# torn - montblanc or visconti



## time4awatch

Looking for a gift for my wife. She's always wanted a beautiful pen. 

I was considering either a starwalker (blue or black, roller or ball) or a Visconti, probably a Van Gogh 

Any suggestions? Pros cons?


----------



## LeverTime

I've never owned a Visconti, but I know some people like them. I'll let someone else comment on them.


I have nothing against Richemont, JLC is one of my favorite watch brands. Having said that, I have owned three Montblancs, and I have sold all of them. For the price, IMHO, they are not worth it. For the same price as a MB, you can get a much better Pelikan, or a much much better vintage pen. I think they feel cheap, generally don't have great nibs, and are very expensive. Someone must disagree with me, otherwise MB would be out of business. At the very least you should try a few pens before buying anything.

I've heard vintage MBs are much better, but I have never used one.


----------



## D N Ravenna

Kind of funny, but as I was to going to post, I noticed you said you were going to get her a roller or ball point. My experiences are with fountain pens, and as you have ruled that out, I won't go further with that.

Is she a modern type of gal with regards to things she uses? I gave mine a starwalker RB and a Cross clear red acrylic with a Swiss Army Knife/USB thingie. She really liked the cheap one.

As a rule, I have respect for MB. Mine is about 14 yrs old and has one of the better nibs I have gotten right out of the box.

Bottom line is now what your significant other wants and get them that. My wife would take that dang red acrylic pen over a MB or Visconti every day!

Good luck!

Dan


----------



## Shangas

Both Montblanc and Visconti are good pen-makers, however my gripe is that you're buying a rollerball or a ballpoint pen. In my experience, an expensive RB or BP pen, does not write any better than a cheap one. That being the case, I would find it very hard to justify spending upwards of $300 (no exaggeration) on a ballpoint pen from either of those two companies, when a 50c Bic Cristal will produce exactly the same thing. 

Like Dan, my experiences with MB are mostly with fountain pens, and I've found their FPs to be lightweight, comfortable, durable and smooth and easy to use.


----------



## 00Photo

Fountain Pen. Fountain Pen. Fountain Pen. 

I agree whole heatedly with the others. The writing experience between cheap and expensive ballpoint and rollerballs is the same. The writing experience with a good fountain pen is downright erotic.

I would gravitate more toward the Visconti, but that is just my preference. 

I would recommend going someplace that you can put your hands on one and give it a test drive. There are many differences in nib feeling when comparing fountain pens.


----------



## Shangas

Hahahahaha!! 

I don't know about 'erotic', but it's certainly a wonderful experience.


----------



## Simon

I own both - the Visconti VG's have some wonderful resins & marbled swirling colours which I think might appeal more to the missus than the rather plain MB. I personally dont think either feel correctly balanced when cap is posted (too much weight in the rear  and for that reason I'd suggest also you look at a Pelikan or Waterman.

si


----------



## Benjamin Chin

time4awatch said:


> Looking for a gift for my wife. She's always wanted a beautiful pen.
> 
> I was considering either a starwalker (blue or black, roller or ball) or a Visconti, probably a Van Gogh
> 
> Any suggestions? Pros cons?


When it comes to ballpoint, I am partial towards Caran D'Ache (Swiss Made).

http://www.carandache.com/m/les-ins...on-varius/chinablack/argente-rhodie/index.lbl

The writing experience is very smooth, unlike a cheap disposable ballpoint. 
You never need to press the tip hard to write.

Even with prolong writing, the area around the tip does not accumulate excess ink, so there is no chance of ink smudge on the paper, unlike a cheap disposable ballpoint. (This is particularly true for the BLACK medium refill. The BLUE ink does not write as cleanly.)

The ball-bearing tip is made of tungsten carbide which means the pen tip is literally shock-resistant, even against concrete floor, unlike a cheap disposable ballpoint.

The ink flow hardly ever jams; even if it ever happens, a few shakes will cause the ink to flow down towards the tip and it writes again. This means you use the ink to the last drop and the refill is a giant refill.

When it comes to durability, the push-button or twist-mechanism hardly proves defective.

Many of the models are hand-crafted, certainly unlike a cheap disposable ballpoint.


----------



## Caraptor

Personally, I think Mont Blanc is a bit overrated (though I have owned four over the years.) They're great pens, but they're kind of like the Rolex of pens for better or worse. Not the greatest high end pen, but certainly the most recognizable. Some people like the high profile, others don't. However, an advantage they do have is the availability of refills at your local office supply store.


----------



## TheWalrus

I like Montblanc pens in a qualified sense - I tend to think that their styling is top notch, and I quite like their special writers editions and patron of the arts editions. 

That having been said, I've purchased three in my life - one ball point 'Noblesse Oblige', and two fountain pens - a Mozart (as a gift), and my own Starwalker.

I've had reliability issues with both of the fountain pens. They're beautiful pens - some of them verge on works of art themselves. But they come with associated hassels. So i guess what I'm saying is that if you want to buy the pen as a gift, as a great looking object, and as a reliable writer you probably can't go wrong with a BP or Rollerball (I'd recommend the latter). If you're a "writing instrument purist", then you'd go with the fountain pen.


----------



## TimeZero

Allow me to offer my perspective.

When one buys a rollerball or ballpoint pen, one is paying for, in large part, a pen _holder_. However, the holder is a very important component of the writing experience and should not be pooh-poohed. They can be beautiful, but they should also be functional - well balanced, proportioned and weighted appropriately to do their job - help guide the writer's hand across the page. These functional aspects are, to many, very subjective but their significance to the writing experience should not be ignored.

The guts of rollerball or ball point pens are the refill - which is probably about a $10 replacement part, at most. Having said that, not all roller or ball point refills are created equal and some of them write downright wonderfully. Visconti rollerball refills are well known for their smoothness and durability and have earned my recommendation after having experince with them for a considerable amount of time.

The Visconti Van Gogh comes in two sizes - the Maxi and the Midi (there's also a Mini, but it's not generally available in the US). The Maxi is a larger, heavier pen. The Midi is a smaller and lighter pen that I've found to be more comfortable for longer writing sessions and fits more easily into a purse or pocket. It's also much less expensive than the Maxi version and comes in the same beautiful spectrum of colors as its Maxi counterpart. I highly recommend them - in any form (FP, BP or RB).

I have little experience with Montblancs except their fountain pens and a ballpoint pen I have owned for a while. Personally, the MB ballpoint refill wrote poorly, and the holder (the barrel, clip, section, etc.) was poorly balanced and always tired my hand.

I hope this was helpful. Feel freee to drop me a line or post here if you have any other questions.

James


----------



## BIGPOCKETS

Hey time4awatch,
That's weird that you've posted this....
I was about to head off to pick up my MB SW Metal Rubber from a service. Had the nib re-aligned & the flow adjusted, which fountain pens can have.
I own a MB STARWALKER METAL RUBBER ROLLER BALL/FINELINER, a MB STARWALKER FOUNTAIN PEN (Broad nib) & a VISCONTI VAN GOGH MAXI FOUNTAIN PEN Fine nib).

I've attached some pics with my "recommendations".

Both brands & pens have pros & cons, try to find a retailer which'll give you a few days to "try" out the pen. It may look great in-store but if doesn't suit your writing style or what you'll use it for then you'll just waste your cash.
I find myself just writing & practicing my handwriting whenever I can with all these pens.
Lastly if your gorgeous wife is left-handed then I wouldn't recommend a fountain pen.

At the end of the day a pen is sooooo personal & as a "special pen" a fountain pen beats rollerballs (or fine-liners) hands down.
My preference is for the VISCONTI, maybe because it's my newest pen(?). To me it feels nicer to handle! If she's a corporate type then the MONTBLANC if not then the artistic feel of the VISCONTI can't be beaten.
Can't go wrong with either...Good Luck!!:-!


----------



## nywriter21

buy a Monteverde, affordable and good pens


----------



## Beau8

Montblanc~Cheers! ;-)


----------



## time4awatch

Thanks for all of the responses. 

To answer a couple questions. Yes, I know the cost of a 'fine writing' instrument is high, but this is a gift for someone who has always wanted a really nice pen. 

As far as roller vs. fountain. This pen will be for functional daily office use. I'm just not sure that a fountain pen is all that practical. 

Guess, I'm down to 3.

Visconti demonstrator
Starwalker cool blue
Starwalker black

Unless anyone has a final rec in the $150-$300 range


----------



## LeverTime

time4awatch said:


> As far as roller vs. fountain. This pen will be for functional daily office use. I'm just not sure that a fountain pen is all that practical.


I felt the need to reply because many people seem to have the impression that fountain pens are useless or outdated. They are somewhat analogous to mechanical watches, although I would argue that mechanical watches are even more impractical because they don't actually perform their primary function (telling time) better than a quartz watch. Fountain pens provide a better writing experience and a much wider ink selection than you can get with any other type of pen.

Please do not think that I am insisting that your wife should use a fountain pen, most people probably aren't interested in them, and that's ok. But it is not a useless piece of jewelry, I have been using fountain pens for daily office use for years.


----------



## jaytaylor

LeverTime said:


> I have been using fountain pens for daily office use for years.


+1

I've been using fountain pens in formal and informal office environments for years, I carry a 10 pen wallet in my laptop bag, 8 fountain pens, 1 visconti travelling ink pot and 1 Mont Blanc ball point.

No problems at all using a FP.


----------



## Uncle Bill

time4awatch said:


> Looking for a gift for my wife. She's always wanted a beautiful pen.
> 
> I was considering either a starwalker (blue or black, roller or ball) or a Visconti, probably a Van Gogh
> 
> Any suggestions? Pros cons?


My suggestion would be the Van Gogh Maxi and I would let your wife choose the colour. I had a MB 146 and traded it for another pen, the performance did nothing for me.


----------



## Uncle Bill

jaytaylor said:


> +1
> 
> i've been using fountain pens in formal and informal office environments for years, i carry a 10 pen wallet in my laptop bag, 8 fountain pens, 1 visconti travelling ink pot and 1 mont blanc ball point.
> 
> No problems at all using a fp.


+2


----------



## TimeZero

uncle bill said:


> +2


+3


----------



## TimeZero

No such advertisement on WUS.


----------



## Shangas

TimeZero said:


> +3


+4

I'm now 22.

I've been using fountain pens daily ever since the age of seven. I would NEVER (and I mean this literally), write with ANYTHING other than a fountain pen. I find them too cool. Not everything modern is marvellous. I certainly wouldn't say that about a Bic Cristal.

A fountain pen is something beautiful, well-made and it will last for CENTURIES. A lot of the pens in my collection are older than my parents, I have one which is at least as old as my grandmother (born May, 1914). These things are MADE to LAST, and what's more, they're made to WORK. Mainly because 50 years ago - they HAD to work. So they were made to the highest possible quality.

You say your wife will be doing a lot of heavy writing and that this pen will be a daily-use instrument? Buy a fountain pen. It's for this reason (amongst dozens of others), that I've stuck to them for so long. I do an immense amount of writing every day, and I simply couldn't do it with a ballpoint. The wrist-strain would drive me crazy. You don't get that with fountain pens.

I fully, fully, fully understand that these days, to most people, a fountain pen is a piece of jewellery. Your father and grandfather would not have thought so. Certainly MY father didn't. These things were made to be used, and were made to LAST. You can't say that about a ballpoint pen. Millions are made every year, and millions are thrown out every week. You'll never throw out a fountain pen. Sure they're old-fashioned, they're outdated and "better" things have replaced them, but for sheer writing pleasure and comfort (if for nothing else), you simply can't go past a lump of tipping-metal and a two tines of gold slit down the middle.


----------



## Code4

I wanted to revive this thread to include my recent experience. The last year or so I have looked (and looked and looked) for a "good pen". I needed something that was a comfortable "daily driver" at the office. I tried EVERYTHING out there (Pilot, Uni-ball, you name it) that you can get at your local office supply store. I finally got so fed up I drove almost an hour to go to a proper "pen shop" in Los Angeles.

Without getting into the whole FP vrs. RB thing (I already decided on a good RB), I tried tons of their pens. The owner was GREAT to work with and dialed me in just perfect. I ended up with the Visconti (using Schmidt 888 fills) and have absolutely loved it!

Here's where it gets relevant to this topic....., I still always also wanted the MontBlanc (I have been using the Pilot Limited barrel with the MB refill hack for about a year and half and like the MB fine re-fills for certain writing). 

So, my wife buys me a MontBlanc the other day just as a surprise (she knows I've still been eyeing one even after the Visconti purchase). WOW!!! I thought....

Having both is nice, but IMHO there is no comparison between the quality of the Visconti and the MB, period. I agree with a previous poster - for recongition the MB is fine (although certainly a little "Rolex" cliche) and the MB writes okay. However, the quality of the pen (both resin) is so much higher with the Visconti - so if value is the issue I think the Visconti is a much better buy (but then again I'm an Omega, not a Rolex guy.....oops did I just go there).

Just my recent experience - I'd love to revive this thread and get more input from others here.


----------



## jeble

First off, I'd like to add my vote to a fountain pen in preference to the other types. Not only are they wonderful to write with but you can fill them with a huge variety of inks so, if you choose to, you can make your writing very distinctive.

If you don't get a fountain pen then it doesn't make much difference which brand you buy. The brand is just the colored shell around the disposable pen. Pick the one that looks appealing. 

If you buy a fountain one then there are lots of factors to consider. Begin with how they look. Visconti have some beautiful looking pens. Montblanc are mostly a little more austere. Then think about how you want to fill the pen. Some pens have a piston others can take a cartridge or converter. If you want a piston filler, I'd choose a montblanc over a Visconti. Now we come to the nib. Montblanc make their own nibs in-house. Visconti nibs are made by a different company. I have a Visconti opera and it is one of my favorite nibs so I don't think this is such a bad thing but like an in-house watch movement I like the idea of an in-house nib.

Unfortunately I think it is really hard to choose a fountain pen based on recommendation or from a picture. They are really personal objects and they write quite differently. Sorry, that isn't so helpful!

For me - I'd choose a Visconti over a MB because I've written with both of them and I like the Visconti more to write with. I bought my wife a pen for her birthday a couple of years ago. For her I choose a little red Montegrappa. The Montblanc rollarball I got her before we were married hasn't appeared since. She absolutely love the Montegrappa. Check them out.


----------

