Caran D'ache Geneve

[titrisol]

Caran D'Ache Geneve M Review

I got this pen as a present when I finished college (1990 something). It has thus a lot of sentimental value.

I have rarely taken it out of the box, and I have used it only a few times, but life is short and it was time to use it.

Appearance 10/10
I have the lacquer black version with gold trim. It is plain Gorgeous!
The lacquer feels great and each detail is masterfully crafted.
Cap is slanted at the top, with the CdA logo, and the clip has "wings" reminding me of the pilots uniforms from the 70s.
The cap screws in with 1 full turn, with a rubber o-ring at the end which is great. However it is hard to keep it posted.
The shape of the barrel is cigar like, and the nib section and grip are contoured. It fits well in my hand
The converter section also has a rubber o-ring to keep it tight and prevent accidents.



Weight and Size 10/10
The pen is made of brass with china lacquer on top, which give it a good balanced weight.
The pen measures 14 cm closed, 12.5 cm unposted and about 16cm posted. Barrel diameter is 13mm at the cap and 8mm at the grip section
When the cap is posted, there is more heft and the balance changes. I would prefer to keep the pen posted, but the cap tends to slip.

Filing System 10/10
This pen uses international cartridges, as well as its own converter.
The green converter looks great, and it screws into place. I have not used it though.


The Nib 10/10
The Nib is gold, and looks great. The CdA logo proudly displayed and decorations that look like sun rays.
The feed is very slim, not protruding from the back of the nib., which adds to the classy look.

Value
I've seen this pen selling for as much as $300 on eBay
If you are going for the looks of it, it is a great value.

Performance 8/10
The pen itself has a wonderful balance, it feels great in my hands and makes me want to write more.
However the nib is very good, using a very smooth paper it glides over the paper nicely. Otherwise there is quite a lot of feedback and even noise that maybe worrisome. Very sensitive nib for my taste I'm used to more forgiving ones.

not stellar, it feels scratchy out of the box. The tines are perfectly aligned and there is no visual defect I can see.
I have tried fine tuning it with no luck; I assume this is just a bad exemplar.

Summary
I will always keep this pen close to my heart, as it has a lot of sentimental value.
The looks are great, and the pen feels right in my hand.
Unfortunately the nib doesn't perform as expected, and even though this may sound crazy a few of the cheap pens I have feel better when writing.

Update: The combination of paper and ink was actually giving excessive feedback and noise, which I felt like scratching.
Just testing on a smoother paper (Ampad - yellow engineering pad) the pen just glides over the paper and while there is a bit of feedback it is just enjoyable. I guess the nib is very sensitive and provides a lot of feedback which I'm not used to feel.

 

Sample of my doctor's handwriting (Pelikan 4001 Blue)

Edited March 8, 2016 by titrisol

[jar]

The Genève was the predecessor of the current Leman series. Mine fortunately has always been a superb smooth writer. They do have a lifeetime warranty so why not contact Cd'A and see if they can solve that roughness.

[thygreyt]

After buying my first Cd'A i cant help but to love it. Its a great and smooth writer out of the box.

 

I agree, if it is not as it should be, contact them, see what can be done.

[titrisol]

Thanks, thier US office is only a few miles away.. who knew!
Lurking around it seems this pen like "wet" inks and maybe that is the issue?
I'm using Pelikan 4001, because I had cartridges of it....the

other inks I have available are Pelikan 4001 purple and green; monteverde black, waterman purple; and generic black ink from xfountanpens

thoughts?

Edited March 7, 2016 by titrisol

[jar]

Try the Waterman.

[john74]

My CdA Léman prefers wet ink indeed, but it works fine with Pelikan inks too (no skipping, hard starts, or flow issues).

Edited March 8, 2016 by john74

[ArchiMark]

Great review of a handsome looking pen.....

 

Have never seen a CdA pen in person, but they look very good and sound like very high quality pens. Only concern I have is the section diameter seems quite narrow.

[titrisol]

Thanks, I just updated the review....
A yellow engineering pad (AMPAD ) made a whole world of difference. Such a joy to write now, the pen glides effortlessly even with the Pelikan ink.

[Pen_Noob]

Yep, CdA seem to have even slimmer grips than S.T. Dupont, at least the LeMan I have has it.

[CoolPensAreCool]

Need help identifying one. It is very similar to yours but it has a snap cap and a no gold accent on the finial. Here are some pics!

[jar]

Need help identifying one. It is very similar to yours but it has a snap cap and a no gold accent on the finial. Here are some pics!IMG_1214.JPGIMG_1216.JPGIMG_1215.JPG

IIRC that was a lower cost steel nib model and I think actually used the same model name as one of the higher end models. Drop Cd'A an email and they can tell you.