Caran d'Ache 849 Original Special Edition Ballpoint Pen with Metal Gift Box, Blue

Superb quality ballpoint pen - a timeless design presented in a 'crackle' finish raw aluminium hexagonal barrel that is secure and smooth to hold, and with the 'goliath' refill writes smoothly and evenly for page after page. The button and pocket clip are in a matt finish to complement the barrel colour. Completely silent reliable action, so no annoying 'clicks' in meetings when you are taking notes - this is a classic pen from a quality manufacturer !Nice bespoke metal case with this model too - shame it doesn't hold more than the one pen

I bought some normal 849 for me and my family for christmas and for my father I bought this special edition and I couldn't be happier! The lacquer raw aluminium feel so good between the fingers!! Highly recommended for a special present (even the box looks gorgeous) without having to spent 100 quids in a nice pen. And the writting is so soft... I love write with it!!

This pen is close to brilliant. It's a lot darker in colour than the official images show. I've taken some photos to try to show it as authentically as I can. Note that I've used a macro lens, which makes the pen seem bigger than it actually is - it's quite slight in the hand.The look is its best feature. The shape, weight and texture are all cleverly composed to evoke the look of a pencil yet also to play with your perceptions. Nothing is at all as it seems. The hexagonal body feels just like a pencil, yet it's a ballpoint. Because of that feel of a pencil you expect it to be light like wood, but it's significantly heavier than any pencil. The body is coloured with a dark graphite grey, and textured with a stonewashed effect that has a depth you expect to be able to feel, but it's been lacquered to give it a completely smooth gloss texture, which again mimics the feel of the painted body of a pencil. All this makes total sense given the company's historical roots making pencils!The pen is supplied with a blue cartridge fitted and writes as well as any decent ballpoint, smooth not scratchy or blobby. I'm no pen aficionado but it writes well enough for me. What I particularly like is that it's just a ballpoint, there's no whiff of pretension about it, it's just a nice smart pen, not a status symbol.The only reason I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 stars is that the 'action' leaves a lot to be desired. It's a little disappointing. There is no reassuring click, just a sort of scratchy scraping noise. I can understand why they wanted to eliminate the click, but if you're going to do that, you really should replace it with a beautifully smooth silent movement, probably with a felt rather than heard click to give some physical feedback. There are also sometimes 'misfires' when the clicker sticks too far down and you need to click it a few times to get it back up, or the pen sticks out and needs to be poked back in. This really spoils what is otherwise a wonderful pen. Hopefully I've just got a dud because otherwise I would be absolutely in love with this pen. Having said that, these misfires are not catastrophic, just a bit of a let down compared to the brilliant design.Certainly deserves to be a design classic, and a joy to hold, just let down a little by the clicker. Still happy with it over-all though.update to note that the "swiss made" printing has completely worn away now. I actually prefer it without that though, it's more minimal this way. Clicker still a problem :(

One of the best pens ever. Lovely to feel, nice soft button operation and comfortable to hold. On a recent trip to Switzerland I saw A LOT of these pens. They are very proud of them.

Beautiful design, sleek and minimalist with the aluminium finish as opposed to a colour. The pen works beautifully and is extremely comfortable to hold and write with for long periods of time. An excellent investment!

I am very pleased with this purchase, it is a reliable pen with quality, sturdiness and good hold.

Lost my old Caran D’ache, and wanted a replacement. My old one, was shinier, but this looks good.

Great pen. V classy for a present