Fun With Fountain Pens

Lemon M5 paired with Montblanc William Shakespeare Velvet Red

I’ve mentioned this ink before and I ought to start there to tell the story of this pen.

Montblack William Shakespeare Velvet Red is the most valuable ink I own and purchasing it got me into a bit of trouble. It’s a red/black shading ink that famously dries to resemble dried blood, release in 2016 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death.

That characteristic is highly sought after and accounts for the appreciation in value. a 35ml bottle cost about $50 while the best price I can find from a reputable seller todya is $550. Montblanc manufactures very limited numbers of their limited edition inks and they only ever make them once, so inks of this vintage are increasingly difficult to come by.

And that’s the aspect that got me into trouble. Unbeknown to me there was an unwritten rule of the Kiwi fountain pen community, that specialty inks were limited to one per customer and apparently this rule had been in place for some time. You can imagine their collective outrage when word got out that “this Simon guy” had purchased the entire supply allocated to New Zealand: three bottles.

Here they are today, ten years later. One remains pristine, unopened in the box.

When reviewing Montblanc limited edition inks I’ve often glossed over that they come with a pen or rather the other way around, the inks are an accessory which comes with Montblanc’s very limited -and very expensive- pens. While I own many of the inks I’ve never reviewed such a pen because I don’t own one: their designs are generally not to my taste. An exception was the William Shakespeare. I considered long and hard ten years ago before deciding to purchase sometime else and I’m certainly not going to pay $10,000 to purchase one second-hand today.

I was happy to pay $70 for this Chinese homage though, the Lemon M5. The pen isn’t a counterfeit in my estimation as it doesn’t bear Montblanc’s trademarks and engravings but is otherwise almost indistinguishable from the pen it was inspired by. Non-precious metals instead of Montblanc’s 18ct gold of course but the only essential difference I notice is the resin threads of the cap. This doesn’t sound like a big deal unless you’re accustomed to the satisfaction of twisting the finally machined metal-on-metal of Montblanc’s limited editions. Then you’ll find it disappointing.

The pen is a proper piston filler and unlike the Montblanc comes with a variety of Oriental nibs. I have it in a Blade M (0.65-0.9MM) which is Lemon’s version of the Naginata from Pilot. (For those unfamiliar it’s like an Architect grind for calligraphy.)

I ought to mention that Lemon’s trademark is a Panda and this features in the engraving on the body and the finial. I’m not sure everyone will appreciate a pen emblazoned with teddy bears.

I love it. The Lemon M5 is a fantastic pen in its own right and I am blown away that a pen this good is available so inexpensively. Compared to some of the counterfeits that can be a little shabby, this homage is exceptional. And I am thrilled to emulate Montblanc’s William Shakespeare pen and ink writing experience, as I managed a while back with Victor Hugo.

-SRA. Auckland, 18/i 2026.

Video review on SimonTV: