MaJohn P138 - MontJohn Lorenzo

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

Glad to receive this package from China before the Chinese New Year when the whole nation shuts down for weeks. 

 

In a distant history the year of 1992, there launched a pen, costs closed to USD 4000 nowadays, which I would never buy due to poverty. 

 

Here comes a pen, with 90% of the look, USD 25. 

 

Mont Blanc+MaJohn=MontJohn

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Estycollector]

I like the clip as it reminds me of the 1920's AutoPointe pencil clip. 

[MisterSheaffer]

9 hours ago, bramley said:

Glad to receive this package from China before the Chinese New Year when the whole nation shuts down for weeks. 

 

In a distant history the year of 1992, there launched a pen, costs closed to USD 4000 nowadays, which I would never buy due to poverty. 

 

Here comes a pen, with 90% of the look, USD 25. 

 

Mont Blanc+MaJohn=MontJohn

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where did you find the pen for $25 usd?

[SLinkster]

What @MisterSheaffer said

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

6 hours ago, MisterSheaffer said:

Where did you find the pen for $25 usd?

from Taobao MaJohn Store, then through personal carrier, otherwise, this pen is solely available in China. 

[SLinkster]

2 hours ago, bramley said:

from Taobao MaJohn Store, then through personal carrier, otherwise, this pen is solely available in China. 

Thanks! It is on AliExpress for $50, I think most of us are waiting for the price to come down. 

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

2 hours ago, SLinkster said:

Thanks! It is on AliExpress for $50, I think most of us are waiting for the price to come down. 

USD50 including shipping is reasonable. USD25 to cross the Pacific, bargain. 

[Dan Carmell]

Wow, your photos are very nice, from cat’s paw on down—the closeups are really crisp and helpful! And under your closeup look, it looks great, the metal work and that clip is classic. I think yours was the most popular version, I noticed it sold out first from several AliExpress vendors. 
 

I got the all black and the silver with a black cap. I think they in Southern Californian and maybe I’ll get them in a few days. Thanks again, enjoy!

[Dan Carmell]

On 2/6/2024 at 4:38 AM, Estycollector said:

I like the clip as it reminds me of the 1920's AutoPointe pencil clip. 

I also like the clip for the vintage touch but those riveted clips weren’t the most secure, as I remember. 

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

12 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

Wow, your photos are very nice, from cat’s paw on down—the closeups are really crisp and helpful! And under your closeup look, it looks great, the metal work and that clip is classic. I think yours was the most popular version, I noticed it sold out first from several AliExpress vendors. 
 

I got the all black and the silver with a black cap. I think they in Southern Californian and maybe I’ll get them in a few days. Thanks again, enjoy!

Thank you. 

 

The all silver version, is a tribute to Mont Blanc 1992 Patron of Art Lorenzo. 

The silver barrel with black cap, is a tribute to Mont Blanc 1999 Writers Proust. 

For the Mont Blanc, it is obvious the 1999 version is a downgrade to the 1992, from all perspectives. 

 

The durability of the riveted clip from Majohn will be tested by time. It is more of a toy pen than EDC pen to me. 

 

One of the charms from P138: the nib collector is interchangeable with P136, and Mont Blanc 146. Would you do it? It is up to you, but you will be given such freedom for such swap. 

[carlos.q]

16 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

I also like the clip for the vintage touch but those riveted clips weren’t the most secure, as I remember. 

Well it's hard to tell one thing or another from the description in the AliExpress site:

 

1. The difference between models A and B is the pen cap. […]

 

[...]

 

8. The pen clip of model B is made of solid brass die-casting and fixed with rivets. It has weak elasticity, so please do not open it with force.

 

9. The relevant data in the details are inaccurate and are for reference only.

 

😂

[SLinkster]

I may have suckered for the all-silver model today, despite my resolution to a) wait for the price to drop and b) stay away from AE altogether.

 

Oops 😚

[Dan Carmell]

6 hours ago, SLinkster said:

I may have suckered for the all-silver model today, despite my resolution to a) wait for the price to drop and b) stay away from AE altogether.

 

Oops 😚

Same for an Asvine P-36 on Amazon at the AliX price but Friday* delivery. The price hasn’t budged in many months. Good choice of the all silver since you get the riveted clip, although it adds significant weight to the cap top, but it’s solid and good-looking. The other clip is fine but not as interesting. This is a nifty pen, I hope it will surprise and please you as it did for me. 

*Saturday at best, UPS doesn’t remember how remote I am until the morning of delivery 😂 

[Dan Carmell]

Just some updated thoughts on this pen—or really I should say these pens because as I’ve handled these pens, I’ve decided the riveted cap version is essentially the ‘Duofold Centennial’ version and the smooth plastic cap version is the ‘Duofold International’ version of the pair. 
 

The riveted cap makes that pen several millimeters longer and grams heavier. The riveted version feels much heavier in the hand. So if you find you don’t like one, you still may like the other—as a writer, not with regard to the colorway. I found the riveted cap to be reluctant to thread onto its opposite barrel but not vice versa. Finally, the riveted cap is marked ‘Moonman’ and the smooth cap ‘Majohn’ and while that’s probably due to corporate branding decisions, it makes yet another contrast between them. (Photo 3 shows caps switched.)
 

As the last photo shows, these pens are smaller than many of its peers coming from Chinese pen makers right now. That’s appropriate, I think, considering that the pre-WWII pens they appear to be modeled on were relatively small pens, like the Pelikan 100. I imagine these will drop in price a bit but stay on the high side, much like the Asvine P36. 

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

7 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

 

 

 a pair of charm. 

 

bock nibs? 

[SLinkster]

@Dan Carmell - thanks for the visual aid. I have that same asvine p136 and find it a good size in hand. If the p138 is substantially heavier I'll probably have to use it unposted. Mine is somewhere, probably still on the Pacific Ocean Blue. 

[Dan Carmell]

19 hours ago, bramley said:

 a pair of charm. 

 

bock nibs? 

No, I got a pair of ‘Manual Grinding’ nibs installed, one a long knife, the other a ‘hand polished’ EF*. These are the nibs that come with the Lemon M1/2. The stock nibs are the current Majohn silver #6 nibs. 

*It’s a very smooth EF and certainly worth the price. Ditto their long knife nibs. 

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

On 2/23/2024 at 12:17 PM, Dan Carmell said:

No, I got a pair of ‘Manual Grinding’ nibs installed, one a long knife, the other a ‘hand polished’ EF*. These are the nibs that come with the Lemon M1/2. The stock nibs are the current Majohn silver #6 nibs. 

*It’s a very smooth EF and certainly worth the price. Ditto their long knife nibs. 

congrats. I've never experienced any Lemon before. 

[SLinkster]

My silver P138 came in Saturday's mail. I've had it out to look at but have not yet inked it. I can only get about 2.5 turns, which when compared to my Pelikans seems meager.

 

What's the actual ink capacity? 

[Dan Carmell]

4 hours ago, SLinkster said:

My silver P138 came in Saturday's mail. I've had it out to look at but have not yet inked it. I can only get about 2.5 turns, which when compared to my Pelikans seems meager.

 

What's the actual ink capacity? 

No idea about ink capacity! I saw someone on Reddit’s FP forum had ‘antiqued’ the silver portions and I liked that look.