PART 1 - Review of my new 149

[Porsche]

Hi guys and gals

well, I finally managed to pop into town and grab some ink for my 149. You may have seen my earlier post about the purschase of this NOS 149 (here)

Thanks to the advice and guidance from the experts here, (thanks Kai ) I have taken a few minutes here to give you a quick photo-essay as I ink-up for the first time

I start with a bowl of warm water and give it a good flush.
The first flush and a little dark red ink came out, but after the 2nd and 3rd, hardly any, just clear water! Pic below is the water after about 15 full flushes. Nice and clear. It lends some credibility to the "never been inked" history I was given . I also suspect that the small amount of ink I saw was just from the nib, which had been dipped in ink to demonstrate nib thickness.




Here's a quick pic of the tissue I used to clean up. I gave it a wipe before it's bath, in between dunks and during the flushing, as well as afterwards. Yes, it's the same tissue. You can see how much (ie. how little) ink there was to clean



The nib came out sparkling clean. The body of the pen is flawless, no marks, dings or scratches.



Here's a couple of pics of the pen, alongside old trusty. This is my first FP, bought for me as a gift approx 25 years ago. It has an aluminium (aluminum in USA language) body throughout, and is VERY heavy. It came with a matching ball point.









I now have the new MB ink ready. I went to buy it this afternoon, and asked for Blue/Black (thanks to Kais recommendation), BUT they would not sell it to me!!! The owner of Sydney's premier FP store and MB distributor spent 15 min telling me NOT to get Blue/Black, he said get ANY other colour, but not that . His reasoning was that it's neither blue, nor black . Anyway, I went with Royal Blue in the end. I'll experiment with that, but more than likely I'll go back and get the Blue/Black, if only to annoy him .





PS. Here's a sneak preview of Part 2 below. I am putting the pen through its paces to tell you how it writes. First impressions are how LIGHT the 149 is... here is a quick weight comparison between my old German battleship (42 grams!) and the 149 (29.5 grams) when empty.






PS. my apologies for the below average pics. I am using an old Canon G2, no macro. I'll use my new camera for Part 2

[Lol-x]

Cool John
Let me know when you are in town, you did good with getting the 149

[2careless]

Very nice John!
You have got patience mate. I would have jumped in the car to the store right away if I know I've run out of ink.

[sunburst]

Very nice John!
Everything done in a precise manner - I like that.

[sleddog]

Nice.....

Now lets see some penmanship John!

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Cool John
Let me know when you are in town, you did good with getting the 149

Will do buddy, about 3 weeks to go.

Originally Posted by 2careless

Very nice John!
You have got patience mate. I would have jumped in the car to the store right away if I know I've run out of ink.

He he, yes Kai, I have been tormenting myself with a slow tease... it helps string out the pleasure of the new pen.

Originally Posted by sunburst

Very nice John!
Everything done in a precise manner - I like that.

Patience - slow and steady for me. Which, BTW, is completely out-of-character for me. My wife constantly reminds me how many things I have ruined by being like a bull-at-a-gate when doing something!!!

Originally Posted by sleddog1000

Nice.....

Now lets see some penmanship John!

I now feel pressured Rob... not sure I can live up to expectations!. I have spent the last 25 years churning stuff out on a computer keyboard. Up to 12+ hours a day. In my early 20's I took pride in improving my penmanship, but after 25 years of using damn machines, I have lost a little finesse! Getting the MB is my first step at enjoying writing again.... baby steps for me, so please don't be too harsh.


Thanks for the comments guys. The 149 has sat on my desk, un-inked and un-used (but not un-loved) for nearly 10 days since it arrived!

It saw a little action for the first time last night. It still may need a little breaking in... but at this rate, Part 2 of my review should be posted by the end of the month


Stay tuned, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel

[D O C]

That 149 is a beauty. Can't wait for Part II!

[gelshocker]

Wow that's a beauty. Congrats!

[Lion]

John, thanx for the story and your enjoyment of your new pen. Don't worry about penmanship as no one has perfect writing skills. Just enjoy your new pen and have fun...that's the most important thing...have fun!!!

[tkc324]

Very nice~

[Bisquitlips]

Nice review.

I have two 149's and love them both. One has a fine italic nib and the other a broad italic.

Sweet writers!