AIBU to think I will never get a refill for my (£620) pen?

[MelanieD29]

I have a few pens that I use, one of my favourite being my Chopard Brescia. The pen still sells on Chopard's website, but I am finding it hard to source refills for it.

www.chopard.com/en-gb/rollerball-pen/95013-0439.html

I'm in a bit of a panic now as I installed my last cartridge for it today. It writes lovely, but worried as have ran out of refills for it now. I normally use a Parker Duofold or Cross Townsend for day-to-day use, and my Brescia normally only comes out when signing important things (quite sentimental!).

Does anyone have ideas as to where I can source refills for the Brescia? I can't seem to see them for sale on Chopard's own website, and Selfridges didn't have any in stock when I visited recently.

Typical response from someone who can obviously afford a nice pen 😁

I was looking from a wider perspective, but you have your opinion and I have mine. I have no injuries today, thanks. Maybe I'll get one from the cheap pens I use daily, the shock, the horror!!

I LOVE pens and stationery in general, so thank you OP for this wonderful thread and I am delighted your issue has been solved.

My question is, do you not find the barrel of the pen slippery being metal? I had a wonderful Cross pen that wrote like a dream but was metal and horrible to hold as it slipped. I ended up having to put an elastic band round it, which somewhat ruined the aesthetic…

Truly??

((Gulp)) That much?? One of my students once gave me a Mont Blanc pen...i thought it was a nice gesture, but had no idea until now...

Yes, I can. I can also carry on scrolling when a thread title is of no interest to me and/or does not reflect my circumstances.

No, you’re looking at a limited perspective - that which believes the tone of a forum is to be determined by your sensibilities. Ironically, what is tone deaf is coming into someone else’s thread and trying to take on the role of moderator, rather than just not clicking on something that isn’t relevant to you.

Have you tried a matte finish Parker?

The matte jotter XL is lovely.

Same here. I've learned to keep several pens in all the bags I use day to day and on both my desks, at work and at home, (not a stealth boast before anyone starts, the most expensive bag I own is a rucksack that cost £60 and the bag I most regularly use for work is the cheap generic one I use to take my safety kit on site visits).

I've still sat down with a client and being unable to find a pen and wondered if I can take one off their desk without them noticing.

It wasn't until covid that I realised that I got all my pens from conferences and for the first time in about 20 years I actually ran out of pens and had to buy some. Top tip, BIC biros from Amazon are a great add on item if you need to spend an extra quid or two to get free delivery.

But for the OP, the great irony is that her £620 pen is not going to perform any better than a promotional freebie if the refill is not up to scratch.

But surely the supplier will want their pens to give their owners a lifetime of faithful service so they'll be able to recommend and supply a refill that is worthy of powering such a high end writing implement?

If someone can afford it and they like pens, what's the problem?

There's plenty of posts about holidays, buying a puppy and private school, are those tone deaf too?

Stop looking for things to be offended by..

Found some in South Africa

buyinstor.com/products/rollerball-pen-refills-set-of-two?srsltid=AfmBOopg1gUcBoaN7_eUa0F7ziFMazaAkvrND3ar2OrjNnOVCVnp7bH4

Do you remember the woman who had her pen 'serviced'? She'd got it on ebay for £15, it was Cartier.

i am another pen lover. My handwriting is shit, I'm dyslexic and have arthritis so I don't really stand a chance.

I have a couple of Cross fountain pens, a couple of Lammy pens but the easiest to write with are my cheap and cheerful Preppy.

I'm having some time out but when I'm a bit better mentally I will be going back to my OU studies. So I have my notes in blue, my examples in green and my calculations in purple.

Oh and I'm on UC, if I had more money I would have more pens.

One of my best cars was 150 quid, it had a choke with a peg, non working stereo, didn't lock and the window wouldn't close but it lasted probably longer than a cartridge for a 600 pound pen 😂

Gobsmacked that someone would spend over £600 on a pen no matter how wealthy you are! I mean, how much writing does anyone do now anyway?

Doubtful.

Show us your 15yo’s writing then…

To avoid people who would say ‘chuck it out and buy a new one’.

https://www.montblanc.com/en-GB/ballpoint-pens_cod1647597325160259.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlvW2BhDyARIsADnIe-LH-QmfOuJ1XaKsf20k8rgn1Y0alsDmXCnKCWtvZm0QOJWr3WMYq

This Monblanc is £275 - pretty in the picture. The description says it's made from quality resin - does that not mean plastic? Well high quality plastic.

I've gone down a major rabbit hole looking at various pens on the internet - sadly won't be buying any of them 😅just window shopping

For me it is the pleasure I get from the pen. I look at them, use them, they are something that gives me pleasure.

Lovely! It’s not a brand I’ve come across but could you reach out to cultpens and ask? They’ve helped me find compatible refills before. It might possibly be a generic G2 refill?

Not everyone is wedded to their computer. I've got several Parker ink pens, they are lovely to write with. I also like writing in pencil (with a retractable lead pencil, medium thickness). I can type at about 90-100 wpm, but I still enjoy writing stuff down.

At work I can get through a large one of those Pukka notepads you get in WHSmiths every 4-5 weeks. I find writing things down is a really good way of committing it to memory (it's to do with the physical act of making the shapes on the page and the motor skills involved).

Glad you have a few options for your pen @MelanieD29 If you manage to find refills, buy up their entire stock

I have an inherited fountain pen with an 18k nib and it’s beautiful. A pen like OPs is like a piece of jewellery, and would I spend £620 on a ring? Yes.

It's a pen made for Chopard by eg Schmidt. Is it worth 620? Prob not but I once looked at a Cartier selling for 100s that used a Parker refill. I have a variety of pens from uni ball zero gel to a beautiful Dunhill carbon fountain pen. This actually uses Pilot cartridges badged as Dunhill. Anyway Cult Pens is great for everything pens and pencils.

£620 sounds like a lot for a pen but I reckon I've spent a lot more than that on dog treats over his lifetime and he just shits then out so....

At least the OP still has something to show for their £620

Who knew there was a factory in Liverpool making fountain pen ink. Diamine and their ink is used in Registrar offices and on International Treaties.

But surely most MN users are signing important documents with a £620 pen.....

Stealth boast perhaps...

Completely uncalled for. The OP didn’t ask for a critique on her handwriting. You have chosen to be spiteful because you think you’re being clever, or cool, or both. How very nasty.

I am struggling financially. But I'm also an adult who lives in the world and realises that many people aren't.
There will always be people who have much, much more than me, and that's fine. OP doesn't owe me anything just because her chips fell differently to mine.
There is a huge amount of joy to be found in learning to be content with very little, and in being happy for other people's good fortune.