Back in August I was in an E.Leclerc hypermarket near Barjouville when back road travelling between Tours and Rouen. Browsing the stationary aisles (there were multiple) I spotted this ‘mini stylo-plume’, which came with iridium tipping for the princely sum of €1.43. Yes you read that correctly. So of course to the big question … is it junk or a great bargain.

First off, yes it has taken me almost 6 months to unpack the pen. I was in no hurry plus I kept changing my mind quite how I was going to do this. I did contemplate videoing the unpacking, but then realised that was a little silly considering it would be linked in here. Second, there is a slight cheat here. The pen was reduced. Think the full price was around €2-3.00 (at this price point in France, e.g. at E.Leclerc, you can get a reasonable number of pens, but many with folded steel tips).

Unlike many blister packs with welded edges, opening to remove this pen was just simply a case of peeling off the plastic. Cartridge pushed in with no problems and about 5 minutes later with one downward shake it started to write.

Size wise, it is about the same length as a Kaweco Sport when capped, slightly shorter when posted. The section is slightly wider and that does make it more comfortable to me to use. (See comparison photos at the end of this article.)

Looks wise you could not complain if this was just bland after all it costs peanuts, however there are some bits of design flair to it. Just a few simple things, something the French (and Italians) are so good at. The barrel is translucent and matches the colour of the clip and cap finial. There are four diamond/oval shapes within the material of the cap. These physically do nothing but do add a little character and must have added to the manufacturing cost. I also like the fact you can see not only the feed but also the peg at the top, allowing you to watch the initial ink flow.

The cap pushes on and off and does post well and deeply, which you need as the body alone is just too short for comfortable writing. If you do the ‘twist while pulling’ trick you will start to remove the barrel instead. The cap is held firmly in place and does provide a nice click and action when opening and closing, possibly more satisfying that with a Diplomat Aero. Yes I did say that, though being cheap plastic I suspect the securing clutch will wear over time.

The clip works surprisingly well, however it is cheap plastic and so I would expect it to break in time if often used.

In the hand it is relatively comfortable and wide enough that you could probably use the pen for a fair while. The long section means your grip will more be dictated by where the back of the pen sits in your hand than the position of your fingers.

I must admit I was surprised at how smooth the pen felt. The nib is nail like, but also it initially wrote like a fine or an extra-fine, so that can be expected. It writes well on both smooth paper and a rougher shorthand notebook. After a while (hence the second part of the writing sample) I noticed the flow had increased a great deal and the pen was now writing like a true European fine.

While the pen comes with a single short international cartridge (can’t really expect more at this cost) it might take a small Kaweco or Monteverde squeeze converter, however I do not have one to try. Almost certainly this pen can be filled using an eye dropper, though I would use a little silicon grease (not oil) on the threads. I did test with water in case there was an air hole at the bottom, however it appears the French do not have the same fear over choke hazards as many other, more litigious, countries.

Rather than going on about whether I am glad I bought this pen, would I recommend it to others, and listing pros and cons, all I will say is this shows you can get a decent writing experience for next to no money. Many of the French supermarkets and hypermarkets sell very cheap fountain pens and while some have folded steel nibs, many like this have iridium tipping. Additionally, unlike Spain and German, these are not primarily targeted at school kids who are forced to use them (and so the pens can provide a rather mixed writing experience and also tend to be bright with graphics on them), but are literally there for someone who needs a fountain pen in a rush that may get lost or broken, but at the same time is rather usable.

Writing Sample:

Size Comparison Photos:

Here we also have a Gravitas Pocket Pen, a Kaweco Sport, and a Papermate Ninja.