Waterman Expert 2

[Armchop]

:meow:

I've been on a spree with itchy fingers to try new pens.

Waterman Expert 2 from our French friend on ebay.

 

Build/quality 4/5

The pen feels nice and solid. Fairly weighty and to my liking. Sits in my hand nice and comfortably (but my hands are relatively small for a man so be warned!) . I have a matt black finish that feels smooth but not slippery. The body has a nice taper that moulds well to my grip. Cap has a very solid snap that means it will not easily come off when writing or in pocket. The clip is nice and tightly tensioned. The cap is not very heavy relative to the pen so even those who prefer to write unposted will not notice too much differenc in the balance of the pen.

 

Nib and writing 4/5

I have a steel nib model in Medium. It looks cheap and uncomplicated but is not so. After a soapy wash the nib writes very smoothly indeed (when judged against several other makes I own). It is certainly better that the Sheaffer Prelude I bought recently (but maybe I ought to give that a good soap too). It is quite wet but not too much so. I'd say the writing line is a standard medium.

 

Verdict.

Yes I am happy with my purchase and it was worthwhile. In my opinion if buying for oneself as a workhouse pen then get the cheaper matt finish versions and you will be happier (unless you are feeling plush and want to spoil yourself). If buying as a gift the go for the nicer finishes to add to the effect of giving an expensive pen.

 

Armchop

[solaris]

I have two ExpertII, and both are very good writers. The medium nib run slightly on he bradish side, but are very reliable and wet writers. I really like my two pens.

BUT the plating on one of the nibs developed a bit of corrosion, just below the place where it fits the section...

[Rique]

Thanks Armchop for the review! I´ve got 4 Experts, and I agree that they are very good writers and very pretty pens (mine are a black one, and marble red, blue and green ones). I have also had a problem of corrosion - one of the pens developed a bit of corrosion on the nib, around the slit. Nothing serious, but it is visible and ate part of the gold plating.

Apart from that, they are excellent pens, very solid, and nibs that run rather wide.

Edited December 27, 2006 by Rique

[Sallent]

I have one and the nib is smooth. Great writter and very sturdy, the pen makes for a great work horse pen.

[upscalebohemian]

I'm glad to read you were all so happy with your Waterman Expert II fountain pens. I got one (Dune blue) and found the medium nib to be terribly scratchy and unpleasant (first nib I had that was silver rather than gold, so maybe that's it). It was my first Waterman and I wrote it off and resold it on eBay at a loss (no biggie). Nice to see some soapy water helped one of you to get it to write smoothly. Mine seemed like it wanted to rip the paper apart. I'd try that soap trick next time. But after several Parker Premier's and a few Sonnets (great writers/boring pens, the Sonnets) and the newest version of the Omas Paragon in the Arco finish (love it), I didn't enjoy this Waterman at all and so had written off the brand entirely. now I'll take another look. Thanks for the reviews. Good to know.

[John Cullen]

Some of the Expert II nbs are dry and toothy. Any nib meister can fix this up in about five minutes. So depending on how much you paid for the pen, having it smoothed may be a good option.

 

soapy water generally will not help a scratchy or toothy nib.

 

I am surprised someone bought the pen on ebay knowing it was scratchy. Maybe the person enjoyed tuning up pens? If so, he probably got a good deal. j

[kudzu]

Too bad about your toothy/scratchy nib experience with a Waterman Expert II. Mine wrote smoothly right off the bat. I love it. It's the only pen I always carry with me because I really like how it feels in my hand, it writes well with my permanent drier Noodler's inks, and it didn't cost so much that I feel like I have to be paranoid about taking it out of the house. It's an all-round good writer for me. If I could change anything, it would be to get a cursive italic or a stub nib for it.

[upscalebohemian]

Yes, I was upfront about the fact I didn't like the way the pen wrote and was pricing it for quick sale. The new owner seemed pleased, getting it for about $65 (I think I got it for about $90 on eBay from a seller I've otherwise had great luck with for other pens [and see it in stores for $149 sometimes]). After the wonderful Parker Premier Chinese Laque pens I generally use and the Omas Paragon Arco, I just found this particular Waterman to be a huge drop in quality from what I'm used to and was happy to pass it on to someone who could appreciate it.

Edited July 6, 2007 by upscalebohemian

[Sallent]

When i first got mine i was also slightly dissapointed. It seemed a little scratchy and it skipped a little. I tried cleaning it and it didn't do much, so i put it away for 2 weeks (inked). When i picked it up again it was like a whole new pen. It wrote smoothly and barely any skip at all. I fell in love with it all over again and since that day i have not had any reason to complain about it, except for one, the steel body is quick to show scratches, but thats alright, i use my pen a lot and i love it anyways. It was a great buy!!!

[tycosiao]

the wm expertII is my everyday pen. i'm using the expert city. mine comes with a fine nib, not toothy pretty smooth but there is corrosion on the clip. this might be caused from the leather pen holder which i put it into. overall there pen is great. nice feel, nice weight, nice price.

[goaliedad30]

the wm expertII is my everyday pen. i'm using the expert city. mine comes with a fine nib, not toothy pretty smooth but there is corrosion on the clip. this might be caused from the leather pen holder which i put it into. overall there pen is great. nice feel, nice weight, nice price.

 

Old thread, I know, but be nice to a newbie! :-)

 

My everyday pen is a black Waterman Expert, medium gold nib ... I love it. I also have a Blue Dune, with a medium steel nib that unfortunately has been bent, so it now doesn't flow anywhere near as evenly as I'd like. Any suggestions on where to go find a replacement nib? The blue color is magnificent, and if I could find a replacement nib, it would probably become my workhorse pen.

[John Cullen]

I would imagine Waterman would sell you a replacement but it would probably cost an arm and a leg. I guess you can call the waterman service center in your country and ask.

 

Another option may be to go to the want to buy section of FPN and post a WTB for a Waterman Expert with perfect nib but very used body. Maybe someone has one that writes great but has a badly used body and would sell it cheap?

 

The Expert IIs were selling a year or so ago for $30 in a few places, so maybe someone has one with a good nib and used body they would let go for $20? I doubt Waterman will sell you a new nib for $20, but I could be wrong.

 

good luck. j

[John Cullen]

goaliedad30-----You may need to repost this question on the general writing instrument section. Some people may think this is another review of the Expert II rather than a specific question. Or, post this in the waterman pen section and someone may offer you a new nib?

 

 

Another thought: go to the For Sale board and contact Docnib. He often sells nib units. I don't know if he would have any waterman expert nib units.

 

Up to you. Just a thought to maximize your readership here on this issue/question. jc

Edited August 24, 2008 by John Cullen

[david6]

Old thread, I know, but be nice to a newbie! :-)

 

My everyday pen is a black Waterman Expert, medium gold nib ... I love it. I also have a Blue Dune, with a medium steel nib that unfortunately has been bent, so it now doesn't flow anywhere near as evenly as I'd like. Any suggestions on where to go find a replacement nib? The blue color is magnificent, and if I could find a replacement nib, it would probably become my workhorse pen.

 

Hi

 

You can get a replacement nib section on eBay from Pen Seller From France. The cost in English £'s is £19.90 plus postage. Check it out if you are interested.

 

The Expert II is a great pen and I have two of them. Hope you can get yours back into good working order

 

David

[goaliedad30]

Old thread, I know, but be nice to a newbie! :-)

 

My everyday pen is a black Waterman Expert, medium gold nib ... I love it. I also have a Blue Dune, with a medium steel nib that unfortunately has been bent, so it now doesn't flow anywhere near as evenly as I'd like. Any suggestions on where to go find a replacement nib? The blue color is magnificent, and if I could find a replacement nib, it would probably become my workhorse pen.

 

Hi

 

You can get a replacement nib section on eBay from Pen Seller From France. The cost in English £'s is £19.90 plus postage. Check it out if you are interested.

 

The Expert II is a great pen and I have two of them. Hope you can get yours back into good working order

 

David

 

Thanks! Just sent Pen Seller From France a message via eBay. Hopefully this gets me back in the saddle with this pen!

[orpheus]

Just want to put in a word here for the original Expert (not the Expert II). I think the main difference is the material: the Expert II is, unless I'm mistaken, brass with plastic or lacquer over it. The original is simply plastic (though it doesn't feel cheap).

 

I have one of the original ones. It was my first fountain pen, in fact. And it is, still, the only one I've ever used that has given me no trouble - ever. It's always with me. Most comfortable writer I own. Remarkable, really, for such an inexpensive and unpretentious pen.

 

I've tried the Expert II, and I actually don't like it as much. A bit too heavy for me. (But I like light pens.)

[theunknownpen]

Hi,

 

I bought Waterman Expert Matt Black more than a month ago, but the ink-flow was not proper. I faced difficulty while writing and after complaint, the mall guys sent to main store and I got it back after 20 days but the problem still persisted. However, today, I got a replacement for that black one with a new Expert Deluxe White. It writes really great. I have 3 Waterman pens. 1) Black Lacquer Hemisphere with M nib, 2) Allure Ball point, Marble Blue and Expert, Deluxe White M nib.

 

I love pens very much and I like writing with my waterman pens. I wish I could get "blue and green" and also, I want to get my hands on "Phileas" if anyone of you can help me out in getting Phileas (Waterman), help me out 'cuz I tried to find online, but I could not. Also, please let me know if anyone has vintage pens (only fountain in good condition) and I would like to seal the deal, let's negotiate the prices

[dogpoet]

I'd just like to join the chorus here: I have a matt black Expert II, and I love it to pieces too.

 

theunknownpen: have a look at ebay for a Phileas. There's several sellers on there doing the things as NOS, including the French gentleman mentioned in the OP. (I've bought from him myself, and he's a pleasure to deal with. Not sure if he ships to the 'States, though.) I'm sure there'll be US sellers who can get you one that's still packaged if he doesn't, though.

[whitelily]

I just got my expert II. I´m quite disappointed. The nib is not smooth at all in comparison to the other Waterman pens I own. The nibs on my Caréne (XF) and Ici Et La (M) are butter (!) smooooth. The nib also seem to be of much lower quality than the one on the Ici Et La (which is strange to me, because they´re not that far from each other in terms of pricet). Is this the case?

Edited September 24, 2011 by whitelily

[georges zaslavsky]

I tried one but was told that the snap cap was having problems for unproperly clicking after long use which wasn't the case of the first generation expert and which had a much better nib too.