If you are looking to upgrade from using a starter-level fountain pen, are about to start a significant or meaningful writing project, or want to make a good impression with a gift that will surely be well received, you may want to consider the Waterman Hemisphere Fountain Pen.
The pen comes in a striking gift box–I liked the box so much I kept it. I got the Bright Blue version, which has a metallic blue lacquer finish and palladium-plated stainless steel trim. The pen comes with a blue ink cartridge. A converter is not included, though a converter is available for purchase if you would rather fill your pen using ink from a bottle.
The pen is elegantly designed and feels very solid. I should point out that this is not a thick pen–compared to some fountain pens this pen is rather slim, though I personally find it very comfortable to write with. Uncapped (with cartridge) the pen weighs about 13.7 grams; capped (with cartridge) the pen weighs about 21.5 grams. The tapered barrel is about 10.67 mm in diameter at its widest point.
The cap posts with a compression fit, though the cap fits quite snuggly. The pen feels balanced unposted–posting the cap gives the pen a slight back weighting. However, posted is actually how I prefer to write with this pen. The pen is closed by clicking the cap into place.
There is a Waterman “W” engraved on the top of the clip.
The stainless steel nib has a Waterman “W” engraved on the top. Beneath are “Waterman” and “Paris,” followed by (on mine) an “M” for medium nib.
The nib tip is round and smooth.
The molded plastic section between the lacquer barrel and the nib–the grip–has a slight seam. Given the price range of this pen I wanted to point it out–you can feel the seam with your finger, though you have to hunt for it and in use the seam should not really bother you–if it does, just polish it out yourself with some micro-mesh sanding pads.
Out of the box the pen wrote very smoothly. Mine has a medium nib–I should point out that the Waterman Medium nib is a broad medium, so you will want to use a quality paper. In my Leuchtturm notebook the ink flowed smoothly and there was no feathering or bleeding.
However, in my Moleskine notebook, which has a slightly inferior quality paper compared to the Leuchtturm, there was slight feathering and bleeding.
Overall, I was quite impressed with the Waterman Hemisphere Fountain Pen. The fit and finish gives the impression of quality, and the slim design gives the impression of elegance–it feels worth the price you pay for the pen. The cartridge works fine, though I will be getting the converter so I can use my own bottled inks. If your handwriting is small then you might want to get a fine or extra-fine nib. But this is a great pen that makes a wonderful gift or, even better, keep it and enjoy using it yourself.
- Pricing and Availability on Amazon: Waterman Hemisphere Fountain Pen
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