🥳I got a MONTBLANC Fountain Pen!!!

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

*EDIT: I know that I messed up on the pen comparisons!!! That's a Pelikan M800 and a Pilot 823 - ugh! 🙃 Sorry for any confusion!

[@johntaylor8817]

Hi. Welcome to the world of Montblanc, its a lovely place to be, many congrats from my 149 and myself. 🤗 Cheers from Adelaide Australia.🦘

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@johntaylor8817 awww thank you 😊 it’s actually a place that I never thought I’d be! I’m thinking about making several more trips here, especially given the affordability of purchasing second hand! Please tell me the story of your 149!

[@Soul_Watcher]

9:23 I believe the au585 is the gold purity content of the gold nib. So it’s 14k gold. Cheers

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@Soul_Watcher ahhh!!! Thank you! I was hoping someone would know! Do you have a MB? If yes, which one and what do you think? If no, are you thinking about getting one?

[@Soul_Watcher]

@@KitchenCounterCrafts you’re welcome. I do not have a MB unfortunately. One day I hope to. I current have two Platinum Presidents and a Standard Sailor 1911 and a “junior”Sailor 1911 that for all intents and purposes look very much like a MB. I don’t know if they feel like a MB because I have never seen nor used one. I would love to know the difference in feel of the resin and gold nib feel compared to a Platinum President and a Sailor 1911. Many moons ago I learned the metal content situation from the world of silver and gold jewelry. As you may already know they also use this standard for marking jewelry as well to show the purity by fraction of the specific metal. For instance the 585 parts per 1,000 is 14k. 750 is 18k, etc. So 585 divided by 1,000 then multiplied by 24 gives you 14. In silver one usually sees the mark of 950. Your MB is simply beautiful!

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@Soul_Watcher oh wow! I knew that 24k had more gold than 14k but never knew the math behind it! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with me! It’s things like this that make the pen community close to my heart 💗 I love Sailor!!! I’m a Pilot girl though- but love the Japanese pens. I’ve not tried the 1911 (except for my entry level 1911 compass) but have heard that they don’t have much ink capacity. Thoughts on that from your experience? Also, if you live near a pen show and can attend, you’ll be able to get some great insight into the feel of many different brands. I really hope to make it to the Washington DC super show one day- however, I’m going to need to save up a bunch of cash 💵 😆

[@Soul_Watcher]

@@KitchenCounterCrafts i concur. Many different disciplines often come together in this wonderful community making it diverse. I live out in the country so I haven’t even looked into finding a pen show to be honest. I should remedy that. I too seem to favor Japanese pens. I’ve come to enjoy the pencil like feedback from Sailor. I had a Platinum President with an (UED) Ultra extra fine nib and it was amazing. For such a small nib it was wet and hummed with a beautiful feel to it. Unfortunately it had a terrible accident when I was photographing it on my front porch which is technically the second floor. It went rolling and I was like a slow motion character in a movie trying to stop it. The nib tip was gone, both tines snapped off on the gravel and sand walkway. I was shocked and disappointed. I had just gotten it that day in the mail, filled it up, scribbled with it for a few moments, when I got the bright idea to take pictures of it. I was going for a juxtaposition between my father’s old wooden bench that has been painted so many times that the layers of paint were chipping off. Beautifully against the timeless and classic look of the President. Our time was brief 😆 but it turned my head to the pencil quality feedback of some Japanese pens. I went on to buy two more Platinum Presidents, replacing my UEF nib and a medium. My Pilot Elite, gold and burgundy,(E95s here in the states) is one of my most loved fountain pens to date.

[@Soul_Watcher]

@@KitchenCounterCrafts I forgot to add that I am usually happy with the cartridge converter or converter experience because I get to swap inks faster and/ or clean the pen and write with another sooner. But who am I kidding, I haven’t written with any other pen besides the Presidents, Pilot Elite, and the Sailor 1911 in almost a year! I do think that if I could purchase a Sailor 1911 piston filler I would also be very happy. That way when I’m having very long journal entries I don’t have to worry about running out. I do have a Narwhal Nautilus in Primary Macchiato, which is a piston filler with an Architect nib that is quite nice. I also have two of the Peter Draws editions from Narwhal ( Nahvalur) one I consider a demonstrator with white smoky swirls and the Artists Edition in silver. Both are also piston fillers. These three above are all steel nibs but are very good in my experience. I’ve had my Narwhal Primary Macchiato filled for a year ( totally my bad) and the ink never dries out and I never get hard starts. It’s incredible.

[@stephenE4017]

Great review! I have a 146 and it is a lovely writer and it is in my top 5 fountain pens.

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@stephenE4017 it’s an amazing pen! Thank you 😍

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

Gorgeous pen! Congrats!

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@sistergoldenhair0727 Thank you so much for watching and celebrating with me 🎉

[@karenholden4740]

You have a great hand writing!

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@karenholden4740 😍thank you so much! I enjoy writing, especially with such amazing pens! Which pen is your favorite in your collection?

[@sajjadhusain4146]

Ha, I own the very same pen with the M nib. Love it to pieces. Delighted to see you decide to get one, too. A pen like the 146 Le Grande should really be used as often as possible, not kept idle or seldom used. The size, weight, feel in hand, the piston and the nib all feel just swell, all round. I also own the 145 and 149. Some of the much slimmer, vintage, piston-filling Montblanc pens are really appealing and worth seeking out and getting.

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@sajjadhusain4146 I 💯 believe that you were the direct cause for this! 😂 I don’t regret anything! I’ve used it consistently since the day it first touched my hand! Such a fantastic pen! Do you have other sized nibs? I’ve heard that there’s a stub nib out there…

[@tbayless8324]

Congrats!!! Is this your grail pen? Will you bring it to the pen show and let me drool?

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@tbayless8324 only if you bring a bib for that drool! 😆 seriously, though I will think about it - I’m not 💯 sure that it’s going to leave my desk

[@tbayless8324]

@@KitchenCounterCrafts Ehhh, I can see why. It's just a black and gold pen. It could look like a Tootsie Pop LOL!!!

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@tbayless8324 😂 😂😂

[@karenholden4740]

I'm so happy for you enjoy!

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@karenholden4740 thanks so much for watching! So what are your thoughts about these?

[@karenholden4740]

It is a beautiful pen

[@manifunk1]

I’m my opinion the is the goat of fountain pens!

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@manifunk1🐐YES!!!! Do you have one??? If yes, how is it compared to your other ones?

[@manifunk1]

@@KitchenCounterCrafts So I have 4 now which I have collected over the last five years. The first one I found in a charity shop and I couldn’t believe my eyes it came with its box and papers and I paid £20, it was a broad nib from the early 1990’s. I used it for a while but then decided to get a medium one like yours off ebay which became my grail pen for a while. Over the following year I realised that I preferred a fine nib so I purchase another off ebay in a fine (this is my favorite one out of all of them). This year I saw the Solitaire Doue in a fine 18k nib going for a good price on ebay so I went for it, it looks beautiful but I find the nib is slightly too soft so I haven’t used it as much. At some point I guess if I see a good deal I will probably get an extra fine one. Overall the 146 is the pen I probably reach out for the most in my collection that and my Wing Sung 601a! Congratulations on your acquisition and I hope it brings you lots of joy when you use it.

[@manifunk1]

I forgot to add my ink of choice for them is pilot iroshizuku yama budo!

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@manifunk1 no way!!! Those deals sound so amazing!!! 🤩 you’re really encouraging me to keep a lookout for other MB pens! Good to know that you reach for the 146 most often. It’s such a beautiful writer. I can’t believe it!!! Holy moly ~I had to look up the Solitaire Doue and it is GORGEOUS!!! Can’t imagine a nib being too soft- so what happens? What size nib was it and how do you find it to write when it’s like that?

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@manifunk1 I’m in love with this beautiful ink! Although my new favorite is Iroshizuku Yama guru- a warm chestnut brown

[@stylishoversixty9459]

I appreciate the very informative and helpful video, where can I go to research authorized Montblanc fountain dealers thanks for sharing

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@stylishoversixty9459 thank you so much for watching! So, are you thinking about getting one??? I’m so excited for you! Do you have a pen show nearby or a fountain pen club?

[@andreas9119]

I recently got into Montblancs (a Solitaire Glacier fine, followed by a Brothers Grimm fine, and my most recent, a regular 146 with an Oblique Medium) , but like you, came from Faber-Castell fountain pens (Scribolino, School, Hexo, and Essentio) ... while I love the Montblancs, my first 'grail' pen was a Graf von Faber-Castell Classic in wood, and it is still my most prized pen at a fraction of the Montblanc's costs.. There is something about the nib that just gives me that slight feedback, while being so smooth that the Montblanc's , while nice, don't touch it. You should DEFINITELY try a Graf if you can, especially if you like the Montblancs and the older steel Faber-Castell nibs.

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@andreas9119 sounds like you and I are aligned on the type of pens we like!!! That’s good and bad because you are penabling me right now!!! I don’t “need” a Graf but I’ve looked at them- so pretty and classic, which is what I love 💕 I love my FC Loom, e-motion is inked and on my desk. MB 146 and I got a star walker! So gorgeous that I could stare at it all day. Very tempting to go up the ladder with Faber Castell!!! Thank you for sharing your experience and love for these pens!

[@andreas9119]

​@@KitchenCounterCrafts Yes, honestly. Unlike my Montblancs, the Graf's magic trick is the fact I can put any ink of mine on any paper and I still enjoy its nib. It amazes me. Each of my Montblancs are fussy with certain ink/paper combos. My Graf Classic came from Appelboom, where Anabelle Hiller took a look at it before it was shipped. Whether she pointed a magic wand at it, or it came from Graf this way is a mystery, but damn. It's such an understated pen. I fought the urge on Fountainpen day to get another, but I'm probably going to get another Macassar (I'd love a lighter hue) or a Pernambucco down the road in Oblique.

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@ I looked up both of those pens and they are beautiful! I like darker colors so that Macassar was very classy looking! I remembered that I had once looked at the Tamatillo calligraphy fountain pen but decided against it due to the cost and that’s when I got the Pilot 823 with the FA nib (absolutely love that pen/nib)! Any thoughts on that one? Do you have any Tamatillos?

[@andreas9119]

@KitchenCounterCrafts no Tamitio here..I thought about the calligraphy set but decided more recently to get a 1.9mm stub for my Lamy which I rarely use since getting an oblique medium Montblanc.

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@ calligraphic nibs are so yummy! Well darn, I thought maybe I could get some insight into that set . I’ll have to do more research and dig into it. Thanks again, penabler! 😆

[@stuartrosenthal7646]

The gold fittings are gold plated, not solid gold. I think that the feed may be ebonite rather than plastic. The 525 is the 14K gold content.

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@stuartrosenthal7646 Thank you for watching and for the clarification! I wish it was solid gold/ wouldn’t that be interesting? I just learned about the 525 and how it’s derived (from a pen lover’s comment below)! So interesting to learn from fellow hobbyists 💗 thanks again!!!

[@sistergoldenhair0727]

I have all my montblancs from eBay all from the 70s and 80s. Never paid full price.

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@sistergoldenhair0727 ohhh that’s so wonderful! I wish I could see them. Which ones do you have?

[@Schoki2305]

The M on the nib stands for medium

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@Schoki2305 Thank you for watching and for sharing!

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

May i ask how much you paid for this older, 2nd hand Montblanc 146? I'm in the market. Thanks.

[@KitchenCounterCrafts]

@@user-gl5ld9vm7i sure! It was about $350 USD including tax.