Waterman's 515 Fountain Pen

[Malcy]

The Waterman's 515 was made in the late 1940s, a model at the top of their UK manufactured line on fountain pens. It was a competitor of the Parker Duofold AF and feels similar in many ways.

 

 

This 515 comes in black celluloid with gold filled trim in the form of a wide cap band and the art deco Waterman's clip. The design is conservative from looks to nib performance including the lever filling system. I find that Waterman's of this era keep their condition well and this example is no exception with little in the way of wear and tear.

 

 

The pen is fairly light weight being mostly plastic but it is a good size and is comfortable to use, even posted. The pen is 131mm capped and 160mm posted. As mentioned above,the filling system is the simple but reliable lever filler. It is easy to use so what's not to like. The nib is a size 5 Waterman's 14ct gold nib. It looks larger than size 5, possibly due to the long tines. My thought on seeing it was that it would be flexy but I was only half right. The nib has a vintage feel to it, rather like my Wahl-Eversharp Equipoise flexible nib and it does flex, going from fine to BB but it requires reasonable pressure to do so.

 

 

I have included a writing sample below. You can see that it is enjoyable to use.

 

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g114/Luminarium/Pens/515.jpg

 

In conclusion the 515 is a great pen for someone wanting a vintage pen as a reliable, comfortable daily user. They are fairly common and prices vary quite a lot as does the style of nib fitted.

 

Overall 9/10

[Scribblesoften]

Thanks for the nice review. Your photos are excellent. How long are these pens?

[Malcy]

Thanks.

 

The pen is 131mm capped and 160mm posted and about 12mm diameter.

[Uncle Red]

Great review, these later Waterman pens are hard to research.

[Scribblesoften]

Thanks.

 

The pen is 131mm capped and 160mm posted and about 12mm diameter.

 

Thank you.

[nxn96]

Great review, these later Waterman pens are hard to research.

I agree. Compared to competitors such as Sheaffer and Parker who were doing a lot of innovative things back in the day (Touchdowns, Snorkels, Vacumatics, Aerometrics, etc.), Waterman was being pretty conservative with their lever fill designs. That being said, Waterman was still making a good pen. I've got a couple of the US-made models from this era, and while they're pretty understated, they are really nice writers. I think also for the vintage collector, Waterman pens from this period seem to represent pretty good value for the money; at least that's been my experience on the "buy" side.

 

Thanks again for the interesting review.

[beurling]

nice review..i agree they are a good reliable daily writer with a touch of class...

 

i like the semi flexible nature of the nibs..

 

Buzz

[jetsam]

Thanks Malcy. Your review convinced me to get one and it just arrived.

It's everything you said it was.

Any other Malcy pen reviews I can look up?

[Paul80]

Hi

 

nice review, anyone ever seen a button filling version of this pen.

 

Paul