Mont blanc fountain pens

[Rubyupbeat]

I have put off an extra special 60th birthday gift from my husband for nearly a year, but have really wanted the above pen for many years. I love writing, I am not a person who can put shopping lists or my inner feelings on a phone or laptop. I just love fountain pens .
So I have sort of decided on a mont blanc pen, but still need to justify the expense.
Anyone else on here have one and can tell me how magnificent it is, please ( or if its crap and can recommend another, although I probably own the majority)

Meant to say 'they are'

I've had a couple, I love a fountain pen. Two met their death rolling off my desk...

I have a couple of Montblancs - a 149, which is quite a large pen, and a tiny Bohème. Both are beautifully made, with lovely smooth-writing gold nibs and a solid feel in the hand. There’s a wide range of nibs available also.

The 149 has a very useful, but discreet, ink window so you know if it’s got enough ink before leaving the house. The Bohème is a cartridge pen, with a precise retractable nib mechanism.

Montblancs have a rather flash image, and maybe their special editions warrant this, but their core fountain pens are elegant and write really well. A good, reliable choice for a 60th birthday present. Alternatively, Italian pens (Leonardo, Visconti etc) are more colourful and also write very well but quality control can be poor. So best to buy from eg Appelboom in Holland, where their in house nib expert will test the nib before the pen is sent out.

Hope these personal impressions are helpful!

My ex stole both my meisterstuck and my boheme

fucker.

Vintage Mont Blancs are good and it’s possible to buy Preloved ones that have been checked over at specialist vintage pens shop. It’s also possible to get them repaired if you go via a reputable shop with links to the trade.

Recent post 2000 Mont Blancs can be more meh. they lack the finesse and smoothness of the vintage models and tbh you are paying more for the name than the actual engineering in the pen. Have a look at other good makes such as Pilot and Sailor etc. The Japanese made fountain pens are awesome as they write smooth and do not discharge ink in transit.

Whatever you do if this is for a special person for a special reason go to a physical shop that will let you test drive said fountain pens. many come with different nibs from wide to extra fine. How the pen feels and fits the hand and if it’s comfortable to use will always matter far more than a name. that is why I walked out with a fine nib twisbi rather than the Sailor I had saved up for. the twsbi even came with a pen care kit so I was very happy. it’s gorgeous to write with too. if I had not tested the pens before buying I would not have realised how good the cheaper ‘cough’ option really was.

I have a Mont Blanc - not a fountain but in any event, I love it. I use it all the time, it’s got a lovely feel, nicely weighted and each ink refill lasts ages. Writes so nice. I’ve had it about 10 years and it’s as good as when I bought it.

Oops went all wrong with a quote

May his writing be forever subject to frequent, random blots. The absolute shit.

I have a Montblanc foundation pen that was given to me as a gift about 10 years ago. It’s ok, but I actually prefer writing with my Cross fountain pen which was a fraction of the price but feels much smoother to write with.

I find Montblanc pens rather chunky and heavy. I have a collection of Elysee fountain pens which are slimmer and lighter, but they stopped making them in the 1990s, I think. They come up on eBay every so often.

I think it depends on how thick or thin you like your pen and your nib. The one thing I don't like about Mont blanc pens is that their thinnest nib isn't thin enough for me.

Pens and writing is such a personal thing - you definitely must go and have test drive of a few because things like shape of the pen, width of the pen, size of your hand, writing style and angle you hold it and the nib breadth are all very very personal. I'd go to a nice pen shop and test out a few before you form a shortlist of brands.

If you get one, a piece of advice I was given which is good is avoid using Montblanc ink and cartridges because their ink is quite 'thick'/'sticky' (not the right technical words obviously) but there are better good quality ink that gives better results. I found the Mont blanc cartridges especially over time are prone to leak because it all gets a bit gummed up - this is not using it very often though.

Wow, thank you so much for your replies. I think they next step is finding a Mont Blanc shop and giving the ones I like a test drive, including nib sizes.