The iconic Caran d’Ache 849 is mainly sold as a retractable ballpoint pen, but it’s also sold as a capped fountain pen.
The Caran d’Ache 849 is a capped fountain pen in a cartridge/converter design. The pen uses standard international cartridges and converter.
The 849 has a small, utilitarian steel nib that offers almost no line variation and is sold in extra fine, fine, medium, and broad sizes. The nib is similar to that found in older Rotring fountain pens, though it’s smaller than that nib. Despite the price of the pen (about $52 at retail) a converter is not included.
The pen is metal with a nice coat of paint on the outside. The paint is sold in a wide range of colors, included a fluorescent orange, but not as wide a range of colors or special editions as the 849 ballpoint. The cap snaps on, but can spin when in place so that the hexagonal pen’s sides don’t always line up between the cap and body. The cap can post using a ring at the bottom, but this isn’t very practical as the posted pen is quite long (about 7 inches in total).
The 849’s grip area is small and plastic, marking one of the main weaknesses of the pen.
Caran d’Ache 849 Fountain Pen Review
Despite the Caran d’Ache 849 being a very popular ballpoint, the fountain pen counterpart isn’t nearly as popular or attractive. The handsome proportions of the ballpoint aren’t kept in the fountain pen which is a good deal larger and where the ballpoint has a unique mechanism the fountain pen is rather bland overall.
The pen is rather expensive for what you get, but it’s entirely made in Switzerland and comes from a famous pen line so perhaps the price isn’t a shock. Other Caran d’Ache products are expensive but quite worth the money where that’s not the case with the 840 fountain pen.
Caran d’Ache 849 Fountain Pen Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Caran d'Ache |
| Pen Type | Fountain Pen | Cartridge/Converter |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Black, Orange, Pink, Light Green, Yellow, Dark Blue, White |
| Barrel Material | Aluminum |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 13.0 |
| Grip Color | Black |
| Grip Material | Plastic |
| Grip Diameter (mm) | 8.0 |
| Country of Origin | Switzerland |
| MSRP | $49.99 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Capped - Snap On |
| Clip? | Metal |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 14.1 |
| Length Posted (cm) | 17.8 |
| Length Uncapped (cm) | 12.3 cm |
| Weight (g) | 18.0 |
| Refillable | Yes |
| Ink Color Shipped | Blue |
| Nib Material | Stainless Steel |
| Nib Color | Silver |
| Nib Sizes | Extra Fine, Fine, Medium |