Dear Purists,
I currently own a Namiki pen and looking into acquiring another one. Tried out the Montblanc Boheme Mid size fountain pen recently. The fine nip was a bit scratchy and ink flow was not consistent (maybe its the test pen so its not in excellent condition), but the medium nip flows beautifully and very smooth. Need your advice regarding this pen and whether its a good pen to buy based on your experience and preference (or Monthblanc in general).
I'll might be travelling to Tokyo in a few months time and intend to visit the Nakaya shop to check them out too. Given the same price range, what other brands should I consider. Look forward to your comments. Cheers !

something more exclusive than a Bohème in the Montblanc collection.

I have a Bohème roller and its alright for everyday use,but very fussy with carbonized copying paper(and I have a lot of this sort to deal with in my profession).

Namiki-I think of the precious laquered ones of course and not of the standard "Pilots"-are something quite special in their finish(if You like the design,what not all people do),so should be compared to the more exclusive Montblanc pieces.(Although I have no experience with Namiki`s writing abilities whatsoever)

The tips of the Bohèmes I tried were acceptable,but in no way comparable to their top-grade pens' nibs!

Especially Montblanc`s fine nibs of their BEST pens are really exceptionally and wonderful to write with.
I always wrote with "Medium" Pelikans,Lamys,Parkers,Watermans,Omas,then "Broad" Parkers etc,then XXB Parkers,Montblancs,then OXXB Montblancs etc and never liked this "scratch" of fine nibs until I tried a "Fine" Montblanc "limited series" and was just stunned.

Since then,I almost always ask for a fine nib first when buying a pen.

Please,mind I do NOT want to appear as pen-WIS here,since I bought my last proper fountain pen 10 years ago(my Toledo M900) until by chance I had to indulge into the pleasure of pen-choosing again a month ago),so others here,more experianced in recent developments,could give you further advise.

Coming back to Your question,I would look for the more exclusive Montblancs too(esp.with fine nib) before making any decision for whatever brand,if they are not better than the Bohéme,stay with it.
About MB-service I refrain from any comments,my experiances always have been good,but some people apparantly had problems,but that could happen anywhere.


regards,
lutz

I saw on the website that a local agents here carries Sailor pens. So I intend to check them out soon. I like the Sailor 1911 (black) and the Make-e range (owl, goldfish). Would Anyone like to share their experience with Sailor pens ? Many thanks !
PS: Lutz thanks for sharing your views and thoughts on MB

I have had the 1911 in black for a little over a year now and it is still one of my favorite pens. The nib is incredibly smooth and it is very reliable. I can leave it uncapped for a while and it still writes the instant I pick it up again (although I have never left a pen uncapped and unused for more than 5 minutes). For whatever reason, it lays down a line of ink that dries very quickly compared to my other pens, which is great for a left handed writer like myself. The size of the pen is very comfortable, it does not weigh too much, but it is not too light. I believe that they are great pens for the price and that they are definately worth trying out.

Good luck in your search.
-Jesse

using and which would you recommend. I'll need to still try the different ones to get a feel of it. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience.

Japanese nibs are slightly thinner than European and American nibs so the broad is more broad than a medium but less broad than a normal broad. It is incredibly smooth. I highly suggest that you try the nibs out in person, because everybody writes differently. Personally, I have a very awkward way of writing so my experience is often quite different than many other people. It was about a year ago and I tried out quite a few of the different Sailor nibs and I remember finding the broad the smoothest. I have heard from others that most of the Sailor nibs are very smooth.

Try them out and good luck
-Jesse

I have a Black/Ruby Boheme with a medium Nib and it is excellent. It writes buttery smooth, the retractable is nifty, and it balances nice.

On the downside, it is a cartrdge filler, which I don't care for. Overall, it is an excellent pen.

The Namiki VP is an exceptional pen, and a steal at the price.

Probably my favorite pen to write with though is the Caran d' Ache Leman, it is a tad heavy for long stretches of writing, but the ink flows so smooth, and it is of typical swiss quality, very precise.