Mont Blanc 149

[penmainiac]

Is it possible to find a Mont Blanc 149 at the La Pen Show for less than $400? Or does anyone know where I can find a Mont Blanc Meister 149 or 146 for less than $400?


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[Barry B. Gabay]

You will find many used 149s there. Certainly some will be available at under $400, depending on condition. They, of course, will date from the plastic not the celluloid years. The key is knowing the model well enough that you can determine the generation and nib size you want. Your assignment over the next few days is to read widely and study the 149 extensively. Good luck in LA. There are many honest dealers there who will be happy to help you in finding just the era and nib of 149 you want.

[FredRydr]

Is it possible to find a Mont Blanc 149 at the La Pen Show for less than $400? Or does anyone know where I can find a Mont Blanc Meister 149 or 146 for less than $400?

At the pen show you may reliably expect to find virtually all used 146 pens at considerably less than $400, and a substantial selection of used 149 pens for less than $400. This excludes new-in-the-box pens, pre-1960 pens, special edition pens, anniversary pens, bespoke nibbed pens, EF flex nib pens and over-priced pens. Based on your hunger for a pen, I recommend you try to meet one of your fellow FPGeeks at the show who might guide you to certain vendors in order (1) to find the pen that meets your expectations and (2) to avoid disappointment.

Keep in mind the cartoon AzJon posted in our Pen Humor thread:

[penmainiac]

Is it possible to find a Mont Blanc 149 at the La Pen Show for less than $400? Or does anyone know where I can find a Mont Blanc Meister 149 or 146 for less than $400?

At the pen show you may reliably expect to find virtually all used 146 pens at considerably less than $400, and a substantial selection of used 149 pens for less than $400. This excludes new-in-the-box pens, pre-1960 pens, special edition pens, anniversary pens, bespoke nibbed pens and over-priced pens. Based on your hunger for a pen, I recommend you try to meet one of your fellow FPGeeks at the show who might guide you to certain vendors in order (1) to find the pen that meets your expectations and (2) to avoid disappointment.

Keep in mind the cartoon AzJon posted in our Pen Humor thread:

Thanks, this is going to be my first pen show so I dont know who to ask. Btws im only 13


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[calamus]

Is it possible to find a Mont Blanc 149 at the La Pen Show for less than $400? Or does anyone know where I can find a Mont Blanc Meister 149 or 146 for less than $400?

At the pen show you may reliably expect to find virtually all used 146 pens at considerably less than $400, and a substantial selection of used 149 pens for less than $400. This excludes new-in-the-box pens, pre-1960 pens, special edition pens, anniversary pens, bespoke nibbed pens, EF flex nib pens and over-priced pens. Based on your hunger for a pen, I recommend you try to meet one of your fellow FPGeeks at the show who might guide you to certain vendors in order (1) to find the pen that meets your expectations and (2) to avoid disappointment.

Keep in mind the cartoon AzJon posted in our Pen Humor thread:

Oh where oh where is the humor thread?

[FredRydr]

Oh where oh where is the humor thread?

In The Lounge, of course!

[FredRydr]

Fantastic! The pen collector community welcomes young fountain pen enthusiasts. Nonetheless, you should have an experienced fountain pen person with you as you test your final choices and before you plonk down your money. I'd lend a hand, but I am on the east coast and not attending the LA show.

I suggest you contact the pen show promotors and ask about their program for young pen enthusiasts, and specifically if someone can be available to you to discuss how to go about selecting a pen and negotiating the price at a pen show. You might go home with a pen far more interesting than you could have predicted!

[penmainiac]

Fantastic! The pen collector community welcomes young fountain pen enthusiasts. Nonetheless, you should have an experienced fountain pen person with you as you test your final choices and before you plonk down your money. I'd lend a hand, but I am on the east coast and not attending the LA show.

I suggest you contact the pen show promotors and ask about their program for young pen enthusiasts, and specifically if someone can be available to you to discuss how to go about selecting a pen and negotiating the price at a pen show. You might go home with a pen far more interesting than you could have predicted!

Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I’ve only been collecting fountain pens for a year, and i hope to build my collection with quality pens.


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[Pterodactylus]

Did you ever used such a big heavy pen like a 149?

Why do you think this is a must have pen, a grail pen as you wrote?

If you never used such a big pen I would suggest to try, to test one before you even consider to buy one (and with test I don’t mean to write only a sentence or two).

To want one only because it’s the biggest, most expensive, “flagship” pen of a well known brand is not a good reason to get one.
Expensive, big and heavy does not mean better for everyone.

You are only 13 and I assume your hands are not that big (yet), so it’s not unlikely that writing with such a big and heavy pen (for a longer period) would be really uncomfortable for you.

E.g. I have no small hands, I used already a 149, as well as a Pelikan M1000 and I do not like both, they are too big, heavy , unbalanced and clunky for my taste (I don´t even like the M800).
I really prefer smaller, lighter pens, I own a 146 and for me it’s already on the edge.

I own quite some Montblanc pens (no 149 per intention), but my 146 is not my favorite, I prefer the x42 and x44 sizes.

E.g. the Montblanc 342 of the 50s are imo awesome writers with amazing nibs (much cheaper than any 149 but for me they outperform any modern 149).

Tastes and preferences are different for each person, just make sure you know what you want before spending so much money on a single pen.

[penmainiac]

Did you ever used such a big heavy pen like a 149?

Why do you think this is a must have pen, a grail pen as you wrote?

If you never used such a big pen I would suggest to try, to test one before you even consider to buy one (and with test I don’t mean to write only a sentence or two).

To want one only because it’s the biggest, most expensive, “flagship” pen of a well known brand is not a good reason to get one.
Expensive, big and heavy does not mean better for everyone.

You are only 13 and I assume your hands are not that big (yet), so it’s not unlikely that writing with such a big and heavy pen (for a longer period) would be really uncomfortable for you.

E.g. I have no small hands, I used already a 149, as well as a Pelikan M1000 and I do not like both, they are too big, heavy , unbalanced and clunky for my taste (I don´t even like the M800).
I really prefer smaller, lighter pens, I own a 146 and for me it’s already on the edge.

I own quite some Montblanc pens (no 149 per intention), but my 146 is not my favorite, I prefer the x42 and x44 sizes.

E.g. the Montblanc 342 of the 50s are imo awesome writers with amazing nibs (much cheaper than any 149 but for me they outperform any modern 149).

Tastes and preferences are different for each person, just make sure you know what you want before spending so much money on a single pen.

Well my hands are actually very big and I prefer large weightier pens due to the fact that they feel more high quality. I would also prefer the 149 because, it combines the piston mechanism of a Lamy 2000, and the unique beautiful two-tone nib of a Parker Duofold. And it combines the best of two worlds. The 149 is also as large as the Parker Duofold centennial, without the light feel of the pen,


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[ilikenails]

Well my hands are actually very big and I prefer large weightier pens due to the fact that they feel more high quality.

My hands are large for a Western adult and I'm an adult mesomorph. I still wouldn't use a 149 as a main pen: some of the muscles in the chain used for writing are tiny and easily tired.

And if you think weight equals quality you presumably think that a $10 Chinese pen is better than a handmade Nakaya Urushi... Honestly, you need to get rid of this idea. It's more or less opposite to the truth. If you look at the tools made for artists they're always as light as possible to reduce strain and increase dexterity.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Well my hands are actually very big and I prefer large weightier pens due to the fact that they feel more high quality.

My hands are large for a Western adult and I'm an adult mesomorph. I still wouldn't use a 149 as a main pen: some of the muscles in the chain used for writing are tiny and easily tired.

And if you think weight equals quality you presumably think that a $10 Chinese pen is better than a handmade Nakaya Urushi... Honestly, you need to get rid of this idea. It's more or less opposite to the truth. If you look at the tools made for artists they're always as light as possible to reduce strain and increase dexterity.

To me the MB 149 is just a short fat pen that I cannot comfortably use unposted. And I am just an average guy with large hands.



People get fatigued when writing due to increased muscle tension held over time. Gripping the pen too firmly - likely due to being accustomed to having to bear down on a ballpoint or similar - is the principal reason for this tension in writing, and the use of "finger writing" instead of "whole arm writing" further exacerbates this.

The solution? Learn to write properly.

In the world of art - let's look at painting - the artist has no choice but to learn how to use a brush gently. It is inherent in the nature of the brush (as it should be for fountain pens). This naturally leads to the lightest of grips, and thus, with such lightness, is removed any need for substantial weight in the brush. A #5 brush is about the same size as a #2 pencil. I've never heard of an artist complaining of fatigue in using either the brush or a pencil.

And that begs the question: how many of you get fatigued by using a pencil? Just a thought.

[azkid]

Good luck in your search!

Pen weight is funny and I haven't figured it out yet. I'm still a little confused. I'll tell you why through a tale of pens and confusion.

Among my first pens were three heavyweights: a Pilot Metropolitan, a Jinhao X450, and a Jinhao 8802. (The latter is black with abalone shell, to which I am drawn like moth to flame).

The total weights of these pens (all great writers by the way) are, respectively, 27g, 43g, and 41g. Even uncapped they weigh 17g, 28g, and 27g. Heavy, man. Especially those bukly Jinhaos. You feel it the instant you pick them up.

At first I thought "wow, now this is real quality!" but then after writing with them day in and day out at work for a month, the oddest thing happened. I found myself using the Metro more and more while the others went uninked. Conclusion? I prefer pens that weigh around 27g! Solved.

Wrong-o, mister.

I stumbled across a beautiful 1948 Parker "51" aerometric, total weight 22g, even with gold filled cap, and a mere 14g uncapped. That pen feels top shelf and within a short time I was preferring the weight of this pen to the Metro.

Along with the "51" I had picked up a vintage Skripsert in amazing condition, but it felt "too light"—flimsy and cheap, even. I later weighed it at a mere 7.4g uncapped and 12.5g total. Well no wonder it felt too light, right? Conclusion: I prefer pens around 20g total, 12.5g is too light and feels crappy.

Wrong again!

Soon I had acquired a Sheaffer Balance and Balance Junior from the 1930's. Now these felt like quality pens to me, just the right weight and, well, balance. Insert suprised Pikachu meme: they weighed virtually the same as the Skripsert! In fact the Junior was a tad lighter. What the heck?! Conclusion: err... umm... I... ??

I decided a bit later to splurge and buy a Montblanc 221, which quickly became my favorite by far. It feels a bit delicate (it came broken; I fixed it), but it also looks and feels like a quality pen.

Imagine my surprise to learn it weighs only 6.5g uncapped, less than the Skripsert, and 12.5g total, the exact same as the Sheaffer cartridge pen. I swear to god the Skripsert still feels lighter in my hand than the 221. How is that possible?? I've weighed them multiple times to be sure. Conclusion: uhhhhhhh...

Just in case I wasn't confused about this enough, I then fell in love with the black Pilot Stargazer, saved up, and got one. It has a brass body like the Metro and Jinhaos so guess what it weighs. The same as the Metropolitan (ish). And yet I love using it all the time and now it is my new favorite. So what am I to make of all this craziness?

Conclusion: weight isn't everything.

I still don't know why the Skripsert feels light and cheap and flimsy while the MB221 and Balance Jr don't. However, I do actually like using it now that I have it tuned with a good ink. The nib is phenomenally expressive and subtle and ergonomically it is easy for me to write nicely with it, one of very few pens I can say that about so far. But it still feels cheap.

I think there is probably a universe of knowledge about these kinds of perceptions in the brains of industrial designers. And I suspect it is an utterly fascinating topic.

[penmainiac]

Good luck in your search!

Pen weight is funny and I haven't figured it out yet. I'm still a little confused. I'll tell you why through a tale of pens and confusion.

Among my first pens were three heavyweights: a Pilot Metropolitan, a Jinhao X450, and a Jinhao 8802. (The latter is black with abalone shell, to which I am drawn like moth to flame).

The total weights of these pens (all great writers by the way) are, respectively, 27g, 43g, and 41g. Even uncapped they weigh 17g, 28g, and 27g. Heavy, man. Especially those bukly Jinhaos. You feel it the instant you pick them up.

At first I thought "wow, now this is real quality!" but then after writing with them day in and day out at work for a month, the oddest thing happened. I found myself using the Metro more and more while the others went uninked. Conclusion? I prefer pens that weigh around 27g! Solved.

Wrong-o, mister.

I stumbled across a beautiful 1948 Parker "51" aerometric, total weight 22g, even with gold filled cap, and a mere 14g uncapped. That pen feels top shelf and within a short time I was preferring the weight of this pen to the Metro.

Along with the "51" I had picked up a vintage Skripsert in amazing condition, but it felt "too light"—flimsy and cheap, even. I later weighed it at a mere 7.4g uncapped and 12.5g total. Well no wonder it felt too light, right? Conclusion: I prefer pens around 20g total, 12.5g is too light and feels crappy.

Wrong again!

Soon I had acquired a Sheaffer Balance and Balance Junior from the 1930's. Now these felt like quality pens to me, just the right weight and, well, balance. Insert suprised Pikachu meme: they weighed virtually the same as the Skripsert! In fact the Junior was a tad lighter. What the heck?! Conclusion: err... umm... I... ??

I decided a bit later to splurge and buy a Montblanc 221, which quickly became my favorite by far. It feels a bit delicate (it came broken; I fixed it), but it also looks and feels like a quality pen.

Imagine my surprise to learn it weighs only 6.5g uncapped, less than the Skripsert, and 12.5g total, the exact same as the Sheaffer cartridge pen. I swear to god the Skripsert still feels lighter in my hand than the 221. How is that possible?? I've weighed them multiple times to be sure. Conclusion: uhhhhhhh...

Just in case I wasn't confused about this enough, I then fell in love with the black Pilot Stargazer, saved up, and got one. It has a brass body like the Metro and Jinhaos so guess what it weighs. The same as the Metropolitan (ish). And yet I love using it all the time and now it is my new favorite. So what am I to make of all this craziness?

Conclusion: weight isn't everything.

I still don't know why the Skripsert feels light and cheap and flimsy while the MB221 and Balance Jr don't. However, I do actually like using it now that I have it tuned with a good ink. The nib is phenomenally expressive and subtle and ergonomically it is easy for me to write nicely with it, one of very few pens I can say that about so far. But it still feels cheap.

I think there is probably a universe of knowledge about these kinds of perceptions in the brains of industrial designers. And I suspect it is an utterly fascinating topic.

So I sort of agree with your point. I have a Jinhao X750, and it is pretty weighty, but the second thing about the pens I prefer are the fact that they won’t scratch easily. Sure, heavier pens are made of lacquered metal (Usually Brass) but they easily scratch. I have parker sonnet, and there are several scratches, which I am very OCD about. I would be willing to advice if your guys know any big weighty piston filling pens with 18k nibs.


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[Pterodactylus]

Good luck in your search!

Pen weight is funny and I haven't figured it out yet. I'm still a little confused. I'll tell you why through a tale of pens and confusion.

Among my first pens were three heavyweights: a Pilot Metropolitan, a Jinhao X450, and a Jinhao 8802. (The latter is black with abalone shell, to which I am drawn like moth to flame).

The total weights of these pens (all great writers by the way) are, respectively, 27g, 43g, and 41g. Even uncapped they weigh 17g, 28g, and 27g. Heavy, man. Especially those bukly Jinhaos. You feel it the instant you pick them up.

At first I thought "wow, now this is real quality!" but then after writing with them day in and day out at work for a month, the oddest thing happened. I found myself using the Metro more and more while the others went uninked. Conclusion? I prefer pens that weigh around 27g! Solved.

Wrong-o, mister.

I stumbled across a beautiful 1948 Parker "51" aerometric, total weight 22g, even with gold filled cap, and a mere 14g uncapped. That pen feels top shelf and within a short time I was preferring the weight of this pen to the Metro.

Along with the "51" I had picked up a vintage Skripsert in amazing condition, but it felt "too light"—flimsy and cheap, even. I later weighed it at a mere 7.4g uncapped and 12.5g total. Well no wonder it felt too light, right? Conclusion: I prefer pens around 20g total, 12.5g is too light and feels crappy.

Wrong again!

Soon I had acquired a Sheaffer Balance and Balance Junior from the 1930's. Now these felt like quality pens to me, just the right weight and, well, balance. Insert suprised Pikachu meme: they weighed virtually the same as the Skripsert! In fact the Junior was a tad lighter. What the heck?! Conclusion: err... umm... I... ??

I decided a bit later to splurge and buy a Montblanc 221, which quickly became my favorite by far. It feels a bit delicate (it came broken; I fixed it), but it also looks and feels like a quality pen.

Imagine my surprise to learn it weighs only 6.5g uncapped, less than the Skripsert, and 12.5g total, the exact same as the Sheaffer cartridge pen. I swear to god the Skripsert still feels lighter in my hand than the 221. How is that possible?? I've weighed them multiple times to be sure. Conclusion: uhhhhhhh...

Just in case I wasn't confused about this enough, I then fell in love with the black Pilot Stargazer, saved up, and got one. It has a brass body like the Metro and Jinhaos so guess what it weighs. The same as the Metropolitan (ish). And yet I love using it all the time and now it is my new favorite. So what am I to make of all this craziness?

Conclusion: weight isn't everything.

I still don't know why the Skripsert feels light and cheap and flimsy while the MB221 and Balance Jr don't. However, I do actually like using it now that I have it tuned with a good ink. The nib is phenomenally expressive and subtle and ergonomically it is easy for me to write nicely with it, one of very few pens I can say that about so far. But it still feels cheap.

I think there is probably a universe of knowledge about these kinds of perceptions in the brains of industrial designers. And I suspect it is an utterly fascinating topic.

So I sort of agree with your point. I have a Jinhao X750, and it is pretty weighty, but the second thing about the pens I prefer are the fact that they won’t scratch easily. Sure, heavier pens are made of lacquered metal (Usually Brass) but they easily scratch. I have parker sonnet, and there are several scratches, which I am very OCD about. I would be willing to advice if your guys know any big weighty piston filling pens with 18k nibs.


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A Montblanc Edelharz (precious resin) pen is by no means scratch resistant.


Reading your post I think you need/want something completely different.

What about a pen like the Schrade Tactical Fountain Pen?

Sturdy, solid quality construction, heavy, nearly indestructible, mainly scratch resistant.
Meets all your requirements and is also much cheaper.

Iˋm not sure if and which gold nib (if you prefer one) can be fitted into the pen, but even with such a customization it would be a bargain compared to a 149.

[penmainiac]

Good luck in your search!

Pen weight is funny and I haven't figured it out yet. I'm still a little confused. I'll tell you why through a tale of pens and confusion.

Among my first pens were three heavyweights: a Pilot Metropolitan, a Jinhao X450, and a Jinhao 8802. (The latter is black with abalone shell, to which I am drawn like moth to flame).

The total weights of these pens (all great writers by the way) are, respectively, 27g, 43g, and 41g. Even uncapped they weigh 17g, 28g, and 27g. Heavy, man. Especially those bukly Jinhaos. You feel it the instant you pick them up.

At first I thought "wow, now this is real quality!" but then after writing with them day in and day out at work for a month, the oddest thing happened. I found myself using the Metro more and more while the others went uninked. Conclusion? I prefer pens that weigh around 27g! Solved.

Wrong-o, mister.

I stumbled across a beautiful 1948 Parker "51" aerometric, total weight 22g, even with gold filled cap, and a mere 14g uncapped. That pen feels top shelf and within a short time I was preferring the weight of this pen to the Metro.

Along with the "51" I had picked up a vintage Skripsert in amazing condition, but it felt "too light"—flimsy and cheap, even. I later weighed it at a mere 7.4g uncapped and 12.5g total. Well no wonder it felt too light, right? Conclusion: I prefer pens around 20g total, 12.5g is too light and feels crappy.

Wrong again!

Soon I had acquired a Sheaffer Balance and Balance Junior from the 1930's. Now these felt like quality pens to me, just the right weight and, well, balance. Insert suprised Pikachu meme: they weighed virtually the same as the Skripsert! In fact the Junior was a tad lighter. What the heck?! Conclusion: err... umm... I... ??

I decided a bit later to splurge and buy a Montblanc 221, which quickly became my favorite by far. It feels a bit delicate (it came broken; I fixed it), but it also looks and feels like a quality pen.

Imagine my surprise to learn it weighs only 6.5g uncapped, less than the Skripsert, and 12.5g total, the exact same as the Sheaffer cartridge pen. I swear to god the Skripsert still feels lighter in my hand than the 221. How is that possible?? I've weighed them multiple times to be sure. Conclusion: uhhhhhhh...

Just in case I wasn't confused about this enough, I then fell in love with the black Pilot Stargazer, saved up, and got one. It has a brass body like the Metro and Jinhaos so guess what it weighs. The same as the Metropolitan (ish). And yet I love using it all the time and now it is my new favorite. So what am I to make of all this craziness?

Conclusion: weight isn't everything.

I still don't know why the Skripsert feels light and cheap and flimsy while the MB221 and Balance Jr don't. However, I do actually like using it now that I have it tuned with a good ink. The nib is phenomenally expressive and subtle and ergonomically it is easy for me to write nicely with it, one of very few pens I can say that about so far. But it still feels cheap.

I think there is probably a universe of knowledge about these kinds of perceptions in the brains of industrial designers. And I suspect it is an utterly fascinating topic.

So I sort of agree with your point. I have a Jinhao X750, and it is pretty weighty, but the second thing about the pens I prefer are the fact that they won’t scratch easily. Sure, heavier pens are made of lacquered metal (Usually Brass) but they easily scratch. I have parker sonnet, and there are several scratches, which I am very OCD about. I would be willing to advice if your guys know any big weighty piston filling pens with 18k nibs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A Montblanc Edelharz (precious resin) pen is by no means scratch resistant.


Reading your post I think you need/want something completely different.

What about a pen like the Schrade Tactical Fountain Pen?

Sturdy, solid quality construction, heavy, nearly indestructible, mainly scratch resistant.
Meets all your requirements and is also much cheaper.

Iˋm not sure if and which gold nib (if you prefer one) can be fitted into the pen, but even with such a customization it would be a bargain compared to a 149.

Thanks, but I however don’t know where to get one of those tactical pens. I have heard about them, but according to many people schrade stoped making them. Also it is true that resin is not scratch resistant, but its better than lacquer.


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[ilikenails]

A Montblanc Edelharz (precious resin) pen is by no means scratch resistant.

It's also important to realise that "precious resin" = "very ordinary plastic with glass fibres added for shine". And that it's about the most fragile material used to make pens. That doesn't mean that modern MBs should be avoided, but if someone is looking for unusual robustness then they should be about the last choice.

Another thing the OP might not have realised is that piston fillers don't have that great an advantage in ink capacity - eg the L2K he mentioned takes about 1.4ml compared to a 1ml for a full size cartridge. And that's if you get a perfect fill, which will be rare - usually you'll get more like 1.2ml. Otoh syringe filling a cartridge guarantees 100% capacity every time.

...So if he has to give up piston fill to get a tougher bodied pen, he really won't lose much. Lingmo now make the Lorelei out aviation aluminium and it has the classic looks (that MB copied from Sheaffer...) that he's looking for -

https://frankunderwater.com/2017/11/02/news_lorelei_al/

[Chrissy]

Other possibilities in a similar size are Sailor King of Pen and Pelikan M1000. Both more than $400 though.
As far as scratches go, if you don't intend to take your pen to school in your pocket, you might manage to keep it more scratch free for a while. However, it will get surface scratches if you intend to take it with you and write with it, and at a price of $400 it will probably already have some to start with.

[FredRydr]

The OP's posts on various subforums here indicate his $400 is virtually scorching a hole in his pocket. We've all been there, wanting something so badly that it hurts. And how about those times when we look back and wish we took more time to evaluate the alternatives before making the plunge, whether it's a pen, a car or a relationship?

I hope the OP holds off until Sunday when he plans to be in the thick of pendom at the LA Pen Show, only four days hence, where he'll have the opportunity to really make informed judgments and go home with "the right pen."

[Chrissy]

The OP's posts on various subforums here indicate his $400 is virtually scorching a hole in his pocket. We've all been there, wanting something so badly that it hurts. And how about those times when we look back and wish we took more time to evaluate the alternatives before making the plunge, whether it's a pen, a car or a relationship?

I hope the OP holds off until Sunday when he plans to be in the thick of pendom at the LA Pen Show, only four days hence, where he'll have the opportunity to really make informed judgments and go home with "the right pen."

He's 13 and he's made his decision, rightly or wrongly. He wants that pen, only that pen, and he wants it now. Nothing can stop the runaway train at this stage. In a couple of years time or even less, he might wish he had the money instead, but as you say, many have been there.
He's put up a WTB advert for one and says he can pay cash. Let's hope that he doesn't put it in an envelope and send it somewhere.