mont blanc

[rosieb]

Hi

 

Please excuse me for 'dropping in' on your forum but I would like some opinions please. I am going to buy a fountain pen in the next week or so for my husband.

 

It is a surprise for him but I know he would like a mont blanc fountain pen. He will probably only use the pen at home.

 

Why would I buy an old pen rather than a new one that has never had the nib used/impressed with another person's hand pressure?

 

Which MB FP is a 'good all rounder' for everyday use?

 

Cartridge or reservoir?

 

If by chance I dont go for MB, which brand do others think is comparable?

 

Sorry to be wizzing in like this.

 

Rosemary

[Michael Wright]

Hi Rosemary

 

Two reasons to buy secondhand pens:

 

1. get a pen that's no longer made;

 

2. save money.

 

As many of us buy and use pens that are 50 and more years old, the fact that a pen has been used by someone else is no disadvantage, most of the time.

 

In the case of Montblanc pens, many people believe that the pens made before about 1960 were significantly better than the current ones. Unfortunately, these older Montblancs are very seriously expensive -- they cost more than comparable new ones, typically.

 

Most people find that the MB Meisterstuck 146 is a very satisfactory pen. The 149 would be good if he wanted a *really* big pen.

 

There are a lot of pens that people would regard as comparable, but if you know he's really set his heart on an MB, go ahead. We can wait for him to try other pens afterwards. But, just in case, the most directly comparable pen would be the Pelikan, maybe 600 or 800, or 1000 for the seriously big article. A lot of people here would regard Pelikans as better pens than the MB, and most would think them better value for money.

 

HTH. BTW, any mention of Montblanc on a pen site stirs up a lot of intense debate. Let us see what happens here.

 

Best

 

Michael

[JimCouch]

Hi

 

Please excuse me for 'dropping in' on your forum but I would like some opinions please. I am going to buy a fountain pen in the next week or so for my husband.

 

It is a surprise for him but I know he would like a mont blanc fountain pen. He will probably only use the pen at home.

 

Why would I buy an old pen rather than a new one that has never had the nib used/impressed with another person's hand pressure?

 

Which MB FP is a 'good all rounder' for everyday use?

 

Cartridge or reservoir?

 

If by chance I dont go for MB, which brand do others think is comparable?

 

Sorry to be wizzing in like this.

 

Rosemary

What a wonderful surprise. I am not real knowledgeable about MB pens so I can't help you there. There are many other pens to consider. I. myself, am a big fan of both the Omas and Pelikan pens. If you are sure he would like a MB that would be the way I would go. I am sure other's will chime in with models to consider.

 

One bit of advice: I would go new in this case though. Buy from a retailer that will allow the pen to be returned or exchanged if it is not what he wants.

 

Jim

[sfeinman]

I would buy a montblanc mesiterstruck 146 with a medium nib. It is thier basic pen with no extra frills, It is a piston fill. That is it takes ink form a bottle rather then a cartridge. The psiton eliminates potential leaks from a converter fill mechanism, which is a faux piston. I have one thats been in service since 1984.

[Elaine]

Hi

 

Please excuse me for 'dropping in' on your forum

No problem, it's your forum too!

 

Does your husband own any other fountain pens? Are they modern or old? What brands?

 

What a wonderful wife you are!

[jmk]

Hi!

 

I think that dropping in is the reason why this forum got started - folks interested in fountain pens dropping in to connect with each other!

 

Anyway, I'd suggest the Montblanc 146 with either a medium or fine nib, depending on what line width he prefers. I believe that Montblanc nibs tend to run a little on the wide side of their stated size. I generally prefer a fine size nib in my Montblancs. The 146 is a very dependable pen that's on the medium to large size and holds a decent amount of ink in its reservoir. There's also the 147, which is basically a 146 that uses cartridges only.

 

I hope he enjoys his new pen!

[rosieb]

Hi

 

Id like to thank all those who responded to my request for help. I have now bought a 146 and Im sure it will be very well received by my husband.

 

Good luck to you all.

 

Rosemary

[Mannenhitsu]

Hello and welcome! What color ink did you buy for him to use?

[southpaw]

Hi

 

Id like to thank all those who responded to my request for help. I have now bought a 146 and Im sure it will be very well received by my husband.

 

Good luck to you all.

 

Rosemary

Do come back and let us know how he likes it. Great gift idea.