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View Full Version : Modern waterman pen quality?



techjunkie25
March 3rd, 2018, 10:34 PM
Anyone have any input on Waterman’s quality on new modern pens... hemisphere , gt etc?
Just trying to expand my fp horizon so all Info is appreciated!





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pajaro
March 4th, 2018, 10:47 AM
Carene is excellent, Kultur and Phileas are pretty good. Hemisphere ballpoint is great.

s_t_e_v_e
March 23rd, 2018, 08:09 AM
Their modern pens are excellently made. The fit and finish are top tier, made to last. Their gold nibs are usually very smooth and consistent writers. Their steel nibs however, can be a hit or miss, but their customer service is excellent. So if you get a dud, they will fix it for you.

amk
March 24th, 2018, 11:13 AM
Really good and reliable pens. The Carene in particular is a really great pen and the nibs are smooth - I have great experiences with their broad nibs which are wet, bouncy and generous. I don't like the new metallic versions of Expert so much, but that's personal taste - the pens are still well made.

Scooby921
May 1st, 2018, 06:09 AM
I've had a Waterman Charleston for several years now and have no complaints. The 18k stub (ground into italic) is absolutely wonderful.

penwash
May 1st, 2018, 08:28 AM
I just posted about a Hemisphere set (https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/24305-A-Waterman-Hemisphere-set?p=238336&viewfull=1#post238336) yesterday. The build quality is excellent, I'm most impressed with the mechanical pencil.

gbryal
May 1st, 2018, 12:35 PM
I have an Expert, a Carene, and a Kultur. The Kultur is kind of cheap but writes OK. The Expert and Carene don't have any quality issues, at least mine, but I will say, for me, they are not much different from Sheaffer and Parker pens in the same price range. They have that heavy "luxury gift pen" feel that you may like, but I don't like them as much as my modern ebonite and acrylic pens.

Kulprit
May 15th, 2018, 04:38 PM
I've owned several Experts and used a few Carenes. I'm quite fond of the nibs, though the steel nibs are nails and the gold nibs are on the firm side. Very smooth though.

They've not been perfect, though. My first Expert had bad baby's bottom, so I returned it. The second and third were both fine (though both required flushing with proper pen flush to get writing without skipping). The fourth is currently with Dan Smith for what I suspect is baby's bottom again.

The fourth Expert also has an annoying quirk. With the Expert, the cap posts on the bottom trim ring. It's a nice system that ensures that the cap posts securely and that the cap doesn't mar the lacquer finish on the barrel. Unfortunately, on this particular example, the bottom trim ring spins pretty freely, which means that the cap, when posted, does too.

Really, the latter issue is the only turn off for me. The weight of a brass barrel, the feel of the pen in hand, and the smooth nibs all make for a pleasant pen to use, and one that feels much more expensive than it is.

For the rare occasions when a fountain pen won't do, I've also got an Expert rollerball that I adore. I actually screwed up the section on that pen and Waterman replaced it for free, including shipping to and from France.


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sharmon202
May 16th, 2018, 10:23 AM
I have 3 Carenes, love how they write and beautiful to boot. (Fountain pens). Use them all the time

pajaro
May 17th, 2018, 10:42 AM
I have three Carenes I hardly use. They write wonderfully. Too many pens. The Carene is a unique shape and style, and it is beautiful. Quality is great, and you can adjust the pen to keep the nib and the stern aligned. Really a one-off.

VertOlive
May 19th, 2018, 09:15 PM
I just received a Kultur from a generous pen pal. This one is a transparent purple with stainless steel nib. It fits well in my hand but is noticeably lighter than a Safari (and might be more fragile than the Safari is).

It came as an eyedropper but I found that a Delta converter fits it. It is writing very smoothly with the first ink (Noodler's Road to Burma) I've tried so far.