It is a truth universally acknowledged that a straight-up great pen for using is the Caran d'Ache 849. A couple of years back, I had casually mentioned this well-understood fact to Noodles, even going so far as to show a photograph of a particularly handsome model I had seen, and then roughly June 1, 2022 I was presented with one! It's a great writer, it looks super cool, it fits my hands well, and its "Goliath"* refill (a) seems to be willing to last forever and (b) puts down my current favorite shade of blue. None of that is what I'm here to talk about today.
What I'm here to talk about today is the fact that the Caran d'Ache 849 is a retractable ballpoint, a retractable ballpoint that will will, in my experience, on occasion "stick" a bit when being activated, such that the tip sticks out a tiny bit farther than normal.
(A close-up shot showing the Caran d'Ache 849 tip extruded extraly.)
The reason this is to me notable is that I think this— what, perhaps just over 2 millimeter—difference actually improves the way the pen writes, noticeably! Having that extra bit of tip length is just a tiny bit more comfortable for me, given the way I hold my pen, where my notebook usually is (lap more often than desk), and probably other factors I have not yet identified. At this point, when I click it and it sticks like that, I try not to retract the tip, because I prefer it like this.
Anyway, I love this pen inordinately, and hope every reader will enjoy my small contribution to its lore. You can find more lore at The Gentleman Stationer, and even buy yourself one there if you dare want to be as cool as Noodles.
* lol
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