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I recently bought a Sonnet Cascade Gold, date code A.III, which would place it in the first quarter of 2002. But it's a fake. No harm done because the vendor has agreed to refund the price, but I thought it would be worth describing the diagnostic points and showing some photos. I have seen a couple of poor quality fakes but this one is much better quality. The first thing is that the cap does not fit very well. It feels as if it is rough and grating - I have a genuine Cascade Silver, and the cap on this slides smoothly on and closes with a satisfying click. Completely different. The photos show some points. Superficially they look pretty similar. But the lettering on the cap band is cruder, it is offset and not central on the band, the 'III' in the date code are smaller than the 'A', the symbol before PARKER is the curly P and not the oval with an arrow - and the serif on the S in Sonnet is horizontal not vertical. The feathers on the top of the clip are different. On the real pen they are incised, deeper and wider in the centre and tapering to nothing at each end. On the fake they are cruder, and the 'gold' has been applied after the feather were stamped, so they look more blobby and rounded. Finally, on the other side of the band the P and W stamps are larger and cruder in the fake. And the waves in the cascade pattern are subtly different. In the fake the tops are pointy, but in the real one they are more rounded and assymetrical. This varies a bit depending on angle of view but there are definite differences. I hope this helps others not to make the mistake I made. Good luck!

DiLoro Italy double pen cases in full-grain nappa leather discounted to A$17 (approximately, but fluctuates due exchange rates) each, for five out of ten available colours, on Amazon.com.au. These are sold and shipped by Amazon US, and if you have Amazon Prime membership, buying three of these on a single order would put it just past the A$49 threshold amount for free shipping to Australia. (Of course, alternatively you could just buy one or two, and make up the A$49 minimum with other Prime-eligible international product not limited to what is sold by Amazon US.) I bought ten of these pen cases 24 months ago on a punt from Amazon.com, just before the changes in GST rules on low-value imports came into effect; to which Amazon adopted a new policy not to accept orders with Australian delivery addresses except through its Amazon.com.au regional presence, which had very few products listed back then. At the time, this product only came in black, brown and red — but black wasn't available — and the list price was US$19.95 (as it is today). A strangely structured promotional campaign "forced my hand" to purchase exactly ten in a single lot to achieve a 50% discount on the item price; but shipping added about 10% to my total spend. I was so delighted by the quality of the product, that not only did I not regret buying so many (albeit only in brown and red) in one go, but when the black one came back in stock without any applicable discounts or promotion campaign, I bought at full price anyway. I think it easily outshines any leather double pen case for up to US$45 bearing the name of well-known German pen brands, and that of other (American?) leather goods brands too; and my opinion has not after using the DiLoro cases for two years. I've given up on being able to buy the new colours, after they were introduced maybe a year ago, at a comparably good price (after tax, shipping and all). Until recently, that is. On 15/5/2020 I saw some of the new colours being offered for A$17.14 each — effectively at US$9.95 each, plus GST but with 'free' shipping to Australia — so I leapt and order three of them. I received my order (shipped from the US by DHL, curiously in three separate shipments) late this week, and the new cases are every bit as good as my old ones. I can't promise that it's either Italian leather or made in Italy, because neither the product page nor anything inside the retail packaging (nor on the item itself) states that as a fact; only that "DILORO ITALY" is debossed on the keeper strap, and (in spite of) the product page stating that it was "Designed in Switzerland". All I would say is that the leather quality is excellent and the workmanship is top-notch. I just placed another order for three more. (They make lovely presents; and my wife already 'requisitioned' for herself two of the three in my recently received order.) If you aren't in Australia, you could order those same discounted colours on Amazon.com for US$9.95 apiece.

Hey guys. Just found your forum today as my wife has found a sudden interest in fountain pens and would like one for Christmas. As such, I was looking for something in the middle of the road price range, not too cheap, but not exorbitant. From what I've read, Lamy seems to both provide a pleasant writing experience and priced right for beginners. I see the Safari is very popular but I thought the aluminum build quality of the Al-star would make for a better present. I've found them listed on Amazon for less than what I can find them for in local retailers, and was wondering if anyone here has experience dealing with Amazon or their third party retailers for Lamy pens? I've read there are lots of concerns with fakes, and the occasional review on Amazon.ca says they received a fake. So while I want to get the best bang for my buck, I'm hoping any experiences people can share can help me avoid the folly of purchasing a fake Lamy pen. Here is link to the amazon.ca product/seller I'm interested in. It says sold by Stylish Kitchenware and fulfilled by Amazon.ca. Obviously the name of the vendor raises flags as it seems it would be quite eclectic for a store named that to sell writing implements. The reviews seem mostly positive for them with no mention of fakes, but instead of receiving black ink, they received blue. http://www.amazon.ca/Lamy-AL-Star-Fountain-Graphite-Cartridges/dp/B00V56CHKE/ There's also there's the shipped and sold by Amazon.ca option which is more expensive and doesn't come with additional ink refills. While this particular link doesn't have any reviews that suggests they received fake products, others sold by Amazon do. http://www.amazon.ca/Lamy-Al-Star-Fountain-Purple-L29F/dp/B002YQF69I/ This Lamy Safari ships from and sold by Amazon.ca is one example that had reviews that the product sent was a fake. In the reviews one user even posted pictures comparing to a genuine pen. http://www.amazon.ca/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/dp/B0002T401Y Lastly if you have any suggestions for other online retailers (Canadian preferably) that you've had good experience with (genuine products) with similar price points or at least better than brick and mortar stores, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance. C

Hi I have recently bought a MontbBlanc from a ebay seller in Spain. This is my first Montblanc, so I need your helps and I really appreciate that. I have given that this item was bought form Montblanc Iberia SLU Regalos de Empresa, Tel: 934463969 in Spain and 100% authentic. The number of International Guarantee Certificate is 105657 and the number on the clip of this pen is YH1360467. But when I went to The Pen Shop in Meadowhall - a Montblanc Boutique in UK to send it to MontBlanc Service to restore, then they said to me that this pen is not genuine or fake. I am not sure that she was right or not, since she could not point up that is the old version of Montblanc 144 with the gold ring around the nib and just compare this item with the new one. But I think she have some reasons to believe it is fake ( some photos explain for those reasons attached ). Then I went to Ernest Jones - another Montblanc boutique in UK to check it again, and they said to me that it look like genuine and that is okay. But I also do not think these guys is experts, as they just took a cursory look but not carefully investigate it. Thus, it made me so confused, so please help me to verify this item! Many thanks.

Firstly.....and hoping it's ok to post this( I always seem to be asking that....) I saw this( won't put any detail other than pic).....and having been bitten by the ripoff bug before, I wonder....is it real? The second isn't a question as such....just a drool....... Two pics of the "is it genuine" followed by one of the drool.....well, not a photo of my actual drool - that would not be A Good Thing....a bit of pen porn..... Alex

Hi everyone, new user here and also new in the fountain pen world. I just bought this mb meisterstuck on ebay, I haven't paid for it yet and I am very suspicious about its authenticity. I asked the seller directly and he told me he is the first owner and he bought it new, and he told me is genuine, but I want confirmation from other experienced people like I am sure some of you guys are. Here are the pics he uploaded, please help me: http://s13.postimg.org/dal2m0evr/image.jpg http://s13.postimg.org/80g3upumv/image.jpg http://s13.postimg.org/g3ea61f87/image.jpg http://s13.postimg.org/dksl5cthz/image.jpg http://s13.postimg.org/sfh6jj32v/image.jpg http://s13.postimg.org/tghf8nk2f/image.jpg

Hello everyone, Could you tell from these pictures if the pen is genuine or fake? Pictures are from an auction site.

I have just purchased a MontBlanc Cruise Collection Ballpoint from www.martemodena.it. I have noticed it doesn't have PIX under the clip, does this apply to fountain pens only or does this also apply to MontBlanc ballpoint pens? Thanks Andrew

Hey guys, so I recently bought the pen that I have described in the title from Ebay, it was the ballpoint version. I'm trying to get a refund on it because I believe to have been duped or ripped off. Now I was to believe that the serial number on the clip is supposed to match the one supplied in the certification booklet and the handbook. They do not, however the seller assures me this pen came straight from a registered retailer and has not been tampered with. The clip number in the paperwork is PW2344002. The number on the actual pen clip is XW1058636. Surely this means that the clip has either been changed or the paperwork is to a different pen. Am I wrong to think this? Is there something special with the diamond ones or am I right? Thankyou Ben

Hi, I realise this forum is for fountain pens. But can't find details on a ballpoint and thought someone here may know about it- or point me to somewhere where I can read more. I'm giving a S.T. Dupont Olympio Ballpoint as a gift, as I can't afford a new one I've opted for a second hand one. I believed that S.T. Dupont wasn't the sort of brand that attracted counterfeiters, however after doing some research I've become concerned. Are fake ballpoints common? Is there anyway to detect one? Should the leaf logo be etched on to the lacquer as in the case of the fountain pen? A few ads have said that the pen has the leaf logo- but show no pictures of it and all seem to be using the same text- including serial number and typo. So I'm not giving them much weight. I read on another forum thread that an article has been written about ST Dupont authenticity- but I can't get the link to work. I have attached some photos. Thank you (in advance) for taking the time to consider this, Katie *edited to add full size pics

Which one of these sets are real and which are counterfeit (or are they all the same)? What are your experiences with them if you have bought them in the past? Anyone here who can read Chinese? What do the packs say on the front?