Today we have a very special giveaway for you! You may remember that last April (where does time go?) I reviewed the Caran d’Ache 849 “Claim Your Style” Limited Edition and today we’re giving it away!
The limited edition “Claim Your Style” Caran d’Ache 849 ($40) in vert comes in the same molded enamel clamshell case that most 849s ship in. It makes for an impressive presentation as a gift and the price point on an 849 is such that its a great gateway pen for friends, family and co-workers.
The “Claim Your Style” series features mixed colors on the barrel, knock and clip to create fresh modern statements on a classic pen barrel. The Vert model (the Vert colorway is currently sold out but there are several other options available) features an emerald green body, electric blue clip and metallic red knock.
By default, the Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoint pens ship with a medium blue Goliath refill. The Goliath refill is pretty much the same as a Parker-style refill with a perfectly flat end (no fins).
So let’s give this one away shall we?
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below telling us what your favorite ballpoint pen is! (Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay?) One entry per person.
If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.
FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Sunday, April 3. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Monday. ONE winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.
DISCLAIMER: All the items included in this post, as well as the giveaway item, were provided free of charge by Gentleman Stationer Shop for the purpose of review and giveaway.
My Spoke Roady!
Favorite classic ballpoint for me has to be the Zebra F-301. Like when John Cusak is organizing his records in High Fidelity. Not Chronologically, Not by genre, but rather AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. Zebra F-301 keeps returning to my life like a junior high crush.
Faber Castell Essentio writes very smoothly!
My favorite ballpoints are the Retro 51s and the Caran d’Ache 849. I’ve got a Cult Pens special edition 849 in deep blue and an Anderson Pens Retro 51 “Palmer” special edition (okay, that one’s a rollerball, but close!) that are my go-to pens when I’m not using a fountain pen.
Love Caran d’Ache ballpoint pens, even the lower end, plastic models. Interestingly, the refill that came with the cheap one writes better than the 849! While I use fountain pens 99% of the time, there’s times when only a ballpoint will do the job!
Caran d’Ache make wonderful writing instruments, but my favorite ballpoint is a Mont Blanc that I received as a high school graduation present.
My favorite ballpoint pen has always been the Parker Jotter.
When I do not have one, then the Cross Century
I have an old Waterman ballpoint that I got for my mother and got back after she passed away a few years ago. It writes well and let’s me remember her and the letters ad recipes written with that pen.
I honestly don’t have a favorite. I don’t own any nice ones.
Studio Neat Mark One with a Uni SXR-600 Jetstream 0.38 mm refill
i finally got around to clicking the link associated with “highly trained staff of monkeys”. Thank you for sending me down the infinitely deep rabbit hole of infinite monkey theory… something I have been aware of since college and enjoyed reading about again. 🙂
My favorite “nice” ballpoint is my Pelikan 200, with a marbled teal and black body. My favorite “throwaway” is the Sharpie S-Gel (which is not technically a ballpoint but a gel pen).
I have never owned a caran d’ache, so I am hoping the 2350987234th time’s the charm and I get this one.
X-D
In practical ways, my favorite ball point pen is the one in my hand. If I get the time to choose, I like the barrels with some weight.
My favorite ballpoint pen is my Parker Jotter London Architecure edition. Hands down one of the best pens I’ve ever had.
My favorite ballpoint: the Parker stainless steel Jotter. A great EDC item.
My “subtle flex” ballpoint is a Caran D’Ache 825 Eco. Earth friendly, imported, disposable, and very expensive for a disposable when bought from overseas. ( I had a little spare time recently to worry about these things.)
But an 849 would be great!
Over 50 years from academics to career, I have lost a lot of pens. Only two have stuck with me or to me? A blue Waterman and this one (in all white.). I would love to win this one for travelling, as the white is saved for home use only. 🙂
I love my Ensso Aria. It’s a black machined aluminum “jacket” that takes a Bic Cristal refill. Chic and elegant, with one of the smoothest and most economical ballpoint refills in the world,
My favorite ballpoint pen is a Mont Blanc that I got at a really good price almost two decades ago.
Ooo, mine is the humble Schneider Slider Memo XB. That thing glides . . .
The Parker Jotter is a great ballpoint.
I love my Parker Jotter ballpoint pens. I like to have basic Bic pens in my car and in my purse for a nice, smooth pen for writing on the go. I tend to lose and misplace my pens frequently.
This style of Caran D’Ache ballpoint pen (and pencil) has been my very favorite for decades. I have an uncountable number of other pens that I own and have tried over the years, but this is still my favorite. I have relatively small hands and this fits perfectly. It writes smoothly and always first try. It is small and light, but stately. I’m just about to head out of town for the next four days and the silver one I have will be in my short pocket, right next to my heart.
I have a nice Cross Classic Century pen but my usual ballpoint pen is whatever promotional pen is at the bottom of my bag. I like to use a fountain pen at home but it’s always handy to have a cheap pen along that I don’t worry about losing.
Ballpoints are generally the last resort I reach for after fountain pens and rollerballs. That said, my favorite Ballpoint are the ones that most closely approximate rollerballs in performance. A Retro 51 fresh out of the box is the closest I’ve experienced. Maybe if I can win this 849, it will make me a Ballpoint convert! Thanks for the neat giveaway(s)!
It’s hard to say what my favorite ballpoint pen is when I’m constantly rotating through my collection. But there are two that are always on my belt and in my pocket, and that’s a copper clad Parker Jotter in my Gardenour leather pocket notebook cover, and a Bic 50th Anniversary 4C multi pen in the pen loop of my Leatherman multitool belt harness. I love my Parker 51 Next Generation Deluxe ballpoint pen as well, but it’s reserved for the office so I don’t lose it. And I have a big pile of Uniball Onyx Micro’s and Bic Cristals I am trying to use up. My old favorites.
Maybe I’m basic, but Skilcraft US Government. Not the best ballpoint for sure, but I don’t care if it goes missing and it looks sleek and professional in spite of how cheap it is.
My longtime favorite has been a stainless Parker Jotter, but the FSP Bullet is my EDC.
The Parker jotter will always have a place in my heart. My grandpa used to give out versions with the advertising window so each time you clicked it would show a different message about his wholesale produce business. Melons. Onions. Potatoes. Brooks and Sims Wholesale Produce Distributors. Mesmerizing for a kid.
I’m not the hugest ballpoint fan. When I need one, I usually reach for a Fisher refill in something, probably a bullet pen itself to make a note. But if I’m actually going to write with a ballpoint, it’s probably the Zebra F701. Basically perfect.
Favorite ballpoint pen: My Caran D’Ache 849 in green with Medium Green refill. I use it every Sunday for the NYT Crossword.
(Honorable mention ballpoint pen: My Fisher Space Pen Cap-O-Matic in brass. Always in my pocket when I leave the house so I can sign anything I might need to sign.)
My favorite is a sentimental one…the ubiquitous Cross pen given to me by my Dad when I graduated from high school.
I don’t do a lot of ballpoint pens; those I keep on hand are specifically curated. I’ve been curious to try the Caran D’Aches 849 simply because they are well-respected and the colors add some fun. With that said, of the ballpoints I do have, the Giuliano Mazzuoli Nobile Italia Ballpoint Pen (which is currently filled with the Schmidt Easyflow refill that shipped with it) is my current favorite. It’s just a fun pen to look at while also being an enjoyable writing experience.
Retro 51! Although my neon pink Caran D’ache is a close second.
My favorite ballpoint is and my PHENX Orgen pen and my Spoke Joker Edition is my second fav. Of course I use my fountain pens more but there are times when a ball point is the pen for the job 🙂
I have a few nice ballpoints including a Pelikan K400 in white honey tortoise, a Pelikan K620 New York and an Aurora Ipsilon in red and sterling silver. My inexpensive ballpoint pen is a Uniball jet stream.
My favorite ballpoint is a Retro 51 Palmer House model. The Frederick Douglass edition is also a stunning pen.
I do like the Bic Round Stic M
Boring option here. I like the Parker Jotter. I work in a pretty conservative field, and the Jotter fits in perfectly. There are lots of options for refills (obviously,) it looks good, and mine has been durable. That being said, if I had this 849, it would be making an appearance at the office!
A Parker Jotter is always remarkably satisfying. The knock is great, the click is satisfying, and the look is classic. Sometimes a little narrow for long writing sessions, but pulling out of a chest pocket for a quick note or to sign something? Real real good.
Stainless steel parker jotter is my go-to writer. Especially use it when judging Martial Arts tests.
My most carried is the Lamy Pico. I really like the mechanism that makes it longer for writing and shorter for pocketing! A close second is a stainless steel parker jotter that I have had for many years. With the Easyflow 9000 refill it is a great writer.
Zebra Sarasas are my go-tos.
My favorite ballpoint is a Coffee Retro 51 with a Monteverde Brown refill.
My current favorite. . .a Pilot G-2 07 in green!
I love how handy the Lamy Pico is!
I had a few composition books I wanted to finish up as journals. I really liked the way the paper felt after it was written on both sides with ballpoint pen. I sent my husband (who was visiting Kansas City) to go to the Pen Place in Crown Center. He bought me a Parker Jotter in Portobello and gave it to me for Christmas. It’s a much nicer ballpoint than whatever pen I started these journals with all those years ago.
I always reach for my Retro 51 when I need a ballpoint, but my Uncle gave me a very nice Parker Sonnet that I like very much 🙂
Retro 51 pens. Same general design and such a variety on themes. I have pens from 25 years ago that still look great and function beautifully.
I’m enjoying a Bic Round Stick right now. I use it for taking notes during training sessions at work since I’m using a 5 subject notebook.
My favorite ballpoint? This is one kind of pen I haven’t had a lot of opinion about, but I’m realizing I may actually have an answer for. When I was a kid, my mother turned me into a pen snob. I don’t know if they still do, but back then, Bic made two kinds of ballpoints. The regular one in the clear barrel we all know, and one with a mustard yellow barrel with a finer point, usually only available in bulk for business purchase. I learned then to really appreciate the fine line as my mother did.
I’m a Uniball Jetstream 1.0 mm dude, but that pen could convert me. Lovely.
I love my Keith Haring ballpoints. I think they’re from Acme. They’re so bright and joyful.
I love aFisher Space Pen for reliability. I even use it to sign the back of credit cards.
My favorite ballpoint pen is anything that can use a Jetstream refill. I was thrilled when Uni0all released a Parker-style refill because it opened up a whole world of pen bodies for me to. Use. With a little hacking — replacing the top piece of plastic that interacts with the clicker mechanism — I can use the Parker-style Jetstream in non-Parker style pens, like the Ballograf Epoca pen, which I love for its retro appeal. I’ve read mixed reviews of the Goliath refill, so I’m not expecting it to match the Jetstream, but I love the Caran d’Ache style, so I should have at least one in my arsenal.
My favorite ballpoint is the Fisher pocket pen. It’s a great size for an everywhere pen, has instantly recognizable looks that draw comments, and if course it writes anywhere. Really fun pen.
The only ball point pen I own is the fisher click space pen. I don’t carry a ball point because I prefer fountain pens but I love how reliable the fisher space pen is.
I’m a fan of the Parker Jotter, it was a pen my dad frequently carried
I love the Retro 51 Tornado pens! The colors they provide are awesome to collect (such as several green shades). If that is not enough they have many that have the special patterns on them (such as Bee’s or the Hubble spacecraft) on them.
Most definitely the Ohto Horizon Needlepoint that I learned about from you, Ana! <3
These are my second favourite ballpoints too! So good! Love me a needlepoint 🙂
Fisher Space Pen all the way! Because you never know when you’ll be at zero gravity…
This comment isn’t about my favorite ballpoint pen, but what seems to be the pen choice for mystery television shows. I am always amazed, with all of the different kind of pens out there, detectives in mystery shows always seem to write with the Bic Cristal.
Since I tend to drop or lose everything I carry, a plain, cheap BIC ballpoint is what I usually carry.
I guess my favorite by what I use now would be a Jetstream. But if you go back for a life time, gonna have to be a Bic with black ink… I do like my Caran D’ache so this color way would be amazing.
Lately, I’ve been partial to the Uni Jetstream Alpha Gel Grip.
I really like the Schneider Slider. Comes in lots of colors, and I crave that variety!
For ballpoints I like a pretty much any of them, but I’ve been on a hunt for a long-discontinued favourite Paper-mate stick pen (eco-pen) that came in purple, red, blue, black and green like their regular stick pens, but for some reason these wrote just so perfectly delicious. Haven’t seen them since the mid-late 90’s and searching on eBay has been fruitless, it’s not an easy pen to search for!
Thank you as always for the giveaway and continued pen-love!
My fav would be Uniball Jetstream. it’s just functional.
I have always like my Cross Ballpoint pens. Not because they are such great writers but because they are consistent, no matter how old they never seem to leave blobs of ink or stop working.
I love the classic Parker Jotter! You used to be able to find these everywhere. My dad always had one in his shirt pocket.
Forever and always the classic Bic in blue.
My favourite pen is a well used 20 year old Rotring 600. It’s been a trusty servant over the years but could benefit from a well earned retirement should a suitable alternative be found!
Like many here, I have a soft spot for a Parker Jotter.
I enjoy Retro 51 rollerball, and would love to try a Caran d’ache!
Always up for a new pen!
My grandfather’s Parker jotter. A little bit of nostalgia being that his own addiction fed mine