Hello All,

I'm brand new to FPN and a novice collector as well. My only fountain pen is a Black Shaeffer Prelude which in my opinion writes well but mind you I have no other fountain pens to compare it to. After reading the rave reviews on FPN regarding the Waterman Phileas and how great a writer it is I ordered one for $19.99 plus shipping on ebay so I'm looking forward to that.

I have a Cross Verve Merlot Ballpoint which I love so my next purchase has gotta be the Verve Merlot Fountain pen.
After that I think it's gonna be a Waterman Carene Amber to match the Carene Amber rollerball I got last Valentine's Day.

I was also thinking about a Monteverde Invincia Black Tie Fountain Pen to match the rollerball I already own but honestly I'm not too happy with the Monteverde. The plastic piece inside the cap that holds it in place when posted broke after about 2 months of use. I suppose I'll take it to the Fountain Pen Hospital in Manhattan to see if it can be repaired.

Anyone out there have any similar experiences with a Monteverde?

Can't help with the Monteverde, but that Prelude is a fine writer. My fine point nib is amazingly smooth, and it seems to love all different types of ink. I must say, though, that you should grab some Sheaffer ink. I bought some red a few weeks back, and it made the pen even more smooth. Good luck with the Waterman.

Oh, and welcome to FPN!

Hey Nightwriter,

The Waterman Phileas is a wonderful pen. Easy to use, simple, plain and tough.

Thanks for the reply. After reading the reviews of the Phileas on FPN I'm so eager to get it in my hands that even though I ordered one on ebay I went to Staples and was gonna buy it there in another color just because I couldn't wait. They were sold out though. Damnit!!!

Funny though I held the Phileas in my hand and was really put off by the light weight. A friend of mine has it in ball point and when I held that I was like wow this has gotta be the cheapest pen Waterman has ever made. So I'm buying one because everyone on FPN says they are great and I'm a novice and really gullible and naive.

Thanks for the warm welcome! Thus far I've only used Sheaffer ink cartridges in my Prelude. Never used the converter yet. Is the Sheaffer ink you're talking about different?

Once again I'm new to this and I've been reading all of the posts and now I have visions of Noodlers Ink and Waterman havana brown dancing in my head. Can you recommend some decent paper as well?