Giuliano Mazzuoli Cassia Ballpoint Pen/Pencil Review @CarolLuxury @GMazzuoli

Thank you to Luxury Brands for sending this pen for a review! The Cassia pen pays tribute to the road where Mazzuli's grandfather had his bicycle workshop in Taranelle Val di Pesa.

ABOUT

Body material: Aluminum
Trim: Chrome
Refills: Schmidt EasyFlow 9000 ballpoint, Schmidt 0.7 mm mechanical pencil
Mechanism: Twist
Length (capped): 134.08 mm/5.27"
Length (extended): 138.04 mm/5.43"
Diameter (barrel): 11.98 mm/0.47"
Diameter (section): 10.15 mm/0.40"
Weight (all): 31 g
Price: $ 110.40 USD
Where to buy: Pen Chalet

 

Discount Code: GOURMETPENS

PACKAGING

The Cassia is presented in a large box. It has an outer sleeve with a black and white cobblestone pattern on it. The model name - Cassia - is printed on the top with three Italian flag lines around it - green, white, and red. The box is dark grey/black with a woodgrain pattern. The front flap lifts up to reveal quite a few items! The ballpoint pen is held securely in place by a foam bed. It is accompanied by a little pamphlet of information on the pen and underneath the removable bed, I found three ballpoint refills, one mechanical pencil insert, six colors of O-rings (three each), a pin to change the O-rings, and an eraser.

There are quite a few goodies included here to make the Cassia quite interesting. It is a large box but holds a fair amount and it helps keep your extras organized.

APPEARANCE

The Cassia is a pretty pen. The barrel is a glossy red aluminum with three flat facets on the section. The color reminds me of a candy apple and I love that! The nose cone is chrome, as is the turning mechanism/knob. The knob is engraved with Cassia and it looks very smooth. The top of the cap has a black plug that says: Giuliano Mazzuoli Made in Italy. The cap has three O-rings on it - green, white, and red. The clip is cute, small, and spring-loaded. It is attached by a small, cute bolt, it is unmarked, and it has a round end. It suits the pen well. Overall, this pen gives me an Italian vibe with the colors! I think it's a pretty nice looking with just the right amount of trim and colors.

PERFORMANCE & FEEL

The pen is a decent ballpoint. I like it a lot. First: the spring-loaded clip is easy to use and it slides on and off pockets, pouches, and papers easily. The twist mechanism is smooth and satisfying to operate. The grip section is comfortable. I love the facets - it keeps my grip in place and it does not slip around. I find the pen quite comfortable in hand. It's just the right size for a ballpoint!

Top to bottom: Mazzuoli Cassia, Mazzuoli Officina, Mazzuoli Moka, Lamy Safari.

I love the writing experience with the provided refills. The ballpoint refills are Schmidt EasyFlow 9000s in black, purple, pink, and aqua. It doesn't get much better than that. Most companies ship out only blue or black but this is just perfect for me! Purple! Pink! Aqua! Such fun colors! I am so glad they included these options instead of just black/blue/red. The refills are very smooth writers and the colors are bright and wonderful.

The mechanical pencil refill is a 0.7 mm and it performs well. Smooth mechanism, low frequency of lead breakage. The eraser is just fine for regular use. I am not an artist so I only need it for 'regular' corrections.

I had a little trouble changing the O-rings with the provided pin. I first stabbed myself multiple times in trying to remove the rings from the pen. When I finally did remove one, I discovered I had actually punctured it with the tip of the pin. It's a cute idea but I didn't find it to be a quick and easy thing to do.

Ignoring the O-rings, I am quite happy with the performance of the pen. There is no need to really change them so I'm not too concerned about it. I really like these refills and I'm glad they are not proprietary.

PROS

CONS

OVERALL

I was pleasantly surprised by this pen. I'm a little unhappy with the price - even at the sale price of $110USD, that's quite a bit, even though you get several refills and a pencil mechanism. I'm not sure what would be an appropriate price but I would be more comfortable purchasing this around $70USD or so. What do you think? It does perform really well, it's quite pretty, and it has been quite robust in my months of use with it.