takes . I consider it a quite good ballpen.

4. a late (maybe 1950) 136. Very good OM~OB nib with nice flex on it; a, for me, perfect lenght, girth, weight and balance on a very nice design... only my unit soaks a bit its section's lip. If this disappears after some maintenance work, it will be damn near to perfect.

[BillH]

I would be hard pressed to say which is the best in my collection. Yes, I collect, and there are many that, should I be forced to choose just one, the likely result would be a sad old man in the corner with a blank thousand yard stare on his face. Either that or a forcible ejection of the unreasonable person from the premises...

 

Tom's threads introduced me to O3B nibs. I have a couple excellent ones. I have some late 70's-early 80's 146 and 149 nibs, in various sizes, and I would hate to part with any of them. Then again, there is a Dumas in B that is wonderful. Yes, I agree that the Calligraphy is an excellent EF (once I started to get used to it).

 

That's how you become a collector, by the way... mediocre gets sold on, excellence is forever.

[Tom Kellie]

I would be hard pressed to say which is the best in my collection. Yes, I collect, and there are many that, should I be forced to choose just one, the likely result would be a sad old man in the corner with a blank thousand yard stare on his face. Either that or a forcible ejection of the unreasonable person from the premises...

 

Tom's threads introduced me to O3B nibs. I have a couple excellent ones. I have some late 70's-early 80's 146 and 149 nibs, in various sizes, and I would hate to part with any of them. Then again, there is a Dumas in B that is wonderful. Yes, I agree that the Calligraphy is an excellent EF (once I started to get used to it).

 

That's how you become a collector, by the way... mediocre gets sold on, excellence is forever.

 

~ BillH:

 

Your perspective is instructive. It raises points about which I hadn't thought.

I don't have a collection, as such. There are a group of Montblanc fountain pens, all of which have nibs which write well.

Working where I do, I've assumed from day one that at any time any or all of the fountain pens might be arbitrarily forfeit.

There's no particular pen which might inspire keening and grief. They'd all constitute a loss.

Nevertheless, the understanding of what constitutes an excellent daily writer would be a residue for use in seeking a pen to replace all of those lost.

While there are no favorites, as such, a 342 OF and a 149 OF, both over half a century old, are especially pleasing workhorses.

Tom K.

[DrDebG]

This is my one and only Montblanc - a lovely MB LeGrand Unicef with OB nib. It was given to me by my wonderful daughter.

My MB is one of my two favorite pens. The other is a Franklin Christoph Panther 40 with Masuyama 14K semi-flex Medium CI nib (yes, that is a mouthful!). The FC is a prototype, so this pen is truly a one of a kind.

The FC was given to me by my husband when we are at the Denver Pen Show. I am so lucky!

Edited December 15, 2019 by DrDebG

[ItsMeDave]

I could flip a coin cause I only have two, a rose gold 146 with an EF nib and a 149 calligraphy, if there’s no coin in hand, the 149 takes it.

[yubaprof]

My first Montblanc was a mid-1980s 146 with a fine nib. It was by far my best writer, better than any of my Pelikans. About 2004 I acquired a Hemingway, never inked. I dipped (but did not fill) it and it was not as fluid as the 146 - somewhat on the stiff side, so I sold it (for a profit). Then I acquired a 149 with a OB nib. I liked the nib, but the pen was just too big. I felt like I was carrying around a weapon. So I sold it. (I feel the same about the Pelikan M1000.) The 146 remains not only my favorite Montblanc but also my favorite pen. However, I really wish I had not sold the Hemingway.

[tamiya]

The best feeling MB... always seems to be what the MB boutique keeps putting in my hand whenever I ask to borrow a pen to sign the card docket or scribble down an ident number...

 

"Oh wow, this feels nice... how much is it?"

 

"Sorry sir, that's a LE UNICEF that was discontinued two years ago and it's sold out..." pretty sure it was LeGrand size in iconic Meisterstuck black before they brought out that UNICEF model with all the multilingual words on it... very likely that very model that DrDebG has pictured immediately above

[Karmachanic]

Gave away the 149 twelve years ago. So within my vast collection of one MB I'd say the 234 1/2

[jchch1950]

MB 149 m nib.

[aggoo]

I recently got hold of a little 242G in platinum striated celluloid with a flexible medium nib, and it is a complete delight in every sense of the word. The warmth of the celluloid, the smoothness of the piston mechanism and the perfection of the nib, with its softness and flexibility, yet still retaining exceedingly smooth and perfectly aligned. Even though it's a small pen by modern standards (Mozart size), posted, it's very comfortable eve for longer writing sessions.

 

In terms of modern pens, I enjoy the POA Charlemagne for its relatively restrained look but neat details. I'm a sucker for matte sterling silver, and the twisted body is genius. I used to have a Ludovico Sforzia with a beautifully tuned medium nib, but it was a bit too heavy, so it's gone now.

[torstar]

My Proust

 

Perfectly balanced when posted.

 

And meets my aesthetic needs while I dither about a close 3rd read of that large work of his....

Edited December 18, 2019 by torstar

[rebcabin]

MB 149 m nib.

 

 

I second that. My 1973 149 M nib has a very slight architecty shape, slightly wider side to side than up and down, and it inspires me to write more slowly and artfully. It starts instantly no matter how long it's been sitting and never ever skips no matter how old the ink. I have other great pens; this is still the greatest!

[thygreyt]

Oh, an easy question.

Mine is surely the 149 from '72 with the soft medium-fine nib... No, no, its the smooth Woolf... no, no... its the Beatles with the amazing OBB nib... no no, the OB 1912 with the hint of softness...
No, actually it must be one of my 3 custom obliques...! Or maybe the Matsuyama semiflex stub?

 

shoot. Not easy at all.

Each one is unique, each one great by itself..! But all have something different to add to the writing. Even every single nib thats "the same" is different. Every OB, every M, every F, every OBB... all different! The great result of hand finishing.

[como]

Among modern Montblancs - For balance and comfort: 146. For nib performance: Heritage 1912.

[dannyboy]

Quite a difficult question, really--but the MB I truly love writing with is a 234 1/2 in Azurite with a nib that has a nice italic cut. I find myself choosing this pen over many others purely for the joy of writing with it. Alas, it has had to go back to the seller for some repair work since the filling mechanism became too difficult to turn.

[Chandon]

Thanks for posing an interesting question. I will answer in two parts.

As far as vintage pens go, I am a regular user of a Montblanc 74 with a BB nib, as it is a very comfortable pen and a great writer. The same is true of my Montblanc 12 from the early 1960s with a medium nib. Also like the under-rated Montblanc 264 with an OB nib from the late 1950s.

As far as modern pens go, the medium 146 is the most comfortable that I have used, and it is my favourite daily writer. That said, I have never used a 149, so I am no expert, and can't claim to have tried a lot of others, as my budget is limited!

[Thymen]

I have (only) two: a 146 with F nib, and a 149 with an M nib. Compared to my other pens, more like M and B. Both bought new, in the past two years.

 

Knowing what I know now, had I not have these already, the 146 I would buy again. Great balance, smooth writer, overall a very good feel to it.

 

The 149... not sure. I like it, but not as much as the 146. Balance and size are ok, but because of the longer nib I tend to hold it a little closer to the end of the section. The rim of the section digs into my middle finger, and with longer writing sessions that is not very pleasant.

 

So for me: the 146.