Help - Montblanc 149 alternative to Sailor KoP

[JoeArsouille]

Hi all!

 

A bit of an odd question - I have been using a Sailor KoP in a B nib as my daily writer for a few months when I work from home, and while I absolutely love the nib, I am getting increasingly frustrated by the ink capacity. My job involves taking heavy notes, and I routinely empty 3 of those tiny Sailor converters a day, meaning I also run dry on a regular basis in the middle of work calls. 

 

My thinking now is to try and use a 149 instead of the KoP for daily writing, but I am looking for one with a nib performance as close as possible to that of a KoP B - wet and with a nice bounce / some softness, but not so soft that fast notetaking becomes difficult. From what I'm reading current 149s have very rigid nibs, that seem less appealing than the KoP ones. Maybe a 149 from the 1970s would be closer? Or are those too flexy? 1980s? 1990s?

 

Thank you in advance!

[NoType]

11 minutes ago, JoeArsouille said:

Hi all!

 

A bit of an odd question - I have been using a Sailor KoP in a B nib as my daily writer for a few months when I work from home, and while I absolutely love the nib, I am getting increasingly frustrated by the ink capacity. My job involves taking heavy notes, and I routinely empty 3 of those tiny Sailor converters a day, meaning I also run dry on a regular basis in the middle of work calls. 

 

My thinking now is to try and use a 149 instead of the KoP for daily writing, but I am looking for one with a nib performance as close as possible to that of a KoP B - wet and with a nice bounce / some softness, but not so soft that fast notetaking becomes difficult. From what I'm reading current 149s have very rigid nibs, that seem less appealing than the KoP ones. Maybe a 149 from the 1970s would be closer? Or are those too flexy? 1980s? 1990s?

 

Thank you in advance!

@JoeArsouille Although @Barry Gabay is the authority on all matters 149, I venture to guess, if I may be so bold, that a 1980s 149 may have a nib with the springiness you prefer.

 

But please do wait for an expert opinion.

[Barry Gabay]

10 hours ago, NoType said:

@JoeArsouille Although @Barry Gabay is the authority on all matters 149, I venture to guess, if I may be so bold, that a 1980s 149 may have a nib with the springiness you prefer.

 

But please do wait for an expert opinion.

Hello @NoType and @JoeArsouille  Thanks for your kind words. but hardly true. Some of my friends have forgotten more about 149s than I ever learned.  I agree with your assessment of springiness and softness in 149 nibs. For me, 149 nibs made prior to 1992 (when two-tone 18K nib was introduced) are superior to King of Pen nibs. I prefer KoP nibs to 149 nibs made since 1992. Put more simply, I like the writing characteristics of 149 14C & 14K nibs more than KoP nibs of any era, but prefer KoP nibs to 18K 149 nibs. 

Edited Wednesday at 03:13 PM by Barry Gabay
additional information

[NoType]

5 minutes ago, Barry Gabay said:

Hello @NoType and @JoeArsouille  Thanks for your kind words. but hardly true. Some of my friends have forgotten more about 149s than I ever learned.  I agree with your assessment of springiness and softness in 149 nibs. For me, 149 nibs made prior to 1992 (when two-tone 18K nib was introduced) are superior to King of Pen nibs. I prefer KoP nibs to 149 nibs made since 1992. Put more simply, I like the writing characteristics of 149 14C & 14K nibs more than KoP nibs of any era, but prefer KoP nibs to 18K 149 nibs. 

@Barry Gabay Thank you for your clear and direct advice, and unambiguous statements of what you prefer.  I am certain the OP will find them very helpful.  (Please allow me to add that I am in awe of some of your friends, and of your modesty.)

[JoeArsouille]

1 hour ago, Barry Gabay said:

Hello @NoType and @JoeArsouille  Thanks for your kind words. but hardly true. Some of my friends have forgotten more about 149s than I ever learned.  I agree with your assessment of springiness and softness in 149 nibs. For me, 149 nibs made prior to 1992 (when two-tone 18K nib was introduced) are superior to King of Pen nibs. I prefer KoP nibs to 149 nibs made since 1992. Put more simply, I like the writing characteristics of 149 14C & 14K nibs more than KoP nibs of any era, but prefer KoP nibs to 18K 149 nibs. 

Many thanks, @Barry Gabay, and @NoType for triaging!

 

@Barry Gabay so it sounds like 14C/K nibs from 70s and 80s are relatively similar then? Is this one more thing that I am unnecessarily obsessing about?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[Karmachanic]

Sailor Maintenance Kit comes with a spare high capacity cartridge. Six pack also available.

 

[Barry Gabay]

23 hours ago, NoType said:

@Barry Gabay Thank you for your clear and direct advice, and unambiguous statements of what you prefer.  I am certain the OP will find them very helpful.  (Please allow me to add that I am in awe of some of your friends, and of your modesty.)

Thank you, @NoType   You're very kind.  Just one old guy's opinion.  Despite my preference for recent KoP nibs, I would never turn down a 149 of any age. In fact, at the Baltimore Pen Show this weekend,  I may trade an older 149 for something new, simply because I don't have a current 149 at the moment. Right now, my  youngest 149 dates from 1981-82. Thank you again for your kindness.  

[Barry Gabay]

21 hours ago, JoeArsouille said:

Many thanks, @Barry Gabay, and @NoType for triaging!

 

@Barry Gabay so it sounds like 14C/K nibs from 70s and 80s are relatively similar then? Is this one more thing that I am unnecessarily obsessing about?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Hello @JoeArsouille  How can it be considered obsessing if it's something you care about?  This is your genuine interest in the  history of hand-held writing instruments and nib design.  I'm the one who obsesses, sitting up late, examining nibs under magnification, and swapping one 149 nib for another to try & achieve a perfectly sublime line on the paper.   To answer your question, the 14C and 14K nibs are similar, but design-wise, the 14C has longer tines relative to the nib's overall size. The 14K nibs' tines are slightly shorter by comparison. You can also consider the older 3-tone 14C and 18C 149 nibs made from 1950s into the 1970s.  Those too are very responsive, even to someone with a light hand, as we all should have when dealing with fountain pens.  Obsessing? Nahhhhhhh

[Barry Gabay]

Don't know if this photo is clear enough to see the tines well. These are all 149 nibs. Nib on left is 14C dating from mid to late 1970s to 1984. Two center nibs are 14K from 1985-91.  On the right is a first-generation 18K from 1992-96.  Hope this helps. 

[NoType]

15 minutes ago, Barry Gabay said:

Don't know if this photo is clear enough to see the tines well. These are all 149 nibs. Nib on left is 14C dating from mid to late 1970s to 1984. Two center nibs are 14K from 1985-91.  On the right is a first-generation 18K from 1992-96.  Hope this helps. 

@Barry Gabay This is a wonderful side-by-side comparison.  Thank you for this most helpful visual aid, which reveals the difference in tine length between the leftmost nib and the others.  This distinction could not be any clearer.  Many thanks!

[kazoolaw]

BG:  It’s comforting to know that you can pull out a literal handful of MB nibs, identify their ages, demonstrate their differences,  and assure us that we’re really not obsessive.  
Thank you!