Montblanc Meisterstuck Classic Ballpoint Pen

by Montblanc

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00126TNOK
• Item model number: M164
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,559 in Office Products (See Top 100 in Office Products)
  • #76 in Office Products > Educational Supplies > Writing & Correction Supplies > Pens & Refills > Stick Ballpoint Pens
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Features:

• Ballpoint pen with twist mechanism
• Barrel and cap crafted in precious resin, finished in jet black
• Inlaid with Montblanc white star
• Trim is three gold-plated rings with embossed logo
• Gold-plated clip with individual serial number

Product Description

Meisterstück Classique 164 Ballpoint pen with twist mechanism, pen is made from black precious resin with gold-plated clip and rings

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lifetime Warrantee Honored AND a Very Fine Writing Instrument that Actually Appreciates in Value., September 2, 2006

By 

D. Reinstein "marindavid" (Fairfax, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Back in the days of my highly ego-motivated management work, I bought myself a present. I went walking into an Office Depot store one day and, with a sense of worthiness and self-deservedness, laid down about $80. to buy myself one of these pens. I had coveted them in the pockets and in the hands of others for many years - now it was MY turn! I bought a couple of extra (Medium Black) refills, put the thing in my shirt pocket and went on my way feeling as though I had just invested in acknowledging my own success.

Over the ensuing years (nearly 20 of them), I have used this pen nearly daily and while, at first, it seemed a bit to heavy and wide, my hand quickly adjusted to it's feel. I simply love it. The refills manufactured for it by Mont Blanc are, incidentally, FAR superior to the second-rung "Fits Mont Blanc" refills available at most office supply stores and are consistent with the instrument itself.

But, I am writing this review, in large part to comment on my experience with the Warrantee - said (and written) to be "... for the lifetime of the original owner." I have seen many such warrantees and guarantees in my life and have adjusted my expectations about their fulfillment down to a level commensurate with my actual experience. The Mont Blanc was an exception. Together with its flawless heavy highly polished black resin case, 24-karat gold appointments and amazingly smooth scripting, one needs to hold and write with it to fully appreciate both its enduring beauty AND functionality.

After about 15 years, something (I was never quite sure exactly what) happened that crushed the lower part of the pen. For a month or so, it sat in my desk drawer and each time I looked at it, I was saddened. The, I recalled the warrantee. I looked up Mont Blanc on the web, found the address and the instructions for returning a broken instrument for warrantee service. (It is all performed by the company itself - not, as is so often the case, by local "Authorized Warrantee Service Centers.") I sent the pen in, offering neither proof of purchase (which I had lost a good many years prior to this) and a check for $35., the then rate for handling, servicing, repairing and returning the pen. In two weeks I had my pen back - to all appearances, brand new!
I was both pleased and astounded. Although I have, in the meanwhile, retired from my ambition and returned to line-staff work, I still love and regularly use my Mont Blanc - trusting that should tragedy ever again befall it - the warrantee will still be there.

I also note that the current equivalent of this pen sells for something in the range of $230. Now, that's appreciation. Whoever would have suspected that for a pen?

So, like I advise people when they ask me when the best time is to buy their first home: I say, "As soon as you can", I also advise any lover or serious appreciator of fine writing instruments to consider the Mont Blanc Ball Point - not only because of it's unequalled quality as a pen - but also because of the continuing honor of a company that assures it's reputation remains upheld and deserved by providing the service they promised at the beginning.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Watch out! Buyer Beware!, December 8, 2009

By 

Michelle M. Owens (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I bought what I thought was a Montblanc pen through one of Amazon's 'sellers'. I spent almost 300.00 on it for my husband for our 25th wedding anniversary, in December of 2008. The body of the pen cracked, and we sent it to Montblanc for repair. They sent it back, telling us they wouldn't repair it because it wasn't a Montblanc pen. So, my husband ended up with a worthless cracked pen, and by that time the 'seller' was long gone. I got nothing back, was told the A-Z refund guarantee had expired. I was also told (by a Montblanc rep) that the only place you can buy a genuine Montblanc pen is from a Montblanc dealer. So beware, I got stuck with a 2.00 pen that cost me almost 300.00. I was not given any type of a refund, credit, nothing. I'm still very upset about this.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Classic Design that Made Montblanc a Modern Standard, July 16, 2011

By 

Tim Naff "Tim" (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews

There was a time when slim pens, notably those made by Cross, were the IN thing in the business world. Montblanc, which had been around since 1906, was thought of more as an aristocratic brand. Then, in the mid-nineties, Montblanc suddenly became the ultimate business-class pen. At that time, the product you see here sold for $100 -- considerably more than the Cross designs. The Montblanc pens, because they were thicker, were more comfortable to hold, and didn't tire out the hand like the slimmer pens and pencils. As others have said, the Montblanc pens also write incredibly smoothly. Other brands followed suit with thicker pens, but, if you wanted the ultimate, you bought a $100 Montblanc Meisterstuck pen. It was the gold-standard. If you were in the technical disciplines, you bought a pen-and-pencil pair.

It wasn't long before Montblancs became so widespread, that they lost a bit of their cache. Montblanc Corporation also offered a wide range of special designs, including limited-editions, and while they sold enough to make a profit, business people, particularly men, tended to treat them as a bit frivolous for everyday use. Montblanc faced a problem: most of the people who could afford Montblancs and valued them as symbols of success as well as practical writing instruments already had them. Could Montblanc count on new professionals entering the workplace buying their pens? Or would new professionals see them as symbols of the previous generation? Would they go the way of the slim designs?

Montblanc made a smart business decision. They decided to raise the price of the Meisterstuck. I don't know how long Montblanc took to get to the current price point of $350, or exactly when they made the first price increase beyond $100. Maybe someone else will comment. I do believe that the ploy worked. The Meisterstuck is now, more than ever, a symbol of success. My wife and I have bought two them as gifts in the past two years: one for a woman who had graduated to executive status in her company and another for a nephew who had just graduated med-school.

Montblanc pens carry a guarantee. You may want to read the details online.
I had several Montblanc pens and pencils that had been damaged in various ways over long use. A couple of years ago, I took them all into the Montblanc store at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta and had them repaired while I waited. Repair was done by parts replacement. The repair cost was reasonable, considering the current retail price. The message is that you need not consider a Meisterstuck pen as a fragile investment. One the other hand, if you buy one of the limited editions, you should probably handle it with extra care, because parts may not be available.

I bought my wife, whose resume includes editorial work, an Edgar Alan Poe limited-edition model on sale in the same Phipps Plaza shop some years ago for $350. On eBaY, in the present rotten economy, they fetch from $800 to $1000. So the limited editions are not a bad investment either.

Today, I carry a Montblanc similar to the one listed here, which I also own. The one I carry is thicker than this one and is no longer listed on the Montblanc website. Montblanc does still carry the parts. In about 10 years of use, the gold plating has never worn off. The pen is an old and trusted friend. I have to take a lot of notes by hand with the pen, and I don't like to be without it. The only time I don't carry it is on vacations, when I'm afraid that the break in my routine might cause me to lose it. One downside of an expensive pen is fear of loss.

If you make heavy use of your pen, and you can afford a Montblanc, you owe it to yourself to have one. I predict that it will become as much a part of your getting-dressed routine as your wallet and key ring.
Tim Naff