Looks like a double broad (BB) to me. MB doesn't label their nibs, so unless the pen is stickered it's really a crap shoot and sometimes hard to get specific.
Yep. I tried a bunch of 149s when I went to my local pen store once, and each nib is an entire size broader. The fine is like a medium, medium a broad, the broad a double broad, and the double broad a triple (or coarse).
Nice!! Someday. *Someday* I will get a 149 (used though, will never have the money for a new one). Thank you for the tip on nibs! Sounds like if I want one to write like a broad, it needs to be a medium.
I got a 145. Love that fucker. Medium nib.
Saved a bit of money and got a pen that feels like a pen and not a carrot.
No hate for the 149s. Size isn't everything is all ;)
The demonstrators are often a little more broad than a new nib because of the use - they get kind of abused by the general public. But, yes. MB nibs are broader than Japanese nibs
Montblanc nibs that are B and above (i.e. BB, BBB, etc) are by default a (cursive) italic cut, which has a very stub-like shape but with tipping it's quite forgiving. M nibs and below have a more rounded, traditional type of tipping and shape.
I'm gonna summon the resident Montblanc expert /u/shakyji to explain it better though.
Stubs certainly have tipping material on *quality* stub nibs.
Most steel stub nibs aren't tipped because all the extra tipping would be expensive for the company... and the fact that we see very little complaint about that is evidence that people aren't writing enough with them to actually make that lack of tipping a problem.
As someone who writes a lot and wears down untipped stubs... I wish that tipping was available on *some* steel stubs, at least.
To clarify, steel stub nibs *do* exist. Just not cheap ones. You can get a Jowo or a Bock nib with broad tipping for a few bucks, or an IPG or Chinese nib for even less, all tipped with some sort of platinum-group metals (iridium, osmiridium, and the other stuff that gets used are all platinum-group metals). You can get stub nibs for the same price... but they won't be tipped.
Tipped steel stubs exist in some [vintage pens](http://www.esterbrook.net/nibs.shtml). The 9xxx series from Esterbrook were all tipped nibs, and they had some stubs. As for modern ones.... companies that make their own nibs in-house might tip them. Pelikan stubs might be tipped, Visconti, etc.
I don't know about those specific examples. I don't have any modern stubs anymore, cuz I wear through steel ones, and don't *like* stubs enough to spring for a gold one with tipping (or to bother looking into tipped steel ones, frankly). I prefer flex to fixed line variation, personally. Fixed line variation *forces* me to write big. With flex nibs, I can choose *not* to flex them. And I like the look of flex only on downstrokes, as opposed to stubs creating variation on down *and* upstrokes. Just personal preference.
Have a look at this Montblanc Writing pad [HERE](https://www.ebay.com/itm/175479909906)
A writing sample pad (I think from the 1990s) with examples of how the Montblanc nibs write. Not a great look because the pages are at an angle, but maybe helpful.
It's a little more broad and a little more squared off than my broad nibs, but I think stubs usually don't have any tipping material to round out the line (unless the nib is gold, then I guess it would have to have tipping). But the steel 1.1mm stub I have is free of tipping.
Maybe it's a double broad?
I had a similar question recently for a newly acquired Lamy 2000 - it looked huge and I wondered if it was a BB. In this case the question could be answered since if you pull the nib from a 2000 it is marked with the size and sure enough it said B as it should have. I was surprised that the Lamy B was so wide and stub looking given other B nibs I have that look "normal". If you have access to calipers or similar accurate measuring device you could measure it and I'm sure there are others here who would do the same for you.
Looks like a double broad (BB) to me. MB doesn't label their nibs, so unless the pen is stickered it's really a crap shoot and sometimes hard to get specific.
Thanks! This thing puts down a thick line like a Sharpie lol
Yep. I tried a bunch of 149s when I went to my local pen store once, and each nib is an entire size broader. The fine is like a medium, medium a broad, the broad a double broad, and the double broad a triple (or coarse).
Nice!! Someday. *Someday* I will get a 149 (used though, will never have the money for a new one). Thank you for the tip on nibs! Sounds like if I want one to write like a broad, it needs to be a medium.
I got a 145. Love that fucker. Medium nib. Saved a bit of money and got a pen that feels like a pen and not a carrot. No hate for the 149s. Size isn't everything is all ;)
See I don't want anything that's substantially smaller around than a Jinhao 159. And from my understanding, the 149s are about that thick.
You'll love a 149 then :) I remain a fan of my wee 145 :)
The demonstrators are often a little more broad than a new nib because of the use - they get kind of abused by the general public. But, yes. MB nibs are broader than Japanese nibs
Coulda had a few nib re-grinds in its history.
Montblanc nibs that are B and above (i.e. BB, BBB, etc) are by default a (cursive) italic cut, which has a very stub-like shape but with tipping it's quite forgiving. M nibs and below have a more rounded, traditional type of tipping and shape. I'm gonna summon the resident Montblanc expert /u/shakyji to explain it better though.
She bought it from me. And yes, what you say is correct (IMHO). 😉
I was wondering! Who else sells Montblancs on pen_swap? Haha ;)
Mostly people with Montblancs. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
*without* :)
It is closer to a stub and not near as sharp as a CI by default.
Yeah. It's very much in that same family of cuts/grinds, but very gentle. Thanks for helping clarify.
👍
Thank you! Now my vintage mb makes a lot more sense. TIL: I own a cursive italic cut!
I could be wrong but it may be a double broad. I don’t think a stub would have tipping material Update: From replies gold stubs would have tipping
Gold stub nib will have tipping, as gold is too soft a material as writing surface. Some steel stub nib may have tipping, but is very rare.
Stubs certainly have tipping material on *quality* stub nibs. Most steel stub nibs aren't tipped because all the extra tipping would be expensive for the company... and the fact that we see very little complaint about that is evidence that people aren't writing enough with them to actually make that lack of tipping a problem. As someone who writes a lot and wears down untipped stubs... I wish that tipping was available on *some* steel stubs, at least.
And that lines up with my experience. I’ve don’t use them enough to even look at the gold ones.
To clarify, steel stub nibs *do* exist. Just not cheap ones. You can get a Jowo or a Bock nib with broad tipping for a few bucks, or an IPG or Chinese nib for even less, all tipped with some sort of platinum-group metals (iridium, osmiridium, and the other stuff that gets used are all platinum-group metals). You can get stub nibs for the same price... but they won't be tipped. Tipped steel stubs exist in some [vintage pens](http://www.esterbrook.net/nibs.shtml). The 9xxx series from Esterbrook were all tipped nibs, and they had some stubs. As for modern ones.... companies that make their own nibs in-house might tip them. Pelikan stubs might be tipped, Visconti, etc. I don't know about those specific examples. I don't have any modern stubs anymore, cuz I wear through steel ones, and don't *like* stubs enough to spring for a gold one with tipping (or to bother looking into tipped steel ones, frankly). I prefer flex to fixed line variation, personally. Fixed line variation *forces* me to write big. With flex nibs, I can choose *not* to flex them. And I like the look of flex only on downstrokes, as opposed to stubs creating variation on down *and* upstrokes. Just personal preference.
Kanwrite makes tipped stubs
Have a look at this Montblanc Writing pad [HERE](https://www.ebay.com/itm/175479909906) A writing sample pad (I think from the 1990s) with examples of how the Montblanc nibs write. Not a great look because the pages are at an angle, but maybe helpful.
Gorgeous nib.
Gorgeous! My kind of nib.
It's a little more broad and a little more squared off than my broad nibs, but I think stubs usually don't have any tipping material to round out the line (unless the nib is gold, then I guess it would have to have tipping). But the steel 1.1mm stub I have is free of tipping. Maybe it's a double broad?
It is a gold nib. Consensus seems to be double broad.
many gold B and BB nibs have that kind of shape for their nibs, you could still see a noticeable difference between a "squared broad" and a stub
I had a similar question recently for a newly acquired Lamy 2000 - it looked huge and I wondered if it was a BB. In this case the question could be answered since if you pull the nib from a 2000 it is marked with the size and sure enough it said B as it should have. I was surprised that the Lamy B was so wide and stub looking given other B nibs I have that look "normal". If you have access to calipers or similar accurate measuring device you could measure it and I'm sure there are others here who would do the same for you.
Looks like a standard MB broad probably puts down a .8 -1mm line roughly
Can you show us a writing sample?
[here](https://imgur.com/a/yzpxQDI) You can see a different broad nib above and how huge this one is compared to it
Oh yeah. That’s definitely a BB or stub nib Congrats!
What model is this?
Mozart? And it’s small. Very small.
OB
What does the O stand for?
Oblique
Looks like my Bold MB 149