Once or twice a year I'll go through my collection and do some "thinning". It seems I did A LOT of thinning so there is a wide variety listed this time.
Check out what's available under the Pen Sale tab at the top of the page.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions about the pens that are listed!
- Mike
I acquired this pen going on almost 6 months ago from Appelboom, but have yet to give it any exposure or fanfare... timing, right?
It has now been over two years since my first review of the Montblanc M series, at that time the fountain pen version. In a way I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the "M", but ultimately the design has won out on me. When I saw that Montblanc would be releasing an alternate Ultra Black lineup of the pen I knew I'd likely be picking one up at some point... but, not a fountain pen.
Montblanc is one of those brands that "pen people" seem to either adore or despise. Traditionally highly priced and seen often as a status symbol, it is understandable how it might come with some strong opinions.
I feel a bit in between as I know that the pens are highly priced (and really well marketed apparently), but feel like they are just one of those things that I knew I didn't need but would likely end up buying considering the Montblanc name and heritage. Nobody "needs" even a $10 pen when a $0.25 pen will suffice, but that isn't really why we do what we do in this community, right?
The original M series came in a glossy, piano black barrel; very fancy and posh. What you'd expect from a Montblanc I think.
For the Ultra Black series they took the lovely resin and sand blasted it to a matte texture and incorporated elements of bright orange color into the components of the pen which is a stark contrast. It certainly took the M on a more edgy ride for sure, but it is what I think I liked about it. It is definitely still "business", but with some attitude. If you know me personally, this pen is about as far from how I show up in real life, but perhaps that is what makes it fun.
For round two with the M I opted to purchase the ballpoint version as something I could use in more circumstances. If you've noticed over the last couple of years that fountain pens have shown up less and less in reviews it is due to how I write nowadays. I still love fountain pens, but don't use them as daily writers as often so for my personal purchases I find that I am not getting as many.
Although I did recently buy a Sailor Pro Gear Imperial Black fountain pen I've been coveting for years... (dang you Ed Jelley and Gentleman Stationer... check out their reviews)
One of the features that makes the M unique is its magnetic cap system. No threads or pop on experience; just put the cap onto the section and it snaps into place. It also magnetically holds onto the end of the pen while posting which is neat.
On the original fountain pen I reviewed I found the alignment that the magnet created with the clip and flat cutout section seemed to be a bit more precise. The Ultra Black clip sways a little to the left which does drive me a bit nuts. This is no doubt something I can get adjusted within the cap, but have yet to take action on it.
The Montblanc ballpoint refill is probably one of the better ones I've used as it is smooth and pretty inky, but it is a ballpoint experience for sure. Comparing to a Jetstream, InkJoy, or other more specialty refills it may not be that strong of a comparison, but it is still enjoyable. Although, I've been super tempted to try one of these 3D printed adapters which would allow for a D1 to be swapped in... if I do, I'll report back.
While writing the tip doesn't move at all which, for me, makes up much of any rollerball or ballpoint experience.
The section is metal and finished in an ionized, titanium nitride type plating that gives it a dark grey, almost-black type of appearance which goes nicely with the aesthetic.
The grip is made up of about 40 tightly machined rings that are toothy, but not sharp in my opinion.
In my previous review of the fountain pen I mention that there is a sharp step from the barrel to the grip which for many people I'd imagine would be uncomfortable. With how I hold pens in a traditional "triangle" grip the only place the step even touches my hand is right at the end of my thumb, and in a more subtle way. In short: not an issue for me, but probably will be with some folks. If this pen is interesting to you it may be one to try and see in person if possible before buying.
As mentioned above, one thing they've done is replaced the normal, metal grip threading components with bright orange plastic. I love the look of this. The switch in material does adjust the weighting slightly, but it does look pretty cool. One of those unnecessary things, but takes things a bit out of the more conservative class.
Although the Ultra Black is meant to be less polished, this hasn't given me free range to toss it in my pocket or bag. It is super odd I'm sure, but even with my all metal, BEGGING to be beat up pens, I really don't. I certainly use my pens and carry one (or some) daily, but have never been the type to let them see wear and tear that I considered preventable. I probably need to live a little more...
My experience with Appelboom was wonderful (I will note that they are a site sponsor) and I received the pen well packaged coming from the Netherlands AND gift wrapped. This isn't something they just did for me, but do it on all of their shipments. I have found that Appelboom tends to carry some models that aren't easily found in the states so I'd definitely give them a look.
Is the M a pen I could see myelf recommending to most people? Probably not one of my first thoughts at all, but if someone is looking for an interesting "fancy" pen, I wouldn't put this one out of the lineup.
I was contacted again recently by the folks over at BN WORKS about a new pen they were releasing called the TWIIST, a 2 in 1 pen and stylus combo which looked pretty cool and had some interesting features. They offered to provide a sample for review so special thanks to them.
If you haven't heard of BN WORKS, it is likely due to the fact that they are a bit newer on the scene in the pen stage. I reviewed their first pen, the BNdot ballpoint pen back in September of 2016, and the TWIIST is their second release.
Right out the gates I'm going to say that I've really liked the look of this pen from the start. It has a sort of "business" appeal, but also seems a bit on the edgy side. It certainly doesn't look like the standard pen you'd see at the office, but still fits into a more professional setting I think.
The TWIIST is an all metal pen which gives it a surprisingly solid feel. It is extremely sturdy in its build, but not overly heavy at 1.2 oz. Upon removing a the pieces I didn't see any plastic inside, so my thoughts are this thing is made to take some use.
Upon release, they opted for four colorways in combinations of silver, black, copper, and rose gold and I opted for the silver top with black clip and black grip section. I did mention to them that my first choice would've been an all-black model as they have the parts, but they told me that it would be a "coming soon" if that is also more your thing. Still, I think the color combos look sharp and I'm pleased with it.
The finish on the outside of the pens is beautifully done and is clean and sharp. Upon inspecting all the pieces closely I couldn't find any noticeable imperfections or blemishes.
Not sure exactly what the coating is, but it seems to be some sort of PVD or baked on finish. Although the silver part is somewhat "shimmery" with a metallic look, the overall appearance is more of a subdued matte.
Even though they refer to it as a 2 in 1, I'd actually probably consider it a "3 in 1" due to the fact it can take both a Parker style refill (P900 included) or the popular capless Schmidt P8126 rollerball AND has the built in stylus. So, not really 3 at once, but you can adjust the pen quite a bit to fit your fancy.
While the P900 is a good refill, I immediately swapped in the P8126 rollerball for the majority of my testing. To remove the refill the grip section unscrews from the top half making it accessible.
The reason they call it the TWIIST (notice the two "II" in the name) is because of what I'd consider a really unique mechanism system as there are two twists. The first, main twist is done by turning the grip to extend the refill for writing, and the second is in the knock which also twists extending and retracting a replaceable stylus.
I mean, you have to admit that it is pretty cool to have double retractable mechanisms working independently in the same pen. Yeah, I'll say I'm geeking out a little as I think it is neat.
The twists are actually super smooth. With a smooth gradual turn the refill or stylus sort of "pop" into place letting you know they are engaged.
This is not uncommon with grip section twist style pens, but I found myself having to retighten the grip and top half of the barrel to allow the ink refill to retract again. No biggie.
Even though I mentioned that I swapped in the rollerball refill as my primary, I did take the time to compare how the writing was with each.
Although minimal, I did find that the ballpoint (P900) had some slight play while writing (really, not bad at all, but somewhat there), but the rollerball felt rock solid. Not sure if the refill size and shape differences made up where they contrasted, but something to note.
While writing the pen feels pretty balanced. Maybe a hair heavier towards the top, but is quite comfortable. The matte texture of the grip makes the pen less slick, but not "grippy".
The final point is regarding the stylus. I'll admit, I don't use a stylus personally so having one incorporated into the pen isn't a major selling point for me. But, I know there are a lot of people that do and having it may be a really convenient feature.
You can't argue with the awesome deployment discussed earlier...
Functionally, the stylus worked pretty well on my phone/iPad touch devices and seems fairly standard.
BN WORKS includes two additional replacements in the package and they are kind of full-on fancy replacements. Not just the silicone tip, but a brass threaded screw, metal post, and the stylus all in one. If you're wearing out stylus tips like crazy, this would seem to be a plus for sure.
I will say that for those of us that don't use a stylus, having one could dissuade a purchase, being so central to the design. I really, really like the style and feel of the pen, but could see myself not buying one since it has a stylus. In an ideal world what I'd love to see is potentially just a rollerball pen with the same design, but sans a stylus as part of the lineup. Maybe wishful thinking.
Overall I think this is a solid execution on the pen by BN WORKS. Everything feels great and the fit and finish is pretty flawless. The price point of $85 is on the higher side, but not completely unreasonable.
Special thanks again to BN WORKS for sending the TWIIST for review!