Compare Mont Blanc 149 to Sailor King of Pen- Review

[gaurav21s]

Hi,

 

Could you please help me decide which is the better in quality and performance: Mont Blanc 149 or sailor King of pen..

I have money for one of them only.....

 

I have heard and read about the Mont Blanc's CRACKING, LEAKING etc...

 

also Mont Blancs are made of fragile Resin (easy to crack) whereas KOP is made of Ebonite (which is more durable and long lasting)

[James P]

I wouldn't presume to tell you which is a better pen, as both have their advantages and their disadvantages. In my mind, the biggest disadvantage of the Sailor and, at the same time, the biggest advantage of the Montblanc, is the filling system - Sailor employs a cartridge/converter system, whereas the Montblanc uses a piston-filler. Consequently, the ink capacity of the Montblanc is significantly greater than the Sailor. Some would argue that piston-fillers are inherently better or, at a minimum, more charming.

 

The biggest advantage of the Sailor, again in my mind, is the nib - Sailor's nibs, and in particular their King of Pen nib - are extraordinary.

 

Whether ebonite is a superior material is debatable - like every other material, it has pros and cons. For instance, it will fade when exposed to light, and is particularly susceptible to water damage. These characteristics do not seem to affect resin/acrylic pens.

 

Other than that, I think the factor that matters most is your opinion of what you like better.

 

James

[QM2]

  gaurav21s said:

I have heard and read about the Mont Blanc's CRACKING, LEAKING etc...

 

Please understand that this is by no means a statistical fact; it is just something that is popular to complain about. If you compare MB complaints with say, Pelikan complaints, Stipula, Visconti, etc., you will see that there is not such a difference. I own 5 Montblancs and I am not very careful with my pens at all. I've dropped my Meisterstuck on the hardwood floor twice (once the cap, once the empty barrel) and nothing shattered, nothing cracked. I see people occasionally drop them at meetings where I work too. No big deal. Nothing leaks from any of mine either. I use them as daily writers more often than my 5 Sailors.

 

In terms of materials, I personally do agree that ebonite is nicer than resin. But this is a very subjective opinion and not everyone shares it. With ebonite, you have discoloration to worry about (ever seen a vintage hard rubber pen? They turn an ugly, blotchy brown), not to mention denting and scratching, which is a lot easier done to ebonite than to MB's resin. Some people stay away from ebonite and hard rubber like the plague, so consider that before spending lots of money on one.

 

Finally, I think someone brought up a good point in mentioning that Sailor had to change the KOP design, because MB sued them. Sailor's 1911-type models are blatant imitations of the MB Meisterstuck, and that quite frankly, bothers me: When I am paying hundreds of dollars, I value originality in a pen. If I want a Mesiterstuck design, then I will get an actual Meisterstuck and not a Japanese imitation. If I want a unique Sailor brand pen, I will get one in the much more interesting (and specific to Sailor) Pro-Gear flat-top shape. And if I want a true "Japanese pen," I will get a Nakaya. You can get a gorgeous hand-made urushi lacquer pen in a variety of traditional colour finishes including plain black, for the same price point as the two pens you are debating...

 

Best,

QM2

[gylyf]

  gaurav21s said:

Hi,

 

Could you please help me decide which is the better in quality and performance: Mont Blanc 149 or sailor King of pen..

I have money for one of them only.....

 

I have heard and read about the Mont Blanc's CRACKING, LEAKING etc...

 

also Mont Blancs are made of fragile Resin (easy to crack) whereas KOP is made of Ebonite (which is more durable and long lasting)

 

I can't really help you with your choice, never having written with a KOP, but you might get more responses by posting this in the Writing Instruments forum. The FP Reviews forum is dedicated solely to reviews. Best,

David

[goodguy]

I never had the chance to use the KOP.I do own the 149.

Which one would I buy ?

The MB 149 because I love MB pens but mostly because of its piston filler.

I stated this more then few times once Sailor will put a piston on there KOP I will be the first in line to buy this magnificent pen.

[Atl]

I own both. I haven't got a lot of problems with my MB149, but I know people

who bought a leaking one.

The design of the King Of Pen is much more minimalist : it is a question of personal taste.

There is also a big difference concerning the nib : without any doubt, the nib of the KOP

is one of the smoothest you could find (mine is a MF).

A big advantage for the MB is the piston filling system, compared to the convertor used on the KOP.

To come back to quality, I have several Sailor, and never had any problem. I can't say

the same for other products from MB I own.

To sum up, I would vote for the KOP if you like the design.

[dfatouros]

  QM2 said:

<snip>

 

Finally, I think someone brought up a good point in mentioning that Sailor had to change the KOP design, because MB sued them. Sailor's 1911-type models are blatant imitations of the MB Meisterstuck, and that quite frankly, bothers me: When I am paying hundreds of dollars, I value originality in a pen. If I want a Mesiterstuck design, then I will get an actual Meisterstuck and not a Japanese imitation. If I want a unique Sailor brand pen, I will get one in the much more interesting (and specific to Sailor) Pro-Gear flat-top shape. And if I want a true "Japanese pen," I will get a Nakaya. You can get a gorgeous hand-made urushi lacquer pen in a variety of traditional colour finishes including plain black, for the same price point as the two pens you are debating...

 

Best,

QM2

 

with respect, there may be more in the originality debate, as this post shows:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...st&p=306812

[QM2]

  dfatouros said:

  QM2 said:

<snip>

 

Finally, I think someone brought up a good point in mentioning that Sailor had to change the KOP design, because MB sued them. Sailor's 1911-type models are blatant imitations of the MB Meisterstuck, and that quite frankly, bothers me:

 

with respect, there may be more in the originality debate, as this post shows:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...st&p=306812

 

Wow, I actually took part in the thread you linked here. That was over a year ago!

 

I certainly agree that the originality debate is complex. MB copied its initial piston-fillers from Pelikan, the overall idea of the "torpedo" shape is pretty generic, and so on. Pen companies borrow and copy ideas from each other continuously and this I am not debating. But the Sailor 1911 series does not just vaguely resemble the generic torpedo-element of the MB Meisterstuck series; to my eye it copies it rather exactly, right down to the style of the trim. The 1911 can't be confused with a Sheaffer Balance, for instance, or a Visconti Van Gogh. But it can be easily be confused with a MB Meisterstuck. When I look at my MS145 and my 1911M next to each other, the degree of preciseness in the similarity is impossible not to notice. So what bothers me, is the blatancy of the copying. I enjoy pens that are visually iconic of their own brand, not of another brand.

[George Drummond]

  gaurav21s said:

Hi,

 

Could you please help me decide which is the better in quality and performance: Mont Blanc 149 or sailor King of pen..

I have money for one of them only.....

 

I have heard and read about the Mont Blanc's CRACKING, LEAKING etc...

 

also Mont Blancs are made of fragile Resin (easy to crack) whereas KOP is made of Ebonite (which is more durable and long lasting)

 

A lot of the negative stuff about MB is put out by those who bear grudges against that brand - and there are many of those - so I wouldn't necessarily take these rumours as 'bible truth'. Some 149s do leak, but you can say that about a lot of pens, not just MB 149s. As for the KoP, I have one and it's an excellent writer; I also have a 149 and like that one as well. The Sailor medium nib is much narrower than the MB nib, but very smooth. The internal ink converter doesn't bother me, as I'm not a piston filler worshipper, and I like the flexibility of being able to use cartridges if you need to. Ebonite is not necessarily more durable than resin - this is BS - it depends on how well you look after the pen. Ebonite needs to be treated with care, as it is vulnerable to the elements.

 

 

 

[LouisA]

As for all of this snobbery about a pen not being a real pen unless it is a piston filler is just rubbish. It is like saying a car is not a real car unless you have to hand crank the windows. Having a C/C means you can lower the price and it is easier when traveling. Just because you can get a liter of ink in a pen doesn't mean it is any better pen than one that can hold only half. How much ink you can get in a pen is NOT a measuring stick of how good the pen performs. I go by the look of a pen and the way it writes. How much ink it can hold is barely a concern.

[goodguy]

  LouisA said:

As for all of this snobbery about a pen not being a real pen unless it is a piston filler is just rubbish. It is like saying a car is not a real car unless you have to hand crank the windows. Having a C/C means you can lower the price and it is easier when traveling. Just because you can get a liter of ink in a pen doesn't mean it is any better pen than one that can hold only half. How much ink you can get in a pen is NOT a measuring stick of how good the pen performs. I go by the look of a pen and the way it writes. How much ink it can hold is barely a concern.

1.I dont think a pen is better or worst if it has a piston filler its all a metter of personal preference-I do like pistons never the less.

2.Piston fillers doesnt mean the pen is more expensive to make.Wality makes reliable piston pens for around 10$.

3.When you go to meetings or if you are a student and you need to write a lot its nice to know you have a big tank of ink that will last you the whole day without the need to fill it in the middle of a day.

Edited May 29, 2008 by goodguy