Obama, Buffett, the Dalai Lama: Their Favorite Pen
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- čas přidán 31. 03. 2013
- April 1 (Bloomberg) -- One of the most famous pens in history is Montblanc's 'El Presidente'. Used by world leaders and CEOs, it retails for just under $1,000. Here, Montblac CEO Jan-Patrick Schmitz tells its story. (Source: Bloomberg)
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"The 149 hasn't changed since 1924" except that it wasn't introduced until 1952, having been preceded by the 13X series. For a company that prides itself on their heritage, they sure like to hide it.
"90 years" sounds a lot better than "50 years," and companies like Montblanc love to inflate their history.
almost all luxury manufacturers have fake heritage histories
@@john-on1go Hahahaha
CEO of whatever. Shame he doesn’t actually appreciate the heritage of Montblanc.
@@michaelmelling9333 more like about 40 years. 1883, Wagner died. 1920, Nazi party founded.
How much did Bloomberg got paid to make this ad?
When you give pens away to famous people. It is not a sign that the pen was requested by the individual. It's marketing 101. That's totally different than when Busch asked for a Waterman or a Cross fountain pen. Now that's a sign that the pen is used by that famous individual.
Well Trump asked for a bloody Sharpie, and we all know how that turned out...
@@MatBaconMC really well imo. The humble sharpie vs a $900 pen? I'll take the sharpie...
Wait a minute I thought JFK's favorite pen was the Parker Jotter though!
Montblanc makes good pens. As good as Lamy, Pilot and Pelikan. But their pricing strategy since the 80s mean that you have to waist additional £200 for their branding. Not really worth it, unless you are crazy about brands.
My dad uses this pen and I have Montblanc M. It's more of a status symbol and to show people where you stand in the hierarchy without saying a word(and many understand that) and not really bout being crazy bout brands as some seem to misunderstand.
Montblanc pens have better smoothness ad balance.
haomiaoliu I have Montblanc M, 146, 149. I can't see any difference in quality compared to other high end pens manufacturers or Pilot and Lamy for example.
Yes, compared to most other high-end pen manufacturers, there is no differences in quality, it is a matter of style. However, compared to brands like Pilot and Lamy, I maintain my point: Montblanc pens have better smoothness and balance for a more comfortable writing experience. Whether the pricing justifies the difference is another matter.
haomiaoliu Montblanc M is not very comfortable or balanced. 149 grip section is to thick to be comfortable. 146 is very balanced but less so than Platinum 3776 or Parker 61.
This is video is what sold me…I went to the store and they are awesome and did some research. Took sometime to pull the trigger on getting one…a few years.I finally landed on the 146. Can’t wait to get it.
I love my Pelikan!
1:15 Obama is not showing a 149, but probably a 144 pen (fountain?)
The reasons why some famous people sign documents in some public events with the 149 is just because those events are sponsored by Montblanc or those pens are provided by the organization team (for example Cross is the official provider of pens for the White House.) And the reason why some of those people show the 149 (or other models from this brand) in public may be just because Montblanc has gifted them to those people (or they just like the 149, yes, don't forget that Montblanc has also become an iconic brand.)
I'm a pen collector and, while I love all fountain pens in general (including Montblancs of course), but I have to admit that the Montblancs are "a bit" overpriced (like for instance the Montblanc Meisterstück 149 vs the Pelikan Souverän M1000: both being very expensive for what they are, but the Montblanc being even more.)
However, I do also have to admit that the Meisterstück line (and the 149 in particular) is the icon of presence, elegance and ergonomics. Morover, the quality and touch of its resin (plastic, yes) is simply superb, as is the quality of their nibs and their overall construction. And its super ergonomic design which makes them a real pleasure to hold.
Are they worth their sale prices? No, not at all in my opinion (although there also are more overpriced ones!) But that doesn't change the fact that they are absolutely great pens and built to last with perfection.
I've never paid the retail price for any of my 149s (I own quite a few), like for any other pen (146s Solitaire or others), even brand new. Most of my 149s are second hand but in perfect conditions.
So, I do really love the 149, yes, in fact if I had to say, regardless the price, which pen is for me "THE pen", I'd say: "the 149". Not because of all the hype around it, no, but because behind all that hype there's REAL substance, not subjective. Overpriced, certainly yes (and that's why I buy them second hand), but this fountain pen is simply superb.
do you buy yours on ebay, looking to get one myself.
Mont blanc pens are nice but I prefer my Visconti and Nakaya pens.
while I'm sure Mont Blanc are very nice pens, I never really liked it because of all the big hype. Nice or not, there's smthg unattractive about someone who tries TOO hard u know?
I agree with that, I like Montblanc but like Visconti even more, I have yet to try a Nakaya but I hope I can order one next year to receive it on 2022 XD
@@TjPhysicist Yeah, they are like the Rolex of pens. Business people go out and buy them to impress people. And although Mont Blanc pens are very nice and write very well, they are a bit overpriced. If you can get them on Ebay for around 300-400$, I would definetly say they are worth it. But for $900!!!! that is ridiculous.
I own a Meisterstück and it's not worth the money if you ask me... it's nice and writes well but it's no better than my Lamy 2000...
A pen for rich person who does not know about fountain pens but just goes by brand name. check out sailor realo or aurora optima or visconti divina or pilot custom 92. Better pens for far less money. Mont blanc calls it's plastic pen body , precious resin!! It writes so wet giving illusion of smoothness, even with extra fine nib, it is useless in a normal copier paper notebook.
Ads are getting smarter. I have montblanc pen aniway
President's just use Cross pens since they are the official supplier of fountain pens for the white house, probably because all the more famous American brands (Parker,Waterman, etc.) moved to France. Montblanc does make very high quality pens, I just feel like some people use them because they are a status symbol instead of for the excellent writing performance. They are also a bit overpriced, you can get a Pilot Custom 845(if you get it from Japan) for $400 less then a Montblanc 149.
I took delivery of a Montblanc Meisterstück 149 yesterday, and I could not be happier!
I sold all my fountain pen collection and kept only 6 fountain pens. Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 is one of them. I love it.
Did you sell as a lot, or individually?
concur to that. at the end of the day what you need is pens you really love. recently I trimmed down my collection to 10 from 50+ fountain pens. but I don't own Montblanc 149 though
I'd keep the pen that sounds like a German insult too.
What are the other 5?
@@sorucha8249 masterpiece is not an insult.
You can always tell class, no pens here, “writing instruments” 😏
trump writes with a plastic marker, tells you so much
Pelikan is better, honestly. I feel the construction and nib quality, along with the prices, are better. Sure, an m1000 will still be expensive, but a 149 is often 2x at retail .
This illustrates how Mont Blanc overdoing it with marketing now makes it cliché for their customers to own their pens.
My first experience with a Montblanc Meisterstueck was in an official Montblanc store. I grabbed the pen and it leaked inc on my fingers. The sellsman was very sorry and seemed to feel uncomfortable. I'm not sure if it's really worth it to pay so much money for a pen.
it is
How does the Dalai Lama afford an $800 pen? He's a Buddhist monk and doesn't actually get a paycheck...
It is important to note that upon getting that pen you're not promised to become a president or a titan of the industry. Could still be a regular clerk at a convience store.
I brought 4 different in last yr parker vector ss, jinhao x750, lammy safari, pilot metropolitan n believe me all 4 brands have four different written experience. Best among the above is pilot n lamy.
I just bought a $290 fountain pen. It becomes addictive.
Because you have a lot of money. You can buy a lot of things... but you will get bored and want one more... something new... Not something you need. Money does not bring peace... brings addiction!
@@Crazytesseract shut up
@@Luigi-mh1zh You just realised what I said was true, and were shocked and angry at me, at the same time. Hence the reaction!
i have a jinhao 159 and it writes as a charm too. atleast with that amount of pricing give the pen a metal body mont blanc.
I don't need a brassed pen weighing down my coat or pocket. In my opinion, it is perfectly balanced...unposted.
For me, Japanese pens of any kind perform better.
Agreed! Read my comment in this video!
My 2 favorite pens happen to be a German-made and a Japanese-made pen - fountain pens, of course.
Ballpoints are a different story. I love Parker and Cross, but also use heavily a Montblanc Classique and a Pilot Ageless.
What does he write letters on?
the background music in the last few seconds (1:25) reminds me of Bastion.
Edwin Contreras Haha i tought about Bastion too
この動画で使われている149のニブのサイズは何ですか？
I have both 144, and 149. And I love them both, but both you can’t put in your jacket pocket because they sweat inside the cap and leak.
Ce qu'il y a d'extraordinaire avec ces gens c'est qu'ils arrivent à vous faire croire qu'une simple Golf est aussi bonne qu'une Aston Martin...C'est le concept du haut de gamme accessible au plus grand nombre. Parce qu'il faut bien gagner de l'argent en essayant de faire s'identifier les cadres moyens à un chef d'état ou une personnalité quelconque. Au final un stylo qui vaut le double de ce qu'il devrait coûter et ne serait pas encore le meilleur de sa catégorie. Snobisme quand tu nous tiens.
Now to think of it, I do have special editions of both 149 and 146 models, but i don’t own a classic 149. I guess the thing with 149 is that it isn’t pragmatic and if one wants use a pen to make a statement then a special edition pen would do a much better job. Maybe I will own a classic 146 one day, but I don’t see myself getting a classic 149 ever.
I prefer the legrand
most Cross pens including the ones today and in the white house are made in, or assembled from parts, made in China.
Yes, that cross pen made in a sweatshop factory in China versus a MontBlanc pen made in Hamburg with a first world work force really instills confidence in quality.
I love seeing fountain pens get some exposure! I’ve recently gotten into fountain pens and managed to steal a montblanc 344 (I think) off of eBay for $30. Amazing pens.
999999+ social cridits for adding tibet president dalailama
I am just one step down the President. So I have chosen to use a 146 MB. Fair enough. :)
Indian prime minister too use this pan.
Espectacular bolígrafo. Una experiencia sobresaliente cuando escribes. Tengo una 149 en mi posesión, pero la experiencia de escritura con la Pilot namiki es otra cosa
It's interesting this video was uploaded on April 1st, 2013, because I got my Montblanc pen the very next day on April 2nd, 2013. I got a Montblanc P149 and I have to admit that it's not as elegant as they make it seem in this video. I have less expensive pens in the $100 range and they write *much better than the $500 Montblanc.*
So, the MB 149 "hasn't been changed since 1924"? That will come as a surprise to anyone who knows anything about pens.
Reminds me never to buy a 149. I will get a Pelikan instead.
Something just feels wrong about the Dali Lama using a $1,000 pen. All the rest of these greedy rich posing knobheads, fine.
I always find it funny when these companies try to use the Dali Lama for advertising their product.
Someone might have gifted him one. There's no photograph to prove he uses one though.
Eyup
Fits right in with every other religious conman. Somehow he gets absolved of selling people bullshit.
@@jayzenitram9621 Yeah right, the Dali Lama went pen shopping
Self- serving marketing
Ah, Montblanc...pay 20€ for pen and quality, and 980€ for the name...
And that’s coming from a fountain pen fan.
That’s an exaggeration, to say at least. Not defending Montblanc here as I am not their fan, but it’s definitely way more expensive to manufacture one.
@Albert Puig facts had that pilot pen since high school and still serves me well
I do appreciate the new Italian designs with colors. I'll leave the basic black stuff for the world of suits.
Montblanc at that price is usually plastic. Id rather have a metal constructed pen with some weight rather than a cheap resin that is 800 bucks
I hope all these famous people knew that they should always find a very competent nibmeister to look at the way they hold their pen etc before they finally start to use the pen.
The pen salesman is NOT a nibmeister !!
Otherwise they will be very, very disappointed
RS
Canada
Doesn't the ink used also play a very important part? Surely any that fades quickly wouldn't be used.
"Favorite pen" ... when you have been given the pen and the manufacturer claims it is "your favorite pen" because you have uses it, this appears disingenuous and misleading.
More importantly, what's the other pen in Barack Obama's inside pocket in the photo?
Tried it, grandfather had one, I still prefer my 3776, pro gear slim, and my 2000 over it. Overrated.
All you clowns eulogising the Jinhao 159 and ridiculously trying to compare it favourably overall with the MB149 should remember that in 10 years, after using it for that long. Look at the corroded steel nib and trim with the gold coloured plating peeling off when it is worth, literally, the value of the 1.5ml of ink that's in it, i.e nothing, and then say they're the same. I can say that as I've got one of each and I know which really is better.
You're right
February 2021 - the 149 now retails for in excess of $1,000USD. That is heart failure territory for me. That being said, I confess to having four of them, with different size nib points - F, M, B and BB. I find them to be great pens, though not the only fountain pens I own. I also quickly note, I am in my 70's and acquired these writing instruments long ago. - In fact, many of the pens I bought new are now vintage pens.
The MontBlanc 149 is a wonderful pen, just don’t carry it around in your suit coat pocket because the nib sheets and when yo go to use it you will end up with ink all over your hands.
Hm. I’d rather take my fountain pen suggestions from people who love FPs than the Dalai lama.
Not an oversized sharpie?
Ahh yes, its that phase in my life I become a pen snob
Whatever. Use a Uniball. Writes as well. Ink is indelible.
BIC Cristal is the best pen ever:)
*cough* Parker is better (duofold, 51, 75 anyone?)
I think Sheaffer is even better. The Snorkel is such a great pen.
Parker 51, here.
This is basically an advertisement.
And the pen is 75,000 rupees... You kidding me? 75000 for a pen?
Or a piece of precious metal wrapped around a body part. Pricey.
How does the Dalai Lama, a self confessed "simple Buddhist monk" afford a Montblanc 149?
Probably a gift
@@fg5386 I sure hope so!!
I got myself a Sailor Professional Gear. It's equal to a Mont Blanc in every way including stature except for the price and the nib. Price is lower and nibs are better for the Sailors.
been looking at the sailor. Thanks for the info.
I like Montblanc and their pens very much…just not the people highlighted in this video.
A quill is best for heads of state.
Silicon Chips act written by space pen
I feel like there's better pens out there for less money like, visconti, sailor, twsbi ext.
The only guy I personally know who owns a Montblanc pen is the most shallow kind of individual that I can think of. That isn’t Montblanc’s fault but it makes it impossible for me to buy one. This makes me a shallow character as well, I am afraid, but you now see that linking the material and who uses it is a double-edged sword. What if we listed two dozens of criminal dictators who swear by that pen? And I have enough trust in the comments below to believe that this info-commercial quickly crumbles once the fact checking begins. So, still pretty sure I am getting a Sailor some time soon.
My goodness is just a pen no need to get insulting about it.
Andries Putter just a pen!
MB pens are so overpriced plastic pens.
They have branded just about anything these days. It’s a fuckin Pen at the end of the day.
I’m more interested in what the führer’s favourite pen was
Cool pens but No way I’m paying nearly a 1000 dollars for a pen and brand name
Its great to see our money being spent on such important things
Hi
1:19 I don't believe that is a 149 that Obama is using -- it's too thin, more like a 146.
The pen President Obama is using is probably a 162 or 163 Rollerball.
(1 April 2013)
The fact is your name has to mean something if you are going to use a pen like that!
Get like 10 Jinhaos & be happy forever. Nobody needs this.
President Obama was left handed like me and I use a fountain pen also
I use the 149 like them
Obama goes with the technique of bending his wrist all the way around until he is almost pulling the pen along like a righty, instead of pushing it and dragging his hand across the wet ink. As a southpaw I never mastered that, which is why I use my FPs for drawing but, sadly, not for writing although I would like to. I'm glad you have found a way to make it work for you.
pure marketing garb. hed look like a scam artist if he was wearing a cheap suit.
Looks like a nice pen tho and i want one
Montblanc overprices their pens. You can get almost the same quality at a much lower price if you buy Japanese pens.
Whoever has that pen is rich
0:18 detalhe para o dedo sujo de tinta. Não tem caneta tinteiro que não vaze 😅
My bic has been around since 1900, and I get to break one open every time I have to sign something
나는 모나미 네임펜
I prefer the Pelikan M800. It kicks every other pen’s ass.
I love my M800.
Which nib ??
Whoever has that is 🤑
Does that mean all. These important documents have been signed with fountain pen ink which is generally non permanent ?????
you can get permanent ink, also to erase most inks you would damage the paper
The ubiquitous Mont Blanc !! The best known pen in the world !! And the first choice for most !!
It's a status symbol above all.
This is the 149th comment on this video.
This is the pen of choice for a bunch of really nasty people.
I m unpad mere se matlab rakh ne ki zarurat nahi..
I wouldn't buy if only for the reason that obama likes it;
I have the same pen. But it is china made.
Can it write upside, through rain, grease, freezing temperatures and have a 100 year shelf life on the ink? Fischer Space pen bitches!! 😉
PM of India Modi too
Made in Germany 😎