introducing: caran d'ache 849 fountain pen in fluorescent orange, extra fine nib

This Caran d'Ache offering is my first foray into this brand. Prior to this, I only knew of the brand as expert pencil makers so I had high hopes that this fountain pen would be extremely nice in hand. This is the Caran d'Ache 849 fountain pen and I chose to get it in a fluorescent orange colour and it is what I would call the entry level model.

It comes in a red box which feels a little cheap and you can definitely tell it is an entry level fountain pen for the brand.

The pen comes with an ink cartridge in the colour idyllic blue (which will be reviewed in due course) so you can use it as soon as it arrives. I understand it takes international converters (happy to be corrected about this as I haven't tried this yet myself). 

The pen clip covers up the brand logo and seems sturdy enough. An interesting thing about this pen is that the clip posts in such a manner where it appears to fit seamlessly with the pen body. 

As a creature of habit, I chose the extra fine nib and I have to be honest... The first pen that arrived was extremely scratchy, skipped and had hard starts. The company I bought it from replaced it with one that had a better nib. However, it seems to write with a bit of a stub and the line isn't as fine as I hoped it to be. 

The pen, when posted, is actually longer than a Lamy Safari which is pretty long itself too! However, it is an extremely light pen which appears to be built pretty well. 

Overall, there are positives and negatives about this pen but I can't help feeling underwhelmed considering how much it costs as an 'entry level' offering. The nib isn't ideal (in fact, far from it) and this part of the pen is arguably the most important... However, being as light as it is, long writing sessions are a pleasure and not uncomfortable at all.

With the majority of the other pens in my collection trumping this one, I will most likely let this one go in the near future.