An User Review Of The Pierre Cardin President.

[zaded]

Hi everyone,

I am a newbie to this forum with a fascination for fountain pen. Being an Indian, i was introduced to the world of fountain pens in 1989, when i got into the 4th standard and fountain pens were mandatory in high schools. My first pens were a plastic Doctor and a Betex. In my 7th standard, i proudly inherited my fathers Wing Sung 233 and Lily 715 and ever since, i m hooked to fountain pens. Though i started using ball pens and roller ball pens after high school, i reverted to fountain pens when i became a professor of law. I love writing with a fountain pen as it makes me feel classy and unique and sets me apart from the crowd. Recently, i learned about this forum and realised that i am not the only one whose first love is a fountain pen. This forum opened my doors to the world of fountain pens and inspired me to write a review. So, i decided to write a review of one of my favourite pens, the Pierre Cardin President.

I am not really an expert in fountain pens. The only pens that i have ever used are a few Wing Sungs, Heros, Jinhaos, Baoers, a couple of Doctors and a few economy Parkers like Betas and Vectors. So, i may not be really able to tell you how it compares to some iconic Parkers, Sailors, Lamys, Sheaffers or Watermans. So with these limitations here is my first try at reviewing a fountain pen, the Pierre Cardin President.

The Packaging:

The President comes i very nice executive looking big matte black plastic box which is very elegant. This box is further boxed in a paper box. Inside the box is one President fountain pen, one proprietary piston filler converter and 4 proprietary ink cartridges. The converter is similiar to the parker piston fillers minus the metal ball. The cartridges are standard cartridges and therefore should take universal cartridges. Being a bit old fashioned, i hate cartridges. So didnt even bother to try the cartridges and directly pressed the converter into the pen.

The Pen:

The President is a really good looking pen. It comes in black and really looks like a pen used by judges and the highest executives. The the price of INR 400, about USD 6.5, it may be the best looking pen. The pen is made in India, under license, by Flair Pens, and they havent compromised on the quality. The pen is about 13.6 cms tall ( same as the parker beta) but looks a bit shorter due to its shape. It is shaped like a beautiful torpedo. It actually looks like a replica of the iconic Mont Blanc Meister stuck Fountain Pen with just the signature white star above the cap (derby) missing. The pen is made of high grade plastic and is shiny black.

The cap is made of the same material as the barrel. It has a mont blanc like derby made of shiny plastic. The clip is of metal coloured metallic golden (not gold plated). It holds to the pocket well and will not tear off your pocket when you take it off. The cap also has a broad golden coloured metallic trim and makes it look like a Maester struck.

The section which holds the nib has a thick gold coloured trim towards the nib and a thin gold coloured trim on the other side. The barrel end cap also has a thin gold coloured trim. All the trims make the pen look very classy and may be passed off as a maester struck to the unaware.

The Nib:

The nib has broad tines and feather with a eye and is decorated with floral engraving. It is a medium nib, twin coloured in steel and golden. But, i am not sure whether it is gold plated. Seems to me, it is just gold coloured. It bears no name of the manufacturer and just has 'Iridium point' engraved on it. The feed is typical plastic.

The pen is on the heavier side. Definitely not as light as some plastic pens but not overly heavy. It feels like a metal pen. And I would say it is a comfortably reassuringly heavy. Though, it may not be suitable for long marathon writing to women and some men not used to heavy pens.

I inked the converter with my Indian Camlin Kokuyo Ink Royal Blue. I write on the standard Bilt paper used for printing. After writing for about some time, i can conclude that the Iridium pointed medium nib is excellently smooth with almost no feedback. It is not as smooth as a gold nib but comparable to it. The almost negligible feedback is actually pleasant to me as it makes me feel my writing process. The flow of the ink is good and continuous. But, the quantity of ink flow is a bit more to my liking because of which it needs a bit of more time to dry and may blot on bad quality paper. It is nothing serious if you use good quality paper. The flow may also be because of the low quality Camel Ink i used.

My overall feeling is that the pen is really a work of art ( though not original, remember maester struck). It makes you feel like a high class executive (the President). It looks classy and you can never go wrong with this classic design. It can be used as an everyday pen. Havent faced any burping issues or any break in the flow of the ink. However, i will not recommend it as a work horse for the heavy duty writing. Those who are used to lighter pens need to get used to the moderately heavy pen. But once you get used to the weight or already used to such weight will find it very pleasant. Combined with a good quality ink, this pen will be an absolute delight to fountain pen lovers. At this price tag, it will be really difficult to find a better pen both in functionality or the timeless design. Overall, you wont be disappointed with this pen and it also makes a very good style statement.

So, that was my first review. Hope you enjoy it and encourage me to write more reviews. I donot have slide calipers to measure its diameter nor a scale to measure its weight. Within these limitations, i made a sincere effort in this review. Your suggestions are welcome.

[fountainpagan]

Thank you, zaded, for this well detailed review, of a brand we don't talk much in this forum.

 

Could you please post photos of it? That you marvellously complete your review.

[zaded]

[zaded]

[zaded]

[zaded]

[zaded]

[georgeb]

That is a nice looking pen.

[ArchiMark]

Simple, classic design pen, zaded.....

 

Very informative, detailed review of this pen.

 

Thanks for sharing it.

 

Mark

[kumarsumith]

Hi Zaded very nice review!! is the nib #6 standard?

[s_t_e_v_e]

That's a neat looking pen. Thanks for the review!

At that price point, try the Parker Frontier too. The all metal ones are in the neighborhood of Rs. 550.

 

Just one thing that you might come across as you keep adding pens to your collection - gold nibs are not inherently smoother than steel nibs. The smoothness comes from the degree of polish, tuning etc. of the iridium tip which is the same on gold as well as steel nibs (unless the tip has been ground away). I have had terrible writing gold nibs and wonderful steel nibs which is disappointing after paying such a premium for the gold.

[lovemy51]

thanx for the review, zaded.

 

nice, how PC boxed this pen. it looks like from the 70's or 80's... nice!

 

PS. love the blue ink and your penmanship!

[zaded]

Thanks s_t_e_v_e , i will definitely give it a try.

Thanks lovemy51,

Your words of encouragement really means a lot to me. I use Camlin Kokuyo Royal Blue. Its good and really inexpensive.

[zaded]

I am sorry but i am not sure about the nib size.

[hbdk]

Nice review of a nice pen - I am very tempted to get one

[thekraitmusic]

I believe the pen has flow issues. I have tried using it as an eyedropper and still it has irregular ink flow. Makes me regret spending 400

[anuvratfpn]

I believe the pen has flow issues. I have tried using it as an eyedropper and still it has irregular ink flow. Makes me regret spending 400

Playing with fire errrr ink.

 

It's a metal bodied barrel, you not only will have uneven ink flow, but you'll screw over your ₹400.

[Dip n Scratch]

That's one thing I could never get on with, a ultra-thick section. I tried a Jinhao 159 knock off of a Montblanc 149 & wound up dismantling it for the feed & nib.

 

I don't know what 400 rupees is compared to what a Jinhao X750 costs. But it is worth persevering with and eliminating the potential reasons for poor ink flow. If it isn't the pen try and get a sample of a better ink to see if that makes a difference.

The writing you did do makes me wonder if the bottle of Camel Blue was from before the re-formulation. Mine didn't look that good.

 

Beyond the world of pens you are clearly a man of taste. You ride an Enfield Bullet!

Edited September 14, 2018 by Dip n Scratch

[Karthi]

What did your X750 cost? Here it costs about 6$ i.e., 430INR to be correct. And the current value of 1$(US) is 70INR (approx.).

 

I would recommend a Camlin Elegante for3$ in India and 5$ abroad from the FOUNTAINPENINDIA website. That is the least I could find on an International marketing sites. But costs 10$ on eBay. Or a Jinhao 159 or 163 for 6-7$ in India.

 

FPs are produced in Inde for cheaper price and give good writing experiences for the price. Mainly with Kokuyo Camlin and Click, and Eyedroppers like Airmail and Bril. The higher priced brands are the Lotus, Gama, ASA, etc and they write smooth.But everything has its costs.

 

Penmanship is Great.

 

KARTHI

Edited December 27, 2018 by Karthi

[Karthi]

I really am very happy with Camlins like those cheaper eyedroppers the Cute,the 3R. And higher up the C/C /ED or 3in1 filling pens like the Trnity and The most satisfied with the Elegante.

 

KARTHI.