Caran d' Ache Retro Ecridor Fountain Pen, Steel Pen Nib M (0958.485)

this was a gift to myself for a job well done, and I am so glad I got it! The pen writes so smoothly, feels great in my hand....although, I have smallish hands, it might not be as comfortable for larger hands. It was an indulgence, but I love it.

Very happy with this fountain pen. This was a gift to my son, upon graduating from high school… I wanted to gift a pen like I used in my professional life. These are held and write just like I remember, maybe even a wee bit better.The pen is heavy and fits your hand well. The piston is on point and after releasing three little drops, writes like Jay Gatsby himself. Great purchase!

It's difficult to find the words to convey just how good this pencil looks and feels. It is an absolute joy to write with, and you will want to keep looking at it from every angle, so compelling is its elegance. Between the time of ordering it and the package arriving, I had buyer's remorse, feeling more than a little extravagant for having paid over $100 for a pencil. However, now that I've been using it a while, I am wishing I had bought it much sooner, such is the pleasure I get from it. This pencil is a thing of wondrous beauty, a Concorde Jet, a Fallingwater, a Girl From Ipanema... OK, I may have overdone it a bit with that last remark about the girl from the Brazilian beach, but I love this pencil so much!

The fabled pencil finally arrived (See Original Review below) and it was a beauty. Sold by Credit Card Holder is was ensconced in its own Caran d'Ache box , wrapped in Caran d'Ache paper and swaddled with a Caran d'Ache ribbon. Beautiful. A short three months later the eraser cap/plunger became loose and threatened to abandon ship. I contacted Credit Card Holder who cheerfully accepted the task of returning the thing to Caran d'Ache. "All the way to Switzerland?" you ask? Indeed, Credit Card Holder it turns out is in Belgium. Return Postage $27.00 US. I then contacted Caran d'Ache through their website: "Certainly Sir, just send it to our US facility at Victorinox in New Hampshire." VICTORINOX! Makers of Swiss Army Knives and cheap Chinese luggage! Only $6.00 US postage though so off it went. Weeks later no response so I called. No answer. I called again and spoke to someone on work release from prison. "We can fix your factory-defective $150.00 US pencil for $15.00 US. We'll email you the payment details." Weeks later, no email. No wonder Switzerland is holed up there in the mountains with their Rolex watches (And there's another tale of personal woe), Nazi gold, crooked bankers, &c. Dutch Customer Service! I shall get this resolved should it be from the top of The Matterhorn!Original Review:Amazon is Listing the Incorrect ProductThe item I have now received and returned twice is not the Caran D' Ache Retro Ecridor Silver Plated/Rhodium Coat 0.7mm Pencil (0004.486), manufacturer's number 4.486. Instead it is the Caran D' Ache Palladium-coated ECRIDOR XS RETRO mechanical pencil, manufacturer's number 404.486 which takes a 0.5mm lead. Note the "XS." I'm not Swiss but I believe the XS to mean eXtra Small as that is what the pencil I received is. As far as Rhodium versus Palladium: I'm no metallurgist but I'll assume that it is actually the latter as described by Caran D'Ache. I refer the reader to: [...] for an accurate description of this product. I have personally spoken to Amazon.com representatives as distant as what seemed like India in an effort to sort this out but to no avail. All monies have been refunded cheerfully but what I still lack is a proper pencil, full-size, and accommodating a 0.7mm lead. Alas, I persevere and shall someday have that five-star implement.

A beautifully designed pen. Will be a treasured gift, I’m sure

But it is still an expensive pen! The price of good penmanship is evident however, as the pen does write smoothly. Their is a nice weight to it and the finish is smooth and attractive. Certainly not a pen you would lend out carelessly.

This is a beautiful pen and very well made, but the square design and very thin nature of the pen made it uncomfortable to me and the ink didn't feel smooth in writing.I imagine the pen is made for a smaller, feminine hand, and while I have more effeminate hands, and not enormous, I could not recommend this pen.I gifted it to a friend who does not like plastic.

Well packed and delivered quickly.