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Mont Blanc's David versus Anyone Else's Goliath, 8/4/2011

By Amanuensis from Pittsburgh, PA

Mont Blanc's platinum Meisterstuck hommage to Mozart fountain pen is short, slim and downright cute! Having received a used one as a gift recently, I thanked my gift giver profusely, and upon arriving home immediately checked out what the same item was selling for online. To my surprise, the prices ranged from $300 to $450 for a brand new item. The Hommage to Mozart pen, by the way, came with a musical CD which includes music from the film AMADEUS, and the presentation box has a lovely likeness of Tom Hulce ("Mozart") on the front, with pinkish-red wig and yellow puffy shirt. Mozart's signature in gold and a facsimile of a manuscript of sheet music give the square box a touch of class. After all, Mozart wrote down his music with some sort of writing implement, perhaps a quill pen, and the analogs between simply writing and writing music are fairly obvious. After cleaning my gift pen thoroughly with soap and water, I used an inexpensive plastic "hypodermic needle" to refill the empty plastic cartridge which feeds the pen, using Pelikan 4001 blue-black ink. My first experience writing with my diminutive Mont Blanc was positive, but not overwhelmingly so. The fine nib laid down a nice line, quite close to the line of some medium-nib pens I've been using lately, but it lacked the utter smoothness of my latest reference pen in this regard, a Waterman Hemisphere (bright gold, medium nib) fountain pen, which I purchased for half-price recently on eBay. Perhaps a pass or two of the nib with 400-grip sandpaper might result in a smoother line, but that step is fraught with possibly negative consequences! As for the pen's grip, the smallness of the pen (a little over four inches in length and under two ounces in weight--17 grams) is suitable for a small hand, in my opinion. Furthermore, the pen was not designed to be used with the cap posted, as it does not fit tightly onto the barrel. The pen's primary strength, apart from its neat appearance, is its portability, although the thought of its rattling around inside a woman's purse or a man's pocket (with keys, pocket change and assorted other goodies) is abhorrent to me! One should protect the "precious resin" from scratches and unnecessary wear and tear. I suggest a small leather carrier. My pen with its platinum coated trim is really very attractive, albeit somewhat impractical when it comes to extended writing, unless, as I've suggested, you have a smallish hand and delicate fingers. The barrel screws smoothly into the cap, and the Mont Blanc trademark of a white snowcapped peak is the crowning touch of this particular Meisterstuck (masterpiece) pen. When comparing a small pen to a large, fullsize pen, one is comparing apples to oranges. Each has its place in the kingdom of fountain pens, and there is plenty of room for Mont Blanc's David. Remember, David slew Goliath!

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