Hi all,

I was planning of getting a Charleston but unfortunately its discontinued now. I ended up buying a Sailor Sapporo that day....
But since I dont have a waterman in my collection, I would like to add one to my lineup.

I was thinking of getting a Hemisphere. So I want to know your experiences with the pen.

Are there any other pens in waterman lineup in the same price range???

My first WATERMAN was a Hemesphere, and now Im hooked on Waterman. It was cheap and I was suprised with the build and performance quality. I realy like the build of this pen. I have one in Stainless Steel with Chrome trim and a Medium nib, that is very smooth. I paid $49 Aud for it (rrp $125 Aud), I am now looking at getting a Waterman Expert, about the same price if I buy over the net. There are plenty of Charlestons available at online stores, I do like the look of these pens.

I had a stainless Hemisphere that wrote very well and consistently every time I picked it up, though I recall that others on FPN have had some problems with them, though I don't recall what those problems were. The Hemisphere was one of the first modern FPs I purchased and I liked it so much that I bought a couple more Waterman pens. If you wait for a used Carene, those can be had for $70-80, which is a bit more than the Hemisphere, but not too terribly much. I hope you're enjoying that Sapporo.

http://www.waterman.com/en/style/pens/product/charleston I think the charleston is still made. The nib like on the carene is a 18k750 one. Very smooth one.

I've had one for a number of years now- it's a decent pen. I've found the medium to be more like a medium-broad though. It's heavier than plastic pens since it's made of metal. It's nice looking, but thin and can be heavy if posted.

I also Find the Medium nib on the Broad side, and medium was the only size I could get in Australia. It is a heavier pen, but I realy like the extra weight.

So I think if you like a heavier pen with a slimmer feel and a little bit wider line a Hemisphere is a good starter and everyday user. The only things that keep me from inking and using mine these days are the line width and the weight. Reliability is not a problem and it's an extraordinarily easy pen to take apart and clean up. I've found that with a little mildly warm water you can slide the nib and feed right out and clean them up. Then just slide them back in. The nib wears well enough as well and is generally smooth. So yes- if you like the heft of a metal pen and a slim profile it will be a nice choice. I think the blue finish looks nice.

But if you like light weight pens or plastic pens, I'd avoid the Hemisphere in favor of an Expert or Charleston or Phileas.

I've been mostly satisfied with my Hemisphere thus far. I mainly bought it on a whim as my first fountain person because I really like how it looks. It doesn't always start writing immediately, which can be frustrating on occasion. But, the weight and size of it suit me perfectly well.

Here are some photos of mine, because everyone loves photos.

I bought my Hemisphere for ~$30, and I really like it. It has a fine point, and writes very smoothly. I chose the metallic blue color, which is beautifully striking-- you have to see it to realize how nice it looks in person.

Also in the same price range is the Phileas, which is also a reliable writer. Mine is in marbled blue with a medium nib and also super-smooth.

I bought mine (black with ST and F nib) for 16.00 GBP at Lewertowski's at ebay.co.uk. It looks nice, feels nice, but has starting problems with vertical lines (from top to bottom) which is very annoying. I like the line width though.

Thanks to all for your replies!!!

I want to know how the Philes performes against the Hemisphere.....
Also how does the pen feel to hold as compared to the hemisphere....

Phileas is fatter around, but lighter on the whole. I like the Phileas feel better- the grip is more substantial and seems more comfortable to me. The Hemisphere is friendlier to smaller hands but weighs more. Both are comfortable enough to use regularly, but I find the Phileas a little more so. Posted the Hemisphere is quite heavy, the Phileas less so.