Happy New Year, everyone! I thought I'd kick off our 2023 online "show & tell" blog posts with some non-fountain-pen items I recently acquired, because our pen club isn't just about fountain pens (although that *is* our primary focus, by far). The items are similar to some others I previously reviewed here in depth, so this won't be one of my long-winded reviews lol.
(photos by Maja ~ please click on images to enlarge)
My new Caran d'Ache '849' ballpoints from 2022's Limited Edition "Colour Treasure" line. As you can see, each came in its own golden metal presentation box, but with different decorative sleeves...
The top ballpoint is the "Cool Rainbow" model (in shades of blue and green) that I purchased from Nikaido in October. The one below it is is the "Warm Rainbow" version (with yellow, orange, red, purple and pinkish colours) that I bought online from Laywine's, which also has a brick & mortar store in Toronto. Incidentally, I paid for the latter via Sezzle, an interest-free, bi-weekly payment plan that many online stores now accept --- very useful, but bad for my pen budget ;)
The '849' ballpoints have been around since 1969 and they come in multitude of colours and designs, but they're all Swiss-made, hexagonal capless aluminum pens with nickel-plated clips and clicker buttons. All accept the supplied Caran d'Ache (CdA) 'Goliath' ballpoint refill, as well as CdA's enconomical 'Swissride' ballpoint refills or Parker's (or "Parker-style") ballpoint/gel refills.
I love the colour-pencil-inspired graphics on the pens 😊
... and I love the way the pens feel in the hand -- they're the ballpoints that I often find myself grabbing to jot quick notes. These two are limited editions (so their prices are higher than the regular editions) but you don't have to buy a really pricey '849' to enjoy writing with one.
Here's my new pen-related accessory -- a leather two-compartment pen case by LONDO in the "Camel" colour...
I reviewed another LONDO leather pen case model back in August, but this one has two compartments to prevent the pens from touching (and its colour is different).
The two cases are the same length and width, but (because of its compartments) the model reviewed here is restricted to carrying two average-sized pens (such as my Benu 'Supreme' "Symphony" and blue-striped Pelikan M600 fountain pens above), whereas the other case can fit three very skinny pens.
Both case styles are made of soft, supple cowhide leather with flaps that have the Art Deco-ish LONDO logo debossed on them. This two-compartment LONDO case was just under $35 CAD from Amazon.ca with free shipping, and I'm very happy with my purchase (the case in this colour--"Camel"---is currently sold out on both Amazon.ca and Amazon.com)
Stay tuned for my review of a modern fountain pen that I'll post here on Thursday!
(~review by Maja~)
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