MB released 146 Flex in resin

[A Smug Dill]

43 minutes ago, invisuu said:

@A Smug Dill have you checked Pilot Custom 912 FA? I'd say it flexes as much as my 149C. Oddly enough, Pilot Custom 823 FA doesn't, however. The 912 does require a feed upgrade from flexible nib factory.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! That was my first (purportedly, according to many hobbyists, although not according to Pilot) ‘flex’-nibbed pen, and it disappointed and frustrated me so much, I ended up pulling the nib out of it and then snapped it with my fingers. It wasn't the ink flow that was the problem, but it didn't have anywhere near strong enough and quick enough springback to return to a hairline quickly after the end of a stem or bowl.

 

Some years later, I picked up a secondhand Pilot Custom 742 into which the previous owner had already retrofitted an ebonite feed from Flexible Nib Factory. I dislike it less than I did the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 (which is a great pen ergonomically), more likely due to my handwriting technique having improved/changed in the meantime than because its ink flow is ‘better’, but the nib doesn't spring back any better. I need a flex nib that will elastically deform to a significant extent without springing, but will resist me every micrometre of the way, if I'm to be able to exert sufficient control to product calligraphic script at 3mm x-height (to fit a normal, 6mm-ruled notebook page, say). The tightness of the form is more important to me than how easy it is to write quickly but with flair. To me, proper calligraphy may be painstakingly slow to do, but when done properly, exhibits surgical precision to express exactly how the calligrapher intended each shape and transition. The Pilot FA nibs aren't the right tools for it, in my experience.

[como]

5 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

...Could you please tell me what the x-height is?

..

@A Smug Dill Thank you. The X-height is about 5mm. I did it by hand in a rush, so my lines are not so consistent. Also you can see that I already messed up since the very first line, not sticking to the line height to the fullest. I just decided to move on piling mistakes on mistakes as I needed to run off but still wanted to put this info here as a reference. Good luck to your search! I hope you find what you like.

[A Smug Dill]

Just now, como said:

The X-height is about 5mm.

 

Thank you very much for replying!

[como]

1 hour ago, invisuu said:

 

Nice! Congrats on the pen! I can not discern any major differences between 146C and 149C, so I'm not tempted by the 146C, I'll stick to my 149C. This is good news for 146 fans though, as they get the same quality nib as 149 got.

 

@A Smug Dill have you checked Pilot Custom 912 FA? I'd say it flexes as much as my 149C. Oddly enough, Pilot Custom 823 FA doesn't, however. The 912 does require a feed upgrade from flexible nib factory.

@invisuu Thank you. For me the 146C was not a rational purchase (like dozens of my other pens 😀 but I am talking to a bunch of pen nuts here anyway) as I already have the Big C. If you already have a 149C, the 146C won't do anything better or differently. I went to the shop thinking if the pen was anything other than a Baby C (meaning everything the same but just smaller), I would't buy it. But it was perfect. I went with my loupe, Big C, Tomoe River 52gsm, and a true EF from my MB Rouge et Noir Coral, to test and compare. This Baby C ( @Nabado  you can call Baby C all you want 😀) delivered 100%, so I had to take her home. I was lucky as pens aren't always perfect. Btw, it's the only clean resin version of 146 I have, so to be able to see the 888 on it is very nice. All my other 146 based pens are LE or special editions.

[Uncial]

55 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Thanks for the suggestion! That was my first (purportedly, according to many hobbyists, although not according to Pilot) ‘flex’-nibbed pen, and it disappointed and frustrated me so much, I ended up pulling the nib out of it and then snapped it with my fingers. It wasn't the ink flow that was the problem, but it didn't have anywhere near strong enough and quick enough springback to return to a hairline quickly after the end of a stem or bowl.

 

Some years later, I picked up a secondhand Pilot Custom 742 into which the previous owner had already retrofitted an ebonite feed from Flexible Nib Factory. I dislike it less than I did the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 (which is a great pen ergonomically), more likely due to my handwriting technique having improved/changed in the meantime than because its ink flow is ‘better’, but the nib doesn't spring back any better. I need a flex nib that will elastically deform to a significant extent without springing, but will resist me every micrometre of the way, if I'm to be able to exert sufficient control to product calligraphic script at 3mm x-height (to fit a normal, 6mm-ruled notebook page, say). The tightness of the form is more important to me than how easy it is to write quickly but with flair. To me, proper calligraphy may be painstakingly slow to do, but when done properly, exhibits surgical precision to express exactly how the calligrapher intended each shape and transition. The Pilot FA nibs aren't the right tools for it, in my experience.

 

To be honest I don't believe there is any 'flexible' nib on the market that has the snap back equal to a dip nib or perhaps even a vintage nib. The MB nib certainly doesn't have the softness of a vintage nib but the slight stiffness across the bridge does help a bit in terms of snap back but it will take a little practice and getting used to. The cleverness of the design is in the stinginess of the ink flow when unflexed. It's very generous when flexed (but still controlled) and returns to quite a dry flow very rapidly when the pressure is off. I own the Scribo flex nib and its lovely to use, but an entirely different beast than the MB nib. The Scribo will give a bit of expression in everyday writing and has a pleasing softness and spring, but like so many nibs labelled 'flexible' its notions of flexibility far exceed the reality.

[bunnspecial]

Well, I woke up this morning intent on placing an order with Pen Boutique after sleeping on it...only to see that they're sold out.

 

I'll check some other vendors this morning and see if anyone is showing it in stock-hopefully someone has it still but the couple I checked said no.

[fpupulin]

12 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Fabulous handwriting!

 

Could you please tell me what the x-height is?

 

I'm waiting to find a pen with a flexible/calligraphy nib that will allow me to write like that (with practice, of course), consistently and in those ratios of line widths, with an x-height of 3mm or smaller.

 

These samples have been written with 149 Calligraphy, not the 146, but if the nib behavior of the two pens would be comparable, I hope the images may be useful to show a 3mm and 2mm x-height.

 

 

 

[Nabado]

On 1/11/2022 at 7:50 PM, como said:

You each got 50% right! The truth is that I can't tell either. As soon as I started writing the lines, I realised that I'd better note the models down immediately after each line. It would be impossible to go back and remember which was which.

...

These nibs are a bit individualistic and they can feel a bit (or a lot) differently from one pen to the next. I don't push my nibs too hard, but I am pushing both nibs with roughly the same amount of force. 

 

@como, I agree, these nibs are probably even more individualistic than those in the regular lineup, and their ability to reflect individual factors like pressure in handwriting or calligraphy is what makes them so appealing.

 

Quote

To be honest I don't believe there is any 'flexible' nib on the market that has the snap back equal to a dip nib or perhaps even a vintage nib. The MB nib certainly doesn't have the softness of a vintage nib but the slight stiffness across the bridge does help a bit in terms of snap back but it will take a little practice and getting used to.

@Uncial, you're right. I don't think either of the MB Resin Calligraphy pens will be able to yield a result indistinguishable from dip-nib calligraphy.

However, I also don't think that that's their purpose. To me, as someone who does not necessarily do calligraphy on a regular basis or on the same level as some other members of this forum, they are a welcome addition to the resin lineup that combines new ideas about flex nibs for a broader audience with the reliability and design of a time-tested classic.

After the first days of using the 146C, I have found it to deliver the best of both worlds to me in terms of calligraphic potential and everyday usability.

Would I use the 146C/149C as my go-to pen if I was the White House Calligrapher? I probably would not.

But do I see myself using it for occasional calligraphic writing and some expressive everyday scribbles as a FP & MB enthusiast? Absolutely.

 

@bunnspecialFingers crossed that you will be able to purchase the pen soon. When you do, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts about it.

 

 

 

[Andrew_L]

Everybody big thanks for your opinion! Do I understand correctly that Montblanc Calligraphy 149/146 nib is better in flexibility than FA Pilot 10/15 nib? I don't have a Calligraphic MB, but I thought the FA Pilot nibs are the best modern factory flexies nibs.

[Andrew_L]

On 1/11/2022 at 2:45 PM, como said:

Well, I got curious and went to have a look... and ended up bring one home. These lines below were written either with my 149C or 146C. Can I you guess which line is by which pen? 😀

 

After @kaisede wrote that the nib in 146 have is thinner line than 149, I wanted to write that exactly the 2nd and 5th lines are wrote by new(146) pen, but then I read the completely opposite answer below

[bunnspecial]

9 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

I need a flex nib that will elastically deform to a significant extent without springing, but will resist me every micrometre of the way,

 Perhaps a strange suggestion, but you might find some satisfaction in one of the Noodler's flex pens. I've had two Ahabs plus a Konrad, and I've found that they take a fair bit of pressure to flex even though they will go quite wide without damage. I've compared them before to pulling back a compound bow, where pressure increases the more it is pushed down up to a point where it sort of "relaxes".

 

I have a Ranga Flex on my 9B, which seems to more or less be the same nib albeit with crescent cut-outs on the side(I'm pretty sure the Noodlers nibs and pens are Indian sourced). It behaves similarly but with less pressure needed to flex.

[Andrew_L]

4 minutes ago, bunnspecial said:

with crescent cut-outs on the side(I'm pretty sure the Noodlers nibs and pens are Indian sourced).

 

Confirming, here's my 2017 experiment.

 

http://lenskiy.org/2017/07/modern-jinhao-x-450-modyfying-by-flexible-nib/

 

But Noodlers/KanWright nibs needed not only modify for better flexibility, but also to regrind in smaller size, because their tips for cursive writing are very tick, the line without pressing, I think is F or even wider

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, fpupulin said:

I hope the images may be useful to show a 3mm and 2mm x-height.

 

Thank you very much for those writing samples! Absolutely fabulous. I might ask a local Montblanc boutique about the availability of the resin 146C, since that is the one that is not listed on Montblanc's Australian website; only the gold leaf and the burgundy Solitaire models are showing.

 

1 hour ago, bunnspecial said:

Perhaps a strange suggestion, but you might find some satisfaction in one of the Noodler's flex pens.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

1 hour ago, Andrew_L said:

But Noodlers/KanWright nibs needed not only modify for better flexibility, but also to regrind in smaller size, because their tips for cursive writing are very tick, the line without pressing, I think is F or even wider

 

That's what I feared. My FPR Himalaya (v1 and v2) pens' flex nibs are not too soft, but even when no pressure is put on them at all, they write nowhere fine enough for me.

[invisuu]

1 hour ago, Andrew_L said:

Everybody big thanks for your opinion! Do I understand correctly that Montblanc Calligraphy 149/146 nib is better in flexibility than FA Pilot 10/15 nib? I don't have a Calligraphic MB, but I thought the FA Pilot nibs are the best modern factory flexies nibs.

I find the #10 equal in terms of line variation to the 149C, but the feed is sorely lacking and needs to be upgraded to non OEM parts. Additionally, I don't enjoy the pen much and you run through the converter like no tomorrow. And the converter is really poor.

 

The #15 is attached to a much superior pen, if you attach it to a Custom 823 especially, not really the Custom 742 in my opinion, and the feed is also substantially better. But the nib itself is for sure not as capable as neither the 149C nor the #10 nib. The difference isn't really substantial, but it exists, in my opinion. 
 

I don't think you'd be sad to own any of these pens really. I enjoy all of them at least, but I find the 149 really superior in comfort. 

[A Smug Dill]

16 minutes ago, invisuu said:

I find the #10 equal in terms of line variation to the 149C, but the feed is sorely lacking and needs to be upgraded to non OEM parts. Additionally, I don't enjoy the pen much and you run through the converter like no tomorrow.

 

I would imagine it takes very little ink (both in terms of flow rate, as well as total volume) to produce the sort of calligraphy that @fpupulin kindly posted above, and would hardly stress the capability of the factory-fitted plastic feed on the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 (or Pilot Custom 742), even if its FA nib, feed and everything else in the pen was not specific designed for that kind of writing.

 

4 hours ago, fpupulin said:

These samples have been written with 149 Calligraphy,

 

[invisuu]

That's not my experience at all. All 3 of my flex pens use a lot of ink

[como]

Here I try to post some photos of this 146C nib. Sorry for the poor photo quality. I don't have a macro lens to do it, and hand holding the pen, loupe and trying to take a photo with my phone is not so easy! And I can't control the lighting much either 🙂

 

In the last photo, you see a comparison between nibs of regular 146, 146C, 149C and regular 149. The pens are lined up at the tips. Note that the distance between tip and shoulders is almost the same between Big C and Baby C, but of course the distance of tip and breather hole is longer for the 149C due to its size 9 nib. In terms of flexing and feedback, they are very similar (well, you know I have two data points here only). The shape of the tip for Baby C is a kind of triangle, like a snake head. 149C has the same shape but longer. Both nibs are very similar viewed from their sides, and back too (the 149C is longer, again). Definitely Montblanc tried with the Baby C a nib that is as close to Big C as possible in terms of performance. These design features (differences and similarities) make sense to me, to adapt to the small nib size and still have the same writing characteristics.

 

 

 

[readytotalk]

My sincere congratulations on the acquisitions, and many thanks for the photos.
If I understand correctly, at the moment Montblanc seems to provide definitely better overall quality and comfort for flexible writing than any Pilot nib, doesn`t it?

[Sinistral1]

FYI - Iguanasell.com appears to have some still available.  No affiliation and never even been a customer, just noticed their website and that they are a Montblanc retailer.

[bunnspecial]

55 minutes ago, Sinistral1 said:

FYI - Iguanasell.com appears to have some still available.  No affiliation and never even been a customer, just noticed their website and that they are a Montblanc retailer.

 

THANK YOU for the tip.

 

I was just able to order one from them(and no, I didn't tarry this time). Since I'd never bought from them, I was even able to take advantage of their 12% new customer coupon, so net cost to me was $26 more than a standard 146!

 

Super excited to have been able to get this, and hope I can report when it arrives. My handwriting isn't worthy of a pen like this, but maybe this will poke me to go back to learning/practicing Spencerian...