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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Montblanc Ballpoints: An Empty Gesture

I am a work at home freelance writer, and I love the job. I rarely get out of the house, because I gave my car to The Unlikely Mage. After all, there's no need for a car when your job is internet based, right? Yesterday, he didn't want to drive, so I took him to work and got the car. Where was my first trip? You guessed it, the pretentiapen store.

Well, not really. The FIRST stop was to a diamond store that advertised MontBlanc pens. I thought that the store I was looking for was attached. It wasn't.

I walked in, and the salesperson was on the phone. There were diamond rings, necklaces, earrings, and a bunch of other pretty things inside. After waiting for a few minutes, the saleslady was free and she took me over to see the 'decorative' pens. I told her point blank that I was looking, and hoped to be able to get one of them one day. She didn't hold that against me.
Montblanc Meisterstuck Black Resin and Platinum Ball Point
I was first treated to the Montblanc Meisterstuck Black Resin and Platinum Ball Point. It didn't have the weight that I'd expected, and the most exceptional thing about it was that it wrote like a ballpoint. I enjoyed the smooth barrel, and the ink didn't skip, but I've received darker lines from the generipens that I've used. The price on this pen was around $250, something which I was assured was a modest price.
Montblanc Meisterstuck Silver Barley Ballpoint
The second pen that I touched was a Meisterstuck Silver Barley Ballpoint. I was attracted to it because it looked like a pen that had some weight to it. The grooves on the barrel were absolutely beautiful, it felt wonderful in my hand. I wrote with it, and the magic just wasn't there. It should have been there for the price of the pen. Even something declared as 'decorative.'

Sometimes, it baffles me why someone would purchase a pen (or any item, for that matter) simply for the name on the box. I have been surrounded by working class pens all my life, so maybe I do not have the palate for the upper class pens. Perhaps my tastes need to be more refined to even appreciate these two particular ballpoints. Yes, the money was in the barrel. But, shouldn't the people at Montblanc have devoted more of their time to making sure that the writing experience was more special?

Montblanc Ballpoints are pens that are given as gestures. Give them to the lawyer, give them to the graduate. This is a gesture of worth, something to say that the giver cares. The recipient then becomes paranoid about losing the pen, because it costs so much. Essentially, it needs to become decorative so that it can be protected.

These pens are not made for people who write. They are made for people who want to maintain a certain status. For me, if you're going to spend $250 and more on writing instruments, the gesture would be much better appreciated if you just went crazy at Jet Pens instead.

5 comments:

  1. I agree completely. Even though I like all kinds of pens I simply do not see the magic in expensive items that do not have a "soul".

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  2. Makes you wonder what exactly a 'soul' could be considered. I know that it's NOT expensive for the sake of being expensive. I guess, though, that there could be some soul added just for the giving... like, 'joe gave me this pen, it's special' ... but, I would attribute that 'joe' specialness to a pilot precise that was nicked along the barrel, too.

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  3. Montblanc pens are aristocratic and nice designed. It is little bit costly but symbolizes aristocracy greatly.
    http://www.jewelrycouture.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post about pens. Thanks a lot for the post. Montblanc Pens
    can be a good choice.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Please keep posting such kind of informative stuff.
    This seems to me an unique one.Since 1906, Montblanc has designed quality
    pens that are both useful and extremely luxurious
    Quality and supreme design, colors and materials are really amazing.
    This time in the marketplace jewelry couture is
    one of the most leading brand because of their uniqueness.
    Surely It’s particular from any other brand.
    Please check it out Montblanc Pens

    ReplyDelete