I have always been intriqued by the look of the Waterman CF with the inlaid nib.... a nice classy looking pen...

How well do they write....
I am looking at 2 on eBay from the Netherlands that are going off in a couple of days...
What would be considered a decent price for a pen in excellent condition (the seller is known and reputable in his descriptions)

Tom, Cf is a great design pen. You probably know the first model was conceived by Harley Earl, the great american car designer (http://www.carofthecentury.com/), and it is a good writer pen: fluent and less rigid than P51. The price depends on finishies: this pen was produced in USA, Canada, UK and France, in many patterns. The french models are more expensive because also in silver and gold plated. The two you see from Nederlands seller are not rare, but in my opinion that price could be decent if it does not go more high. Regards, Giuseppe

I agree with Gicoteni entirely. The 14 kt nib has real personality, like so many vintage Watermans, with some softness and line variation. I've seen them in standard colors for about $15 here in the US, in good condition, and going up (sometimes way up) for the rarer finishes. Mine is a cheap one yet very enjoyable. Incidentally Richard Binder's website has an excellent article on these pens.

I have three, they're all great writers. I know you like the Falcon 50 - the CFs are similar in size & tapered section (but not as slippery as the Falcon!). I saw that ebay posting, I think the price is reasonable -- go for it, and good luck!

Petra

The first pen I bought off eBay for Diane was a beautiful black with gold cap C/F, and it has been a problem ever since. Hard starting, cap it and set it down for a few hours and it would refuse to start. I have cleaned it dozens of times, soaked it for days and it would write beautifully, and then it would stop again.

However, today I was working on it again and suddenly had a thought, and no, it did not hurt, not much anyway. I turned to Diane and asked if she had any Korrinor nib cleaner for her drawing pens. Turns out she did, a brand new large full bottle from ChartPak. I used a 1 to 3 mix of it and after half an hour I inked it up with some FPN Manuscript Brown, this seems to be the most freely flowing ink I have and has made sever other dry writers write their best.

WOW! For the first time ever this pen gives a nice WET line, always before it was an extremely dry writer. With no pressure at all it lays down a very smooth line, no skipping at all. So I laid down the law to Diane, don’t touch it for a week, next Wednesday we try it and see if it is still writing. If it is she can play with it to her hearts’ content.

I had to lay down the law, she played with it for a few minutes and loves how it now writes and wants to play with it to the exclusion of her other pens. But I was firm (HA!), we wait a week and make certain it is fixed! (Taking bets now on how long it actually turns out to be before she gets her hands on it. My bet is no more then a few hours when I go to sleep so I can go to work tonight.)

I have always liked Waterman pens, and the C/F is a beautiful pen, but this one had pretty much turned me off them, my opinion (if this pen is still working a week from now) may have changed completely, right now I would have to say that this could easily become a favorite if it stays as it is currently. In a week or so I may have to go looking for one of my own.

Well, I have a FP/MP set coming at an even better price than from eBay and from one of our own.... DocNib...
Here is the description from his ad on the Market Place. I also found out that Waterman still has converters to fit this pen... I believe they are called the Lady Waterman converters...

3,4) WATERMAN'S CF FP/PCL Set (Made in USA, c. 1955) w/Black Plastic Barrel & GP Cap & Trim, 14K inlaid Fine Semi-Flex nib (barely looks used), cartridge/converter filled (no converter but will include an 8-Pak of cartridges in either Blu/Blk, Turq. or Wash. Blue), cartridges can be refilled with your favorite inks, shows minor wear & tear w/no visible brassing, PCL is .9mm twist advance/retract w/eraser & lead storage under cap, original eraser shows minor use, minor wear & tear on PCL w/some pitting on plating where nose-piece meets barrel, no box, overall condition of set is "Excellent -"...PenEmporium Price $70.00/REDUCED TO $55.00!

Tom, you can get converters for the CF - there is a guy that reliably sells them for not very much on Ebay.

I think you'll enjoy the pen - I have a bunch of them and use them regularly. There is nothing quite like that nib in appearance.

I'd try to stay away from the cheaper line that has a cheaper nib, usually in a lighter plastic surround. And if the bug bites, you need to buy either a silver or gold Moire pattern - they are eally almost unique.

You see corroded nibs, but as long as you don't toss it in a drawer inked up I don't think there is any problem.

I just saw that ad a few minutes ago, I have been pretty much offline for the last day or so, router was giving me problems. Nice pen, it is identical to the one I bought for Diane. I just checked her pen this morning, I let it sit for a couple of days and it starts, now, immediately and is writing very nicely indeed. I always knew that it should be a good writer, like any Waterman pen should.

Congratulations and enjoy the pen, it is a looker.