When I first got my Waterman Charleston, I was surprised by how small the nib seemed in relation to the rest of the pen. Aesthetically, it seemed unattractive.

However, I have become enamored of the feel of the pen, which is in direct contrast to what I once considered far more elegant long-nibbed pens, and use it for a variety of key tasks.

I would be interested in your comments, and also in any suggestions for pens that resemble the Charleston profile.

I'm a big fan of small, kind of 'squared off' nibs... I actually find the Charleston large for my taste!

I like 'em small... Namiki VP, Parker 51... If someone figures out how to make a smaller nib than a 51 I'll probably buy that too.

It seems like many modern pens have larger nibs than vintage ones - almost as if they're designed to advertise that you're using an FP. I like the more subtle nibs a bit better.

I find no such issue with the pen. Too me the amount of yellow at the nib seems to reasonably off set the amount of mass above the top of the barrel band. As always, when it applies to how a pen looks, YMMV.

My only problem as an owner is with the insecure posting.

I have a personal response to your query. I am a fan of large nibs - Duofold Centennial, Pelikan M-800, Stipula Etruria. I find the Charleston nib very small and somewhat difficult to use. It reminds me of the nib on the Dani raw ebonite "Hanryo." I find I have to hold both pens at a higher angle, which feel somewhat odd for me, and I move my face close to the page because the nib is closer to the page. Both pens are nice writing pens, nd I will keep them both. But I won't consciously look for similarly sized nibs.

For a long time I thought a large nib was desirable, and part of what defined a fountain pen. My first "real" pen was an MB 146. As I've added more pens to my collection, my preference has definitely moved to smaller nibs. Based on nib size alone, my largest recent purchases have been Sonnets, Charlestons, and a Phileas. The others have are hooded, semi-hooded, or Parker 75 style. The main reasons are I like holding the pen closer to the nib, and I prefer a less flashy pen. As objects to look at, I really admire pens with nibs in the grand style. I can spend a lot of time looking at them in stores and catalogs. As objects to use, pens with smaller nibs are just more practical for me.

My husband gave me a Charleston for Christmas. I had the same reaction you did when I first took the cap off - the nib looked absolutely teeny-weeny! But it has turned out to be such a nice writer! I'm using it a lot these days. And now that I'm used to looking at it, it doesn't seem so out of proportion. By comparison though, my Romet Asia is HUGE -- and yet I enjoy writing with both of them. I think that writing with pens of various sizes is probably a good practice since I have some arthritis problems in my hands.

Judybug

I have two Charlestons.
I prefer large nibs, but have to admit that those little Charlestons are the smoothest writers of my all eleven pens.
Zyg

I suppose someone has to say this: size doesn't matter...

I like the way my ivory Charleston looks, except when it's capped (the discontinuity between the cap and barrel just looks plain weird). But as far as the nib goes, it looks to be a little on the small side, but it didn't look out of place to me the very first time I saw the pen. And now that I've gotten used to it, it seems just fine. In any case, I like nibs of all sizes.

On the other side, Parker's Frontier nib is too large for it's size...

Nenad

I have to agree with Helius on this one.
The size of the nib to me is purely a matter of looks....
To me if the nib does not write nicely, I don't care how big or small it is, I won't like it...
I have large nibbed pens (Vacumatics, Pelikans, & Sheaffer Triumphs and Balances) and small nibbed pens (Parker 51) and they all write beautifully....