Parker Ink/cartridges: France Made Vs Indian (Luxor)

[lordfkiller]

Hey all.

 

Just wondering if anybody has actually tried both Indian Parker ink/cartridges (by Luxor) and the original French made versions. Is the former inferior in terms of quality?

 

I've bought 12 cartridges on eBay for $10 (Australian). They are manufactured in France, but packed in India (the packaging actually says for sale only in India/Nepal). The packaging is poor and clumsily done. At the same time, a 5 pack of French-made cartridges imported by Newell Rubbermaid's Australian distributor goes for about $9, which is considerably more expensive. A similar situation applies to Waterman cartridges and ink.

 

Any help or comment is appreciated

[Sasha Royale]

So, it is the "packaging" that is inferior ? How does the ink cartridge work, in a Parker pen ? In speculation, I would think that the machinery, producing the same cartridge, is the same in both factories. Might the machine operator in France be more competent than the operator in India ? There is a possibility that both operators are from India. Or, perhaps, all cartridges are manufactured in India, and packaged at point of sale. Shipping cost, and "EU-tax-you-till-you-die" market, might account for the difference in retail prices.

 

I have an un-original idea. Why not get a package of each, and test them ? 60.000 FPN members would enjoy reading your review.

Edited September 12, 2016 by Sasha Royale

[lordfkiller]

So, it is the "packaging" that is inferior ? How does the ink cartridge work, in a Parker pen ? In speculation, I would think that the machinery, producing the same cartridge, is the same in both factories. Might the machine operator in France be more competent than the operator in India ? There is a possibility that both operators are from India. Or, perhaps, all cartridges are manufactured in India, and packaged at point of sale. Shipping cost, and "EU-tax-you-till-you-die" market, might account for the difference in retail prices.

 

I have an un-original idea. Why not get a package of each, and test them ? 60.000 FPN members would enjoy reading your review.

Well the inferior packaging makes me think that it might not even be genuine Luxor cartridge. The ink should supposedly be the same (because it is made in France anyway). I'm also not sure what it means by "packed in India". Could be that individual cartridges are shipped from France and packed in India, or that the ink is shipped from France and put into cartridges in India. I wouldn't be so sure that the machinery is the same though, because Luxor is not a division of Parker - it's a completely separate company with their own factories. Then again, how much technology and expertise does it take to make plastic cartridges?

 

The French-made cartridges are manufactures and packaged in France. Of course both the EU tax and the Australian tax apply. I'm not sure if the Australian tax applies to the Indian version, since it doesn't seem to have been imported officially/legally (the packaging explicitly mentions "For sale only in India/Nepal").

[chromantic]

I've received carts with some Luxor pens I bought. I just emptied them (as they were blue or black) and refilled them with other ink so I can't comment on the ink but the carts themselves seem pretty sturdy.

[lisadan]

Why don't you try one cartridge and see if it's up to your standards? If you do not notice any issues, then I would say it's good enough quality.

 

If you don't like the ink, just empty the cartridge as chromatic did, and use a syringe to refill it from a bottle with your ink of choice.

You won't need to buy new cartridges in a very long time, as you can keep refilling them, and it will give you more flexibility with your ink.