The mild antipathy I
was seized by during my brief encounter with a Montblanc Starwalker fountain
pen was not born out of the facts. I could appreciate the effort that went into
the design: it resulted in a fountain pen that looks like a sceptre topped as
it is by a bulbous cap in turn adorned by a transparent dome where the
Montblanc logo is perpetually suspended. The clip is oversized lending an air
of status and importance to the pen should it want to emerge from a young
entrepreneur’s suit pocket. The metal textured grip on the section shines
darkly completing the futurist look. The nib emerges understated giving the pen
a tone of function and practicality. And yet and yet…
The Starwalker felt
plastic and ostentatious. The nib did not win me over. It felt firm and
slightly dry, a far cry from the smoothness of the Meisterstück Classique for instance. It is a cartridge-only pen. This by itself is a deal breaker. It
is possible that a suitable converter can be found but at the price of the
Starwalker I do not to even have to try. I did not see the point of writing
with a pen that carries around an acrylic dome where a white star is suspended
as if in formaldehyde. Perhaps in time I shall see the error of my ways - in my
next life, for instance, when perchance I will be reborn as a successful
entrepreneur donning a Montblanc sceptre in my pocket and a Montblanc
Starwalker cologne under my armpits.
No comments:
Post a Comment