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Caran D'ache Leman Midnight Blue


ballboy

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Caran d'Ache Leman in Midnight Blue

 

I bought this pen about three months ago and have used it on and off with increasing satisfaction.

 

Appearance & Design: 8/10

Elegant classic design with a 'twist': screw on/off cap on fine metal threads. Intriguingly stepped band between section and barrel. The nib is hugely spade like, jutting out from narrow section; a big contrast to my Cross Apogee. The cap is impressively styled with a nice etched CdA logo on the slanted top. the clip is simple yet bold.

 

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/bucketzoid/PENS/Image0055.jpg

 

Construction & Quality: 10/10

Absolutely solid sturdy reliable Swiss kraftwerk. All the components seem built like a Swiss bank vault. The standards for this pen seem way beyond anything in my collection. The screw on cap takes barely a turn to come off. The cap is heavy and solidly constructed with a what seems to be a clip made out in one solid piece: no evidence of folded steel plate, like my Sheaffer Valor. The spring for the clip is buried securely near the top of the cap which itself has a nice inner plastic sheath to protect the barrel for secure posting.

 

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/bucketzoid/PENS/Image0062.jpg

 

Weight & Dimensions: 7/10

Dimensions: 13.2d x 138mm capped x 160mm posted x 47g (PenFountain.com.) Comfortably weighty feel complements the solid construction of this behemoth. Posted; very acceptable, despite cap weight; un-posted: light and flowing for longer written work if cap proves tiresome. I always post my pens and this is as comfortable as my Carene and others.

 

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/bucketzoid/PENS/Image0064.jpg

 

Nib & Performance: 8/10

Medium nib gives an almost broad stub-like line: mostly smooth with no starting or skipping issues. The nib was obviously well tested during production. I'm glad the line width feels broader than my other pens' mediums, for a pen of this weight and presence. Diamine ink allows free flowing expression.

 

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/bucketzoid/PENS/Image0067.jpg

 

Filling System & Maintenance: 8/10

Standard international short and long cartridges and converter. I'm always satisfied with this flexible and serviceable arrangement even if the pen looks like it would make a suitable piston filler. Easy to change inks, try new ones with my Diamine colour cartridge assortment or sip from a bottle with the converter.

 

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/bucketzoid/PENS/Image0068.jpg

 

Cost & Value: 10/10

MRP: £400. However, at just under half that for an ex demonstrator in perfect dipped only condition in a smaller model's box, I had it in a Pen Shop bag from testing in under quarter of an hour. It was also the colour I'd wanted should I get the opportunity to try one.

 

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/bucketzoid/PENS/Lemancloseup.jpg

 

Conclusion: final score 60/6 = 10

Gorgeous design, reeking of class and quality with an acceptable filling system, a dream like nib and at a great B&M store price. Serendipity hit me good!

 

As I might expect from a pen made in the suburbs of Geneve at the foothills of the Alps: I'm in :cloud9:

Edited by ballboy

Roger

Magnanimity & Pragmatism

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Very nice pen and nice review! I didn't even know Caran d'Ache even made pens... Enjoy your new pen!

 

Regards,

777

Need a pen repaired or a nib re-ground? I'd love to help you out.

FPN%252520banner.jpg

Colossians 3:17 - And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

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thanks for the review, you got a good bargain there. every pen has its owner written on it, i suppose and ultimately it will find its way to its waiting owner. probably the pen also waits for an owner who will care for it and prize it, as much as we wait for a cherished pen.

 

wishing you and your pen (which is part of you now) all the best together.

 

tks.

 

krishna.

ladies and gentlemen write with fountain pens only.

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Thanks my friends :thumbup:

It's really becoming the flagship of my small but manageable collection. Every time I think about wanting a new pen like a Pelikan M805 or such, I only have to pick this up and find it satisfies more than most other pens, even Mont Blanc and Montegrappa.

My cash is safe for now :D

Roger

Magnanimity & Pragmatism

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Thanks my friends :thumbup:

It's really becoming the flagship of my small but manageable collection. Every time I think about wanting a new pen like a Pelikan M805 or such, I only have to pick this up and find it satisfies more than most other pens, even Mont Blanc and Montegrappa.

My cash is safe for now :D

 

It's a very nice pen. I have the Leman in godron rhodium, bought before I discovered internet pen buying and I paid top price. I also have a Pelikan M805 which is another very nice pen so how long can you resist..........

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It's a very nice pen. I have the Leman in godron rhodium, bought before I discovered internet pen buying and I paid top price. I also have a Pelikan M805 which is another very nice pen so how long can you resist..........

Well even at top retail, the Leman still a great quality pen for the money. I'd choose it over an Edson or other pens in its price range. I'm satisfied I won't need an M805: partly because I have enough blue and sliver coloured pens but mostly due to a review another member reporting how it scratches the barrel when posting which he reckons shouldn't happen. Apart from that, I've just bought a Pilot Capless Blue Carbonesque, medium nib :rolleyes:

Roger

Magnanimity & Pragmatism

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  • 2 weeks later...

Great review for a great pen. I have the same thing in the mirror finish. I wish I had gotten one with a bit of color though.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Fantastic review - thanks! I am recently married and my new wife bought me a Leman in Ebony Black and Silver as a wedding gift. It truly is an amazing pen. Not only does it look great and write beautifully, it FEELS like a great pen in the hand. I only have a modest collection, but it is already my flagship pen. When I go to rotate pens, I just can't seem to choose another over it - I guess I'm still in the honeymoon period on two fronts!

 

Mine was purchased from the Pen Fountain website. I have seen it retailing for as much as £440 but this was bought for £285, so I also bagged a bargain.

 

Can I also add that I have recently found Diamine Imperial Blue ink. There is a review on here, but I can say that it is a fabulous colour and looks so cool with the Leman, probably even better with yours with the blue.

 

Enjoy

 

L

Fountain pens aren't a collection, it's an insatiable obsession!

 

Shotokan Karate: Respect, Etiquette, Discipline, Perseverance

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  • 2 weeks later...

Great to hear lewis :thumbup:

Penfountain is a great value pen site. I bought my (now sold) Sheaffer Valor from there. That is where I too intensely perused the Leman collection, particularly the blue model. It was only by chance that I discovered my pen at my usual local pen store at its used demonstrator price to fall for.

Roger

Magnanimity & Pragmatism

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Great to hear lewis :thumbup:

Penfountain is a great value pen site. I bought my (now sold) Sheaffer Valor from there. That is where I too intensely perused the Leman collection, particularly the blue model. It was only by chance that I discovered my pen at my usual local pen store at its used demonstrator price to fall for.

 

 

I found them (PenFountain) extremely helpful, and very persuasive! I tried out a few pens there but fell in love with the Leman. I am just so surprised at how infrequently I hear people on FPN talk about them. I have run out of superlatives for it.

 

The problem with collecting FP's though is that you can never satisfy the craving! I love the Leman, but I'm now trying to decide what my next one will be!

 

L

Fountain pens aren't a collection, it's an insatiable obsession!

 

Shotokan Karate: Respect, Etiquette, Discipline, Perseverance

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The problem with collecting FP's though is that you can never satisfy the craving! I love the Leman, but I'm now trying to decide what my next one will be!

 

L

That IS the problem! :headsmack: I'm having thoughts about repurchasing an Aurora Optima and craving a curiosity about a Sterling Silver 146 at my local pen shop!

Winning a MB 742 on ebay was luckily a satisfying but expensive experience, I just can't see myself shelling out for a pen more expensive but more plasticky than then Leman. It hasn't stopped, rather it's slowed down my pen acquisition rate :rolleyes:.

Roger

Magnanimity & Pragmatism

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  • 9 months later...

Just got one of those, after much anguishing and multiple tests in various shops. It writes beautifully, though the screwing mechanism makes a brief squeak at some point.

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  • 2 years later...
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  • 4 weeks later...

I thinking about buying a Leman in scarlet red, there is only one thing which is a bit disappointing in that pen is the nibs. I find it not really appealing in appearance.

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