Variations in vintage Meisterstucks?

[goldenmeme]

Hi,

My absolute favorite pens of all time are the Meisterstuck lines 220-225. I have had a 225 for a while, but the OB nib needs tuning and has never been as pleasurable to write with as I've wanted it to be, so I recently splurged on a EF 224 from Ebay. I was under the impression they were the same pen, with different caps and nib metals.

It came today, and... well, it's different. The brushing feels more subtle on the 224, though that may just be due to wear, if the 224 was used more often by the previous owner. The line between the piston and barrel on the 225 is almost invisible, but the 224 appears to have a small washer that makes the break very obvious (see below). And most notably, the back end of the feed is different.

Top is 224, bottom is 225

52444

52445

Can anyone tell me if these are normal variations in the line, or did I get a counterfeit pen?

[KBeezie]

Yea there were some variation depending on the age. For example in your top picture the metal hole is more likely from the 1970s very similar to my Montblanc 225 shown here ( http://pens.kbeezie.com/post/montblanc-225/ ) where as the nib/feed style of the one shown on bottle may be older such as from the 60s. The moulding line between the piston knob and the rest of the pen is also much more discernable in my 70s era 225. But in my 1960s era Montblanc 14, it's a little more seamless between the knob and barrel (but still pretty clear visually that it's there).

So similar pen, just different decade would be my guess (but would have thought that would also mean different numbering in the two digits).

I guess it's also possible the seller misidentified the pen (but I wouldn't know what the alternate model # would be)

PS: I had a Montblanc 221 with a nib/feed/section style as shown on your 225 (whereas my 225 is not like yours, and more like the 224 you have).

[goldenmeme]

Ah, thank you so much! That's very helpful. It's def not mislabeled; the cap band is engraved with "224", so I figured it was either a variation of the real thing or a deliberate knockoff.

Good to know it's probably just a 70's era model. Have to admit, I prefer the 60's style, but I'm still pretty happy with my new 224. I think I've seen a few variations (maybe even later ones?) where the entire section isn't brushed, but I've deliberately avoided those because the matte texture is one of my favorite features.

Thank you!

[KBeezie]

Ah, thank you so much! That's very helpful. It's def not mislabeled; the cap band is engraved with "224", so I figured it was either a variation of the real thing or a deliberate knockoff.

Good to know it's probably just a 70's era model. Have to admit, I prefer the 60's style, but I'm still pretty happy with my new 224. I think I've seen a few variations (maybe even later ones?) where the entire section isn't brushed, but I've deliberately avoided those because the matte texture is one of my favorite features.

Thank you!

By the way, don't know if you're aware or note, but the 22x seems to be one of the easier ones to disassemble tool free. (not that I would recommend doing it all willy nilly whenever).

This is my 225 with the 70s style nib/section, the feed can be pushed back out the section thru the metal breather hole gently with a blunt syringe or paperclip (since where the hole is, it's a flat wall of the feed)

https://i.imgur.com/um30nOO.jpg

The 60s style, the nib unit itself just pushes back completely with a collar holding the nib and feed together.

https://i.imgur.com/a0f6itm.png

I prefer the 60s style far as the forward section goes, but the 70s style far as the rear portion goes (since it's threaded)