Montblanc 149 Fountain Pen

[shutterbugg]

@shutterbug:
I have owned dozens of them...leaky, fiddly, smeary, too thick for comfort like trying to write with a banana.
Bear with me if you will... there are a number of issues here.
1. You have the wrong size pen. The finger length to penis size thing is not correct. Pick a pen that fits your hand. If you like slim, anything else will be horrible.

2. The pen itself. You haven't specified brands/models, but some are leakier than others.
And most importantly:
3. Fountain pens write at a 45 degree angle. If you try to write up-and-down with one, it will be a disaster.

1. Some of the hundred or so I owned during my school years were thick as a pickle, but even the thinnest was around 3/8" diameter, and very uncomfortable. A Cross ballpoint is perfect for me; from there they become progressively more hand-cramping as the diameter increases.
2. I owned a few Waterhouses, a few Parkers, a Montblanc or two, and a ton of Schaeffers. One of the latter was 14k and had a pneumatic piston to load the ink, rather than a lever to compress a bladder. It was the least leaky, but all of them tended to leak inside the cap a bit and if I forgot to wipe it down, the ink was all over my fingers. That's mainly what I meant by leak. The only ones that ever actually dumped their ink supply in my pocket were those el-cheapo cartridge-loading Schaeffers.
3. I'm not about to make pen-writing "a hobby" with a set of inane rules. "You have to hold your pen at a 45 degree angle" is as idiotic to me as "you have to dry your tobacco". I don't hold a pen "up-and-down" but I have never held a protractor up to see what angle I hold it at. I'm going to hold it at whatever angle is comfortable, and it may change from time to time. I may even need to write against a wall, or upside down. I rule the writing instrument, it's not gonna rule me. Fountain pens were state of the art at one time, now there are much less troublesome and more convenient pens available. I happen to like the wet-ink rollerballs best. The ones with quick-drying ink. I am lefthanded, those smear the least.
I'll agree fountain pens are beautiful to look at. Other pens are soulless utilitarian object by comparison.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Some years ago my Mother found a solid silver Mont Blanc pen whilst on holiday. She did the honourable thing and handed it into the local police and forgot all about it. Three months later she was contacted by the police to say no one had come forward to claim the pen so they posted it to her.
I have seen it only the once many moons ago but remember it looking very fancy indeed. She had had it valued and was told it was worth a bob or two! She later told me it will be mine...only once she is gone :?
Why am I telling you this? I really haven't a clue ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[iamn8]

Well, my research has shown pretty much what's already reflected here. Are there better pens than the 149? Of course there are. However, I've not found a better pen for $200. The MB149 in near perfect edition for a couple hundred bucks is too good a deal to turn down. The primary complaint, across the board, is that it's too expensive. I'd never buy a new one for $900, but for $200 I think that's the best deal going

Who knows? There might be other pens in my future. I do see striking similarities between MB and Dunhill so far as perception goes, the belief you're paying for a name.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

$200 is a no-brainer.

 

[iamn8]

Thanks Tom! Every choice I make is, by definition, a no brainer.

 

[deathmetal]

A Cross ballpoint is perfect for me; from there they become progressively more hand-cramping as the diameter increases.

There are others who face this challenge as well. I remember the MB Noblesse being a favorite for this reason. I happen to also love the Cross ballpoints... for an everyday on-the-go writer, it is hard to beat.

It was the least leaky, but all of them tended to leak inside the cap a bit and if I forgot to wipe it down, the ink was all over my fingers.

This is a perpetual problem.

I'm not about to make pen-writing "a hobby" with a set of inane rules. "You have to hold your pen at a 45 degree angle" is as idiotic to me as "you have to dry your tobacco".

It's not a rule, but a scientific fact: flow works better at that angle because of the way the nib operates. It is the single hardest thing for ball point pen users to assimilate; it was for me as well.

 

[ashdigger]

A Cross ballpoint is perfect for me; from there they become progressively more hand-cramping as the diameter increases.

I have a Cross "checkbook" fountain pen that is as slim a "normal" pen, but I never use it because it's too thin for my catcher mitt sized hands.
Evidently size matters.

 

[iamn8]

Thought this was a really good review....

Montblanc 149 Review

 

[shutterbugg]

flow works better at that angle because of the way the nib operates. It is the single hardest thing for ball point pen users to assimilate;

That was my point. I'm not about to assimilate to a friggin' pen. I'll write at whatever angle feels comfortable at the time. If the pen can't handle it, out it goes.

 

[shutterbugg]

flow works better at that angle because of the way the nib operates. It is the single hardest thing for ball point pen users to assimilate;

That was my point. I'm not about to assimilate to a friggin' pen. I'll write at whatever angle feels comfortable at the time. If the pen can't handle it, into the bin it goes. Same with tobacco. I want to open the tin, pack my pipe and light up. If it's too wet to do that, into the bin it goes. Life's short, and there are no shortage of options in pens or tobacco (well, not yet anyway). I have no desire to f*ck around with them.

 

[iamn8]

Bug, I have zero desire to convince you otherwise. Any good craftsmen appreciates the tools of the trade. A pen is just a tool, each with its own character, even if that character is disposable.

 

[bigpond]

Wow! Great price Nate. You've an eye for deals, my friend.

 

[iamn8]

Thanks Pond!!
Note to self: when buying a new fountain pen, don't forget to order ink.
The pen has arrived. The size is even better than I imagined. First impression, I made a good purchase. Here it is next to my MB Rollerball and a uniball for scale.

 

[ashdigger]

Very nice Nate. Looks great.

 

[checotah]

Years ago, when I was in the corporate world, I wore 3-piece suits, carried expensive lighters, and used fountain pens. Had a MB, but preferred a Parker. During those days, I actually wrote letters and other correspondence. As computers evolved, the hand written letters gradually vanished, the fountain pens got staged in my desk, used only for signatures. 13 years before I retired, I changed jobs, worked for a company owned by a couple of rich hippies, where ties were no where to be seen. That was the end of the 3-piece suits, stopped carrying a lighter (could not smoke at work), and the pens got mothballed. They are still packed away, somewhere.

 

[deathmetal]

Next up: FDA issues deeming rules for pens.

 

[ashdigger]

Deathmetal, I've already cellared enough ink for my lifetime. Just like by baccy.

 

[iamn8]

Damnit... my couple of pens expanded to what would now be categorized as a small collection... a stupid collection of stupid Montblanc pens!!! WTF?! I HATE eBay.

 

[didimauw]

Next up: FDA issues deeming rules for pens

I hear fountain pens give you cancer in the state of California

 

[iamn8]

I hear fountain pens give you cancer in the state of California

I NEVER thought I'd say this, but thank god I live in Alabama.