Waterman Expert Fountain Pen, Gloss Black with 23k Gold Trim, Fine Nib, Luxury Fountain Pen in Gift Box, Fountain Pen for Writing

Of my entire fountain pen collection (Pilot VP, Metro, Kaweco Sport, Monteverde Vesuvio, Lamy Safari, TWSBI Eco, Platinum 3776), this hands down is my favorite pen, except for possibly the 3776. Beginning with the look of the pen, it is a great balance of classy and restrained. In particular, the use of gold accents and the shape of the clip just look good. The 24ct gold plate is a noticeable shade different from my other 14ct gold pens, it looks better. The cap snaps off, which is just more convenient than threads, and it posts with an interesting attention to detail and design. The gold accent ring near the top of the pen serves to hold the cap on, and the tolerances are such that the pen cap does not friction fit against the body of the pen, yet is held firmly in place when posted. When posted, the cap free to rotate slightly around the ring- It is hard to describe, but this attention to detail give a nice feel that the pen is of quality. Furthermore, unlike some snap pens (looking at you Metropolitan), the step down from the body to the grip section is quite small and this greatly helps with comfort. The grip section of the pen is plastic, however is not readily apparent against the lacquered brass body and cap (note that because the pen is brass, it can not be made into an eyedropper). The real magic of this pen; however, is the nib. For a steel nib, and even compared with many solid gold nibs, it is nothing short of fantastic. When I first opened the pen, I inserted the included cartridge and wrote with it as soon as I could reassemble. The pen did not miss a beat and has not since in months of use. Not one hard start, or skip (except the most minor of hard starts if the cap is left off for a few minutes). The nib writes with a very unique tactile feel, not at all a roughness, but a sort of pencil like feedback that helps my brain recognize what my hand just did. It makes writing much more effortless than with a glassy smooth nib like the vanishing point, in my experience, and it is unique even to the 3776 which is often described similarily. The nib is rather stiff, so variation is minimal, but this is perfect for a EDC pen imo. The nib writes on the wetter side, but not overly so. Finely unlike most fountain pens, there is no breather hole apparent on the top of the nib (looks like it may be relocated underneath and at the base), and as such there is less nib creep. Therefore, this pen works well with thinner more penetrating inks such as Noodlers' Warden and Bernanke series while still being great with iroshizuku and diamine inks. My only complaint with the pen is that while it allows for a converter, it is not included and the Waterman converter does not fit tightly into the grip. This is nothing more than a personal annoyance and hardly worth mentioning.

I've owned Waterman pens for years and found them to be reliable, elegant and offer a great writing experience.This purchase was a gift and as such I want to address some negative comments:The blue presentation box is protected in a white cardboard sleeve that has the bar codes and manufacturing information. It is in fact held in place by a piece of tape stuck to the presentation box to prevent it from sliding out. I only wanted to give the pen in its blue box so with a sharp knife I cut the tape to release it. Once outside the cardboard sleeve, with slow careful teasing up of the remaining tape, along the cut edge, I was able to completely remove the tape. Not only NOT tearing the blue box surface, but nor did the tape leave a "shadow" of glue. Grabbing the tape and just pulling up without care will probably risk damaging the surface of the presentation box.Regarding the lack of an ink cartridge, please notice a small fabric loop on the padded base the pen is sitting on. Pull up on that and the base will lift up, exposing the ink cartridge and info sheet. Perhaps sometimes one goes out without a cartridge but I suspect some folks didn't take the time to look for it.I hope this helps people who are considering giving one of these beautiful pens as a gift.

This is the most expensive pen I've ever bought. So I'm not able to compare it to other higher priced devices. But I've loved fountain pens for years and made extensive use of lesser ones. Until a few years ago I had a nice Waterman fountain pen that I bought at an art supply store for $35 (in 1998). The Expert is slightly slimmer, but heavier than that one. Took me a minute to get used to the weight but now it seems natural.I've had the pen a month now and am impressed with how smoothly it writes. I bought a converter also (not included) and some ink, and even with frequent usage I'm still using the same ink from the first time filling it. It does not dry out quickly like my previous pens apparently did. The worst was when I went a whole week without using it, but after dipping the tip in a capful of clean water it wrote perfectly. Usually it starts writing right away with no problems.Previously I've had medium point nibs while this is a fine, so it's hard to compare the writing. The Expert seems a little more scratchy than my cheaper one was, but far less temperamental in terms of writing angles and workable stroke directions. Also it wrote without skipping right from the start and didn't need any kind of wearing in period. (Unlike previous pens I've had). It does occasionally skip still if I get it turned at the wrong angle, but it's far more forgiving of that than I ever would have expected.Overall I have no serious regrets. Wish it cost less but that's so for almost everything. It doesn't come in the marbled blue and black color that my previous pen had, else I would have got that instead. I got the black with gold trim, which looks elegant and professional. I would prefer something more unique, but it does look very good.No complaints. Highly recommended.

The Waterman Expert fountain pen arrived today on schedule and included a wonderful blue ink. The fine nib writes well and is what I hoped for. The pen weighs about 30g which gives a good solid feel and is about 50% when posted vs the Lamy Safari Vista that I was using previously before backing over it with my car last week, sadly.I must note also that I very much like the clip tension on this Waterman Expert. It is not crazy tight so slides onto my clothing without me worrying it is going to mess up my shirt pocket, which is nice.This pen feels like good quality and I appreciate that the cap snaps onto the pen both when capping it and when posting it to write. Extremely satisfying and makes me know that I don't need to worry about it coming off and inking anything accidentally.