Got this pen from my girlfriend's father...any good??

[Fountain PenDa]

On 2/28/2023 at 11:25 PM, miwishi63 said:

Not sure if Picasso is still in business. I had at least one back when I first started exploring fountain pens. They are nice looking pens, to be sure. Great gift!

 

Mike

Hopefully it still does. I think it is quite decent in terms of quality and feel on my hand. Thanks!

Eric

[Fountain PenDa]

17 hours ago, antares1966 said:

That's a handsome pen!  And a brand I hadn't heard of before but definitely a "high end" look.

Thanks! I never heard about it, too. It looks quite "high end" indeed. Gonna show it off in the office haha

[Fountain PenDa]

16 hours ago, txomsy said:

Just had a quick search in eBay. There is a wide offer of Picasso pens. Wider than I remember. It therefore does look as if they are still in business.

 

The ones I remembered were somewhat more expensive and ornate, with often looks of traditional Chinese designs, not my style, though. But now, they seem to have a less expensive lineup, still with distinctive designs, but now sleeker and simpler, not the blatant knock-off design of most current Chinese brands.

 

I remember being surprised at the time about the branding. Can't remember what if anything I did find out, but using the signature of a well known personality does raise questions about permissions. I suppose there is a history behind, which I'd like to learn about.

Good to know that! 

 

Oh so they were actually not that "cheap" in terms of prices. Yeah, I am not a big fan of traditional Chinese designs, too. It is not easy to execute them well. 

 

True. May be the rights expire after 50 years or something??

[Fountain PenDa]

10 hours ago, Scrawler said:

I should take a look on eBay. They were as you say, more expensive. I doubt they had permission to use the name.

Probably not...

But suing them would make them even more famous. So, I guess they do not care...

[Arkanabar]

His Nibs is still selling Picasso pens, listed with his other Chinese brands.  He marks up pens some USD10-20 beyond what other retailers do (for example, the Jinhao 599 is sold on his site as "Jinhao Ebony Jewel" for USD15), because he inspects and (if necessary) aligns the nibs on every pen he ships.

[Scrawler]

I had a look in my pen library and found this Picasso from about 2013. It is a really nice pen, smooth to the touch and smooth on paper. A very nice feature of this model is that the cap posts magnetically. It has several symbols recalling Picasso art and his signature on the cap ring. This pen is far too slender for my use. It is heavy for its size.

 

[51ISH]

Quick tip :  Any pen (or gift) you receive from your girlfriends father is the best thing ever....whether if writes any good or not 🤣🤣🤣

 

I looked at Picasso pens a lot about 12 years ago they were a bit expensive for Chinese pens back then so probably better quality. I loved the look of them but most if I remember correctly had rather thin metal shinny sections which doesn't suit my hands or grip.

[corniche]

1 hour ago, 51ISH said:

Quick tip :  Any pen (or gift) you receive from your girlfriends father is the best thing ever....whether if writes any good or not 🤣🤣🤣

Yes! Most gifts from a girlfriends father are ticking when you get them and you find that he always has a lot of errands and can never stay for very long.

 

I have three Picasso pens; the company has ties to Germany; I believe it was originally founded there, but they later moved to China... pity I didn't save the packaging and paperwork, (which is usually very upmarket for any Chinese pen); or I'd be able to confirm my memory. 

 

They tend to be good writers, but too heavy for my tastes; so, I seldom use mine... it's hard to beat a Parker 51, Pelikan, or an Esterbrook J.

 

At any rate, make sure you make a decent gesture of gratitude to the guy and be nice to that girl... friendly relations with the girl's father don't happen every day... at least, so I've been told. 😄

 

- Sean

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/2/2023 at 3:49 AM, Arkanabar said:

His Nibs is still selling Picasso pens, listed with his other Chinese brands.  He marks up pens some USD10-20 beyond what other retailers do (for example, the Jinhao 599 is sold on his site as "Jinhao Ebony Jewel" for USD15), because he inspects and (if necessary) aligns the nibs on every pen he ships.

Interesting!  But that is price worth paying I dare to say.

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/6/2023 at 5:12 PM, corniche said:

Yes! Most gifts from a girlfriends father are ticking when you get them and you find that he always has a lot of errands and can never stay for very long.

 

I have three Picasso pens; the company has ties to Germany; I believe it was originally founded there, but they later moved to China... pity I didn't save the packaging and paperwork, (which is usually very upmarket for any Chinese pen); or I'd be able to confirm my memory. 

 

They tend to be good writers, but too heavy for my tastes; so, I seldom use mine... it's hard to beat a Parker 51, Pelikan, or an Esterbrook J.

 

At any rate, make sure you make a decent gesture of gratitude to the guy and be nice to that girl... friendly relations with the girl's father don't happen every day... at least, so I've been told. 😄

 

- Sean

@corniche 😆 No comment on the first part.

 

Really?! That is facinating! Thanks for sharing this piece of info. No wonder their quality, at least in terms of writing (put aside the barrel which breaks easily), is quite good.  

Can't really compare that with a vintage Parker 51 I imagine. BUT, I do have a new Parker 51. I actually think that my Picasso wrote better than it...

Surely, I am/will be nice to her 😃