Talk:Montblanc (pens)
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Anyone have a good image of the white star that can be added to this article? Hiberniantears 21:42, 18 January 2006 (UTC)
Just did :) Bsodmike 18:12, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] Commercial links
Per the Wiki acceptable use policy, please DO NOT add commercial links to resellers, etc.
Mike Helms 15:25, 29 September 2006 (UTC)
In adding his critisism, one user stated: "Added something about Mont Blanc being too delicate for regular use. This isn't bias -- I used to have a Mont Blanc and I thought it was really crappy frankly)." The text he added was far more wide-reaching then his own anecdotal experiences. I have removed that text. I would welcome any such text in the future with 1) proper citations rather than reference to personal experience, and 2) removal of references to "most" "many" or "a lot" - if Montblanc had nearly the number of unsatisfied customers implied by these descriptors, this entire article would be in the past tense.
--- It depends. They may have a heap of first time customers and little repeat business. It depends on their business model.
[edit] Anecdotes
Hi: The trouble is, where do you get data for customer experenience that is not, at least partially, anecdotal. I've been told by two pen shops not to ever, ever drop a MB pen because the resin will split and I'll need to have components replaced. Who am I? Some guy on the internet? But a guy on the internet who is doing his research before buying. My *opinion* is that probably MB is going to have very few negative pen reviews in magazines and books because what they sell is an experience and are probably very protective of their reputations.
Consumables— That being said, being the kind of guy who researches everything before buying (I'm sooooo anal, but I'm getting better) is that MB may be turning into a company that makes money off of consumables and repairs. Potential clues include MB's resistance to setting up an internet purchase/distribution system so that consumers can compare prices. Ten years ago on a national broadcaster, some pen expert opined that MB was going to turn into a slightly different company and that the pens were no longer the focus, but 'businessman jewelery'. The use of liquid-based (rather than gel) roller balls means the refills last two weeks (they insist that the water-based rollerballs provide a better 'experience'). Pen review sites that say a two-foot drop (not unreasonable in office environments) is enough to send a Mont Blanc back to the pen shop.
Manufacture— Moreover, look at the fittings, the base of the ben (where you grip) is a metal thread. The barrel or shaft is usually moulded resin with no metal fitting inside to screw into the base (the StarWalker is an exception). This means the metal fittings, which are several thousand times harder than the resin, will wear down the threads in the shaft. Comperable pens from other manufacturers I've been looking at (no names, just an observation) are metal to metal. I interrogated a seller one about this and the person insisted resins were better because they were strong and when I pointed out that the main advantage to resins is their lightness, not strength (ie compare aluminum to steel), I got what I called a 'DeBeers' backpedal. For generations, flawless diamonds were what were sold as valuable; now that we can manufacture flawless diamonds, DeBeers has reversed itself and says flaws are wonderful. I was then accused of reverse snobbery.
Value over time— Finally, look at the re-sale value. Really well made brand names tend to have high re-sale values. Compare a 20-year-old Mercedes or Porsche to a 20-year-old Buick. If I look on E-Bay, a StarkWalker sellls for half its retail price or less, but a vintage pen sells for at least that amount. You'd figure a vingage pen with more mileage would have less value, no? Why does certain types of high-fi audio gear (at least as subjective as fountain pens!) have lengthy resale value --Byrston amplifiers have 20 year guarantees, Macintosh tuners from 20 years ago still sell for hundreds of dollars, et cetera.
Improving the article— I've still not decided what my reward to myself for my raise will be yet, and I won't mention other manufacturers, but my opinions are beginning to solidify. To improve the article I think we need to find ratings systems and comparative statistical reports of user satisfaction. Moreover, any interviews with pen experts and resellers who judge the longevity and quality of manufacture/repair cycle could also be cited.
Thanks. Just some guy on the internet with opinions that do not count as data
- Thanks for sharing that with us, but have you considered putting your experiences on a site such as Epinions, where it might help more people and be more relevant in terms of your personal experience with Montblanc pens?--Folksong 20:34, 2 December 2006 (UTC)
- Not that it's particularly relevant here, but I've dropped my Montblanc more times than I care to remember, and the resin has yet to split. As for resale - it's a dang pen, dude. If you're that worried about reliability, don't buy a Merc or a Porsche; get a Honda and be done with it. -- Mike Helms 01:55, 3 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Cheap Mont Blanc (Pilot G-2)
Not sure if it's worth mentioning but if you buy a $10 2-pack of Mont Blanc refills and then shorten the ends a little bit, it fits perfectly into a cheap Pilot G-2 pen. So you can enjoy the (subjectively) superior writing quality of a real expensive Mont Blanc, but for just maybe $15 (for two). (Corby 02:29, 19 December 2006 (UTC))
The Authenticity and Third Party Retailers section reads like a company brochure, and provides little useful information an encyclopedia would carry.
It should be deleted or at least any points viewed as worth keeping merged into the main body
[edit] Authenticity and Third Party Retailers
I removed this section, because, as other editors have pointed out, it doesn't sound encyclopedic and sounds more like a sales blurb. If someone wants to add in sourced information about Montblanc counterfeiting incidents, they're very welcome to do so. Darksun 17:32, 6 January 2007 (UTC)
