MB Toffee Brown vs PR Copper Burst

I have been a fan of Private Reserve Copper Burst for a while.  I had held off on Montblanc's Toffee Brown because it seemed so similar.  I tried to find review that compared one to the other to no avail.  Finally, I found Toffee Brown on sale, so I bought a bottle.  Here is what I found.

Not much to tell from that picture....

This is with a different camera... still hard to tell.

From this angle and light... I can start seeing a little bit of a difference.  The top 3 lines are MB Toffee Brown, the Bottom 2 lines are PR Copper Burst.

I scanned in the sample, cropped out a C from each color and enlarged.  The Toffee Brown seems more saturated (but that could be the pen) and a little bit more.... purple.

With the above picture, I took samples of the lightest and darkest for each sample, compared them, found something in between and dumped the color.  I think it is somewhat representative of the difference.... well... maybe it slightly exaggerates the difference.  It is not spot on of the color.... there is so much shading going on in both inks.

I wouldn't necessarily say TB has more red.  It does have a slight hue to it... and CB is just more brown... I guess.

I like both inks a lot.  They are slightly different, but I don't know I would be able to tell the difference in 5 years if I went back and read my journal, trying to differentiate.

Review of the MontBlanc 149 by a former anti-montblancite

So, I will be the first to admit that I have said nasty things about MontBlanc, and those who buy their pens.  If you look, you can find all over Fountain Pen Network... my disapproval of the company, the pens, and most especially... the cost.

I have been using fountain pens for a long time.  I first used a dip pen from HobbyLobby... 20 years ago... when I was in grade school.  I made quills from goose feathers my sophomore year of high school (not very practical... but amused my English teacher. They did not last for long...) and I used a kit-pen with a steel nib for college.  I have been through Lamy, Sheaffer, Waterman, Pelikan, Pilot, Noodler's. Platinum, Parker, Stypen, Wearever, Retro 51, and even some Hero pens.  Through it all, I swore I would never use a MontBlanc.

I now use a lot of pens for work.  I am a history teacher.  I LIKE taking notes... which is why we give so many notes....

Having children softens you.... When you are teaching your children not to hate something, or to have an open mind... it has an effect on you.  I can remember being in and out of the great ink battles shortly after Noodler's came out with ink.  I finally concluded that it is.... ink... just ink.  The thing that really urked me was that there were people that just would NOT try a brand because of one thing or another.  I always thought they were silly... but my MB thing was different... I had just cause... or so I thought.  After several years, I concluded that if someone handed me a MontBlanc for cheap... I would give it a whirl... just to see what the fuss was about... but I was not about to be impressed...

Shawn Newton ... the infamous 'watch_art' may be the most laid-back fountain pen user I have ever met... actually he may be the most laid back person I have ever met that still works in education.  I went down to visit him in Arkansas, the last time I was down south.  We talked about pens, ink, students, and all the personalities on Fountain Pen Network.  I realized that I was as judgmental about somethings as some of the people I complain about... the anti-this or the anti-that.  He handed me a MB 149 and I thought it was a nice pen... but I didn't know if I thought it was the end-all-be-all.  That trip, I also got to go to a pen shop in Little Rock... Vanness... and played with a Waterman Exception Slim, a Sheaffer PFM (or rather the reincarnation... think it is called the Legacy), and a Pilot Metal Falcon.  I loved the look of the Waterman and the nib wasn't bad, it was just so scrawny... it hurt.  I hated the the look of the Sheaffer Legacy, but loved the feel in my hand; the nib was... generic.  I loved the weight of the Metal Falcon... but the Soft-Broad skipped waaaay too much.  I was lost as to what pen I wanted next.... everything seemed inadequate.

Then I visited Craig's List.  Idle hands are never good, and teachers get summers off... I found someone listing "Montblanc Meisterstück Le Grand Fountain Pen and Meisterstück Le Grand Rollerball Pen". They were listed cheap... really cheap.  If you really want a price tag... look at this post To Buy Or Not To Buy ... Montblanc.  I bit...

The pens were not what was advertised.  Pictured are the pens I got.  The top is a MontBlanc Meisterstuck 149 fountain pen, the bottom is a MB 163 Roller-ball.  Both pens were damaged.  The 163 has a crack in the cap, but it is not a big deal.  I may fix it someday, but I am in no rush... I am not really a RB user.  The 149 had a crack in the finial (top of the cap where the star is.)   That did bother me.  The seller did give me a discount because of the cracks... so I can't complain too much...

Finding a rough manufactured date was not difficult using this resource:  http://www.fountainp...montblanc-149s/   It had plastic threads on the filler mechanisum, a 14K two-tone nib, and a split ebonite feed.  Some of that can be seen below.  It is a late 80's model.

I did send it off to MontBlanc.  It took 10 days from when I put it in the mail to when I got it back... this afternoon.  I did have some issues with the quote... I called customer service.  Both times I called, I talked to Miriam.  She was one of the nicest, most knowledgeable, customer service reps I have ever worked with, and everything was taken care of to my satisfaction.

I did loose a few things... They replaced the entire body... and the entire cap... The only original parts are the clip and the nib.  The most important part... the finial was fixed.

I also gained brass threads on the the filler mechanism....

While loosing the split ebonite feed...

All things considered, I think I came out ahead.  Considering I got a brand new pen (save the nib) for a very nominal fee... I think I came out ahead.

As far as the pen goes... I said earlier that when I was looking at some other higher endish pens there were things I really liked and things that really bugged me.  I just was not satisfied with any of those pens.  So I guess we start with the superficial... This pen is a looker....

I never get tired of looking at this pen.  There is something very classic about it.  This is the first pen of mine that people spot in my pocket and know it is a fountain pen and comment... and I have been using fountain pens for a long time.  There is a flow to it that really works.  I know the material is fragile... but it does keep a shine to it that tries hard to impress... and I don't drop pens... 

I don't see it as "bling" per-se ... but it is darn perty...

How does it feel?.... well... do you like big pens.... If you answer "YES" than it is a very comfortable pen.  The first night I had it inked, I wrote 6 extra pages in the journal... it was just so comfy. Here's how it compares to some others.

Front to back, or left to right: Parker 51, Lamy 2000, TWSBI 540, Noodler's Ahab, Lamy Safari, MontBlanc 149, Noodler's Neponset.

It is a big fat pen... no denying it.  It does not fit in my shirt pocket very well.  It fits fine in a sports blazer inside pocket.  It will not fit in my pen case.  I have really considered getting a Franklin-Christoph Penvelope 6.

The nib... 

(I love the effect of Pilot Kon-Peki on the Nib)

CAUTION:  Don't use this pen outside... you will get a sunburn on the bottom of your nose.

It is not the smoothest nib, but it did not have the best owner for the past 20 years.  The little bit of tooth can be smoothed out with a little micromesh.  It is a little springy.  It is more springy that any of the modern Bock nibs, less springy than a Pilot Falcon.  I am content with the nib.  Any of my problems have easy fixes. It looks like a medium to me, but I am not an expert...

There is always a comment on these reviews about price.  This has always been a bone of contention with me. How can people spend that kind-of money... etc... Here is the thing.  I am satisfied.  I could have bought 3 pens adding up to 800$ that could have made me happy... combining the best features.  I am not blown away by the pen, but I am satisfied.  A good point is that there is a strong used market for these pens... they can be had for half the price... on par with a lot of other vintage pens.  Even new, they can be found for 650$ (MB lists them for upwards of 800$ or more).  I have been working on a project to teach geography to my students using celestial navigation... I fund raised... and one of the things I was able to buy was this...

THAT... boys and girls... is an Astra IIIB Deluxe sextant.  This is one of the most affordable sextants that still retain maximum accuracy... it is a sweet tool... and I dropped 770$ for it and some accessories.  When I did  restorations on antique furniture, we spent a whole lot more on tools and equipment. Don't even get me started on what people will pay to have the latest Apple IPad etc...

What I am trying to say is that the Montblanc 149 removed distractions in my writing.  It is easy to use for long periods of time, it holds a ton of ink, and I don't spend all my time thinking about other pens that I am not writing with...

Every profession has its tools.  Sometimes the name on the tool is Klien, Apple, CodaBow, Global Knives, Dewalt... and sometimes it is Montblanc.

So... in conclusion... 

Dear Montblanc Users,

I have offended a lot of you in the past.   I was wrong.  I take back everything I said about them being COMPLETELY overrated (maybe just a little tiny bit overrated).  I take back what I said about the price... they have their reasons.  I am not saying I am sold over.  These may be the only MB pens I ever have, but I understand.  I was not disappointed...  I will say the MB 149 is one of the first pens in a long time that did not disappoint me... I will start calling y'all Montblanc users... not people who have been used by Montblanc.

I am not over the moon... but I am satisfied...

Sincerely,

Tom