Guest Review: Vintage 1950s Montblanc Meisterstück 146 Fountain Pen

If you are reading this blog you likely have a grail pen, something that you think is beyond or in some way more exciting than what is in your current collection. I have been collecting fountain pens for almost 10 years now and I strive to buy great writers over anything else. With the help of some friends at the Fountain Pen Network I landed on the Montblanc 146, specifically one from the early 1950s as the pens of this era had the most appealing features of the Meisterstück (masterpiece) line: a celluloid body, a softer 14C gold nib, and the flat ebonite “ski slope” style feed.

The 146 is a piston fill fountain pen that is larger than the 144 (Classique) and smaller than the 149. Compared with the modern 146 (often referred to as the “LeGrand”) the vintage 146 is slightly shorter with a shapelier barrel and deeper engravings on the gold furniture. The vintage 146 also has a larger more attractive two-tone 14-carat gold nib.

Vintage 146 Nib on the left, modern 146 nib on the right.

The 146 fits comfortably in my hand and weighs approximately 26 grams full of ink, and 18.5 grams uncapped. This pen does not post well. I have to apply more pressure than I would like to get the cap to sit straight on the body so I usually write with it uncapped. At 4.75” uncapped and just under 5.5” capped (not posted) it’s average sized and will be comfortable for most people to use.

The nib is the softest non-flex nib that I have used and provides some mild line variation. The buttery soft springy writing experience makes the 146 one of my favorite fountain pens. The nib writes wide and wet for a fine. The pen always starts right away and does not skip. I have left the cap off for over a half hour and it started without a hitch.

The vintage 146 uses a unique two-stage piston filling system that holds a lot of ink. You unscrew the piston knob, which will come up away from the body, but this does not move the piston. You keep twisting until you feel a transition at this point the knob becomes harder to turn (but still smooth) and no longer moves away from the body; it is at this stage that the piston moves. The mechanism behind this is complicated and likely discontinued due to cost. One weak point is the cork piston head; it is likely less durable than the synthetic ones found in most modern pens.

Being around 60 years old there is some loss of plate on the gold furniture but overall it is in great shape. If you look closely you can see that the nib tines are not in perfect alignment but the pen writes without a hitch so I haven’t been in a huge rush to get it to a nibmeister.

The prices of these pens have been going up and can be bought between $500-$700 on auction sites and for around $900 from a reputable dealer of vintage pens (I highly recommend the latter option). I bought mine on an auction site and got lucky as my pen turned out to be in great shape and functioned wonderfully.

To me the price is worth it as it offers a fantastic writing experience with an elegant high quality body but these pens can be tricky to buy and even trickier to fix if you get a bad one. I highly recommend the vintage 146 to experienced fountain pen users.

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 89 - I'm The Best At The Worst

There is great customer service and then there is GREAT customer service. Myke experienced the latter in his recent dealings with TWSBI - now if we can get them to come through with the colored aluminum piston 580 we would be golden!

We also talk about a new-to-us stone paper notebook, writing with your opposite hand, and the challenges of finding the perfect pen for someone new to the game.

Show Notes & Download Links

Pilot Acroball Color Ballpoint Pen - 0.5 mm - Light Blue and Orange

One of my favorite pens keeps on getting better as Pilot has added color to its excellent Acroball ballpoint pen line.

The Acroball has picked up steam since I first reviewed it in 2009. At that time they were only available in Japan, but soon started showing up at importers in the US like JetPens. Nearly four years later, Pilot decided to put the Acroball on the store shelves and at least by the chatter surrounding it, it seems to be doing well.

Why does it take a popular Japanese pen from a major manufacturer four years to hit the market in the US and other countries? I'm still searching for that answer.

Back to the Acroball Color before I go completely off the rails. It's great - as good as any Acroball I have used in fact. If you have never used one or heard of it, what sets it apart from most ballpoints is the use of a hybrid ballpoint ink, similar to the Uni-ball Jetstream that is so loved. This gives it a smooth, clean ink flow that is as good as you will find in a ballpoint. It allows for a vibrancy in color too, which is shown in the writing sample below.

The use of the Miami Dolphins color scheme is unintentional, but it kind of works, doesn't it? Both light blue and orange are difficult to get right in ballpoints but Pilot pulls it off here. I could use both of these colors on their own without pause. And the grip? Why this hasn't propagated through Pilot's offerings (especially the G-2) is beyond me. It is fantastic.

The Violet model is in my future, and if they come out with a good blue black it might be game over for the Jetstream.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)