What Is Your Opinion Of Cartier Pens?

[roller]

aside from mont blanc this is the brand i see the most from family members, aside from my grandpa who was into parkers and sheaffers of course.

 

do you find them expensive or moderately priced?

 

are they good value?

 

which models interest you?

[sirksael]

Overpriced, usually on the verge of kitsch, but good quality pens. But hey, at least they usually use real gold instead of "precious resin".

[jar]

Moderately priced, well made, not exactly styles I like.

[Kimo]

Moderately priced, well made, not exactly styles I like.

 

I guess it is a matter of relativity and some people have more disposable income that others, but the low end Cartier fountain pens start at about $500 to $600 and go up to about $1,600 for the nicer ones. They make some limited editions that are in the multi-thousands. In my own economic situation that makes them high priced for a fountain pen.

 

I think their quality is okay but the price is so far out of line with that 'okay' quality that I lower my opinion of someone when I see them with a Cartier. In my personal opinion there are much higher quality fountain pens for much lower prices and when I see people with a Cartier my first thought is there is a person who is not yet especially knowledgeable about high quality fountain pens and who has been influenced by magazine ads.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Kimo

[BarryLee]

I have a Black Pasha that I am pretty happy with.

[coolpenz]

Near-excellent quality unlike the other "prestige" brand we all know so well -- their nibs are super-smooth writers -- but vastly overpriced.

[Silvermink]

I kinda want one of the Pasha Circuit Board FPs, but not enough to spend $1000 or so on one.

[alvarez57]

Moderately priced, well made, not exactly styles I like.

 

I only have Cartier Diabolo and was my daily workhorse for a good while. It has a nice smooth very stiff nib, like Mont Blancs. In this particular model, the cap is heavy and unsteady, now the pen acquires a good balance if the feed is held at its most distal position. Aesthetically, I find the nib too small for the rest of the pen. Nice pen, but not outstanding.

Would I have chosen it? No, this was a gift.

 

http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/46207/2767337630105226730S600x600Q85.jpg

 

http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/48043/2990028490105226730S600x600Q85.jpg

 

http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/42670/2894363650105226730S600x600Q85.jpg

Edited March 30, 2011 by alvarez57

[greencobra]

Don't own one but my buddies boss does and he reports that he's happy with all aspects of it. I think some are quite good looking actually but ouch, those prices are killer on a few of 'em. I doubt if I'd purchase one for myself though.

[humblescribbler]

Here's another conversation, more about Trinity but steers into other Cartiers.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/157356-cartier-trinity-bordeaux-red-lacquer-

fountain-pen/page__p__1567945__fromsearch__1#entry1567945

 

jar points out that it's the least mentioned of other top tier pens used by MB owners in yet another thread found through that link.

 

I still like mine, but used less and less these days as I've discovered what else is out there, and what I'm still missing thanks to you folks on FPN!

 

Thanks,

 

Michael

[sirksael]

Also, they have terrible resale value. Worse that most other brand I think...

[mejdrich]

Have the Louis in black and platinum (ridged) and the matching bp.

 

Beautiful, a pleasure to use (nib is stiff) but for a periodic problem leaking (in the barrel) - I haven't been using it regularly enough to isolate what the issue is, but, based on every other aspect of it, I would recommend.

[Fuddlestack]

Not as high as my appreciation of Hero submarines.

[monochromejournal]

Cartier is first and foremost a luxury jeweler that happens to design pens as prestige accessories and are in my experienced priced at a premium relative to other manufacturers of high quality fountain pens. They don't suit my tastes or desire to only own pens that I can comfortably and dependably use on a daily basis, but then again I'm outside their target market, as I suspect are most enthusiasts of fine writing instruments.

[roller]

being a jeweller, wouldn't/ shouldn't they make great cases though or materials? none of the pens my relatives own are FP's. mine, which was given to me, is actually a ball pen. i don't use it coz i have a fisher space pen but it looks nice. i think it's platinum. i guess they are expensive but some limited editions reach those prices as well.

[elpaninaro]

If you like an extremely smooth writer- ala Dupont- these are outstanding pens. They are more Mont Blanc in weight- do not have the feel in the hand of Dupont (nor quite the sturdy materials.) I am a fan, but at this price point it is all about personality and whether you respond to it. The market for used examples seems to indicate the fan base is small. But remember- this is Cartier. I expect most of these are sold to people who would never bother reselling them used.

 

Provided you like the style- both the writing and the appearance- then very much worth buying. The quality is there, and that is what matters.

[rwilsonedn]

Wow. If I put together the observations from these various posts, I get:

very smooth, hard nib

attractive to most eyes

variable but generally good build quality

occasional problems with writing poorly or leaking (!!!)

 

Sounds to me like a good summary description of a typical $10 (US) Jinhao.

All except the price ... I guess that's where the Cartier part comes in.

Could you eliminate the occasional problems by moving up to a $35 Kaigelu or Hero?

ron

[Claver]

aside from mont blanc this is the brand i see the most from family members, aside from my grandpa who was into parkers and sheaffers of course.

 

 

Ironically (or more coincidentally), Cartier pens are manufactured by Montblanc as they are both owned by the same parent company. I imagine that the general aesthetic of the pen is Cartier design but the functioning "guts" come from MB. So as far as comparisons go, some may consider Cartier really to be the same brand as MB.

[jar]

aside from mont blanc this is the brand i see the most from family members, aside from my grandpa who was into parkers and sheaffers of course.

 

 

Ironically (or more coincidentally), Cartier pens are manufactured by Montblanc as they are both owned by the same parent company. I imagine that the general aesthetic of the pen is Cartier design but the functioning "guts" come from MB. So as far as comparisons go, some may consider Cartier really to be the same brand as MB.

 

Do you have support for claiming Montblanc makes the Cartier pens?

[FrankB]

It has been my understanding for a long while that Cartier and MB are owned by the same parent company. I thought MB made Cartier's nibs. These perceptions were gleened from information I got at a couple of pen shows.

 

I have tried several Cartier FP's, but I do not own any. The impression I got was that they are well made and write very well. I considered buying a Diablo, but I decided the nib was just too small for my taste and writing habits. I agree with many of the others that Cartier's products are way too expensive for my wallet.