100th Anniversary editions

[JCC123]

  On 7/22/2024 at 10:30 PM, Toll said:

Well, I have followed this dialogue with some measure of interest and amusement. Against this backdrop of speculation I offer one observation and one hope. For the observation, I have regularly attended the DC Pen Show, and that of Baltimore, for over a decade. Each year I am impressed by the number of vendors and the number of attendees—really quite overwhelming on Saturday morning—and I offer there is a large interest in our passion for writing and writing instruments that bodes well for the future. Indeed, I have observed an increase in the diversity of attendees including women, young people, and people of color. I come away from each show with a great measure of hope. 
 

Regarding the hope, I trust we all wish the Fountain Pen Hospital much success under new ownership. A visit is always a highlight of my trips to NYC. 

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The DC show is in a few weeks. I thought about attending but decided against since the hotel where it's being held is a bit away from the Capital.

 

I live in NYC and I've always hated FPH's hours of operation. They close on the weekends. Do they really expect people to skip work to come shop? They keep strict business hours which makes it next to impossible for you to visit when you have a full time job. That was even true when I was working on Wall Street a few blocks away.

 

  On 7/22/2024 at 5:45 PM, arcfide said:

I'm not convinced that FP's are doomed. I think there is a lot of evidence that they are seeing a revival, but the as a niche, specialist interest, albeit a pretty broadly applicable one. In such niche's, it's simply not viable for big box or retail outlets to service this market in the age of global logistics. The market is too demanding, too fickle, and too responsive to make it easy for small pen stores to easily make a business outside of a solid online presence. 

 

This doesn't mean the market is going to disappear, but it does mean that the "old way" of marketing and selling likely doesn't serve the new clientele. The newer customers don't want to go to a standard retail store to pick up their pens if it means they don't get access to the wide range of possibilities that they care about. All that means is that only metropolises that can support a high amount of traffic around niche interests will be able to maintain such stores going forward. 

 

If anything, the issue I see with retailers is that there is too *much* product being made, not too little. Most retailers can't keep up logistically with the huge range of products that keep coming out and the range of customizations that people want, which is the whole reason you get into fountain pens right now, anyways. For myself, I've purchased a fair number of pens, but I'm coming to not be able to purchase at a lot of my traditional online outlets because they no longer have the products that I want, and I need to go to increasingly limited stores, because the things that I want are niche. That doesn't mean there is no market for them, just that the traditional distribution channels have a hard time meeting my market segment. 

 

 

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There may be more assortment of items in the world, but FPs are old school in that they typically require tactile touch of nib to paper or at the very least handling of the pen for size, comfort, etc. It may not hold for cheap pens but I would most definitely need to feel and touch anything over $100 before making a buying decision. Now, I won't need to do that with a repeat purchase of a pen I've already owned like a 145, 146, or 149 for example. But new make and models definitely.

 

[a student]

  On 7/22/2024 at 10:30 PM, Toll said:

Well, I have followed this dialogue with some measure of interest and amusement. Against this backdrop of speculation I offer one observation and one hope. For the observation, I have regularly attended the DC Pen Show, and that of Baltimore, for over a decade. Each year I am impressed by the number of vendors and the number of attendees—really quite overwhelming on Saturday morning—and I offer there is a large interest in our passion for writing and writing instruments that bodes well for the future. Indeed, I have observed an increase in the diversity of attendees including women, young people, and people of color. I come away from each show with a great measure of hope. 
 

Regarding the hope, I trust we all wish the Fountain Pen Hospital much success under new ownership. A visit is always a highlight of my trips to NYC. 

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I would add that the variety of fountain pens coming out of China is increasing rapidly as is their quality. Some are clearly fakes/replicas, but there are also some interesting designs of their own. Writing has been prized in the East; poetry and calligraphy are to my understanding rated higher than painting and drawing in Chinese culture

[Amit.]

Does EEF nib come under the standard nib exchange on a 149  - anyone has idea ?

[Cyrille81]

  On 8/7/2024 at 4:44 AM, Amit. said:

Does EEF nib come under the standard nib exchange on a 149  - anyone has idea ?

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No, only EF is in standard nib exchange by Montblanc. For EEF, you need to follow the expensive bespoke service. What is in the standard nib exchange only for 149 is OBBB (not available for #6 nib).

[Amit.]

  On 8/7/2024 at 7:20 AM, Cyrille81 said:

No, only EF is in standard nib exchange by Montblanc. For EEF, you need to follow the expensive bespoke service. What is in the standard nib exchange only for 149 is OBBB (not available for #6 nib).

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Ok. Thanks for the information.

[digitorum- Leonardo_W]

  On 8/7/2024 at 4:44 AM, Amit. said:

Does EEF nib come under the standard nib exchange on a 149  - anyone has idea ?

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Would love a 149 EEF,
I am waiting for my 100th anniversary The Origin 149 to get back with an EF nib, dropped it around 6 weeks ago

[stric75]

Ever since the photos of these 100th anniversary models were out, I’ve been underwhelmed by these garish offerings that MB came up with. Stil, i thought that one needs to see and handle them “in flesh” in order to appreciate them. Yesterday, during a visit to MB boutique in Copenhagen, I had a chance to see and handle a few of them and I have to say, the pictures indeed do not lie; these pens are truly fugly. I really don’t understand how MB could  mess up this edition. “Disappointing” is the only adjective that aptly describes these overpriced abominations. 

[lionelc]

i like the origin 149, have one with an ef nib - writes well, doesn'r hurt the eyes.  wallet damaged.

[fpupulin]

  On 8/12/2024 at 10:43 PM, stric75 said:

Ever since the photos of these 100th anniversary models were out, I’ve been underwhelmed by these garish offerings that MB came up with. Stil, i thought that one needs to see and handle them “in flesh” in order to appreciate them. Yesterday, during a visit to MB boutique in Copenhagen, I had a chance to see and handle a few of them and I have to say, the pictures indeed do not lie; these pens are truly fugly. I really don’t understand how MB could  mess up this edition. “Disappointing” is the only adjective that aptly describes these overpriced abominations. 

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I understand that one might find the Meisetrstück 100th Anniversary pens disappointing, as you call them. I, personally, was also looking for something more rooted in the true origins of the Series.

 

However, I don't understand how pens like the 146 and 149, with their delicately striped caps, or the even more normal 145 in its beautiful English green, can be called "fugly". Would you have preferred a resin filling cone, or a more traditional clip? Me too. But in my eyes these details do not make these pens ugly, nor even less "abominations".

 

Judging from what I have read in various forums, especially the 149 model is sufficiently appreciated to be difficult to find, confirming that its design - even if not the most beautiful in the world - is not even the ugliest...

 

Just my opinion, considering that tastes can sometimes be very different.

[Toll]

  On 8/14/2024 at 10:03 PM, fpupulin said:

 

I understand that one might find the Meisetrstück 100th Anniversary pens disappointing, as you call them. I, personally, was also looking for something more rooted in the true origins of the Series.

 

However, I don't understand how pens like the 146 and 149, with their delicately striped caps, or the even more normal 145 in its beautiful English green, can be called "fugly". Would you have preferred a resin filling cone, or a more traditional clip? Me too. But in my eyes these details do not make these pens ugly, nor even less "abominations".

 

Judging from what I have read in various forums, especially the 149 model is sufficiently appreciated to be difficult to find, confirming that its design - even if not the most beautiful in the world - is not even the ugliest...

 

Just my opinion, considering that tastes can sometimes be very different.

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I share that sentiment—my 145, in the English Green, first time I have seen the color described that way—is awesome, even the clip! 

[Lam1]

I have to say that I’d also would prefer pens that were closer to the original ones:, flat tops, more interesting resins and certainly less metal. As I think I mentioned before, I’d love a “new 139”.

But I do like my 149 and my wife’s classique very much. I like the effect on the caps (I wish it was on the entire pen) and I do like that the clip is different, for a change.

 

Of course, I understand that tastes vary, but I also can’t see how these pens could be considered abominations.

[JCC123]

But that's exactly the problem with these pens. There are so many compromises. At these prices, there shouldn't be. To force yourself to overlook all of the drawbacks you mentioned is not worth it. I don't want to fool myself into liking them especially if I have to pay that premium.

[Lam1]

  On 8/15/2024 at 3:12 AM, JCC123 said:

But that's exactly the problem with these pens. There are so many compromises. At these prices, there shouldn't be. To force yourself to overlook all of the drawbacks you mentioned is not worth it. I don't want to fool myself into liking them especially if I have to pay that premium.

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Perhaps I didn't express myself correctly: none of the things I mentioned are drawbacks or compromises to me. In my mind a drawback or compromise would be something that is a design flaw, or something that could be detrimental of function even if justified (like the clip on a Pilot vanishing Point), which I don't think these pens have. If it were something that I simply disliked, I wouldn't buy them (as, for example, I don't buy the modern WE, since I dislike their designs).

 

It is just that would prefer that for the origin collection, given that it celebrates the pens from 100 years ago, they were closer to those pens. Hence I would prefer that a collection with this name had no metal, were flat top, etc.  But I still think these are wonderful pens in their own, and I consider them well worth having. They are just not as reflective of the "origins" as I would like them to be. But then again, I don't think I ever bought a mass produced product that I didn't think "it would prefer if they did this or that". 

 

Of course, I totally understand people not liking them and, therefore, not buying them (as I don't buy the modern WE) - nobody will ever make a pen (or anything) that pleases everybody. But I don't understand considering them an abomination, particularly if you like the regular editions 146, 149, etc. After all, these are just small variations of those. YMMV, of course.

 

[DimitriDiak]

  On 8/15/2024 at 5:50 AM, Lam1 said:

It is just that would prefer that for the origin collection, given that it celebrates the pens from 100 years ago, they were closer to those pens. Hence I would prefer that a collection with this name had no metal, were flat top, etc.  But I still think these are wonderful pens in their own, and I consider them well worth having. They are just not as reflective of the "origins" as I would like them to be. But then again, I don't think I ever bought a mass produced product that I didn't think "it would prefer if they did this or that". 

 

Of course, I totally understand people not liking them and, therefore, not buying them (as I don't buy the modern WE) - nobody will ever make a pen (or anything) that pleases everybody. But I don't understand considering them an abomination, particularly if you like the regular editions 146, 149, etc. After all, these are just small variations of those. YMMV, of course.

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Well said!

 

In April I was among the first three people in Canada to get my 149 Origin, and I've never looked back.  By June, I started to worry as I saw so many others struggling to get theirs.  It made me think, what if this really is the end of their limited production?  What will I say in two years' time?  So, I ordered a second one ... and two months later, I'm still waiting, just like many others who held out to get theirs.  And my point is ...

 

Change is often met with resistance, especially when it comes to something as iconic as the Meisterstuck 149.  However, these new design elements are not just changes for the sake of change, they are a tribute to a century of craftsmanship.  With these modern touches, Montblanc is evolving its heritage, ensuring that the Meisterstuck remains relevant and cherished by future generations, for another 100 years.  

 

When the limited production ceases, and these pens are no longer available, it's likely that many who were initially resistant will come to appreciate them for what they represent, a unique transition of tradition and innovation.   As with any masterpiece, the true value and beauty often become fully apparent only with time.

 

 

 

[eidola]

  On 8/15/2024 at 5:50 AM, Lam1 said:

 

Of course, I totally understand people not liking them and, therefore, not buying them (as I don't buy the modern WE) - nobody will ever make a pen (or anything) that pleases everybody. But I don't understand considering them an abomination, particularly if you like the regular editions 146, 149, etc. After all, these are just small variations of those. YMMV, of course.

 

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I think your sentiment correct, however I also understand the other poster's frustration.

 

As someone who came to be interested in Montblanc from their more traditioinally styled non-standard offerings, particularly the Writers Series, nothing has tempted a purchase since 2016 and the Heritage Serpent.

 

Why don't Montblanc want my money?! 🤷‍♂️

 

[fpupulin]

  On 8/15/2024 at 2:28 PM, DimitriDiak said:

Well said!

 

In April I was among the first three people in Canada to get my 149 Origin, and I've never looked back.  By June, I started to worry as I saw so many others struggling to get theirs.  It made me think, what if this really is the end of their limited production?  What will I say in two years' time?  So, I ordered a second one ... and two months later, I'm still waiting, just like many others who held out to get theirs.  And my point is ...

 

Change is often met with resistance, especially when it comes to something as iconic as the Meisterstuck 149.  However, these new design elements are not just changes for the sake of change, they are a tribute to a century of craftsmanship.  With these modern touches, Montblanc is evolving its heritage, ensuring that the Meisterstuck remains relevant and cherished by future generations, for another 100 years.  

 

When the limited production ceases, and these pens are no longer available, it's likely that many who were initially resistant will come to appreciate them for what they represent, a unique transition of tradition and innovation.   As with any masterpiece, the true value and beauty often become fully apparent only with time.

 

 

 

 

 

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@DimitriDiak, I agre with your and @Lam1 concepts. I imagine that many of us, who appreciate the classic lines of Meisterstück, developed a more or less defined “own” pen design  while waiting for the 100th Anniversary models release. It is very probable that no one guessed the final product launched by Montblanc, and I can understand that one could feel some disappointment when comparing reality to his own dream pen. 
But, hey, they are new classics in the Meisterstück range, and for my tastes  I think that many of the 100th Anniversary celebration’s pens are worth to be included into the collection of an amateur of this historical series. 

[DimitriDiak]

  On 8/15/2024 at 10:38 PM, fpupulin said:

@DimitriDiak, I agre with your and @Lam1 concepts. I imagine that many of us, who appreciate the classic lines of Meisterstück, developed a more or less defined “own” pen design  while waiting for the 100th Anniversary models release. It is very probable that no one guessed the final product launched by Montblanc, and I can understand that one could feel some disappointment when comparing reality to his own dream pen. 
But, hey, they are new classics in the Meisterstück range, and for my tastes  I think that many of the 100th Anniversary celebration’s pens are worth to be included into the collection of an amateur of this historical series. 

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@fpupulin I feel the same, some of these pens (and for me not including the 149 Origin, which I absolutely love) don't agree with my personal tastes or interests.  

 

However, as you've pointed out, I appreciate that the next generation will find something special in them.  It is apparent that Montblanc has produced these new classics with an eye for new enthusiasts.  Even though I don’t appreciate them today I’m sure they will make some other enthusiast very happy and they will values the evolution of this historic line of writing instruments just as we did with ours.

[eidola]

  On 8/15/2024 at 11:38 PM, DimitriDiak said:

@fpupulin I feel the same, some of these pens (and for me not including the 149 Origin, which I absolutely love) don't agree with my personal tastes or interests.  

 

However, as you've pointed out, I appreciate that the next generation will find something special in them.  It is apparent that Montblanc has produced these new classics with an eye for new enthusiasts.  Even though I don’t appreciate them today I’m sure they will make some other enthusiast very happy and they will values the evolution of this historic line of writing instruments just as we did with ours.

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Certainly this anniversary's editiions are not abominations, but something has been lost.

 

Few want passive reproductions of old models - the Kafka was a 'new classic' par excellence, but that was 20 years ago.

[SpecTP]

I wouldn't mind seeing a rehash of the 139

[Arcadian]

  On 8/13/2024 at 1:35 AM, lionelc said:

i like the origin 149, have one with an ef nib - writes well, doesn'r hurt the eyes.  wallet damaged.

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May I ask if the EF has an architect grind or is more like a "plain" EF? I have two older Montblancs with EF nibs, one from the sixties and one from the nineties, and they both have very distinct architect grinds. One that I recently had changed to an EF nib, does not. While I appreciate Montblanc's variety in making EF nibs architect grinds, they sadly do not suit my slanted cursive script very well. 

 

 - P.