A first Montblanc - suggestions?

[Scriptum est]

I am thinking of getting a Montblanc fountain pen as I have seen good things written about the way they write. As this would not be an inexpensive dabble, which would afficionados here recommend? (I feel plunging in and going for a Meistertueck 149 might be dangerous in case I find it doesn't suit me - that's a lot of money to pay for something which may not work out). Are the vintage ones worth looking into (say, from the 60s or 70s)? I tend to find girthy, larger pens easier to get on with at least for letter-writing, or other longer writing sessions. To give you an idea of which ones I have which I find the most comfortable, I would point to my Opus 88 Clear Omar, Leonardo Mosaico, Leonardo Momento Zero (not Grande!), Esterbrook Estie and Nahvalur Original Plus.

 

Many thanks in advance.

[Claes]

Hi there, @Scriptum est!

 

It is very difficult to give an unbiased answer 🙂

By picking a Montblanc, a large portion of what you pay is "marketing fluff".

Ask 10 persons about their favourite brands/pens, and you will get at least 12 replies

(becuse two of them couldn't really make up their minds).

 

Personally, Parker 51s from around the 1950s belong to my very favourites.

Others swear to Pelikans. Or Watermans. Or... ... ...

 

My best recommendation for you is to try the pen in question in your own hand.

Do you have any other pen fanciers in your neighbourhood? Have you got

any stores nearby where you can try pens? Are you fixated on a brand new pen?

How about some nice vintage ones instead?

 

Also: remember that the pen is just one component in the pen/paper/ink trio.

 

Have fun!
Claes in Lund, Sweden

[Penguincollector]

   Are you close to a retailer that sells MontBlanc? I looked, and saw that Paul Sheeran sells them in Ireland. My suggestion would be to wait until you can go somewhere that sells a large selection of them and try the different sized pens and nib widths. It’s like buying formalwear, try everything and determine what fits your hand (both physically and your writing style) best. It’s a really fun process. Once you know what works for for you, you can choose to buy new or look for a used one from a trusted second hand retailer. 
 

ETA: There are often MB stores in airports. If you’re ever flying out of one of those, make time to check one out. 

[Tashi_Tsering]

My first Montblanc was a 146 from the 1970s. A very good model for begin (IMHO).

 

But be careful: I bought one Montblanc, then a second one, a tenth... And now I'm a collector

[Mercian]

Given the ‘non-trivial’ price of the pens, I too urge you to actually travel to a bricks-&-mortar store that has them in-stock, so that you can try them out in your own hand.
I presume that you will prefer the size of the 146/LeGrand, but you ought to try out a 146 and a 149, so that you know which one feels more ‘right’ in your hand.
 

The travelling cost is going to be less than 1/6th of the price of whichever model you choose.

 

I had to make a six-hour round-trip to do this when I decided to buy my first Pelikan Souverän.

But this ‘day out’ was well worth the effort/cost of making it, because it enabled me to get the right size of pen for my hand, rather than wasting my money (and more time) on buying a pen of the wrong size for me, and then the hassle of attempting to sell it and buy a pen of the right size for me.
 

When you go to the B&M store, I urge you to take a folder with you - both to contain the paper on which you usually write, and so that you have something to rest on while test-writing the pens.
Unless you do all of your writing standing-up, you will need to try out the pens while sitting down. It is the only way to be able to get an accurate sense of how different pens feel in your hand.

Make the staff in the store fetch you a chair to sit on.
Also make them let you dip the pen in some of their own-brand ‘washable blue’ ink that they sell (the Mb ‘Royal Blue’, not the pigment-based ‘Permanent Blue’).

If any Montblanc employees try to fob you off by claiming that Montblanc policy states that “inking the pen voids the warranty”, ask them if think that their company’s ‘sales policy’ takes precedence over the statute laws that govern consumer protection, and whether they are also sufficiently confident to go to court to test their belief that putting the brand’s own ink into one of its pens will damage the pen enough to ”void the warranty” without contravening your local consumer protection laws.

 

You might also ask them if they would buy a brand new BMW 7-series without having first test-driven it, and if they claim that their own-brand washable blue ink is going to be impossible to rinse off the pen using tap water, e.g. in one of the sinks in their staff washroom.

If the staff still insist that they won’t let you dip-test the pen(s), I would take that as evidence of the degree of the company’s confidence in the quality of its own products, and I would walk away, and buy a Pelikan Souverän (or Sailor 1911 or KoP, or a Pilot Custom 823) instead.
 

If all of the above happens to you, and you are still determined to buy a Montblanc, I advise you to buy a ‘pre-owned’ one, and to start with a ‘pre-owned’ 146, rather than with a 149.
These are well-made pens. There are ‘pre-owned’ ones that are still in great (or even perfect) condition, and buying one of them will cost you about half the RRP of the ones that are being sold from Mb ‘boutiques’.

 

I wish you all the best in your quest, and hope that whichever pen you decide to buy gives you many years of writing pleasure 

 

Slàinte,
M.

[kazoolaw]

How committed are you?  If there are no pen dealers near you then you don't have the option to test-drive a MB.

There a number of MB sources on line, reputable ones.  I'd recommend your first purchase be a used pen.  Not necessarily vintage, but a pen that's already taken the depreciation hit.  Given your list of pens, I think a 146 would be a good first choice.  There are a number of photos on the web comparing MB sizes to pens you're probably familiar with.  And a little research on nib size comparisons would be a good idea.  The MB's I've purchased have tended to run a bit wide.

Have fun shopping!  And once you've made your purchase please come back and share with us.

[lionelc]

a pre 2000 mb 146 then, these are competitively priced and write well.  watch out for fakes, if buying online would recommend reputable sources from the eu.  not ebay unless you are confident you can spot a fake.  a really good one can be bought for 400 euro or less.

[Mercian]

10 minutes ago, lionelc said:

if buying online would recommend reputable sources from the eu.

Two such sources here in the UK are:

https://www.dylanstephenpens.co.uk

https://izods.ink

Both have ‘storefronts’ on eBay as well as their own websites.

 

Other members may be able to provide details of reputable sellers of pre-owned Montblancs who are inside the EU, so that you won’t be required to stump-up any fershlugginner VAT if you buy from them 

[Karmachanic]

26 minutes ago, Mercian said:

won’t be required to stump-up any fershlugginner VAT

 

Fountain pens are VAT free in the EU?

[Mercian]

36 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Fountain pens are VAT free in the EU?

Presumably not when bought from online stores, but do pre-owned goods bought on auction sites, and postage that is entirely within the single market also get charged VAT, in the same way that cross-border posting does? 🤷‍♂️

[Cjtamu]

I’m in the MB146 camp as well. Mine is an early 1970’s model with Fine nib and is one of my favorites. I’ve tested the current models and they’re very nice pens as well. I like large pens. I have Montegrappa Extra 1930 and Brenta, Pelikan M800, a flat top Laban that could do duty as a billy club, etc. But, the shape and diameter of the 149 near the section just doesn’t work well for me for whatever reason and I prefer the 146. The 149 is a tremendous pen for sure but definitely one you should try before purchasing.

[a student]

Here is what appears to be a reliable site for used pens, including MBs of course: https://www.tenpen.it/

[Karmachanic]

2 hours ago, a student said:

Here is what definitely is appears to be a reliable site for used pens,

 

[Karmachanic]

8 hours ago, Mercian said:

do pre-owned goods bought on auction sites, and postage that is entirely within the single market also get charged VAT

 

My understanding is you gots to pay de man.

[a student]

6 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Thank you!

[Mercian]

15 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

My understanding is you gots to pay de man.

Indeed.
But being obliged to pay The Man (& his Brother across the water) two lots of VAT on the p&p sticks in my craw ☹️

 

Which, in the context of me buying, say, a Meisterstück, marks me out as being ‘penny-wise* but Pound-foolish’ - but then again, this is one of the least of my character flaws 

 

* although I admit to being ‘penny-wise’ etc, I am not Pennywise - I don’t have any red balloons, I don’t tempt children into storm drains, and I don’t tell any that ‘down here, we all float’ 🤡😱

[Karmachanic]

7 hours ago, Mercian said:

But being obliged to pay The Man (& his Brother across the water) two lots of VAT on the p&p sticks in my craw

 

In my experience UK/EU/US sellers do not charge native VAT/Sales Tax on items shipped abroad.  Japanese/Chinese sellers take UK VAT at source.

[Scriptum est]

Many thanks to all who have contributed here. It has been useful. To answer some of the points raised:

 

1. I doubt I shall become a MB collector. I seem to prefer a variety of manufacturers, rather than collect mostly just one.

2. Ireland is pretty much a desert when it comes to bricks and mortar stores selling fountain pens. I have found one in Cork city which stocks Lamy, TWSBI and Kaweco (and Ferris Wheel press ink), but that seems to be it. The odd jeweller will stock Cross pens, which seems to be common. So going along to try before I buy is out at least as far as traditional shops go. I am booked to go to the London pen show in October and that is where I hope to try various MB pens out, probably vintage but I may look at new too. And if convinced, I may buy at the show!

3. As far as VAT goes, Ireland seems to have the highest rate in Europe (and I include the UK in that), but if I, living in the EU single market, buy on line from someone else in the EU then I pay that country's rate on the purchase and nothing more when it reaches these shores. It's a different story when buying from outside the EU but some sellers are set up to either arrange for Irish VAT to be collected at source (eBay can do this) or will sell VAT- or sales tax-free and then I pay Irish VAT when it arrives at Dublin, but also import duty.

 

I'll check out the web sites mentioned. Thanks once again.

 

Chris

[Scriptum est]

On 8/21/2024 at 8:50 PM, Mercian said:

 

The travelling cost is going to be less than 1/6th of the price of whichever model you choose.

 

I wouldn't bank on that! It's going to involve an air fare there and back!

 

[Mercian]

6 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

In my experience UK/EU/US sellers do not charge native VAT/Sales Tax on items shipped abroad.  Japanese/Chinese sellers take UK VAT at source.

And where did I say that they did?

 

In my experience UK/EU/US shippers do not remove the VAT on their prices for items being shipped outwith whatever customs jurisdiction the item is being sold from, before the customs authority in the jurisdiction to which the item is being sent adds its VAT to the delivery price.

Hence my previous comment, which you appear to have misread.

eBay, for instance, adds that VAT on to all transactions involving importation at its checkout (plus any applicable Import Duties) and the purchaser has no way to ‘opt out’ of paying them.
And this is while the terms-&-conditions of its compulsory ‘service’ specify that you (the purchaser) remain responsible for paying such fees, despite them having been compulsorily subtracted by the platform, ostensibly to give to its ‘carefully-chosen partner-agent’, which then supposedly passes on the duties to the relevant authority.