A Modern Classic? Montblanc Heritage Collection 1912

September 29, 2018

The Montblanc Heritage 1912 falls squarely within the “niche pen” category that certainly won’t appeal to everyone, but offers a glimpse of what storied, experienced brands like Montblanc are capable of when they reach into their back catalog for inspiration. I’ve had mine for a couple years now, and while it was an expensive purchase that required me to liquidate a significant chunk of my pen collection to be able to buy it, I’ve enjoyed every minute of owning and using this pen.

The Heritage 1912 is compact, which makes it a fun pen to carry for work, though you do have to mind where you set the cap because the pen doesn’t post.

This pen’s full name is the “Heritage Collection 1912 Fountain Pen,” which for simplicity’s sake I’ll refer to as the “Heritage 1912.” If you’re familiar with fountain pen history, and especially vintage Montblancs, you’ll notice the resemblance to the Simplo “Safety Filler” from the early 20th century. The key innovations of safety fillers like the Simplo included retractable nib mechanisms and a screw-on cap, both of which made early hard-rubber eyedropper pens less likely to leak. This pen, of course, is resin, not hard rubber, and it’s not a true “safety filler” eyedropper pen but rather a piston-filler that features a retractable nib.

The Heritage 1912 with the nib extended, and…

The filling system on this pen is one of the more unique in my collection - it’s a piston filler where the piston knob has been modified to control both the filling system itself and the retractable nib mechanism. (Pictures and descriptions are included below.) Concerned that you might accidentally cap the pen with the nib extended? Worry not, because Montblanc designed a failsafe in the cap that keeps you from screwing the cap on in a manner that damages the nib. There’s a thin metal rod mounted in the end of the cap that blocks the cap from closing and bending the nib tines.

In its standard position, the piston knob rotates to extend/retract the nib.

Once the nib is extended, you pull out on the piston knob to engage the filling mechanism, which works like a regular piston filler. Once you fill the pen, you push the knob back in.

Don’t get me wrong, I own far more functional fountain pens than the Heritage 1912, which has its drawbacks as an everyday writer. For starters, the pen doesn’t post. Also, a smaller ink capacity limits your ability to use the Heritage 1912 with broader nibs: the pen holds less than 1 ml of ink, which I worked around by having Mike Masuyama grind my fine nib to a .4mm cursive italic. If you can overlook these two issues, however, the Heritage 1912 is a superb writer. The resin body has exceptional balance, with the filling system/mechanism lending this smaller pen some weight. The 14k, rhodium-plated nib has quite a bit of spring/bounce (NOT flex) to it, and I’d consider it one of the best Montblanc nibs I’ve ever used.

The design element that drew me to this pen was how Montblanc treated the Snowcap. Montblanc describes its emblem as “encased in transparent resin and coated in mother-of-pearl lacquer.”

A size comparison shot of the Montblanc Heritage 1912 against my recently acquired - and sharp looking - Retro 51 “The System” pencil from Mike Dudek of the Clicky Post!

Takeaways and Where to Buy

I count myself an unabashed fan of Montblanc, especially when they branch out of their standard comfort zone of pens based on the Classique/146/149 templates and do something unique like the Heritage 1912. There’s nothing else like this pen in my collection, and if I ever had to narrow my pens to a handful, this one would easily make the cut. I would wholeheartedly recommend this pen to any Montblanc enthusiast or those who’d like to experience the feel of a vintage safety filler but want a pen that they can use everyday without worrying about damaging a valuable antique.

The Heritage 1912 can be somewhat challenging to find, but it is part of Montblanc’s standard lineup and not a special or limited edition. Site sponsor Appelboom currently has the pen available for around $850 USD (depending on the exchange rate), which certainly isn’t inexpensive but also doesn’t approach Montblanc’s premium pricing on its Writer’s Editions and other limited offerings. (If you really want to blow it out, you could spring for the much larger Heritage 1914, which retails in the many thousands of dollars/euros. I’ve never seen one in person, and presume they were made in much smaller quantities.) Other Montblanc retailers who stock the Heritage 1912 include La Couronne du Compte and Fountain Pen Hospital.

Disclaimer: I purchased the pen featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection. This post does contain affiliate links.

Pen Review: Montblanc M Ultra Black Fountain Pen

September 19, 2018

Once again, I’m a bit late to the party here in reviewing a pen that’s been out for a while - the Montblanc M by Marc Newson, a collaboration between the venerable (and somewhat staid) German brand and the industrial designer, most recently known for his status as a senior member of Apple’s design team. The version featured here is from Montblanc’s “Ultra Black” series, which means matte black resin and ruthenium trim - a combination that’s a personal favorite of mine. (This isn’t the first “Ultra Black” pen I’ve reviewed. You can check out some shots of my 146 Ultra Black here.)

As one would expect from the “Ultra Black” designation, this pen features a ruthenium/rhodium plated, two-toned 14k gold nib, available in fine or medium. The particular pen I’m reviewing here has a fine nib, which writes a relatively wet line with just a touch of tooth. I wouldn’t call it scratchy, just tactile. The textured ruthenium-plated section is comfortable to hold, and the metal ridges offer a nice gripping surface. The balance and overall ergonomics are also nice, though as I’ll discuss further below, you can’t post the cap.

There is a fairly significant step-down from the barrel of the pen to the grip section, which isn’t sharp, but I can still feel it when writing. Note the orange highlight, which adds a pop of color and stands out nicely on the otherwise dark design.

Two aspects of the pen’s design might make this one a no-go for many people. First, the Montblanc “M” Series is a cartridge-only fountain pen. While you may be able to find a shorter converter that fits the barrel, no converter ships with this pen and Montblanc markets this pen as cartridge-only. Second, there is absolutely no ability to post this pen due to the placement of the signature feature, the “plateau” on the back of the barrel emblazoned with the snowflake.

Where Montblanc has excelled, however, is the magnetic cap, which automatically aligns the clip with the “snowflake” logo on the “plateau.” It’s quite accurate, and fun to play with. The platinum-plated clip is different from what Montblanc normally uses on their pens, adds a modern, clean look, and has great tension so that it clips easily to a shirt pocket.

A shot of the split-pronged clip and the two snowflakes. Design-wise, this is certainly a pen that’s grown on me.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Montblanc “M” series draws strong opinions - people tend to love this pen or actively dislike it. I think part of that is the fact that it’s such a departure from Montblanc’s standard line that the pen doesn’t appeal to the “purists” - those drawn to the more traditional Meisterstuck pens and the special and limited editions based off the Classique, 146, and 149 models. On the whole, I like this pen, but it’s probably not one that will end up in my collection in fountain pen form. The step from the body to the section bothers me a little bit, and something about the form factor seems to lend itself more to a ballpoint/rollerball than a fountain pen. For longer writing sessions, I’m not sure that this pen would be my choice, but for short jottings at work with Montblanc’s excellent ballpoint and rollerball refills, I’m still considering picking one up.

Many thanks to site sponsor Appelboom for loaning me the pen featured in this review. The Montblanc “M” series currently retails at $540 for the fountain pen version, or $400 for the ballpoint and rollerball version. Prices listed here are approximations and subject to change due to the EUR/USD exchange rate.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, as TGS is a member of Appelboom’s Affiliate Network. For more information, please see our privacy and cookie policies.

A size comparison shot, from left: Franklin-Christoph Model 20, Montblanc M Ultra Black Fountain Pen, Montblanc 146 Ultra Black, and Platinum 3776 Oshino Demonstrator.

Testing Out "Tester Pens": What's the Role of the "Cheap" Fountain Pen?

September 15, 2018

You may have noticed that I’ve been trying to reintroduce ink reviews on the site by - well, reviewing more inks. A couple things make this a challenge for me. First, I do use my pens regularly outside of the work I do here on this blog. I have a writing-intensive job with an output that regularly exceeds 20 (typed) pages per day, and the way I work/think involves a lot of longhand note-taking and sketching out ideas before I even start on the computer. These notes are frequently shared among colleagues, and handwritten markups of documents scanned and e-mailed to clients. That’s a long way of saying that whatever ink I use in my daily writers needs to be something that I know is reliable and works well on cheap recycled copy paper, which limits my opportunities to experiment with new inks that I don’t know much about, not to mention properties like sheen and shimmer.

At the same time, I don’t like to write ink reviews based on a swab and a couple lines of writing with a dip pen. That doesn’t give me any sense of how the ink truly “performs,” and whether it’s something I could legitimately recommend for daily use - which is what I try to keep the focus on here. But I also don’t want to ink one of my favorite writers up with an “unknown” ink and just have it sit indefinitely (or stain, clog, melt, etc. if the ink turns out to be not-so-nice). So what to do? Enter the low-cost tester pen.

Earlier this year I discovered Wing Sung demonstrators. These inexpensive Chinese piston fillers were some of the best cheap pens that I’d used to date, and that impression has not changed. Even better, Wing Sung continues to release a steady stream of new models, often sold in packs of four or five pens that gets the price down to a few dollars per unit. This eliminates any risk of testing out “higher maintenance” inks in my nice pens.

Wing Sung 3008 Demonstrators, which I first learned about at this year’s DC Pen Show.

So right now I have a dozen or so Wing Sung demonstrators inked up with an equal number of inks I’m testing, sitting in a cup on my desk at home. Four of them are loaded up with various Colorverse “glistening” inks (Ham, Hayabusa, Brane, and Gluon). The rest contain various Noodler’s permanent and quick-drying inks and some highly saturated Private Reserve Colors. Surprisingly, the extra fine nibs on all of these pens are good writers, and I’ve found myself reaching for them at home quite a bit when I’m working at my desk there. If the inks turn out to be serviceable, I’ll slip one of the tester pens into my pen case and take it to work for the day, giving it a more extended “audition.” If I don’t like it, and it sits so long that it clogs or stains, so what? I’m liking my new system.

So Which Pens Am I Talking About, Exactly?

I’ve purchased all of my Wing Sung pens via Amazon, and the Sellers don’t always make the model number clear, so it can be difficult to know exactly which pen you’re buying. The piston fillers that hold the glistening inks are the Wing Sung 3008, which are sold in packs of four and feature different colored aluminum caps and trim. (I first learned about these because Ana had them at the 2018 DC Pen Show.) The rest of the pens are Wing Sung 3010 and Wing Sung 3001 demonstrators, which are cartridge-converter pens that feature a surprisingly good converter. (So good, in fact, that I’m going to see if this converter fits other pens. It seals really well, and includes a small spring in the barrel which breaks surface tension, ensuring good ink flow.)

So far, I’ve been pleased with all of these pens. Of course, at this price point I don’t expect them to last forever. In particular, the pistons and converters will eventually wear out, or the plastic will crack after repeated capping/uncapping. But in the meantime, enjoy them for what they are: fun demonstrator fountain pens that you can fill up with the craziest of inks, safe in the knowledge that if things don’t work out, at most, you’re out a couple bucks.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates.

Two TWSBI Go pens compared against the TWSBI 580ALR (far left) and the TWSBI Eco (second from right).

So Ugly It's Cute? My Thoughts on the TWSBI Go

September 12, 2018

So TWSBI recently launched a curveball into the market for inexpensive pens, releasing the TWSBI “Go” after what seems like not-a-lot-of-hype, at least compared to past TWSBI product launches. Reaction from the pen blogosphere has been … interesting … to say the least. Some people love it, others have referred to it as the “acid-washed jeans” of the pen world. What’s my personal take? I think it’s a great addition to TWSBI’s lineup, and could cause some upheaval in my recommendations at the $20 price point.

As you can see from the pictures above, the Go is a chunky pen, slightly shorter than the TWSBI 580 and the TWSBI Eco, but with more girth. Without the piston mechanism or any metal trim, the TWSBI Go is also much lighter than either of those pens, making it a comfortable pen for long writing sessions. It’s a longer pen when posted, but the cap hardly weighs anything so it didn’t throw the balance off for me.

The only metal used in the pen is the spring around the plunger.

TWSBI really innovated here with the filling system on the Go. While TWSBI refers to it as a “spring loaded piston filling mechanism,” I’d characterize this pen as a plunger filler. Plunger fillers, of course, are not a new concept, but they are uncommon in less expensive pens. The main selling point with TWSBI’s take on things is ease of filling: TWSBI claims that you just need to press down once, release “and you’re ready to GO!” It is indeed very easy to fill this pen (and presumably to flush it out), making the Go not only an excellent pen for beginners but also a great pen to use for ink testing. [Edit: See the comments below for some discussion of the proper terminology that should be used here. My point is that this pen fills differently from your typical “Piston filler” fountain pen.]

A size comparison with some similar non-TWSBI pens. From left: Faggionato Petrarque; Franklin-Christoph Model 20; TWSBI Go in Sapphire; TWSBI Go in Smoke; and last but not least, another great inexpensive demonstrator pen, the Wing Sung 3010. (Look … — A size comparison with some similar non-TWSBI pens. From left: Faggionato Petrarque; Franklin-Christoph Model 20; TWSBI Go in Sapphire; TWSBI Go in Smoke; and last but not least, another great inexpensive demonstrator pen, the Wing Sung 3010. (Look for a writeup on that last one sometime soon).

And, last but not least, I’m going to talk about the aesthetics of this pen, which have prompted more discussion than the new filling system or the overall quality of the pen itself. The TWSBI Go is not “attractive” in the traditional sense - it’s neither streamlined nor shiny, it’s made entirely of plastic, and the filling system looks like some sort of steampunk Rube Goldberg machine. But somehow the look works for me. It’s fun. Don’t think too hard on it.

There’s no clip, but the cap does have a loop, presumably for a lanyard. Please don’t go there.

I do have some concern about the long-term strength of the plastic. The TWSBI Go has a “snap” cap that isn’t internally reinforced in any way, leading me to wonder whether or not it might be prone to cracking over the long term. That said, given the price point, I’m not going to worry too much about this. The TWSBI Go isn’t intended to be a “last-pen-you’ll-ever-need” product.

The Go looks like it uses the same nib as the TWSBI Vac Mini, but the nibs are friction-fit, not the standard TWSBI interchangeable nib unit. I wonder if anyone has done any experimenting to see what non-TWSBI nibs might be able to fit in the Go?

Takeaways and Where to Buy

If you’re just testing the waters with fountain pens in general, have been looking to try out a non-cartridge/converter fountain pen, or just want something different for a change, there’s not much risk in giving the TWSBI Go a try. The filling system is easy to master, the pen holds a decent amount of ink, and TWSBI offers a lot of quality nib options. I do hope that TWSBI introduces the Go in some different colors - this format presents an opportunity for the brand to step outside their clear/blue/gray demonstrator comfort zone - the “Sapphire” and “Smoke” motifs are getting a little tired as they’ve been launch colors for most of TWSBI’s models.

The TWSBI Go is available for purchase from most TWSBI retailers, and is available in both Sapphire and Smoke versions. While we don’t currently stock the TWSBI Go (we may in the future if the demand is there), the T.G.S. Curated Shop offers a large selection of TWSBI fountain pens and other inks and accessories.

Disclaimer: I purchased the pens featured in this review with my own funds, for my own use.

Pen Review: Faggionato Petrarque and PKS Fountain Pens

September 8, 2018

Faggionato fountain pens have brought a much-needed refresh to to the market over the past year or so, introducing new designs and materials at a time when a lot of the special edition, limited edition, and “custom” pens out there are starting to feel a bit stale (at least to me). French penmaker Fred Faggionato turns all pens by hand from his workshop in the south of France, and it’s been amazing to see the increasingly diverse array of materials and finishes he’s managed to come up with, including some intricate Japanese-style lacquers.

Faggionato Petrarque in translucent Blue Tortoise. Check out how much that blue in the acetate pops!

What initially drew me to Faggionato pens were the materials, particularly the line made from cellulose acetate, a celluloid derivative. According to Papier Plume, “[t]he colors are obtained from plant fibers processed, dyed, then heated and bonded together with solvents to produce colored blanks. The blanks are stored in a specialized chamber for several weeks to dry them and remove the solvents through evaporation. The blanks are then cut, turned, and polished into pens.” This process differs from that used to make traditional, vintage-style celluloid, which takes many months (if not longer) to cure. The shorter manufacturing time presumably allows Faggionato and others to bring more of these pens to the market at a lower price point, which is always welcome since celluloid pens regularly command prices in the $500-$1000 range, with prices going even higher for rare and unique materials.

Faggionato PKS in vintage Conway Stewart acetate

Blue tortoise Petrarque and "Dartmoor" PKS side-by-side. The simply engraved, curved clip is one of my favorite design elements of these pens.

While Faggionato makes a few different styles, most of the pens that make it to the U.S. come in either the Petrarque or PKS (Petrarque King Size) model. The Petrarque is the slightly shorter, slimmer version that posts, while the PKS is a larger pen. Both feature the same simple, streamlined design and Faggionato’s distinctive curved metal clip.

Showing off the clip curve on the Faggionato Petrarque.

At the end of the day, what makes these excellent pens is the writing experience. Both the Petrarque and PKS have cartridge/converter filling systems, and are therefore lightweight and easy to clean/maintain. The section has a slightly concave hourglass shape, with no step-down from the body, making these some of the more comfortable pens that I’ve used for longer writing sessions.

Faggionato pens feature Bock nibs tuned by the manufacturer. The medium gold-plated steel nib on my Petrarque writes a beautiful wet line, but I did have Mike Masuyama grind the titanium nib on my PKS to a .4mm cursive italic to tame the ink flow a bit - the nib wrote far too wet for my personal preference and everyday paper choice. But that’s not a knock on the pen or the manufacturer, just an issue that I typically have with titanium nibs.

Two Bock nibs: the nib on the Petrarque has a simple engraving, the titanium nib on the PKS has none.  I definitely prefer blank or minimally engraved nibs to some of the laser-etching you see on other custom pens at this price point. — Two Bock nibs: the nib on the Petrarque has a simple engraving, the titanium nib on the PKS has none. I definitely prefer blank or minimally engraved nibs to some of the laser-etching you see on other custom pens at this price point.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Faggionato Petrarque and PKS made my mid-year list of favorite products from 2018, and so far, nothing has changed. I love handmade/custom pens that feature unique materials, and in that regard neither of my two Faggionato pen disappoints. If I had to choose between the two, I’d probably prefer the Petrarque simply because it posts and therefore fits into my daily workflow a bit better, but both have been in heavy rotation for most of the year.

Size comparison, from left: Faggionato PKS, Faggionato Petrarque, Diplomat Aero, TWSBI Eco, and Montblanc 146.

I purchased both of my Faggionato fountain pens from Papier Plume. You may recognize the name from my New Orleans travelogues - Papier Plume is a pen shop located on Royal Street in the historic French Quarter. The smaller Petrarque starts at $200 for a stainless steel nib (plain or gold plated), with titanium and 14k gold nib upgrades available. The larger PKS fountain pen also starts at $200, but as noted above, doesn’t post. Faggionato makes both the Petrarque and the PKS not just in the gorgeous acrylics and cellulose acetate pictured here, but also in lacquered versions. As you might expect, urushi-style lacquer commands a premium price. If you’d like a peek at the full line of Faggionato pens, check out the Faggionato website, which also offers hints of things to come!

Disclaimer: I purchased both pens featured in this review with my own funds, for my own collection.