Ive owned over 10 rep montblanc pens and over 20 gen montblanc pens. Listen to what the other members are saying. Buy a gen. I suggest you go one of the pen shows in your country. That way you have a feel of the gen and also get great bargains aswell. The reps, even great 1:1 are poorly make. I brought my first montblanc reps from narikaa. I brought 5 pens and im not even lying, in a matter of 2 or 3 weeks of using them, the pens fell apart. The plating came off, the glue that held the parts gave up and the paint slowly chipped off. I brought some grade 1:1 versions and the one pen that i have been using constantly for the past 5 months, the pen fell apart and the metal fittings have all worn off! The gens i have, still look brand new even after constant use. Ive wasted over £200 on rep pens. Could have used that money to buy a gen montblanc.