Caran d'Ache Leman De Nuit Ballpoint Pen

Errol

Razor Review Guru
Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Location
Nhulunbuy



I consider that I have good hand writing and have always thought about purchasing a quality fountain pen. My trouble is I do not like a thick diameter pen and would really like to feel the pen before I purchase one. While looking through what is available in fountain pens, I came across the Caran d'Ache Leman De Nuit Ballpoint Pen. It's not a name I'm familiar with, does anyone happen to know anything about this brand.
 
I don't know about the ballpoint, but if you like a smaller fountain pen, you might like a Parker Sonnet, which is readily available. The nibs of current models are somewhat firm, but old-stock versions from the 90s have a bit of flex. Depending on whether or not you like a concealed nib, you could do worse than consider an old Parker 51, which (even though it's not quite my thing) is a superb writer.
 
That is one expensive ballpoint... :unsure: Looks nice though. Interesting, the fountain pen in the same series appears to have a much fatter barrel than the grip. You'd think they might aim for more consistency across the series.

If you're looking at spending serious money, Nakaya is where I would probably put mine, except for a reservation that I prefer a broad italic or stub nib (the Japanese, although they are known for being very serious about their fountain pens, tend to favour fine points).

Up there at the top of my wish list is Sailor, another great quality Japanese manufacturer, with a bigger selection of nib offerings...
 
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I’ve got two Muhle MP89 pen

images
 
That is one expensive ballpoint... :unsure: Looks nice though. Interesting, the fountain pen in the same series appears to have a much fatter barrel than the grip. You'd think they might aim for more consistency across the series.

If you're looking at spending serious money, Nakaya is where I would probably put mine, except for a reservation that I prefer a broad italic or stub nib (the Japanese, although they are known for being very serious about their fountain pens, tend to favour fine points).

Up there at the top of my wish list is Sailor, another great quality Japanese manufacturer, with a bigger selection of nib offerings...

Nakaya is a brand that is foreign to me but I was looking at the Sailor fountain pen. Now that I am aware of the Nakaya I will certainly do more research on it. Again I’d like to feel the pen before I commit. The ballpoint is a bit different, they don’t seem to be as big and I can grab one and be reasonably confident it won’t feel too big.
 
Here's another one I use a lot, the Pilot (AKA Namiki) Vanishing Point (AKA Capless). The standard model is a fairly generous size (and comes in many finishes) but there is a Decimo model that's much more slender.

Pilot-Decimo-2.jpeg
 
Here's another one I use a lot, the Pilot (AKA Namiki) Vanishing Point (AKA Capless). The standard model is a fairly generous size (and comes in many finishes) but there is a Decimo model that's much more slender.

Pilot-Decimo-2.jpeg

it will be the slender design when I eventually buy one. The red looks good though.
 
it will be the slender design when I eventually buy one. The red looks good though.
The Decimo is very slight. I bought one for a friend while I was in WA, and it's really quite dainty. For comparison, my standard models are just under 13.4mm in diameter at the joint (just proud of the barrel), so you might be able to scale it from that.
 
My 'daily driver' fountain pen is a Waterman which is quite slender. It is a 'Laureat' model and seemingly discontinued. I have found the same (?) set on eBay here - www.ebay.com.au/itm/202849471238

s-l1600.jpg


I really like mine which I picked up as NOS in 2012
 
Does anybody know where’s a good place online to get a Waterman pen cheaper
Good luck with that. They're already very cheap considering their well-deserved reputation for being great quality instruments. I have a Waterman Expert that stood up to years of hard use while I was going through Uni, and it's still my most frequently-used pen.
 
My 'daily driver' fountain pen is a Waterman which is quite slender. It is a 'Laureat' model and seemingly discontinued. I have found the same (?) set on eBay here - www.ebay.com.au/itm/202849471238

s-l1600.jpg


I really like mine which I picked up as NOS in 2012

I have used a Waterman ballpoint before and thought it good. I’ve taken your advice on this one and bought it. If nothing else it will give me a good start point if I decide on any future purchases. Thank @Mark1966
 
I have used a Waterman ballpoint before and thought it good. I’ve taken your advice on this one and bought it. If nothing else it will give me a good start point if I decide on any future purchases. Thank @Mark1966

Enabling in a whole new area!

Well I hope that you enjoy it mate - let us know how it goes
 
Waterman Laureat Mk II – Fountain Pen and Rollerball Set



I had a great week on the Waterman front. Thanks @Mark1966 for your enabling, my Laureat Mk II fountain pen and rollerball set arrived, along with a rollerball refill and a bottle of Waterman black ink that I ordered separately. Both the fountain pen and the rollerball appear identical when closed and are splendid in their red marble with gold trim. Laureat MK II’s were made in the 1990’s so it was good to see that there is no sign of wear on either the fountain pen or the rollerball pen but they have both been used. The refill in the rollerball was not delivering so I immediately fitted the replacement refill, made sure it worked and put it back in the case. It was the fountain pen that attracted my attention; I thought I was going to receive a converter with the pen, it was probably there but in my hurry I’ve thrown it out with the packaging. As suggested by the seller I removed the cartridge that was in the pen and flushed the whole nib mechanism under running water till there was no more signs of ink; in our climate the whole thing was dry in a very short time. Taking a look at the abandoned cartridge I noted that it was near full so I put it back on the pen. You beauty, ink was now flowing to the nib and I was away. It was not used much but from the little I did use it, very impressive, now looking forward to getting in the swing of using a fountain pen.
 
Waterman Laureat Mk II – Fountain Pen and Rollerball Set



I had a great week on the Waterman front. Thanks @Mark1966 for your enabling, my Laureat Mk II fountain pen and rollerball set arrived, along with a rollerball refill and a bottle of Waterman black ink that I ordered separately. Both the fountain pen and the rollerball appear identical when closed and are splendid in their red marble with gold trim. Laureat MK II’s were made in the 1990’s so it was good to see that there is no sign of wear on either the fountain pen or the rollerball pen but they have both been used. The refill in the rollerball was not delivering so I immediately fitted the replacement refill, made sure it worked and put it back in the case. It was the fountain pen that attracted my attention; I thought I was going to receive a converter with the pen, it was probably there but in my hurry I’ve thrown it out with the packaging. As suggested by the seller I removed the cartridge that was in the pen and flushed the whole nib mechanism under running water till there was no more signs of ink; in our climate the whole thing was dry in a very short time. Taking a look at the abandoned cartridge I noted that it was near full so I put it back on the pen. You beauty, ink was now flowing to the nib and I was away. It was not used much but from the little I did use it, very impressive, now looking forward to getting in the swing of using a fountain pen.

Fascinating as your two pens are identical as you say, I'm sure that my rollerball (which I hardly use) is a little thinner. I'll try to remember to look next week.

Personally I've not bothered with a converter and ink. I find that the 'Mysterious Blue' in the cartridges works for me -


waterman-ink-cartridges.jpg
 
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