Caran d'Ache Ecridor Retro, medium nib

A nice review is already available here: QM2's review

I cannot add much more to it, but I took some pictures with the office's camera.

First, a few words.

1.
I first bought a couple of Ecridor ballpoints, because, you know, sometimes a fountain pen is not convenient.
The Retro pattern looked so attractive, and when the ballpoints (one standard size, one small) arrived, I almost immediately wanted to buy the matching fountain pen.

I knew the brand Caran d'Ache but form me, it was either synonymous with expensive color pencils or exceptionally expensive pens. It was a good surprise to find out that the Ecridor collection also includes more affordable pens.

2.
The pen looks timeless. I have not shown it to anybody yet, but I'm sure a lot of people would consider it an "old" pen.
Everything, from the Retro pattern to the clip is beautiful and well made.
This pen does not scream "my user spent a lot of cash to look cool" but the attention to details is remarkable.

3.
Being all metal, one could think of it as an heavy pen, but I don't. It is quite light in fact. I forgot to use the letter scale at work, but I would say around 40 grams.
I also like when the pens warms up in my hands. The hexagonal shape is nice, and I like to play with the pen a little while thinking about a sentence.

4.
I ordered a medium, and a medium it is, broader than some Asians medium probably, but I think, a little bit narrower than a Faber Castell medium nib.
The flow is good, not dry at all. I used Pelikan violet ink in small cartridges. I just love that color.
The included converter screws in place, a good thing I think, as there is less chance for it to rattle inside the barrel.

As I said, I'm really happy to have bought this pen.

It's arrival brightened a very dull day, and I will use it extensively next Friday at work where I'll be taking notes for an important meeting.

OK, enough broken English, now, some pictures:
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The logo: Click to view attachment
And with some ink:
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Beautiful photos! I especially like the photo close-up of the logo on the pen cap. And your penmanship has a special flair. I have three Ecridors in the following patterns: Retro, Chevron, and Maya. All have F nibs and all wrote perfectly out of the box. I love them all...

I want one of those so bably it hurts.

thanks for the pictures on a less common pen. i hadn't been considering one because of the hexagonal shape, but now that i see the edges are rounded, it looks like it would be comfortable to hold.

I, too, am deeply in love with my Retro (F nib). Mine is the old style (red painted cap and in silver, not Rhodium). I got it because I needed something I could take to meetings or luncheons and possibly drop without shattering. I have the matching pencil and I find myself using this set more than any other (which is why I hope to someday have more of them so I can have a red ink CdA, a green ink CdA...).

Very nice photos. As an aside, I saw the new pattern at our local store the other day. It is very nice, but about $100 more for the same pen! Does anyone know why?

Kath

Edited to add that I also have the matching pencil and it is ideal for crossword puzzles. Fun to play with and twiddle around while you are thinking.

It actually is a very comfortable pen. Thinner than most, so it takes a bit of getting used to for some, but a really nice pen.

With parental holiday money, I managed to convince my stingy self to get an Ecridor. I tossed and turned in my sleep, unable to decide which pattern to get, and where to get it from, and what size. I went for the Chevron (after a last minute swerve away from the Maya, which I was steadfast about for a while, while debating which nib size), and on Girlieg33k's recommendation I went for the F nib. It's an incredible pen. Nothing really more needs to say here than what's been on the reviews... But instead I'll post a scan of two ink samplers. This has been an interesting experience, as I noticed severe differences with different inks. Sometimes it was quite wet, other times it was quite dry. I really can't say anything about the pen's overall wetness, because of that. You'll notice that it's ALMOST semiflex, if you apply a lot of pressure on the downstroke. This generally isn't a good idea with a nib (but hey, it's got a lifetime warranty!!), but to show you what it's capable of, the first few "figure eight's" of each sample are with the light "fountain pen" hand, but the subsequent "figure eights" have pressure applied on the downstroke.

I don't know why the Antietam was so orange and dry. I apologize for the inaccurate Djinn of the Eternal Flame sample... (Djinn is the new name for Swisher's Devil Red)...

You can click on the link to get to my FP album in Picasa, and there you can zoom in or download the original scans to see a large closeup version.


<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mmelnicki/FountainPenInk/photo?authkey=2tLKFGXLzkE#5154478351665867346"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/mmelnicki/R4hiwFF8KlI/AAAAAAAAAMI/Yx8Jokj6vfk/s800/080111%20ecridor%20sampler.jpg" /></a>

I just got a Caran d'ache rollerball pen in the ecridor collection and love it.

Please let us all know how the snap action cap holds up, I had one back in 99 or 2000 that I got to replace another pen with a weak Snap cap, only to wear out the retro in a few months.