Most luxury items brands also make pens; however, Montblanc is different; since its inception, it’s been a pen-making company. Even though they’ve diversified and ventured into manufacturing travel accessories, leather items, notebooks, and watches, pen manufacturing is still at the company’s heart.
Montblanc is among the many firms that have advanced the piston ink filling system and created regular ink converters. Montblanc’s Meisterstuck is the first thing that comes to people’s minds when one mentions a classic luxury pen. However, the brand has also developed modern pens like the Starwalker.
Design
The Starwalker is Montblan’s more modern pen, and its design is inspired by Nasa’s mission (Follow the water) and astronauts gazing at Earth’s blue sphere. A blue ball infused with the brand’s logo finishes the thoroughly modern design.
The pen’s concept is walking amid the stars. It’s about exploring outer spaces and other galaxies and being part of an extraordinary and mysterious adventure; space exploration. The new make pays tribute to the immense emotions that space travelers describe of seeing earth floating in space.
The pen’s distinct emblem technology has a blue translucent dome below the brand’s engraving, reminiscent of our planet rising above the lunar horizon. The pen’s resin has platinum-coated fittings, a black resin cap, and a barrel.
Appearance
The introduction of this pen was Montblanc’s attempt to introduce a modern in their design line to attract younger consumers. This pen was launched before the brand started engraving its pens with the trademark ‘M’.
People are usually hesitant to try this pen since they don’t like cartridge-only pens, and there were reports that the pen nibs were temperamental. Additionally, the brand had abandoned the conventional snowcap when designing Starwalker’s cap and opted for a floating emblem embedded in clear acrylic, making the pen appear funky.
However, this design has grown on people over time. This is the perfect pen for individuals who don’t want a pen that looks like the conventional Montblanc.
Features
The pen’s design makes it more of a fineliner/rollerball than a fountain pen. The pen’s barrel is threaded, meaning you must thread the cap to the barrel if you want to post it. This can take some time. However, you can post the cap and leave it off; this is something you can’t do with a fountain pen since the nib will dry out.
The pen also features a knurled metal grip which emphasizes its modern look. Some people find the knurled metal uncomfortable; nevertheless, this section is well executed. The knurling isn’t sharp, so you won’t have problems using the pen for an extended period, whether it’s unposted or posted.
Since the cap is acrylic, it doesn’t add much weight when posted. The pen’s rollerball and fineliner cartridges are high quality but somewhat expensive.
You’ll enjoy writing this pen, and it’s an excellent alternative in circumstances when you can’t use fountain pens. The pen is perfect for traveling and is heavier than standard pens. Therefore, if you’re bothered by the metal segments, you should try holding it and writing with it before buying.
Availability and Cost
Starwalker’s Midnightblack version is being phased out. If you fancy them, the company still has them in stock, and you can purchase them through their website. Retailers like Appelbloom have various versions of the Starwalker pen, such as the Black mystery, Ultrablack, and Black resin, which cost $400.
Note: Some retailers usually advertise Starwalker’s rollerball version as a fineliner. Not to worry; they’re more or less the same, the only difference being the refill that ships with the pen. Both pens’ refills use the same format and are interchangeable.