Fountain Pens

[Rufus]

I like the looks of the Montblanc ... at the Atlanta airport in the "E" terminal there is a Montblanc store - ink and fountain pens galore. Quite pricey, though -- I always wondered if they were worth it.

I

I’ve owned two Montblanc fountain pens: a Meisterstuck 149 and a Meisterstuck 146. The 149 leaked like a sieve and couldn’t be repaired by Montblanc despite repeated attempts. It rolled off my desk one day and shattered into a thousand pieces, so much for Precious Resin. I still have the 146 and it performs well. I have a collection of over 100 vintage and modern fountain pens and have to say that the 146 ranks in the middle of the pack. My favourite pens are Pelikan, which I think beat Montblanc hands down in terms of performance, reliability and styling. As for price, I’ve never got my mind around Montblanc in relation to what they offer. They make competent fountain pens, but they are heavily marketed as an ultra luxury brand. A similar strategy is employed by Rolex, who make an excellent mechanical watch, but their pricing is out of whack for what you get. I also collect wrist watches, but don’t own a Rolex; I prefer Patek Philippes, IWCs, Omegas and Vacheron Constantins.