Montblanc 149 vs Pelikan M1005 | Fountain Pen Comparison

[@fossilimprint2954]

Balanced review, I especially liked your summary. Thank you.

[@MCBosmans]

Since when did Montblanc revert back to plastic pistons again? I had my 80's montblanc serviced about a year and a half ago (for cleaning), and they ended up replacing the plastic 80's piston with a brass one. Did they switch back to plastic again? That I would consider a step back and quite disappointing

[@aisosaefemwonkieke1526]

They haven't.

[@Inazarab]

Why would that be considered a step back? While generally metal parts are more robust and premium, I would argue that in this case plastic would be more desirable. The brass parts are in a moist environment, and brass corrodes quickly, so in this case, I would think plastic would be superior to metal. It seems odd to put a brass part in an enclosed moist environment where it can rust, it seems like it's asking for trouble. If it was high quality stainless steel that would be one thing, but brass seems like a very odd choice for this use case.

[@MCBosmans]

@@Inazarab It's just personal taste. I prefer a little bit of weight in the pen ;) it adds to the feeling of it being robust. I'm not that technically savvy, nor do I know the Meisterstück inside out. I would guess the (greased up) seal from the piston on one end, and the fact that the piston is screwed in (air)tight on the other end, makes it so that moist, unless purposefully introduced, has no way of getting in and doing anything to the brass. In other words there is no moist environment, and if there is, a coating of silicone grease works miracles, which is already factory applied for lubrication/smooth operation.

[@Inazarab]

@@MCBosmans I hear you but putting brass in an enclosed environment right next to a liquid is not something I’d personally be comfortable with in a thousand dollar plus pen. I know from using Twsbi pens that I’ve gotten ink on the other side of the piston and with an opaque barrel there’d be know way to know for sure. And even if I did know from what I understand Montblancs are not easy to disassemble, and silicone grease wears away over time. But you’re right it’s personal preference and I agree with you the added weight feels nice, but for me I’d just worry about the brass and be too afraid to use the pen lol. I think it would be ideal if they’d use a low carbon high chromium stainless steel then you get the added weight and security it won’t rust inside the pen.

[@riyanadiputralimindra4497]

How's the platinum 149 vs your old 149? I own a 149 from 1993 which have the larger brass piston filler mechanism. It is much heavier than the one sold in montblanc boutique nowadays. And it feels more substantial because of the weight.

[@OwlxArt]

149 with brass piston feels better on my hands personally because it feels more balanced. It depends if you want a light pen or not and thats where the differences between older and newer montblanc come in.

[@coveringgrape5251]

ive got a 1980s 149 with brass piston and ebonite feed, the balance is quite back weighted compared to other pens I won (gotta hold id approximately 80% towards the piston for it to be horizontally balanced) but during writing it feels fine. The back weighted design makes it rest against my 1st web space (between thumb and index finger) so it writes quite well. I can't compare it to the plastic pistons as I don't own one.

[@efe.o5301]

Does the nib of the montblanc cause any trouble when writing? (especcialy m nib)

[@robcousins231]

There is a lot of nonsense talked about the brass piston in the M1000. if you've seen the mechanism, you will see only the sleeve where the actual piston sits, is brass, The actual piston, the mechanism that moves up and down etc is as plastic as plastic gets.

[@klt479]

I much prefer the m1005. The writing experience is much better and the piston mechanism is brass instead of plastic as on the 149. The springy nib, balance and weight is much better on the m1005. The m1005 cost about half as much as the 149. It's also much easier the clean the 1005. In my opinion the 1005 is clearly a premiums FP while the 149 is a cheap plastic pen with a stiff pencil like nib. If you want a 149, buy a used vintage pen. The quality is much better.

[@Inazarab]

Wouldnt plastic be better than brass in this case? The brass parts are in a moist environment, and brass corrodes quickly. It seems a very odd choice to put a brass part in an enclosed moist environment where it can rust, it seems like it's asking for trouble. If it was high quality stainless steel that would be one thing, but brass seems like a very odd choice. In this case wouldn't plastic be the safer choice?

[@klt479]

@@Inazarab Finely machined brass mechanisms are smoother, much more durable and typically last much longer than plastic. This is why mechanisms of fine watches and similar productd are made of metals like brass instead of plastics. Plaatics degenerate much faster than brass overtime from sunlight, friction, presure, torque, many cleaning substances, heat ect. I've never actually witnessed or even heard of a brass filling system failing. However, I have witnessed many plastic filling systems fail.

[@Inazarab]

@@klt479 I hear you, but I'd rather replace a plastic part than have rust build up in my pen and ruin it. In watches it makes sense, but I personally don't think it makes sense when right next to liquid in an enclosed and obscured environment. That's just me though, I tend to worry a lot, probably more than I should lol.

[@klt479]

@@InazarabBrass never rusts. This is impossible. It will never happen. This is another great reason brass is used in fine mechanisms. Only metals that contain iron rust. Brass does not contain iron.

[@Inazarab]

@@klt479 Sorry if I conflated rust with oxidation. Brass does oxidize, and the oxidized layer can flake off if friction is applied. I'm currently cleaning an old pair of brass shears, and it looks like the shears have a really bad case of dandruff lol. I'm not disputing brass's utility. It is a great material and great to use in fine mechanisms, but for this application where it's right next to a liquid and friction is constantly applied in order to use it, I don't think it's suitable.

[@alfredlutz7258]

How does the 149 give you more "social status" than the 1005? That makes no sense at all.

[@michaelbradley6488]

Marketing, pure and simple. I have both. The Montblanc is a status symbol, much as a Rolex watch is considered to be "the watch".....

[@yeyeyeyeyeyeyey]

@@michaelbradley6488 agree

[@mohammadiqbal6688]

Mi dispiace Pentagon pagina io no piase ispostare per fa vore

[@thetruth19390]

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