TimeOut

Yesterday I posted a photo of two Montblancs that “l love.” That prompted one member to enquire about other pens that I love. The answer is not easy because earlier this year I sold many of my pens, mostly Montblancs, some in boxes and never inked. I simp...  

I had been collecting Montblanc pens for over 20 years. And while I always knew about Namiki fountain pens, I never really paid that much attention to them. One day, a few generous individuals loaned me their pens to write with. Some for just 20 minutes. ...  

I know Japanese pens well — I have retained two Namikis— they are works of art — plus, one Nakaya. I have tried Sailor pens several times over the years and I have always been disappointed by the writing experience and those pens have not stayed in my col... 

You're right! I forgot you already experienced Japanese pens. Sorry, I don't remember everything, I must be getting old! Sailor is definitely a little different. There's a slight scratchy texture to Sailors which I sometimes like and I sometimes don't lik... 

I worship the nibs and writing of that brand. Well, everyone has their preferences.

I see people who like the Sailor style of nibs, because they like the "pencil lead feedback" that the Sailor gives. And I see people who value the buttery smoothness of the Namiki. And I see a small amount of people who like both.

one inexpensive Pilot so I don’t have a solid opinion of this brand. By now.

He still has a few Pilots and a Namiki, but he has more Sailors. He was the one who told me that many people go one direction - to the smoother Namiki/Pilot or to the scratchier Sailor. I frankly find both to be very interesting.

I liked other fountain pens, but I kept on going back to the Montblanc 146. Now, my writing style has changed and I'm mainly writing letters and memos to friends. So I'm mainly using a flexible falcon nib fountain pen (from Pilot) that I enjoy very much. ... 

Something about the size and feel of the nib really appeals to me. I have used all three nib sizes. Didn’t care for the fine, enjoyed the medium, but really adore the broad. I just picked up the new Montblanc 149 from The Origins collection. Haven’t had a... 

I honestly don't really use my Emperors to write with. A little weird. You must write a lot! I'm mostly writing short memos and thank you cards. So my writings are usually shorter.

amounts of money in fountain pens than in watches. Now, you are seriously tempting me. Great reading.

Everyone can appreciate a nice car - it's not necessarily indicative of someone with taste. Even rappers and sports stars appreciate nice watches now and is no longer an indication of someone who can appreciate fine mechanics. But fountain pens are one of... 

And there’s no periodic maintenance. Any day I go to Madrid, I see one in the flesh and who knows…

It's important to clean the pen periodically, more often if you have dirty, perspiring, and/or oily hands. The Urushi lacquer degrades in the sunlight. It's important to avoid strong light exposure, thus, don't put the pen where there is sunlight or under... 

I meant that with pens one has not to spend lots of money in the maintenance, all the contrary with watches… With your advice and considering I’m very careful, if I buy a maki-e I think I’ll pay only once.

You're absolutely right there. Much less goes wrong with a pen! I won't buy Perpetual Calendars anymore. Too much goes wrong and the maintenance on this is just too much!

In general, complex watches don't always work perfectly. The tension on the internals has to be very precise sometimes to encourage the correct changeover. Also, sometimes the leap year doesn't work, and the watch is already out of warranty by the time th... 

In fact, that one is one of the few exceptions to the rule.

I need to take some pen pictures myself sometime soon 👍

I didn’t know that the MB 1912 had a flex nib, it’s sadly quite hard to find quality modern flex nibs, I’ll try to check one if I can manage to find one somewhere.

I saw that you commented those nibs live in rouge et noir line. I have a rouge et noir bebe, it’s nib is as you described pliable but there is no tine separation, I really like writing with it, one of my favorite pens, I also have a Nakaya with a soft med... 

I have an aversion of recent MBs in general...this said, the 1912 is indeed quite special and somehow, they managed to persuade management to do a nearly one-off nib design: more pliable, more finesse, sweeter, yet not-out-of-control writing experience. T... 

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But then, it appears like a Renaissance based on the most recent NYT coverage of a pen show. I would have thought a trickle of visitors but it does appear to be a robust trade to say the least. In the age of data inference and machine learning, every lett...